Russia Travel Directory

Russia, the world's largest country, is a gigantic and for the most part, sparsely populated place. It stretches over 7,000 km from the eastern plains of Europe to the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Siberia. The climate of Russia is similar to Canada, with short summers and long, cold winters. It's this size and unforgiving climate, together with a bureaucratic visa process and substantial language barrier that makes Russia an intimidating destination for travelers.

But for travelers who are adventurous and don't care so much about the relaxation part of their vacation, Russia has many different rewarding travel experiences and destinations. The most visited cities in Russia are Moscow and St Petersburg. Moscow is the current capital and visiting the city is like a step back into the days of Communism and the USSR. For anyone who was alive during the Cold War, the experience of standing in the Red Square, next to the Kremlin, can be pretty amazing. St Petersburg on the other hand was the capital of Tsarist Russia and its history is much older than Moscow's. Known as the 'Venice of the North', St Petersburg is a beautiful and romantic city with canals, cobbled streets and grandiose palaces.

One adventurous travel experience in Russia is to take the Trans-Siberian Railway across the country. There are several routes that travelers can take, one leads directly to the city of Vladivostok on the Pacific Ocean. While two other routes end in Beijing, either via Mongolia or Manchuria. The most popular stopping point on the way is the Siberian city of Irkutsk, a charming city that is located near to Lake Baikal, the world's deepest lake. Irkutsk is just over three days by rail from Moscow and two days from the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar.

Don't know where to start? Read our travel articles and guides about destinations in Russia.

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