ATM's in sibiria ?

[NewToTravelling]

Hi

I am planning a trip across russia from the finnish border to Vladivostok and back again.

Should I bring cash only for the hole trip across sibiria, or is it possible to find ATM's so that I dont need to carry to much cash at once ?

Thanks in advance

[Zostran]

In Russia there are no ATMs, but we've had running water and toilets for two years already!


Just kidding... :-D

You'll be fine. There are hundreds, even in small cities. Check out the map: https://yandex.com/maps/-/CZdfI-4g
Alfa Bank ATMs usually don't have a withdrawal limit in case that helps.

Also keep in mind that fuel quality is a problem in Russia. Best to stick to Lukoil fuel if possible and use their 98-RON with additives, which they call "Экто Sport 98". The stations look like this:

[colebatch]

In my experience, there is at least the same availability of ATMs in Russia than in the west - and probably more.

[mks916]

Yes, they call it Bankomat

[NewToTravelling]

Thanks guys

I was very unsure of how often I would cross an ATM, since I read somewhere else that cards were used mostly in big city's and cash was most used in the countryside

[Warin]

Originally Posted by NewToTravelling

I read somewhere else that cards were used mostly in big city's and cash was most used in the countryside

That is true in most parts of the world.
You also need cash if the power goes out ...

So you should have cash ... at least some to cover getting from one main town to another.

Don't forget .. some ATMs have a fixed charge for use .. you draw out $1 and it adds a charge of $5 as an example.

[maria41]

ATMs are plenty and easy to find.


Use Yandex maps to find them. It is a very useful app. and can be used to find hotels, restaurants, shops, grocery stores etc....


Make sure you have some cash with you, not all hotels (off the beaten track ) will take Credit cards. Same for fuel and cafes.


Have fun and avoid the boring and crazy federal highway when you can... the secondary roads (yellow and white roads on the paper maps) are more fun and interesting.

[Ride Far]

If you have the free maps.me app on a smartphone, you can easily identify ATMS (and fuel, lodging, etc.) in a wide area (thousands of kms) using the simple search function.

It's very helpful in eastern Russia / Siberia while on the road and planning your next few days of riding. You can easily see that X town has fuel, lodging, ATMs, but Z town has little to nothing. I used it a lot figuring destinations while on the road to Vladivostok. Good luck

[SeanF]

Using my Visa-branded ATM card in Russia in late 2010, I occasionally had a machine ask for a 5 digit PIN, when mine is only 4 long. I just added a zero at the end and it worked.
Just in case you find yourself in that situation.

Safe travels
Sean