Tourism Russia, visit Russia

Russia

Geography
The Russian Federation covers almost twice the area of the USA, and reaches from Moscow in the west over the Urals and the vast Siberian plains to the Sea of Okhotsk in the east. The border between European Russia and Siberia (Asia) is formed by the Ural Mountains, the Ural River and the Manych Depression. European Russia extends from the North Polar Sea across the Central Russian Uplands to the Black Sea, the Northern Caucasus and the Caspian Sea.

Siberia stretches from the West Siberian Plain across the Central Siberian Plateau between Yenisey and Lena, including the Sayan, Yablonovy and Stanovoy ranges in the south to the East Siberian mountains between Lena and the Pacific coast, including the Chukotskiy and Kamchatka peninsulas.

Mapa de Rusia

Plaza Roja Kremlin, Moscu, Rusia

The dancer Isadora Duncan shared her studio with her husband, the poet Sergei Yesenin, in the classically designed estate of the millionaire Ushkov in Prechistenka Street. Herzen Street is one of the oldest in Moscow. It contains the Moscow State University, the grand Tchaikovsky Conservatoire and the ornate Mayakovsky Academic Theater. The area around Kuznetzky Most and Petrovka Street is a hub of social and cultural activity, with its popular theaters, fashion shops and business community. One of the most popular new, but macabre attractions is the KGB Museum housed in the sinister Lubyanka building. The well-preserved Zamoskvorechye district was originally a mercantile and artisans’ quarter. Many of its churches, warehouses, shops and houses survive. The area is home to the Tretyakov Gallery, containing the work of Russian artists and an extensive collection of icons, among them the Trinity by Andrei Rublyov. Other places of interest are: the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts with its cosmopolitan collection; the Moscow Circus, the original with animal acts and clowns and the newer with more technical wonders; Izmailovo Park, formerly the Tsar’s estate and the elegant Tsaritsino landscaped park; the Exhibition of Economic Achievements, where on a large site in the northwest of the city all aspects of Russian life are displayed – such as agriculture, industry, culture and science.

The site also contains a zoo and a circus and there is skating and skiing. The nearby Ostankino TV Tower is the tallest in Europe, with a revolving restaurant at the top. The Space Conquerors’ Monument, representing the trajectory of a rocket launch, also dominates the area. The local Museum of Serf Art is a reminder of the past. The Metro system is a tourist attraction in itself, as well as a cheap and convenient means of traveling around the city. Many stations are sumptuously decorated with marble, glittering chandeliers and works of art. A boat tour on the Moskva River is a pleasant way of discovering the city. Excursions start at the Kutuzovskaya Pier, accessible from Kutuzovskaya Metro. The river is a superb vantage point to view the White House (the Parliament Building), scene of the dramatic siege of 1991, as well as many of the sights listed above.

Peterhoff residencia de verano de los zares, San Petersburgo

The Northwest

Novgorod

South of St Petersburg, Novgorod was founded over 1100 years ago and was one of the most important towns of ancient Russia. Novgorod was the founding city of Rus, the nucleus of modern Russia, although Kiev later became the capital. Picturesquely located on the banks of the River Volkhov, the city is a treasure trove of ancient architecture, with 39 cathedrals and churches. Within the walls of the Kremlin, St Sophia’s Cathedral (mid-11th century) is the oldest stone structure in the Russian Federation.

Karelia

Bounded by Finland and the White Sea, Karelia’s landscape is a patchwork of lakes, marshes and forests, whose canopies shade abundant mushrooms and berries. The region’s capital, Petrozavodsk, is a staging post for a variety of holiday activities in the region. The small island of Kizhi within Lake Onega is easily accessible by hydrofoil from here. The island was an early pagan center. Its surviving heritage features the 22-domed 18th-century Church of the Transfiguration, whose wooden structure was built without a single nail. The open-air museum is a collection of Russian and Karel wooden buildings from the 14th to 19th centuries. The region is ideal for adventure holidays on the Shuya, Suna and Vama-Vodla rivers. Tranquil waters offering spectacular views of the countryside are suddenly interrupted by rapids cascading over glacial boulders. The white waters may be negotiated by kayak or cataraft. The Suna River is excellent for fishing. The Kivach Waterfall along its path is especially beautiful. Karel pies called kalitkas may be sampled in the local hamlets, often no more than a cluster of sturdy wooden cottages. A real sauna followed by a plunge into a river or lake is an ideal way to unwind at the end of an adventure-packed day.

Murmansk

Almost due north of St Petersburg, this is the largest city within the Arctic Circle. This important port on the shores of Kola Bay is warmed by the waters of the Gulf Stream and is free of ice throughout the year. It was built with British assistance during World War I. The Northern Lights are seen here in November and December and the Sports Festival of the Peoples of the North is held in March.

Arkhangelsk
The largest city in the White Sea area, Arkhangelsk was only opened to tourists in 1990. Before the founding of St Petersburg it was the first and only seaport in Russia. From here, visitors may travel to the nearby village of Mali Kareli to view Russian white stone and wooden architecture.

Kaliningrad

The tract of land sandwiched between Lithuania and Poland on the Baltic shoreline is an annexe of the Russian Federation. Its principal town is now called Kaliningrad, although it was known as Königsberg when it was the center of German East Prussia. The area was ceded to the erstwhile Soviet Union following World War II. The territory’s future prosperity depends on the Government’s plans to give it special economic status. Architectural remnants which survived the war mark the city’s German heritage, such as the Cathedral. The philosopher Immanuel Kant, the town’s most famous son, is buried near here, and his memory is honored by the Kant Museum. The Amber Museum, housed in a restored German fortress tower, celebrates this local precious stone. The town has many attractive parks and gardens, as well as a zoo. Nearby, Svetlogorsk is a verdant coastal spa resort which has lost none of its charm. The Kursche Spit is a beautiful sand peninsula extending nearly 100km (63 miles) along the coast, and is a rich habitat for plants and animals.

