riding around the black sea, visa info needed

[rtwdoug]

I'm planning this trip in may/june of this year. I have a bike in Budapest (KLR650) and I'm going to ride thru Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Macedonia, and Serbia.
Anyone have info on visa's needed for these countries? I've been thru Romania, and Serbia, dont know if a visa is needed for Moldova tho. I was planning on going thru a visa agency for UK, RU & GEO, unless theres a cheaper/easier way to do it.
Thanks for any help/info.

Doug


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www.guzzidoug.com

[Werner]

Visa needed for Ukraine, Russia, and Georgia. But there is another problem: In 2002 I had the required visa for Georgia, but was stopped at the Russian border near Sochi, which was closed, bec. of the troubles in Chechnia. There is a hydrofoil Sochi-Batumi, but the captain refused to load my bike (BMW F650). There was a weekly ferry, Sochi-Istanbul, but I didn't feel like waiting a week just to be refused again. So I took a long detour around (8500km).

[seanh]

There is also a ferry from Sochi to Trabzon in Turkey, leaves daily in summer I think.

[colebatch]

I have made it to Ukraine a load of times in the past year. You will need a visa, and you wont find it cheaper than here:

http://travel-2-ukraine.com/visa-support/default.htm

$30 for the invite.

[Chris of Japan]

Originally posted by colebatch:
You will need a visa, and you wont find it cheaper than here:
$30 for the invite

Actually, you can. Free!
Unless the situation changed since 2003, you only need to write the name and address of a Ukrainian person on the visa application. No invitation needed. This may differ by nationality, of course...

[Germanbiker]

Hi!
I did the same trip (Germany -> around the black sea and back) in 2003: I needed a Visa for Moldavia (got it at the border), Ukraine, Russia and Georgia.
In fact it´s not advisable to cross Abchasia (northern part of Georgia) - I could convince the captain of the Fast boat ("Cometa51") from Sotchi to Batumi to carry both our bikes for the additional fee of one person per bike - fair deal!
It is a bit difficult to load the bikes, as this Fast Boat is like an airplane, the bikes had to be carried by 4 men in an out and were standing between the seats....
Also at the customs people didn´t have a clue how to handle us, as we seemed have been the very fist bikes on this route...Also the KGB was questioning us :-)
I hope, you have a light bike...especially if you want to see something from Georgia beside the main road- very beautiful and totally nice people but the "Road"-conditions were already above the limit for a Transalp. Still OK to do with XT & similar but I would not recommend to take BMWs for a Georgia-Trip.

[pietro.spera]

I was in Georgia and the Caucasus in 2003 with a BMW R 1100 GS (two up) and it was quite good, even if I agree that the roads are awful.

About the ferry boat Sochi-Trabzon, ask to Vlad, you find him on the Odessa community. He has all the info about the ferry, as he rode to Sochi with a western biker who left to Turkey with the ferry boat.

Avoid Akbazia region of Georgia and the northern regions close to Russia (Cecenia, Daghestan, Ingushezia), as they are VERY dangerous.

[This message has been edited by pietro.spera (edited 03 March 2005).]