Travelling Russia: travel guide and advice

6 reasons to travel to Russia

There are so many things to discover during a trip to Russia! Not only are the Russian landscapes and architecture in historic towns amazing, but if you try to get to know the locals and their customs you will come back feeling transformed by the authentic experience!

Visit the beautiful orthodox churches
Travelling on the Trans-Siberian
Landscapes covered in beautiful winter clothing
Fall in love with Russian cuisine
Go to a dacha
Meet the locals

Culture and Discovery

Guillaume Baviere

Karelia: a Russian winter wonderland

Russia is the largest country in the world. So you'll have plenty to see and do! But what if eco-tourism and untouched nature is more your thing? Is there still such a wide choice? The answer's 'yes'. There's a republic in the northwest that any eco-tourist will love, be it during summer or winter: Karelia.

Laetitia Santos24 March 2016

Travel story

Loris Silvio Zecchinato

A day at the Hermitage

Alongside the Louvre or the British Museum, the Saint Petersburg Hermitage Museum is amongst the best in the world. A sumptuous neo-classical palace built on the command of Peter the Great, it holds an impressive collection of paintings. Playing host to some of the most beautiful works of European art, this must see is likely to keep you there for days and days.

Nicolas Landru24 March 2016

Travel story

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Is this the destination for you?

Don't be afraid of contrasts, extremes or contradictions: Russia is the country where anything's possible!

You should go if

You go mad for big cities: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan and Rostov, the big Russian cities will make your head spin.
You like pushing your limits by living in extreme conditions, the great North, the cold, the tundra, taiga or the peaks of the Caucasus Mountains.
You have gotten ideas from novels about how friendly people are in Russia: a vodka, and another, some laughing and dancing and another vodka!
Colours and onion domes intrigue you: Russian churches and monasteries are an art in themselves, both unique and inimitable.
You don't have a lot of experience with the word "distance": taking the Trans-Siberian railway and crossing two inconceivably long continents gives you different feeling about the world.
You admire and appreciate great culture: Russia promotes the arts, from ballet to music and architecture, to fine arts and film.
You are attracted by European, Caucasian, Turko-Mongolian, Siberian and other cultures. Russia is home to a myriad of people and cultures.

You shouldn't go if

If you detest alcohol, you should know that it's everywhere in Russian culture!
If vastness scares you and your ideal human density is like in the Netherlands, it's better to not leave the big cities.
If you don't like cold countries, only visit the South (the Caucasus and the Caspian) or plan to go there during August.
If you only want to visit plain or boring countries: Russia only has rough edges, from social inequality to pollution.
You don't support discussions on nationalism and imperialism, because you may hear a lot of it!

Russia Travel Guide

Best time to visit Russia