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Introducing Russia
Looming over the rest of Europe with its immense, inhuman size and dark, brutal history, Russia is an essential and fascinating destination, the flipside of modern Europe and still an unknown quantity to most travellers. Somehow Russia manages to pull off the truly impressive feat of being both a really exciting place to travel while never relenting on its tediously bureaucratic approach to life. Stay in the EU if you want things easy and hassle-free, but venture east for one of the last truly adventurous and unpredictable destinations on the continent.
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Moscow’s rich history, amazing Kremlin, startling architecture and frenzied pace of development makes it a must on any trip to Eastern Europe, while with its colourful, crumbling Italianate mansions, beautifully wending canals and mind-blowing cultural treasures, St Petersburg is one of the incontestable highlights of the continent. For something totally different, drop into ignored little Kaliningrad, an enclave of Russia wedged between Poland and Lithuania, or to the famed outpost of Siberia.
Last updated: Mar 2, 2009
Tips & articles
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Classic Train trips
21 January 2010
Hand the porter your luggage, climb aboard and relive the golden days of railroading on these spectacular...
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The world’s coldest places
22 December 2009
As Europe freezes and snowstorms blanket the US East Coast, remember, it could always be worse… Vostok...
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Dogs of the world
9 December 2009
‘When you point out something to a dog, he looks at your finger.’ – J Bryan, III Dogs...
Russia
Our Top Picks For Russia
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1 St Petersburg
Visit tsarist palaces, and enjoy many wonderful museums, including the Hermitage, in Russia’s most elegant and European city
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2 Novgorod
Relish Russia’s history in the country’s first capital, home of the Byzantine Cathedral of St Sophia and a restored kremlin
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3 Moscow
Savour the power and pleasures of the nation’s awe-inspiring capital in Red Square, and its plethora of museums, shops, restaurants and clubs
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4 Veliky Ustiug
Deliver your wishes directly to Russia’s own Santa Claus in this delightfully quaint town
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5 Yekaterinburg
Explore the gently rolling Ural Mountains from this historic city where the Romanovs met their violent end
Fast Facts about Russia
- Time
GMT/UTC +3 (Moscow & St Petersburg); GMT +2 (Kaliningrad)
- Money
rouble (R); $A1 = R20; CA$1 = R24, €1 = R34; ¥100 = R23; NZ$1 = R17; UK£1 = R50; US$1 = R26
- Visas
Everyone needs one and they need to be obtained well in advance of travel (€50-100).
- Area
16, 995, 800 sq km (twice the size of the continental USA)
- Population
147 million
- Famous for
Vodka, communism, Chelsea Football Club–owning billionaires
- ATMs
Common in Moscow, St Petersburg and Kaliningrad
- Language
Russian
- Head of State
Dmitry Medvedev
- Telephone codes
country code 7; international access code 8 (wait for second tone) 10
- Phrases
privyet (hi), do svidaniya (goodbye), spasiba (thanks), izvinitye (excuse me)
- Budget
R1300 to R2000 per day
Related Groups
Our favourite Russia Blogs (beta)
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Top Photography Sites of Moscow – Part 3- Sitting On Top Of Moscow From A Top of the Ostankino Tower, then go to the Trinity Church and Ostankino Estate for an Interesting Way to Spend a Day
Blog: American in Russia - 9 February 2010
Technorati Tags: Moscow,Russia,top sites to photograph in Moscow,Ostankino Park and Estate,Church of the Trinity,Ostankino TV Tower,blogsherpa,
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Top Photography Sites of Moscow – Part Two – State Historical Museum and Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts
Blog: American in Russia - 7 February 2010
Few places in the world today are able to say that they hold such splendid examples of world class museums as the city of Moscow. Not even the museums of Paris can compare with the treasures which can be found in the museums of Moscow. I never appreciated art until I came to Moscow and saw so many amazingly beautiful works of art. I also enjoy history a lot, even taught history here in Moscow awhile and to be able to see things in various museums that I would never see at home in the US, is a wonderful experience.
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Lady of Leningrad
Blog: A Lady in London - 1 February 2010
This weekend I found myself in St. Petersburg, or as some of the locals still call it, Leningrad. Having taken my share of Russian history classes in college, I was excited to see the city founded by one of Russia's great europhile tsars, Peter the Great.
