Russian visa for baikonur town

[Braadworst]

Hi there. I booked a train to baikonur. I know you need a russian visa for the cosmodrome and plan all of that stuff through a travelagency. I didnt have the time but still planning to go. I am a little bit concerned now about the fact that i need a russian visa to enter the town itself. Do i need a russian visa for a stay in baikonur town?

Thanks

[steven]

Hi Braadworst,

I double-checked and you don't need a Russian visa if you are passing by Baikonur by train, car or bicycle from Kazakhstan, only if you are flying in directly from Russia.

[redjo27]

[...] if you are passing by Baikonur by train, car or bicycle from Kazakhstan[...].

So one can travel by bicycle through the town without any hassle - meaning without any tour for the Cosmodrom (which I don't want to visit) booked etc?

[steven]

Unless you take some back road and sneak in somewhere, someone will tell you when you are not allowed to go somewhere.

[cristiano]

So one can travel by bicycle through the town without any hassle - meaning without any tour for the Cosmodrom (which I don't want to visit) booked etc?

No, not legally.
Baikonur town is closed.
There are checkpoints at all the access roads.
You can see the town only from the outside.
The train station is actually not in Baikonur, but in Tyuratam, the nearby kazakh city.

[steven]

Cristiano is right, I understood now what I wrote before. Passing the town is ok. Entering past the guards is still not ok.

[Solsticio]

If you know some local (I guess you don't since you are posting here) they might get you a special permission to enter. With neither permission nor tour, there is no reason to get off at Tyuratam station.

[DamiaanReijnaers]

Bumping an old thread since I wanted to contribute to the matter.

You need a permit (пропуск) for visiting the town of Baikonur, though indeed trains and buses will stop a small distance outside of town. Taxi's run into town for about 200-500 Tenge or the equivalent in Russian Rubles (Rubles are more commonly accepted than KZT in Baikonur).

However, for an additional fee of about 500-1000 Tenge (per person) one can ask the taxi (or bus) drivers to sneak yourself into town. The following phrases can help;

"У меня нет пропуска" (I don't have a permit)
"Можете провезти через КПП без пропуска?" (Could you take me/us through the checkpoint without a permit?)

There are also stories of people getting into town through holes in the fence. Since people getting through got quite common, in general there is nothing to be afraid of. Just make sure you always got a few or more Tenge in your pocket in any problem situation.

Russian visa is not necessary for the town. The area rented by Russia from Kazakhstan where the actual rocket launches happen however, is heavily secured and one does not go through that easily with bribery (as far as I know and hope).

In case you are stuck, many buses go a little outside town to and from Qyzylorda, Aralsk and Turkestan.

With kind regards,
Damiaan Reijnaers

[rocketman]

Hi,
I decided to dig out this topic to maybe get some updated info for 2018. My and my friends are planning July in KZ and we're likely to rent a car and pass by Baikonur while driving west from Almaty. As the trip to the cosmodrome itself is too costly, we've already abandoned that idea. But is there any way of getting into the town legally for one day, just to see the museum, etc.? Sneaking past the fence is always an option to try, but I'd go for it eventually in the last place Thanks for any advice.

[guido]

Hi, planing to travel in the area and wondering if it could be worth stopping.

Is there any chance to visit the cosmodrome for a reasonable price?
If not, is there anything else interesting there?