Travel to Moscow, highly NOT recommended

European embassies are closing their doors in Russia’s capital as the wildfires continue to blaze around the city. Smog has settled, making it extremely difficult to see and breathe. If you’re planning a holiday to Moscow this month or next, consider changing your plans. The Foreign Office advises against all but necessary travel due to extreme heat and air pollution.

Those thinking of travelling to Moscow this month for a holiday are highly advised to change their plans in the coming weeks and into September. Latest reports on the spreading of the fires indicated that indeed more were being put out than were starting, yet still the air is dense, smoggy and thick in Moscow. Large parts of Western Russia are also affected by extreme temperatures, some of the highest on record, this month and high levels of air pollution.

Transportation & Tourism

Many flights to Moscow have been disrupted, cancelled or delayed, at Moscow airports due to lack of visibility. If you are planning to travel, check with your airline company before leaving for the airport as these flight disruptions are expected to continue for some weeks. Travellers that are pregnant, elderly, with children or have respiratory difficulties are recommended to visit their doctor before travelling.

Even Moscow’s most iconic landmarks are hard to see from a distance, the tallest spires of the Kremlin and the famous domes of the Orthodox churches. To give relief to the city’s residents, many of which don’t have air-conditioned homes, there are 123 “anti-smog” centres set up where both tourists and locals can rest.

Travellers to Moscow are recommended to:

• Stay indoors as much as possible, avoiding prologued periods outdoors
• Wear a filter mask to protect your lungs from the hard air pollution
• Visit the cooling stations and drink lots of water

All of Moscow’s airports (Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo) are operating today as usual, with visibility continually increasing thanks to shifting winds. If you have any concerns, contact your airline directly.

Img: Aided_Eye / flickr cc