Booking a hotel
Despite this, booking a hotel is still possible - the most common way, as in the old days, is to contact the hotel personally by phone or through their website. You can just pay in cash upon arrival. All the hotels we spoke to, both luxury and budget, confirmed this. Some, however, charge a small cash premium - but nothing serious.
Keep in mind that booking a hotel without paying in advance requires you to arrive strictly on time for check-in, otherwise the hotel may think that you have changed your plans and you may lose your room. In addition to cash, it is possible to open a bank account in Russia.
There are two other ways to book a hotel from abroad without resorting to paying in cash. Some hotels provide the option to use a foreign card with a special link that they send after booking. This allows you to pay with Visa and Mastercard, but not American Express. Keep in mind this is a rare opportunity and you should still contact the specific hotel to see if this option is available.
The second option is rather primitive: ask your Russian friends for help.
