Although the news may give you a drastically different idea of Russia, it’s actually a fairly safe, modern and very fascinating country to visit. As the largest country in the world, Russia is a place of breathtaking scenery, intriguing cities and a unique culture.
Top Places to Visit in Russia
Moscow
Europe’s fastest-growing and third largest city wears three hats-capital of medieval Muscovy, as capital of the ex-USSR, and as capital of today’s new Russia. Moscow is Pleasure Central; alongside the nightclubs and bars is every possible kind of food and music too. And all this is grafted onto the medieval citadel, the Kremlin, the museums, galleries, concert-halls and the Bolshoi.
Note: Moscow has a lot to see, but it can be a little more challenging to navigate (especially if you don’t speak Russian—many metro signs are only in Cyrillic!). Make sure to grab a city map and metro map (often available for sale in touristic areas or from your hotel or hostel) or get a good app on your phone!
St. Petersburg
Winter is a great time to visit St. Petersburg, this season and one of the most perfect winter holiday destinations! Picture grand palaces sparkling in the snow, elegant bridges arching over frozen, glassy rivers. Fresh snow falls daily, painting the entire city white, with the odd splash of colour from Russian Revival architecture illuminating the sky. A quick tip – Russia in the winter is not for the faint-hearted! With temperatures often around -9°C, you need to be prepared. Join Russian’s everywhere looking fabulous dressed head to toe in fur! And a visit to a Russian Banya is almost a right of passage! They can apparently cure any ailment – from skin conditions to muscle aches to broken hearts.
Sochi
This Black Sea resort area has long been popular with Russians, but it’s now famous worldwide for having hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics and Paralympics Games. It’s a great place for outdoor enthusiasts, with a wonderful stretch of beach and boardwalk along the sea and its nearby mountains where you can go skiing, hiking or mountain biking.
Ekaterinburg
Straddling the Europe/Asia divide, Ekaterinburg got rich on an 18th gold-rush here. The mixture of high-tech industry and high-flying educational institutes makes for a young population and it has a mojo all its own. Most infamously, the Tsar and all his family were murdered here in 1918- the new Cathedral marks the spot. In the heart of the Ural Mts, there’s countryside and villages all around.
Kazan
Moscow and St Petersburg receive the bulk of travelers to Russia, but Kazan, the center of Tartar culture, is another fascinating city to visit. See the Kazan Kremlin and learn about its history in relation to Ivan the Terrible, who destroyed the Tartar fortress that originally stood on this site. Also of note in the city is the Soviet Lifestyle Museum, where you’ll likely feel like you’ve stepped back decades into the past, especially on Sunday afternoons when you’ll find musicians playing popular songs of the USSR.
Altai
Siberia’s best-kept secret-a massive National Park area of mountains and rivers, offering amazing rafting, riding, and hiking… the 7/8-hr drive from any rail or airport helps protect its wilderness status. A growing New- Age Lifestyle movement is spreading here-inspired by ancient cave paintings, and legends of the Lost Mountain Kingdom of Belovodia. We take our own vacations here.
Irkutsk
One of Siberia’s oldest cities, a furtrading centre since the C17th. The city’s regarded as the “home of the Trans-Siberian” since the trackbuilding from East and West met here, and the first Trans-Sib train went through.
Lake Bailkal
Not only is Lake Baikal a monumentally scenic place, but it’s also important geographically: it’s the deepest and largest freshwater lake in the world. Actually, if you put all five Great Lakes together, Lake Baikal would still be larger! There’s some great camping and hiking in the area, or relax on one of the numerous beaches, either on the shores of the lake or on one of its islands, such as Olkhon. Just an hour from Irkutsk, Listvyanka’s the most accessible point on Lake Baikal-both in distance and facilities. Amidst the timber-house village there are now some cafes and bars-but the wilds of Baikal open-up at the end of the village footpath if you want.
Bolshoe Goloustnoe
So near to Listvyanka, but so different in characteral most unchanged from the C19th, due to poor road access. Bolshoe Goloustnoe village appeals to seekers of a lifestyle not yet quite past, and has a timeless serenity-fishing is still the main livelihood here, and except for a tiny village store, there’s little intrusion of C20th values.
Ulan-Uday
Perhaps the most surprising halt on the T-Sib? Nomadic native Asian peoples of Siberia were not an image the USSR cared for-the Buryats were “collectivised” by Stalin. Yet native song and tradition survived even Stalin’s policies. The soviet-era city contrasts with life in remote villages and Buddhist monasteries-so we include all three aspects in our trips. Who ever imagined Buddhism in Siberia? Yet it’s been the native
religion here for centuries.
Perm
It’s surprising what you knew about Perm without knowing it-it’s the real-life city that was “Yuriatin” (where Dr Zhivago met Lara in the book, and the film), it was the start of the Great Siberian Post-Road, and Permian-era dinosaurs are named after geological discoveries near Perm. A charming little city in the Urals, with a famous ballet troupe.
Vladivostok
Vladivostok is a double surprise. First is that it’s so small-less than 500,000 inhabitants, giving a charming compact feel to the place. Next is the weather-hot coastal sunbathing in summer, deep-frozen in winter. For those able to cope with poor onward connections, it’s the end-point of the original Trans-Sib route.
