USEFUL TIPS FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVELERS IN CHELYABINSK

Transportation. Shuttle bus service between the airport, official hotels and competition venue will be provided for the participants of the Championships. Meanwhile, you might be interested to know that one of the bragging points Chelyabinsk has is a very efficient transportation system. Route taxis (“marshrutkas”), trolleybuses, trams, buses... There is such an infrastructure that you can get anywhere you want to in a very short period of time.

Money. The Russian national currency is ruble (RUR). No foreign currency is generally accepted at retail and catering locations. Therefore, it is advisable to have some cash exchanged into rubles. It can be done easily at any bank, and there are plenty of ATM’s throughout the city. The best conversion rates are usually offered in bank offices in the city, while airport and hotel rates might be about 2-3% higher. Major credit cards (including VISA and MasterCard) are accepted in the places you’d like to visit, however, smaller stores might work with cash only. For your information, the RUR rate as of 12 February is 30.12 RUR for 1 USD and 41.50 RUR for 1 Euro.

Cell Phones. The cell phone standard in Russia is GSM 900/1800. It is the same as in most countries of Europe but differs from the US standard. If you are going to use your cell phone in Russia, please check if it supports the GSM 900/1800 standard. If your cell phone provider has an agreement with at least one of Russia's providers, you will be able to use your phone here. Note that the rates can be rather high (dependent on the terms of the agreement between the providers), and even incoming calls can be taxed. If your phone is not SIM-locked, you can buy a Russian SIM-card at the airport or in the city; this can be a money-saving solution.

Calling Cards. If you are planning to make international calls, a good solution might be to get a calling card. They are sold at most cell phone retail outlets, and will bring your costs to as low as 3-12 rubles per minute depending on the destination. At any rate, it will be maximum half the price you would pay calling from your mobile.

Electronics. If you are bringing any device that requires an electric power outlet to operate, make sure it will work with 220 volts. The rated current is usually printed on the charger/plug of the device. The Russian electrical outlet has 2 round holes, so you might need a simple plug adapter. They are available at local electronics stores and priced at approximately 50-100 rubles.

Internet. Please, check the site of your hotel for details on Wi-Fi or other types of Internet access. Some public locations downtown also have free Wi-Fi.