We would recommend that you take Roubles which can be obtained in Russia from banks and exchange bureaux. These can also be purchased them in the UK but you may need to order in advance.

Cash machines are widely available in Moscow & St Petersburg and will ask you what form of currency you require. Don't forget to tell you card issuer that you are travelling to Russia to avoid any problems when withdrawing cash.

I hope this helps.

Kindest regards,

Julia

I went on this trip last year. In the literature that JY sends out just prior to the trip, it was suggested to take around £150 worth of roubles. I and several others found that this wasn't enough (and I'm not a big spender - I booked all my optional trips before going as well). I had taken along some Euros that I had, and exchanged them for Roubles at a bank.

In the St Petersburg hotel (the Holiday Inn), the desk staff did not exchange money. Instead, they would direct you to a type of ATM which was an exchange machine (in theory - whilst we were there it was constantly out of money). There was also a regular ATM, which was broken. Fortunately there was a bank just a short walk (5 mins) from the hotel which was where we went to exchange our currency. I didn't try to exchange anything in Moscow so can't comment about the situation there.

Obtaining the Roubles in the UK was very straightforward though - I went to the local post office and they took 24 hours to come in.

I used my credit card once in Russia, no problem at all, although I had let the card company know where I would be.

Hope this helps,

RM.