Traveling to Russia visa-free

The Cold War may be over (or is it?) but Russia hasn't exactly swung its doors open wide to American tourism. (Nor, in all fairness, has the US for the Russians.) Getting to the Motherland as a US tourist can be a huge headache: trips to the nearest Russian consulate, a letter of sponsorship from your hotel, ID photos, visa application forms, a visa support letter, and fees that currently hover around $160 USD for American citizens. All of this is hardly conducive to a nice weekend abroad. Luckily, there is another way to get yourself into Russia, and it's visa-free and totally legal.

Cruising into Russia visa-free

Turns out the tourists entering and leaving by port are permitted up to 72 hours in Russia as part of an "organized cruise excursion" when traveling with a cruise line officially licensed with the Russian government. For some reason (perhaps it had to do with who knew who when these laws got written, or just a certain interest in tourist dollars), cruise and ferry lines are not distinguished under these guidelines. So, if you take the overnight Saint Peter line ferry from Talinn or Helsinki, equipped with proof of hotel reservation for the duration of your stay, you are welcome to enjoy a couple of days of total freedom inside Saint Petersburg. Just carry a little cruise shuttle-bus ticket on your person, and you're part of an "organized excursion"! The same money you might have spent on your Russian visa can instead go to enjoying two nights on a cruise ship getting into and out of the country, with some left to spare for tourism inside the Motherland.

So guess who's heading to Russia in less than two weeks??

Russia, here I come!