Rich cultural heritage and great natural variety place Russia is among the most popular tourist destinations in the world. The country contains 23 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, while many more are on UNESCO’s tentative lists. Major tourist routes in Russia include a travel around the Golden Ring of ancient cities, cruises on the big rivers like Volga, and long journeys on the famous Trans-Siberian Railway. Diverse regions and ethnic cultures of Russia offer many different food and souvenirs, and show a great variety of traditions, like Russian banya, Tatar Sabantuy, or Siberian shamanist rituals.
Places to visit
St. Petersburg
Also known as ‘the city of Tsars’, St. Petersburg is one of the greatest historical places of Russia. The vibrant nature seems to be in perfect harmony here combined together with unique heritage buildings and monuments scattered at different places of the city. In fact, the pulsating life of the city is the melting of the ethnic Russian and vibrant European culture. Some of the major tourist spots in St. Petersburg include, the historic Peter & Paul Fortress, Hermitage also known as the ‘Winter Palace’ is accredited as the largest museum of world and castle of former Russian tsars.
Moscow
One of the popular places of visit in Russia is the capital city of Moscow. Also regarded as one of the most happening cities of the world, it has more to offer in terms of historical forts and great architectural edifices. The city is well connected and has round the clock regional and international transport services. If you’re a shop alcoholic, then you have come to the right place for it offers you a wide range of elegant dress materials, extravagant accessories sold under various Russian designer labels. The varied shopping malls of the city also offer you a glimpse of multi cuisine from traditional Russian dishes to Caucasian and not to miss the authentic Mediterranean gastronomical delights with a bottle of Vodka. Being home to some of the best tourist places of Russia, the major attractions of Moscow include Red Square, St. Basil’s Cathedral, The Cathedral of Christ the Savoir, Kuskovo Estate and Novodevichy Convent.
Novgorod
One of the oldest cities of Russia, Novgorod is regarded as an ancient Slavic city and was believed to be explored in 859, as a trade hub between the then Baltics to Byzantium. After the foundation of the state of Kievan Rus, Novgorod was accorded prime importance. During the monarch regime various social development activities were carried out by Yaroslav the Wise whose contributions are widely still today. Also in the middle Ages, the place was a thriving center of art and paintings which have invariably found their expression in many of the ancient churches which truly epitomizes the rich aura of that era.
Golden Ring Cities
It refers to a string of cities located towards the northeast of Moscow formerly known as Zalesye. These towns have been often referred to as open air museums because they are home to unique monasteries, cathedrals, churches and domes of 12th and 18th centuries which make it one of the beautiful cities of the world.
kazan
Kazan is the capital city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia.The city shows a unique mixture of Christian Russian and Muslim Tatar cultures. The city has rigistered a brand The Third Capital of Russia.The eighth largest city of Russia,lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. The Kazan Kremlin is a World Heritage Site.
Best time to visit
The warm months of July and August are the main holiday seasons. February to March is not the best time to visit Russia; the roads become slushy and dangerous in spring. May-June or September-October is good if one wishes to avoid the crowds.
Hotels
- By KOL News , Written on February 2, 2010
