Yes, as Magadan is part of the Russian Federation you'll need as Russian visa (unless you can enter Russia visa-free). There's no separate visa or permit for Magadan itself. Requirements vary by nationality and the forms to complete can be lengthy, but assistance is offered for this and the process is just one that needs to be worked through in good time. The necessary visa support documents are provided as part of a tour package and can be used for a longer trip in Russia rather than just covering the Magadan part of a Russia visit. The key point is though that the process varies by nationality, so plan ahead and all can be arranged in good time. 

Not officially. Magadan itself is an open city like almost any other in Russia. In practice though the region is remote and complex enough that independent travel is genuinely difficult. Onward transport into the interior, particularly along the Kolyma Highway, and access to former camp sites and ghost towns, is much easier arranged as part of a tour with specialist accompaniment along with with vehicles, drivers, guides, support staff, and contacts already in place.
Koryo Tours trips to Magadan include all of this, along with plenty of free time to explore the compact city centre independently.
 

Summer. Magadan's winters are long, extremely cold, and make much of the region inaccessible or outright dangerous to reach. Summer offers the best combination of manageable temperatures, long daylight hours to make doing more activities possible, and a Kolyma Highway that is actually passable. It is also mosquito season though and they can be relentless and ravenous (although disease-free) so countermeasures against these creatures is advised! 
 

Yes, crime against visitors is very rare and Magadan has a quiet, orderly feel. It is Russia though, and not to lean on a stereotype too hard but a night out in Magadan will inevitably involve encountering people who enjoy a drink or two. In such circumstances due care should be taken, as it should be anywhere.  The greater risks in this region come from the environment rather than other people: roads are rugged, remote areas are truly remote, and local support is essential to ensure that any health or injury issues can be dealt with the right way. 

Koryo Tours’ trips to gulag sites and former camps in the Kolyma region are conducted with experienced local guides who know the terrain, the history, and how to keep a trip both safe and rewarding – as well as how to make nights camping in abandoned areas as comfortable as possible. 
 

Russian, universally. This is a Russian city through and through, populated during the Soviet period largely by settlers, guards, administrators, and former prisoners from across the USSR. Of course, many of those people spoke other languages in addition to Russian, and so it is normal to meet people who also speak various former-USSR languages too, as well as indigenous Even and Evenki communities also live in the wider region, but literally everyone can speak Russian. English is not widely spoken aside from those who do it for work (in the tourism industry for example) and the educated youth, so a few basic greetings at least in Russian would be a useful thing to know in advance. 

No formal dress code, but the climate is the real consideration here rather than culture. In winter you will need every item of clothing you own, layered up for warmth. In summer light, long sleeved clothes are your best friends, but in heavy-mosquito areas something thicker is good as Magadan mosquitoes can bite through cotton and even denim with ease. 

Mainly the usual travel precautions apply, so make sure food is fully cooked, opt for bottled water when possible, and enjoy alcohol in moderation (avoid homemade booze too). Normal medicines and pharmacies are available in Magadan city, though much less so once you head into the interior, so bring what you might need. Travel insurance covering remote-area evacuation is strongly advised given the isolation of the region.
 

Reasonable in Magadan city itself, with wifi available in hotels and cafes and mobile coverage generally reliable. Once out on the Kolyma Highway or in the more remote parts of the region coverage fades quickly and long stretches have none at all. Visitors should also check on the general Russian internet situation though as many restrictions on websites, news sites, social media channels, etc. from outside of Russia exist, so it is very worth getting up to date on the current situation before travelling. 
 

Starting with Magadan city itself there is a good range of things to see and experience: the Regional History Museum (essential for an explanation), the extraordinary Mask of Sorrow monument, the small port and old town area, Lenin Statue, the local cathedral, parks, and general urban streelife in this most unusual of locations. From there the adventure lies along the Kolyma Highway (the Road of Bones) heading into the interior as far as Yakutsk. Along this road villages both populated and depopulated, rest stops, former prison camp sites, abandoned mining towns such as Kadykchan, and some of the emptiest, most dramatic taiga landscapes anywhere in Russia. An incredible journey in an evocative landscape, along with interesting and engaged people. Look out for bears too! 

For Koryo Tours, exploring the history, geography, and human element of the region properly, with the context and access that a knowledgeable local team provides, is very much the heart of a trip here.

Magadan Airport is served by domestic flights from places such as Moscow, Vladivostok, Irkutsk, and Yakutsk. There is no realistic way to arrive by land. A sea route from Sakhalin exists but is impractical for most. Koryo Tours assists with advice on getting to Magadan to start one of our tours there, and to leave at the end too. 
 

