Stellar_Travels
Well-known Member
- Mar 10, 2024
- 349
- 627
As I mentioned yesterday, here’s my honest take on Russia.
I went there for 12 days in September, 4 days in Saint Petersburg and 8 in Moscow.
If you’re on a tight budget, just stay home. Russian girls and low budgets don’t mix.
But if you’re really determined to go, you can grab a cheap flight to Finland or one of the Baltic countries, then check which borders are still open. From there, you’ll probably have to take a bus and wait hours at the border for checks before finally getting in.
I didn’t have the patience and time for that, so I just flew from Milan to Istanbul and then from Istanbul to Saint Petersburg.
As for moving from Saint Petersburg to Moscow, there is a high-speed train which is great
Before going to Russia you need a visa but that's easy and you can check yourself how to do it and what are the requirements for your country
Once you arrive, go to a local bank and get a card.
Put the cash you brought into that account and you’re good to go.
In terms of accommodations, Airbnb doesn't work in Russia. You can use Russian substitutes but again I didn't want any hassle with the registration and many of them don't want to deal with foreigners for short stays and register them so I instead chose to book a hotel. It's way faster and you'll avoid a lot of headaches.
Now, the girls. Everyone knows I’ve always talked up Russia, I’ve been super bullish on it. So I went in with very high expectations.
And… I was massively disappointed.
Saint Petersburg is basically the liberal hipster capital of Russia. Hot girls? Forget about it.
They don’t even look Russian, at least not like the ones you see on Instagram or in model castings or when you see a hot russian girl traveling in your city. I can’t explain it, but they just look off. Maybe it’s the liberal vibe, maybe liberalism really does make girls ugly everywhere or maybe the northern Russian genes just suck.
I walked up and down Nevsky Prospekt so many times I lost count, and I couldn’t believe how bad it was.
After two days, I wanted to get the hell out of there, but I stayed just to avoid the hassle of changing my train and hotel bookings in russian.
Honestly, Saint Petersburg has way worse looking girls than Poland, Czech Republic, the Baltics, Hungary, Ukraine, Belarus, Slovakia… you name it. Don’t even bother visiting.
Think San Francisco or Berlin hipster bars....blue hair (or any variation of crazy hair color) women weren't uncommon, woke vibes, dressed like shit. I couldn’t wait to leave.
After four days I took the train to Moscow.
There I met two Italian guys who live in the city and that I had contacted on IG before going to Russia, one’s a pianist with 400k followers on IG and over 2 million on TikTok, the other is a famous traveler married to a Russian influencer. If you Google, you can probably figure out who they are. We met for lunch and they showed me around a little.
Moscow, thankfully, was a totally different story for girls at least. Lots of beautiful and stunning girls which looked like how you imagine Russian girls to be.
I told the guys I had been in Saint Petersburg first and they just laughed, confirmed it sucks. I wish I knew that earlier.
We talked a lot about dating in Moscow as foreigners.
It’s very far from a pussy paradise unfortunately, it’s actually pretty hard to date hot girls there, even for expats who speak Russian decently like them.
Moscow dating runs on Instagram. Even though it’s technically banned, everyone still uses it.
Girls also have Telegram, but if you meet one, the first thing she’ll ask is for your Instagram.
So make sure your IG is on point. Saying “I don’t have Instagram” instantly puts you in the loser category.
Tinder, Bumble, and the usual dating apps are blocked because those companies exited the Russian market so Instagram is basically the dating app.
Moscow is loaded with money. I’m a millionaire myself from trading and online business, but even that doesn’t really impress top tier girls there.
The city is full of luxury cars.... Mercedes, Porsche, Bentley, BMW, all high-end models. And in Patriki, where the hottest girls hang out, it’s Ferraris, Lambos (mostly Urus), Bugattis, McLarens.
If you want to stand out in Moscow, bring real money. Nobody cares about your fancy BMW or Audi there, believe it or not.
Another thing that surprised me is that English levels were lower than I expected.
Moscow is a capital city, but most girls barely speak basic English.
Girls in Kiev, Warsaw, or Prague speak way better.
That’s a problem because if you can’t hold a natural conversation, it’s really hard to build any emotional connection.
Moscow is expensive. If you want to stay central, like around Tverskaya, and you should be because all the good things are in the central area and you must have good logistics... a modern one-bedroom apartment cost €3,000 per month.
That’s London-level rent, more expensive than a lot of Western European capitals so be prepared for it. Restaurants also aren't cheap, don't expect Bangkok prices. Expect Western European prices.
Moscow girls aren’t desperate, not even close. They prefer dating Russian men like all girls from every country prefer dating their own men. There is no shortage of high value Russian guys in Moscow and you can live a great life in Moscow, on par or even above what you can live in Western European capitals (to be fair I consider Western European capitals as total shitholes but that's my opinion)
As a foreigner dating high quality Russian girls it’s an uphill battle. You need a social circle, great Instagram, luck, solid Russian skills, and you must be ready to live there long term
I went to Russia with sky high expectations and that’s probably why I left disappointed.
For a long time I thought about getting a golden visa but I'm not sure it's worth it anymore especially considering that they recently increased taxes and they plan to increase them even more.
