ADVICE Currency exchange Given that financial operations in foreign currency are prohibited on the territory of Russia, on your arrival at Moscow you'll need to exchange your currency into rubles. USD and Euros are considered to be the most widespread and convenient foreign monetary units throughout Russia. The best thing to do for those whose currency is different to the mentioned is to exchange money before coming to Moscow: It would considerably save your time and money; Only some currency exchange offices deal with other countries currencies; As a rule, the rate of exchange in such offices is understated. However, the exchange rate is rather floating; it depends on the area/district and time of the day. The difference can reach 5-7%. Therefore recommended for exchange sum shouldn't go over 100 USD (either at airport, station or hotel). Later on at the center of Moscow you'll find a lot of exchange offices with a better rate. Taxi There 2 kinds of taxi in Russia: official (public) and private. Public taxi is commonly of yellow color with traditional marking and equipped with taximeter. In private taxi the price is discussed with the driver before hand but it's better to pay for the trip when you reach the destination (unless a driver asks you to pay in advance). Clothes to take In summer you can take your usual summer clothes, though some warm items will also be useful. For the first half of autumn a raincoat or light overcoat would do. In November as well as winter season, please take warm clothes that would protect you from wind. Your footwear should also be warm enough and waterproof. If you are going to visit us in winter, please don't forget to take gloves and a hat. Which season would suit best? Russian Village is open for students through the whole year. Each season in Russia has its' own peculiarities. June, July and August are the warmest months (like throughout Europe). That's why many people prefer taking trips namely at this period. At the same time noone ever regretted of undertaking a Russian language course at another season: in spring and autumn it's possible to have classes at the comfortable porch or arbor, moreover, there's a huge variety of outdoors activities!!! Though it's less advisable to have classes outside in winter, free time at this season is not spent mainly indoors, singing karaoke, playing billards, ping-pong or darts: You can get a lot of fun, driving in a car-driven sledge, sledging off the steep hill or skiing!!! What to do if your documents lost or stolen? Just to be on the safe side we recommend having copies of all documents (all passport pages with stamps and visa). Otherwise you'll have to contact the embassy where you got your visa in order to find out its number. If you lost your passport, it can be changed by council or embassy of your country in Russia. If you lost your visa, you need to apply to the Registration and Visa Department. It goes without saying that we help everybody in such situations. But in any chance, the problem will be easier to solve if you have copies of all documents.