Russian Far East

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Asia, Russia, Russian Far East, Kamchatkan Peninsula, Kuril Islands, Yankicha Island. Bay with small mountainous islands

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Overview

Russia’s distant end of the line, the wild wild east feels likes its own entity. ‘Moscow is far’ runs the local mantra, and trade and transport connections with its Asian neighbours are growing fast.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Cathedral of the Nativity

Sakhalin Island

This extraordinary new addition to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk's otherwise ho-hum architectural ensemble is a staggeringly impressive golden-domed cathedral, which…

Zarya Centre for Contemporary Art

Vladivostok

The full renovation and repurposing of a former clothing factory into a giant creative complex containing offices, studios, cafes and work spaces is one…

Permafrost Kingdom

Yakutsk

At Permafrost Kingdom, two neon-lit tunnels burrowed into a permanently frozen hill have been filled with dozens of fabulous, never-melting ice sculptures…

Russky Island

Vladivostok

A fully militarised zone for most of the past 150 years, this big island just offshore has been reinvented as a business and academic centre and is home…

Primorsky Oceanarium

Vladivostok

This massive new development on Russky Island is one of Vladivostok's planned key attractions and opened with great fanfare in 2016. It's a vast space in…

BAM Museum

Russian Far East

Tynda’s pride and joy has four rooms of BAM relics and photos – sadly all devoid of English labelling – as well as exhibits on native Evenki culture, WWII…

Sakhalin Regional Museum

Sakhalin Island

The pagoda-roofed Sakhalin Regional Museum has a strong exhibit (sadly in Russian only) exploring the Japanese/Soviet overlap of the city’s history,…

Land of the Leopard National Park

Russian Far East

Created in 2012 by the merger of several smaller reserves, this vast tract of forest wilderness is still slowly developing as a tourist destination, but…

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