I went there for 12 days in September, 4 days in Saint Petersburg and 8 in Moscow.
Getting There
If you’re on a tight budget, just stay home. Russian girls and low budgets don’t mix.
But if you’re really determined to go, you can grab a cheap flight to Finland or one of the Baltic countries, then check which borders are still open. From there, you’ll probably have to take a bus and wait hours at the border for checks before finally getting in.
I didn’t have the patience and time for that, so I just flew from Milan to Istanbul and then from Istanbul to Saint Petersburg.
As for moving from Saint Petersburg to Moscow, there is a high-speed train which is great
Before going to Russia you need a visa but that's easy and you can check yourself how to do it and what are the requirements for your country
Money Stuff
Once you arrive, go to a local bank and get a card.
Put the cash you brought into that account and you’re good to go.
Accommodation
In terms of accommodations, Airbnb doesn't work in Russia. You can use Russian substitutes but again I didn't want any hassle with the registration and many of them don't want to deal with foreigners for short stays and register them so I instead chose to book a hotel. It's way faster and you'll avoid a lot of headaches.
Saint Petersburg — Huge Letdown
Now, the girls. Everyone knows I’ve always talked up Russia, I’ve been super bullish on it. So I went in with very high expectations.
And… I was massively disappointed.
Saint Petersburg is basically the liberal hipster capital of Russia. Hot girls? Forget about it.
They don’t even look Russian, at least not like the ones you see on Instagram or in model castings or when you see a hot russian girl traveling in your city. I can’t explain it, but they just look off. Maybe it’s the liberal vibe, maybe liberalism really does make girls ugly everywhere or maybe the northern Russian genes just suck.
I walked up and down Nevsky Prospekt so many times I lost count, and I couldn’t believe how bad it was.
After two days, I wanted to get the hell out of there, but I stayed just to avoid the hassle of changing my train and hotel bookings in russian.
Honestly, Saint Petersburg has way worse looking girls than Poland, Czech Republic, the Baltics, Hungary, Ukraine, Belarus, Slovakia… you name it. Don’t even bother visiting.
Think San Francisco or Berlin hipster bars....blue hair (or any variation of crazy hair color) women weren't uncommon, woke vibes, dressed like shit. I couldn’t wait to leave.
Moscow
After four days I took the train to Moscow.
There I met two Italian guys who live in the city and that I had contacted on IG before going to Russia, one’s a pianist with 400k followers on IG and over 2 million on TikTok, the other is a famous traveler married to a Russian influencer. If you Google, you can probably figure out who they are. We met for lunch and they showed me around a little.
Moscow, thankfully, was a totally different story for girls at least. Lots of beautiful and stunning girls which looked like how you imagine Russian girls to be.
I told the guys I had been in Saint Petersburg first and they just laughed, confirmed it sucks. I wish I knew that earlier.
We talked a lot about dating in Moscow as foreigners.
It’s very far from a pussy paradise unfortunately, it’s actually pretty hard to date hot girls there, even for expats who speak Russian decently like them.
How Dating Works There
Moscow dating runs on Instagram. Even though it’s technically banned, everyone still uses it.
Girls also have Telegram, but if you meet one, the first thing she’ll ask is for your Instagram.
So make sure your IG is on point. Saying “I don’t have Instagram” instantly puts you in the loser category.
Tinder, Bumble, and the usual dating apps are blocked because those companies exited the Russian market so Instagram is basically the dating app.
Money
Moscow is loaded with money. I’m a millionaire myself from trading and online business, but even that doesn’t really impress top tier girls there.
The city is full of luxury cars.... Mercedes, Porsche, Bentley, BMW, all high-end models. And in Patriki, where the hottest girls hang out, it’s Ferraris, Lambos (mostly Urus), Bugattis, McLarens.
If you want to stand out in Moscow, bring real money. Nobody cares about your fancy BMW or Audi there, believe it or not.
The Language Problem
Another thing that surprised me is that English levels were lower than I expected.
Moscow is a capital city, but most girls barely speak basic English.
Girls in Kiev, Warsaw, or Prague speak way better.
That’s a problem because if you can’t hold a natural conversation, it’s really hard to build any emotional connection.
Cost of Living
Moscow is expensive. If you want to stay central, like around Tverskaya, and you should be because all the good things are in the central area and you must have good logistics... a modern one-bedroom apartment cost €3,000 per month.
That’s London-level rent, more expensive than a lot of Western European capitals so be prepared for it. Restaurants also aren't cheap, don't expect Bangkok prices. Expect Western European prices.
Final thoughts
Moscow girls aren’t desperate, not even close. They prefer dating Russian men like all girls from every country prefer dating their own men. There is no shortage of high value Russian guys in Moscow and you can live a great life in Moscow, on par or even above what you can live in Western European capitals (to be fair I consider Western European capitals as total shitholes but that's my opinion)
As a foreigner dating high quality Russian girls it’s an uphill battle. You need a social circle, great Instagram, luck, solid Russian skills, and you must be ready to live there long term
I went to Russia with sky high expectations and that’s probably why I left disappointed.
For a long time I thought about getting a golden visa but I'm not sure it's worth it anymore especially considering that they recently increased taxes and they plan to increase them even more.
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