When you look at Russia on any map or globe, you will understand why it is nearly impossible to see everything that the largest nation in the world has to offer. Even a lifetime is insufficient to fully explore the vast country. The fact that many of the most stunning natural sites in the nation are quite isolated and have inadequate transportation systems does not help.
To help you plan your vacation to Russia, below is a list of 10 of the most popular and established tourist cities or itineraries in Russia. Even some of these, though, are difficult to reach or require lengthy travel; in Russia, this is frequently unavoidable. It is also hard to visit all of the cities and routes in a single trip due to their distances from one another!
1. MOSCOW
Naturally, a large number of people visit the Russian Federation’s capital to see the Kremlin and Red Square. The Novodevichy Convent, Christ the Saviour Cathedral, the VDNKh exposition center, Kolomenskoe Estate, Arbat Street, and Victory Park are other stops along the main tourist route in Moscow. Moscow is known as the city that never sleeps, and its nightlife may also entice visitors. For those who like more traditional entertainment, the city is also home to the renowned Bolshoi Theatre. In addition to being incredibly effective, the Moscow Metro is also a sight to behold and is frequently compared to underground palaces. As the capital, Moscow serves as a transportation hub and has good connections to the majority of Russian cities; a night’s rail ride will get you to St. Petersburg, Kazan, and many other places in central European Russia. Some of the cities on the Golden Ring can also be visited in a single day from Moscow. More thorough details regarding Moscow’s main attractions can be found here.
2. ST PETERSBURG
Due to its canals, St. Petersburg is known as the Venice of the North and Russia’s Northern Capital, making it the country’s most visited tourist destination. Peter the Great established the city in 1703 as the formal capital of the Russian Empire, and its imperial past is what attracts most tourists to the city today. The city was called Leningrad after Vladimir Lenin during the Soviet era. The Winter Palace, located in St. Petersburg’s historic center and currently housing the Hermitage Gallery, is the city’s most well-known landmark. The suburbs of Peterhof, Pushkin, and Pavlovsk in St. Petersburg are home to a number of additional palaces. There are numerous flights and railroads to St. Petersburg, making travel there simple. Additionally, a lot of cruises make stops in St. Petersburg, where a unique visa-free policy can even be applicable. With numerous English-language signs and a wide range of hotels, eateries, and cafes to suit every budget, the city is also the most tourist-friendly in all of Russia.
3. GOLDEN RING
The Golden Ring, a group of cities northeast of Moscow, is arguably the most visited tourist destination in Russia. Ivanovo, Kostroma, Moscow, Pereslavl-Zalessky, Sergiev Posad, Suzdal, Vladimir, and Yaroslavl are the eight official principal cities of the Golden Ring. There are also about a dozen other unofficial secondary cities spread across the five Russian Federation subjects: the Ivanovo, Kostroma, Moscow, Vladimir, and Yaroslavl Regions. The Golden Ring communities’ provincial tranquility and numerous instances of historic church architecture are the primary draws for travelers. Because they were previously significant cities in the Vladimir Grand Principality, the central medieval Russian kingdom, they are also rich in history. The closest city is little over an hour away from Moscow, and the farthest is only a night train ride away, making it simple to explore. Good transportation links between the cities allow you to visit multiple cities over a few days rather than just one from Moscow.
4. SOLOVKI
The Solovetsky Islands are undoubtedly worth a visit, despite their difficult accessibility. The islands, which are part of Russia’s Arkhangelsk Region and are situated in the White Sea, are simply referred to as Solovki in Russian. Bolshoy Solobvetsky Island is the group’s principal island. The islands have been important to Russian history despite their remote position. The Spaso-Preobrazhensky Solovetsky Monastery, established in the first part of the 15th century, is the primary attraction here. Since then, the monastery has developed into a significant Christian stronghold. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Livonian Order, the Swedes, and even the British, who assaulted the monastery in 1854 during the Crimean War, were repelled by the sturdy boulder walls of the monastery. The monastery and the islands were utilized as one of the earliest Gulag camps during the Soviet era, which was a darker chapter in its history. The monastery is currently under UNESCO protection, and repair efforts are ongoing. Apart from the monastery, the island’s natural beauty is breathtaking, and the entire experience of being there is unique and enchanted. The two simplest ways to get to the islands are by short plane from Arkhangelsk or by ferry from Kem, which is accessible by train from Petrozavodsk. On the other hand, the White Sea is infamous for its unfavorable weather and rocky passages.
