No visa required for Lithuania Latvia Estonia all part of the Euro. You can take your bikes into Russia on a temporary import permit which you get at the border and 3rd part insurance is bought in a service station or office nearby. Don't know about the Uk visa requirements for Russia but if you were heading in June you could just buy a ticket to any world cup match which is around 150USD which gives visa free entry into Russia from the 4th of June to the 26th of July I think it is either way 10 days prior to the first match and 10 days after the last. For me being Australian it saves sending my passport home to Oz and letters of introduction and all the mucking around usually associated with the Russian visa.

Don't be to afraid of doing those northern Central European countries they are fantastic they are beautiful and not big you will get through them quickly.

Hope that info helps if you need more Im more than happy to help Im heading the same way a little earlier than you.

Yes. Most continental EU states are in Schengen zone so you don't need visa and there are no border crossings. You can plan your trip on any road that leads to your destination.

Konrad

I had a trip planned to Russia last summer, but due to probably having one of the few bikes that had zero hard luggage options, it took a while to have pannier frames modified and made to fit the bike, along with relocating rear indicators - that the time window closed.

So it's on this Summer - early\mid July onwards. The outbound route is approx,

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Ca...d55.755826!3e0

with a return via the Ukraine (Kharkiv & Kiev) or Latvia and Poland.

The only visa required is a Russian visa - double entry in my case as one is required for Kaliningrad. I got one last year, online invitation and popped along to Manchester, handed over the forms, pictures, showed some bank statements and 5 days later passport arrived home with the double entry Russian visa.

You have to apply within 30 days of the 1st entry date into Russia.

I can read Cyrillic and speak enough Russian to get by.

The plan is to go after the World Cup - I suspect whilst it's on, accommodation will be in short supply and through the roof from a cost perspective, not to mention all the fan type shenanigans that go on.

Dibs

change of plan
 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Ro...01!2m1!1b1!3e0



change of plan.is anyone still interested,spoke to some of you via pm a few weeks back. jim

July departure from Uk heading to Eastern Europe
 

Hi all.
I am riding from London to Romania, leaving around July 18, 2018. My plans are flexible. General idea is a fairly straight line through Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria and Hungary, into Transylvania. Does this match up with anyone? I know Eastern Europe pretty well, and I'm an experienced bike tourer.
Tony