Electricity. All around Russia 220 Volt and 50 Hz AC - current supplies are used. Most of the sockets are standard European-size for double round-pin plugs, the same as in France or Germany. Appliances from the US, Canada, Britain will need adaptors (it's better to buy them in your own country, as it's very hard to find them in Russia).

Power cuts and not very common, but the electricity current is not as quality as in Europe (power surges). Means if you have a sensitive device we would reccomend to get a stabilizer for it, especially if you are traveling.

Most of the russian trains have electricity sockets where you can change your mobile telephones or plug in a shaver, but it is not recommended to use them for sensitive devices (such as laptops) without a stabilizer. Bare in mind the train conductor may ask you some money for pluging in your device. It all about $2 (50 Roubles.)

Video & Audio. Russian TV system is Secam, but modern TV-sets work with Pal and NTSC formats as well. Video cassetes (MiniDV, Hi 8, VHS) are available in most shops (supermarkets, music & video stalls), but if you're traveling to the countryside or small towns, it's better to buy a stock in a city.

Normally, a MiniDV casette costs about $7, and a VHS casette can cost about $2-$3, the price may differ from shop to shop and trade mark.

A huge electronical devices market in Moscow named Gorbushka and located near metro Bagrationovskaya. You can buy anything you mingt need in there.

Audio casettes are still available in few places. Check for it in Gorbushka mall.

CDs & CDRs. Available in bigger cities. Price: about $1 for one.

Minidisks. Available in the big cities. Mostly sold in big department and music stores. Price: about $2.5-$3 for one. You can find small kiosk near metro to buy any of them.

Weights, Measures & Numbers. The Russian system of weights and measures is similar to the one used in Continental Europe. Russians use kilometers, meters and centimeters to measure the length, and kilograms and liters to measure the weight. Here is the equal table bellow:

1 inch=2,54 cm; 1 foot=0,304 m; 1 yard= 0,914 m; 1 mile=1,609 km; 1 acre=0,405 hectars; 1 pound=0,454 kg; 1 gallon=4,546 liters.

Sometimes decimal numbers are separated with a comma, not with a dot (e.g. two thousand two hundred ninety nine is 2,200.99 in the USA, and is 2 200,99 in Russia).

The celsius temperature scale is used in Russia. 0 degrees celsius equals 32 degrees fahrenheit. To calculate the temperature, the following rule can be applied: T(celsius) = 5/9 * [T(farhenheit) - 32] or  T(fahrenheit) = 9/5 * T(celsius) + 32. So, for example, 20 C degrees in Russia equals 9/5 * 20 + 32 = 68 F degrees.

Photo. Taking pictures at the Red Square?! No, it's not forbidden but it is forbidden to do it in most of the museums (using a flash) and they don't tolerate it in churches. People at the streets are OK if you take their picture, just be careful not to "shoot" a mafia or a cop guy. You can also ask people if they agree to have their photo taken, but most likely they will refuse (because Russians are very humble. You can try to push your way by proposing to send the photo by post later.

The Films. Very old fashion but still, 35mm photo films are readily available everywhere in Russia, especially Kodak Gold (100, 200, 400) brands. If you need a professional or a slide film, either bring it with you, or buy them in Moscow or St. Petersburg (the price is usually the same as in other countries). See Practicalities section in city guides on our site for professional photo shops addresses.

Processing. The film processing labs can be found everywhere - even in the smallest provincial towns and it usually costs about $0.3 to develop a film and $0.1 for one 10x15 photo and takes 24 hours.

There are also digital photo labs in major cities.

If you're after good quality, it's better to develop your films at a professional photo lab either in Moscow or St. Petersburg (the price is around $0.8-$1 for a film and $0.2 for a 10x15 photo).You can also order your prints online with some photo labs.