5. KARELIA
The Republic of Karelia borders Finland and is situated in northwest Russia. The indigenous Finno-Ugric Karelians, Finns, and Vepsians, who have coexisted with Russians for generations, have created a distinctive culture for the republic. Due mostly to its natural beauty and old wooden buildings, it is a well-liked year-round tourist destination for both Russians and foreigners. It draws travelers for hunting, fishing, whitewater rafting, hiking, and camping in the summer, while dog sledding and snowmobile excursions are popular in the winter. With more than 60,000 lakes and more than 80% of the land covered by woods, this region makes up over 25% of the republic’s total area. The UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Kizhi Pogost, which contains the magnificent wooden Transfiguration of the Lord Church, is situated on the island of Kizhi, just outside the capital of Petrozavodsk, which was named for its founder, Peter the Great. You can take an overnight train from Moscow to Petrozavodsk.
6. SOCHI
In contrast to the popular stereotype of snowy Russia, Sochi boasts beaches on the Black Sea, palm tree-lined embankments, and a sub-tropical temperature, making it unusual among Russian cities. Despite being a well-liked vacation spot for decades among Russians, especially the political elite (Stalin even had a dacha here), the city only gained international recognition in 2014 when it hosted the XXII Winter Olympics. The games were held in two different locations: in specially constructed stadiums on the Black Sea coast and in the neighboring Krasnaya Polyana mountains. This illustrated the location’s distinctiveness in that it allowed visitors to see both the sunshine of the shore and the snow of the mountains in one day. Because Sochi was a popular destination for workers from various state-run industries throughout the Soviet years, there were adequate transportation links between it and several Russian cities even before the Winter Olympics. There are numerous train connections and flights to the city’s recently constructed international airports. It will take slightly more than two hours to fly from Moscow to Sochi, but it will take more than a day to travel by train.
7. VOLGOGRAD
The majority of visitors, including many from Germany whose fathers or grandfathers fought in the battle, are drawn to Volgograd, which is situated on the Volga in southern Russia. Previously known as Stalingrad, the city witnessed one of the bloodiest battles in human history during World War II and was recognized as a Hero City for its valor. The Ruined Mill, which was never restored to serve as an example of the destruction the city suffered, is one of the many sites in the city that are associated with the conflict. The Mumaev Kurgan Memorial Complex is the primary attraction, though, and it is dominated by the enormous Mother Russia Calls Monument, a figure of a vengeful Mother Russia brandishing a sword. When the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty is taken into account, it is only marginally shorter than the statue. The majority of the city’s major structures were reconstructed in the opulent Stalinist architectural style because the city was all but destroyed during World War II. The largest statue of Vladimir Lenin in the world is located near the southern entrance of the city, at the beginning of the Volga-Don Canal. Although a train from Moscow takes about a day to reach Volgograd, it is possible to travel there by train or airplane from a number of Russian cities.
8.TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY
The Trans-Siberian Railway is undoubtedly the longest and most well-known railway journey in the world. From Moscow’s Yaroslavsky Railway Station to Vladivostok on the Pacific Ocean, the railway’s primary route spans 9,289 kilometers. Tourists have a variety of choices, ranging from a rather opulent compartment to a regular compartment utilized by regular Russians traveling throughout the nation. Instead of traveling nonstop for over a week, it is worthwhile to get off at specific stations if you intend to take this trip. In addition to passing by Lake Baikal, as well as the interesting cities of Perm, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Ulan Ude, Birobidzhan, and Khabarovsk, you can also take a short detour to the city of Tomsk, which is known for its traditional wooden buildings. Instead of going to Vladivostok, you can take one of the branches off the railway to Ulaanbaator in Mongolia or Beijing in China.
9. LAKE BAIKAL
The true pearl of Siberia is the breathtakingly gorgeous Lake Baikal, the deepest lake in the world and home to an estimated one-fifth of the fresh water on Earth’s surface. It is situated on the boundary between the Irkutsk Region and the Republic of Buryatia. It’s also the world’s cleanest lake, so pure that swimming in it in the summer can make you dizzy, and when it’s frozen in the winter, you can see through the ice for many meters. The most well-known of the hundreds of unusual plant and animal species found in the lake and its environs is the nerpa, a wide-eyed Baikal seal. You will pass Baikal if you are taking the Trans-Siberian route, but stopping at Irkutsk to get a better look is highly advised. The simplest spot to accomplish this is at Listvyanka, which is only about an hour away from Irkutsk. Traveling to the island of Olkhon, which is in the middle of the lake, is an even better alternative, but it takes approximately six hours from Irkutsk. Irkutsk is over six hours away by plane from Moscow and more than three and a half days away by train.
10. KAZAN
In addition to being the capital of the Russian Republic of Tatarstan, Kazan is referred to as Russia’s Third Capital, behind St. Petersburg and Moscow. A fusion of Asian and European cultures has shaped the city. The majestic Qol-Şärif Mosque dominates the hilltop location of the white-stone Kremlin, which is the city’s primary attraction. The city’s Staraya Tatarskaya Sloboda (Old Tatar Quarter) also has older mosques. The Tatarstani government has made significant investments to boost tourism in the area, particularly in the easily accessible cities of Bulgar, Chistopol, Sviyazhsk, and Yelabuga from Kazan.