Derbent
This city in the northern Caucasus is Russia’s oldest city, with a history going back roughly five millennia. It was once an important point along the trade route between the Middle East and western Russia. Today, you can see the towers and wall of the sixth-century Naryn-Kala Citadel up at the top of the hill or follow the ruins of the old city walls down the hill and towards the sea.
Lake Onega
KIZHI Museum is a gem of Russian architecture and culture that is often overlooked. The open-air museum takes up much of an island in the middle of Lake Onega and consists of roughly 90 historical wooden buildings and structures—chapels, windmills, houses and more. The whole island is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but particularly astounding is the 22-domed, 37 meter tall Church of the Transfiguration of Our Savior. It can be a bit difficult and pricey to get to the island, but it’s definitely worth the trip!
Magadan Oblast
While we’re talking about historical sites, we can’t forget the Russian gulags, where hundreds of thousands of people died from overwork, cold and assorted ailments. The Kolyma Gulags were a horrible place to end up—but now they’re worth a visit if you have time. Not only is it important to reflect on the past, but it’s also fascinating to see the bleak landscape and places such as Dneprovsky Mine, one of the best-preserved gulag sites. It is especially amazing to see how the area has bounced back from a place of suffering to a place popular for activities such as skiing, snowmobiling, rafting and sailing.
Top Experiences
Ride the Trans-Siberian Railway
For many years eager travellers have hopped on board one of the most iconic rail journeys in the world. Snake through the wilderness as you traverse Russia, China and Mongolia on the world’s longest railway. Watch the diverse landscapes transform from your window before hopping off at certain points to explore the local towns. Although spending a week staring out the window of a train may not seem like the most interesting thing, the real treat of this trip is meeting fellow travelers. You’ll get a real cross-section of Russian culture on the train, including plenty of unique characters. It’s a great way to learn about what makes Russia special.
Foods to Try
Russians are known for many things; their fur hats, Russian dolls, strong vodka and tumultous history, but what about their food? Aside from beetroot soup, no one seems to know an awful lot about Russian cuisine so prepare yourself to be enlightened with a little lesson on Russian meals and tasty specialities.
You’ve probably heard of borscht, the popular beetroot-based soup, but there’s plenty more to Russian cuisine. You’ll find plenty of pelmeni (small, meat-filled dumplings), pirozhki (fried bread pockets filled with meat, rice, and carrots or other vegetables), blini (thin pancakes with a variety of fillings that can be either sweet or savory), golubtsy (stuffed cabbage) and the list goes on and on.
Russian Meals
Breakfast
Breakfast varies considerably and we found everything from sausages, potato wedges and broccoli to European style breakfasts with ham, cheese and bread. There is always the option to have cereals or muesli with fruit but the most traditional option is pancakes with savoury fillings like cream cheese or sweet options such as chocolate or banana.
Lunch
Lunch is the biggest and best meal of the day and consists of three courses beginning with a small salad, followed by soup and then the main meal. Soups are a massive part of the Russian diet and are quite often like a light stew with meat and veggies. There are also Asian influences with noodle soups and clear soups. Main meals almost always consist of meat and potatoes. Russians may be a complicated bunch but one thing is for certain; they all love their potatoes. Mashed, boiled, baked, fried, roasted, cut into cubes, wedges or smushed into a smooth white paste.
Dinner
Traditionally, dinner is a small light meal, quite often a simple salad. It’s becoming more common for dinner to be a bigger meal as restaurants promote it and locals adopt our customs of a 9-5 work day.
Russian Favourites
Borsch
Borsch, or beetroot soup, is one of the most popular and more famous Russian soups. This tasty yet simple dish is made by boiling together strips of beef, onion, garlic, carrot, celery and shredded beetroot. It may not look all that special but it tastes delicious and is best served with a generous dollop of sour cream.
Pirozhok
Pirozhok is a soft glazed bun filled with anything from meat, vegetables, fish, potato or cheese to sweet alternatives like stewed fruit or jam. They can be similar to an English pie but with surrounded by bread rather than pastry.
Shashlyk
Shashlyk is the Russian version of a shish kebab. The meat was traditionally lamb but can be anything these days and is usually left in a sour marinade overnight and cooked over wood or charcoal.
Pelmeni
Pelmeni are delicious dumplings, originally from Siberia, and filled with mince meat and vegetables like mushrooms, onions and turnips. They are served snack size in Russia and served with sour cream. Pelmeni is a hearty and rather meat-heavy cuisine (at least traditionally). But vegetarians and vegans fear not, you can easily substitute some of the ingredients for veggie alternatives. In Russia, pelmeni are one of the most traditional dishes. However, it’s actually still unclear whether pelmeni originates from Russia. Serbia is also making a claim to Russia’s favourite dish. Pelmeni are meat filled dumplings and perfect for warming you up on a chilly day. If you’re a vegetarian, the meat is best replaced with a savoury mushroom and cream filling.
One thing’s for sure: you’re not going to go hungry in Russia!
Despite the image of Russia that we often see, it’s really an interesting and picturesque country to visit. As the largest country in the world, it has a beautiful variety of culture, food, landscapes and people. Get out and explore the cities and the sights, meet new people, embrace the Russian culture and don’t forget to eat plenty of delicious Russian cuisine!