Black Sea

Rostov-on-Don

Once an Armenian town, its low buildings still show Armenian influences. Especially interesting is the Cathedral of the Resurrection. There are several parks, four theaters, an orchestra, a race-course and a beach. Rostov is the gateway to the Caucasus.

Sochi

A popular resort with a subtropical climate and a famous health spa, it is situated on the Black Sea’s eastern coast beneath the dramatic Caucasus Mountains. An observation tower on Mt Bolshoi Akhun, 23km (14 miles) from the town, provides a spectacular view of the town, almost all of the Caucasian Riviera and the surrounding mountains. There is a large Riviera Park with many tourist facilities and a Botanical Garden, founded during the last century, with beautiful, interesting trees and shrubs from all over the world. Boat and hovercraft trips on the Black Sea are available from the town’s port.

Dagomys

For those who want a resort-based holiday, this new holiday center lying to the north of Sochi is ideal. Overlooking the Black Sea, it is beautifully located amongst thickly wooded hills and subtropical greenery. Nearby is the Dagomys State Tea Farm where visitors can sample the fragrant Krasnodar tea accompanie

Sochi, Rusia

Kazan

The cultural center of the Tartars, this city boasts a Kremlin dating from the 16th century which, with its towers and churches, is fascinating to visit. The Tartar State Museum and the 18th-century mosque are also of interest.

Ulyanovsk

Lenin’s birthplace; his parents’ house situated here used to be a popular museum.

Samara

A major space center, the city was founded in the 16th century around a fortress surveying the Volga and Samara rivers. The Old Town is notable for its fine turn-of-the-century buildings. The Volga shoreline and the nature reserves of the Zhiguli Hills are accessible from Samara.

Volgograd

Formerly Stalingrad, the Victory Museum celebrates the victory over the Nazis, and the whole city is a monument to the year-long battle that took place there. Tours to the battlefields are available. The town stands at the confluence of the Volga and Don rivers. Boat trips and fishing tours taking in both rivers are possible. Visits to outlying Cossack and Volga-German villages provide a glimpse of the region’s history.

The Urals, Siberia & the Far East

Yekaterinburg

The birthplace of former Russian President Boris Yeltsin. The city is also historically important as the last resting place of the Romanov royal family, murdered during the Bolshevik revolution.

Siberia

Covering an area of over 12,800,000 sq km (4,000,000 sq miles), Siberia contains unimaginably vast stretches of marshy forest (taiga). This ‘sleeping land’, the literal translation of its name, possesses a million lakes, 53,000 rivers and an enormous wealth of natural resources. Although the temperature in winter falls well below freezing point, the weather in summer can be very warm. Tourism is less developed than elsewhere in the Russian Federation and some parts are still not accessible. However, much of the region has been opened up, including Sakhalin Island and the Chukchi Peninsula just across the Bering Strait from Alaska. The taiga is within easy reach of many of the region’s cities. Air-hopping is one way of discovering the wilderness. A famous alternative is the Trans-Siberian Railway, the longest continuous railway in the world, a journey which is one of the greatest travel adventures. The line cuts through an area bigger than Western Europe, crossing a landscape which includes arctic wastes, tundra and steppe. The most scenic part of the journey is between Irkutsk and Khabarovsk.

Irkutsk

Irkutsk is over 300 years old and owes much of its development to its location on the tradeways to Mongolia and China. At the end of the last century, the city began to take on the aspect of a ‘boom town’ when trade in gold, fur and diamonds suddenly created new wealth. It was to Irkutsk that many 19th-century revolutionaries, such as the Decembrists, were exiled. The University of Irkutsk was the first establishment of higher education in eastern Siberia. Today, as in former times, this important Siberian city is one of the world’s biggest suppliers of fur. The town lies on the banks of the Angara, the only outflowing river from Lake Baikal.

Lake Baikal

The lake is accessible from Irkutsk by hydrofoil during the summer. Statistics about Baikal are astounding; with a depth of 1637m (5371ft) it is the world’s deepest lake. Its surface area equals that of Belgium and The Netherlands put together. It is 25 million years old, and it would take three months to walk around its 2000km (1243 mile) shoreline. The purity of its water is maintained by millions of tiny crayfish, providing a habitat for a wide variety of fish, including sturgeon, loach, grayling and omul (a type of salmon), one of many species unique to Baikal. Its shores are a feeding ground for wildfowl and the occasional bear. Freshwater seal colonies are found around the Ushkan Islands in the center of the lake. Olkhon Island is the site of primitive rock drawings and a unique necropolis of an ancient Siberian tribe whose members are thought to have been ancestors of indigenous North Americans. The local climate is often harsh; the surface of the entire lake often freezes over in winter (trains were moved across the ice during the Russo-Japanese war). The sarma wind can sink boats and rip the roofs off buildings. While the human race now dominates the lake, it remains to be seen whether it will be a responsible custodian of the region’s flora and fauna.

Buryat Republic

Many of the inhabitants of the Buryat Republic are Buddhists. Dozens of picturesque temples (datsans) sprang up round Lake Baikal after Empress Elizabeth, Peter the Great’s daughter, recognized the Buddhist religion in the Russian Federation. Although most datsans were destroyed during the 1930s, many of their treasures were preserved in the Russian Orthodox church in Ulaan Ude, the capital. The