There is an interactive map of public WCs, but this service is available only in Russian language. If it appears in English, we will surely write about it.
Paid WCs in Moscow
They are usually located near train or subway stations.
They are easy to notice; three or more cabins of a blue colour are usually different from surrounding objects. You can see the photos on the left.
One cabin is used as a place for special worker who collect money and responsible for cleaning. Usually it is a woman. She makes the first part of the job very responsibly. You must pay 30 Russian rubles to get inside. It is about 0,5 USD.
We will not talk a lot about the atmosphere inside. As we the Russians say, “it is better to see one time than hear hundred times.” If your heart and nerves are strong, then you will see photos behind the links below.
But, we recommend not to see; just believe us that you will not be satisfied with the situation inside. Click for photo 1, photo 2, and photo 3. The reaction of foreign tourists is always the same, “I must pay for this!” It is really terrible. We use such cabins only when emergency. In winter the situation become worse because of no heating inside.
In the ancient Rome, the Emperor Vespasian introduced a special tax for using public toilets. We think, if he saw this, then he would cancel his tax.
WCs in fast-foods
It is the best choice. If you find McDonalds, KFC or Burger King, then you will feel yourself a lucky. You need to remember, not every eatery has its own WC. For example, most of “SUBWAYs” do not have.
We have a joke in Russia, “McDonalds is the largest network of free of charge public toilets in Russia.” This joke is close to the truth. You may read more about McDonalds in Russia.
But, if the eatery is large, then it will surely have own WC. Every stationary catering facility must have a toilet for customers. This is the demand of the Sanitary Rules of Russia. We do not know, how some of eateries drive a coach and four through.
The WCs in fast-foods are clean and healthy; you can not afraid of them. See our small gallery below.
WCs in trading centres
It is also a good idea. You should remember a few features.
Not every trading centre has own WC. The Sanitary Rules of Russia demand it from every trading centre larger than 10700 square feet (1000 square meters). We also do not know how some trading centres drive a coach and four through. No comments.
The Rules say every trading centre must have a WC, but the Rules do not say how many. So, you will probably get into a situation when there is only one toilet in a large trading centre. In this case, you will need to search for it.
We made a few photos of public WC in one of trading centres in Moscow. See our small gallery below.
WCs in restaurants
There is no any law in Russia that force a restaurant to let everybody using the WC. So, if you enter a restaurant and want to use a toilet, you will need to ask for a permission. Fortunately, Russia is a civilized country, and we never saw a precedent when somebody rejected.
Even if your request is rejected, you will order a cup of coffee, became a client and use the WC. We ask our readers to respect the law and act according to the law.
How to ask about WC in Russian
It is easy. The English word “toilet” sounds very close to the Russian word “tualet”. Even if you say in English, everybody will understand you. Do not hesitate to ask; Russians are usually ready to help.
We have only one advice for this situation. You should show that you a foreigner. If you will not do this, then people will be thinking you a local and will be explaining you something in Russian. Just say something in English to show you are a foreigner, and say the word “toilet”. You will receive an answer by a finger same as it shows the photo on the left.
Of course, it was a joke above. By the way, nowadays, you can find a few monuments to Vladimir Lenin in Moscow, but we do not recommend to follow in the direction he is showing. We the Russians walked in this direction for 74 years, and we still do not understand, where we were going and why.
Epilogue
You can think Russia is a wild country because of this toilet problem. This opinion is wrong. If you visit any private business centre, you will see a fine WC. If you visit a flat of ordinary Russian citizen, you will also find it is clean and in order.
But, if the government is in charge of something, then you will see a long list of problems that are not resolved from year to year. This is Russia.
We write this website to make your voyage to Russia perfect. Read other articles (look for the list of links below and on the left from the text of every article)
|