Yes. You need a normal Russian visa (unless you enjoy visa-free entry to Russia), which Koryo Tours assist with and for which the requirements and paperwork do vary by nationality. There is more though. Norilsk is still a closed city, so foreign visitors also need a special access permit. This is also something arranged as part of the tour package and so applying in good time is important and necessary. 
 

For all practical purposes, yes you do. Independent travel to Norilsk as a foreign national is not possible as it is a closed city and a permit to enter is only issued in connection with an organised trip.
Koryo Tours handles the full permit process as part of arranging a visit, along with local guiding, transport, and access to sites that would otherwise be entirely out of reach.
 

Summer, so June – August. Norilsk is in the arctic circle so winter brings weeks of total polar darkness and brutal cold that make the city a genuinely difficult and limited place to explore. Summer offers round-the-clock daylight (as in 24 hours a day) and usually quite tolerable temperatures.

Yes, in terms of crime and personal safety Norilsk poses little more risk than any other Russian city. Visitors should be aware that the population here has come from all around Russia usually to engage in hard work in a harder environment. This can and does attract an element of society that make hard drinking a part of life, and does include those who may not be easily employed elsewhere (former prisoners and so on), so when on nights out in the city and doing anything involving alcohol due care should be taken. However, the environmental conditions are the more significant factor to plan around with extreme cold in winter and, year-round, notably poor air quality from the city's industrial complex, worth bearing in mind for anyone with respiratory sensitivities.

Koryo Tours trips are run with experienced local guides who know the city, permit requirements, and how to put together a safe and smooth visit to a genuinely unusual destination.
 

Russian, by everyone. There are indigenous languages spoken by the native people of the region, and of course languages brought in from the various places that the residents of today’s Norilsk come from. But everyone speaks Russian. English is very limited indeed and you cannot expect anyone to speak more than basic greetings, so a bit of basic Russian will go far in such a place. 
 

No cultural dress code in this area, only in religious sites is anything enforced (orthodox church, mosque, require hard coverings for women, covering up legs and shoulders), in general clothes should be climate appropriate, so layers for warmth in winter, light clothes in summer. 
 

Norilsk’s air quality is famously atrocious - among the poorest of any city on Earth due to decades of smelting activity. Countermeasures to this such as air filters in hotels and apartments do not seem to exist at all, so it is largely a case of poor air being unavoidable on a visit. Masks to filter a bit of it when it is particularly noxious is a good idea, but the reality is that a short visit will not affect anyone long-term, but anyone with a particular sensitivity should consider their suitability for a trip to this area. Beyond the pollution standard travel health precautions otherwise apply, and pharmacies and basic medical facilities are available in the city, though comprehensive travel insurance covering evacuation from a remote location is strongly recommended.

Functional within Norilsk itself, with mobile coverage and Wi-Fi available in hotels and some cafes. Outside of urban areas connectivity is best treated as a bonus rather than a guarantee. Visitors should also check on the general Russian internet situation though as many restrictions on websites, news sites, social media channels, etc. from outside of Russia exist, so it is very worth getting up to date on the current situation before travelling.
 

There are three cities in the Norilsk archipelago and it is worth seeing all of them. Norilsk itself is a delight to those with an appreciation of a certain architectural style with the city centre's Stalin-era neoclassical architecture being a genuine surprise this far into the Arctic, all surrounded by vast socialist-modernist housing complexes with a certain stark dystopian beauty. Dudinka and Talnakh are smaller but distinct in appearance too. There are multiple memorials and sites connected to the Norillag Gulag history of the region that brought a population explosion of those who were shipped in to work the mines originally.

The Nornickel industrial complex, dominates the skyline and the local economy, as well as being something that can be tasted with every breath when the wind blows a certain way. A small test mine can even be visited as part of a trip. Abandoned parts of the settlements, local museums, the most northern mosque in the world (ask how Ramadan fasting is done when there is no darkness at all), and many more quirky sites around the region are included on a tour to Norilsk. 

Norilsk Alykel Airport is served by flights from Moscow, Krasnoyarsk, St Petersburg and other major Russian cities. There are also some international flights mainly for the use of locals to take holidays in popular holiday spots for Russians. There is no road or rail access to the Norilsk area at all, it is functionally an island. In the brief ice-free window boats also connect via the port of Dudinka but these are not for passengers. Given the permit requirements, all travel to Norilsk needs to be booked and arranged well ahead of time, and most visitors fly in and out directly. A visit to Norilsk can of course form a part of a trip to other parts of Russia.