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Russia✨ 10 best things to do in Russia

Things to do in Russia

1. Explore the Kremlin and Red SquareWalk past St Basil's Cathedral's swirling domes and the red walls of Moscow's fortress.
2. Tour the HermitageLose yourself among millions of artworks in the Winter Palace in St Petersburg.
3. Experience the White NightsStay up late in St Petersburg in June, when the sun barely sets and bridges rise over the Neva.
4. Ride the Trans-Siberian RailwayCross a continent by train from Moscow to Lake Baikal and beyond.
5. Walk on frozen Lake BaikalExplore the world's deepest lake when its ice turns crystal clear in late winter.
6. Admire Moscow's metro stationsRide beneath the city through stations adorned with chandeliers, mosaics and marble.
7. Visit the Golden RingDiscover medieval monasteries and white-stone churches in Vladimir, Suzdal and Sergiev Posad.
8. See Peterhof's fountainsWatch cascades of gilded fountains in Peter the Great's seaside palace gardens.
9. Explore the Kazan KremlinSee a mosque and an Orthodox cathedral side by side in the capital of Tatarstan.
10. Steam in a banyaSweat it out in a traditional Russian bathhouse, complete with birch-twig venik.

Russia🗺️ Where to visit in Russia

Where to go in Russia

• 
  MoscowCentral Russia · capitalThe Kremlin, Red Square, world-class theatres and grand Stalin-era architecture.
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  St PetersburgNorthwest · imperial cityCanals, palaces and museums in Russia's cultural capital on the Baltic.
• 📍
  Golden RingNortheast of Moscow · historic townsA loop of ancient towns with kremlins, monasteries and wooden churches.
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  KazanVolga · Tatar cultureA vibrant blend of Russian and Tatar heritage around a UNESCO-listed kremlin.
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  Lake BaikalSiberia · lakeThe world's oldest and deepest lake, with clear water and unique wildlife like the Baikal seal.
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  KamchatkaFar East · volcanoesA remote peninsula of active volcanoes, geysers and brown bears.
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  Kizhi IslandKarelia · wooden architectureFamous for an extraordinary multi-domed wooden church built without nails.
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  Altai MountainsSouthern Siberia · mountainsSnowy peaks, turquoise rivers and remote valleys near the borders of Mongolia and Kazakhstan.

Russia🌦️ Weather & best time to visit Russia

Best time to visit Russia

Russia has a continental climate with long, cold winters and warm summers, becoming more extreme the further east and north you go. The Black Sea coast around Sochi is much milder, while Siberia sees some of the coldest temperatures on Earth.

Typical daytime highs and rain in Moscow (approximate averages).

Russia🎉 Festivals & events in Russia

• February-March
  MaslenitsaA week of pancakes, folk games and the burning of a straw effigy to bid farewell to winter.
• June
  White Nights and Scarlet SailsSt Petersburg celebrates the midsummer light with concerts and a ship with scarlet sails on the Neva.
• 9 May
  Victory DayA major national holiday commemorating the end of the Second World War in Europe.
• 7 January
  Orthodox ChristmasChurch services and family gatherings follow New Year celebrations.

Russia🧭 Russia itinerary ideas

How many days in Russia?

Russia🎒 Backpacking Russia – tips & hacks

Backpacker budget: about $35–55 a day

• Check your government's latest travel advice first, as international bank cards and many travel services may not work for foreign visitors.
• Platskart (open-plan third-class) sleeper trains are a cheap and social way to cover long distances.
• Moscow and St Petersburg have many hostels close to their historic centres.
• Eat at stolovayas (canteens) for cheap Russian classics such as borscht, pelmeni and blini.
• Learn the Cyrillic alphabet – it makes reading signs and metro maps much easier.

Russia🛡️ Safety & money in Russia

Emergency: 112 all emergencies · 102 police · 103 ambulance · 101 fire

Russia🛬 Getting to Russia

Moscow's main airports are Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo, with St Petersburg's Pulkovo the second gateway. International flight options have changed significantly in recent years, and land borders connect Russia with numerous neighbours; check current routes with official sources.

✈️ Cheap flights to Russia: airports, flight times & best time to fly →

Russia💡 Did you know? 5 facts about Russia

• Russia spans eleven time zones, more than any other country's contiguous territory.
• Lake Baikal holds roughly a fifth of the world's unfrozen surface fresh water.
• The Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Vladivostok is the longest railway line in the world.
• The Hermitage was founded by Catherine the Great in 1764 as her private collection.
• Oymyakon in Siberia is often cited as the coldest permanently inhabited place on Earth.

Russia❓ Russia travel FAQ

Russia travel questions