Interesting Fact #493
Did you know that you can’t cross the Russian border on a bicycle?
Neither did I. But you can imagine how crucial this intelligence is to the Dutch. And it was indeed such a cyclist who brought this to my attention.
Amsterdam Mike at BikeRussia.com explains:
The Russian guard told me to wait. I was asked purpose of my visit to Russia. “To bicycle across Russia to Vladivostokâ€. After a little wait he came back and said, “you can’t cross this border on a bicycle†. . .
. . . Somewhere in this exchange the situation changed from a ‘make sure the tourist understands the rules’ to a problem solving exercise.
Not quite sure how it happened, but once they knew that I understood the rules and wasn’t challenging them….the situation changed to one where they started helping to solve things.
Fairly soon, the officer asked a minibus passing through if they might take me. (Plus bike.)
Mike shows great wisdom. It’s always best with Russian Officials to sit round a table and talk things through reasonably.
April 12, 2007 at 10:35 pm
[...] Copydude reports that it’s not allowed to cross the Russian border on a bicycle. Share This [...]
April 13, 2007 at 9:23 am
The best day of my life was when I could cross the borderless French Riviera from the Italian Riviera on my bike. My impossible dream is to go to the States via Bering. May be global warming will help. Everything comes for whom who can wait, but…
April 13, 2007 at 5:45 pm
Never thought about that. We haven’t tried it yet! I think the easiest way is through customs at the airport. I do have to leave Romania every 90 days to bypass the visa thing.