Best Places For Backpackers In Russia | Travel Blog

Explore Saint Petersburg, Russia as A Solo Traveller

Saint Petersburg in Russia attracts several thousand tourists each year, solo travellers being a significant number of them. And why not? Since it is a fast-growing tourist hub, well known for being a cultural and historic centre that retains the charm of Eastern Europe while giving off distinctly Western European vibes. If this interesting mix of Eastern and western charm has got you interested, you might wish to explore Saint Petersburg as a solo traveller. 3 Must-See Attractions in Saint Petersburg There are several interesting museums, extravagant palaces, historic cathedrals, and beautiful parks and botanical gardens scattered throughout the city […]

The best route for the first trip to the Altay Republic, Russia

The Altay Republic is located in the southern part of Siberia. Beautiful landscapes, clean air and a variety of flora and fauna make hundreds of thousands of tourists come here every year. The republic is often called the “Russian Switzerland” and this is justified. The beauties of Altay are immense and everyone who has been here once will certainly come back here again. There is the highest mountain in the Siberia, its located in the Ust-Koksinsky district of Altay and its called Belukha (4506m). The way to area of this mountain is the great rout to go on the first […]

Moscow: The Bolshoi Theatre as a symbol of Russia

The Bolshoi Theatre of Russia is a must-see during your Moscow visit, it is one of the main symbols of the country like Red Square and the Kremlin. It is part of the culture of Russia and the building with a tragic fate. Even if you simply take 100-Ruble banknote you will see its neoclassical facade depicted on it. It is really one of the best theatre buildings in the world. It` height is 21 meters and length -25 meters. There are 2153 seats for the visitors. The foundation of the Bolshoi Theatre The Bolshoi Theatre is not that original […]

Visit lake Baikal when it's frozen

Imagine walking on ice of an ancient lake, the oldest and the deepest on the planet. You hear the hollow sound of ice cracking, but you are still staying among the stunning beauty of the shining snow and crystal clear ice, and hundreds of meters of depth underneath. You feel the wind blowing and through the cold it brings the sounds of shaman drams, indistinct voices or the smell of smoke from the nearest village. When Lake Baikal freezes The temperature starts to drop below zero in November, but the huge lake doesn’t freeze fast, so it is usually frozen […]

Kaliningrad and Konigsberg – one German city in Russia

Kaliningrad and Konigsberg. It was the former capital of East Prussia, and now it is the center of the most western region of Russia. Today a tourist can hear both names of the city, which desperately tries to return to oneself after long years of All-Union headman’s name* oblivion. This is strange, but Kaliningrad can do it little by little. * The city was named in honor of the All-Union headman – Mikhail Kalinin in 1946 after the annexation of East Prussia to the USSR. The Fish Village I don’t know who called this place the Fish Village. Probably, this […]

Moscow: what to do and how to move on a solo trip

Moscow is an amazing city with a bunch of history and wonderful places. I spent one week and wasn´t enough. It´s extremely big and with a lot of things to do and see. Here are a few recommendations to make your trip unforgettable. How to get to the city center There are 3 airports in Moscow, the most famous is Domodedovo. It’s about 47km from the city center and you have a lot of options to get there. Taxi Is the most expensive, the faster and the comfy one. Outside the airport are a lot of taxi cabs which aren’t […]

Saint Petersburg – Practical Information

Saint Petersburg is often called a Venice of the North. Indeed such a great number of splendid architecture, spread along the river banks can be seen just in these two places in the world. But this enormous city is often confusing, especially for foreigners who do not speak the Russian language. Let me share my experience and some useful tips on how to fully enjoy the beauty of the Russian Empire capital. When to visit: If you don’t have masochistic tendency to derive gratification from your own pain or humiliation better not go to Saint Petersburg during the winter. Thanks […]

Sakhalin island: what travelers can find on the edge of the world

Once I came out from the jet and felt the sea flavor: Sakhalin. A very first impression was, that Sakhalin looks like other islands: green and untouched like Bali, cold and changeable like Iceland, but now I know for sure – it’s not so simple. What about the weather? Sakhalin is located in the Russian Far East, 9 000 kilometers away from Moscow. The Pacific Ocean affects the climate of the island, therefore the weather is so unpredictable, with heavy rain and the constant strong wind. Mostly impossible to choose the right clothes for this place even in summer: you […]

Paid fishing near Moscow

Russia is famous for its beauty and various places for fishing which are usually located in remote areas. On the one hand this is good because the ecosystem of reservoirs and the number of fish are not disturbed, but on the other hand, this situation restricts fishing access for most fishermen, especially for guests and residents of large cities such as Moscow. However, for Muscovites and guests of the capital, this is no longer a problem since several private ponds and fishing farms have been built near Moscow (within 2-15 km). They work on a fee basis and some of […]

A Summer Guide to St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg – the light of my heart, the bridge between the East and West and the fascinating country that is Russia. The city of grand, sprawling palaces and golden onion domes soaring into the sky. I moved from the USA to St. Petersburg in September 2017, so I’ve seen it at its coldest and loved it at its muddiest and rainiest. But there is nothing quite so magnificent as St. Petersburg in the summer. I’ve decided to write this guide to give you a guide as to how best enjoy St. Petersburg in the summer, which tourist […]

Unique places for coffee break in Moscow.

Moscow is not a capital known for coffee, though it started to crawl into Russian lifestyle back in the 18th century when the Peter the Great returned from his trip to the Netherlands. Of course, coffee nowadays is known as “energy drink,” and it isn’t something new to Russian people, but the purpose of taking it was still far from simply wanting to taste it or wanting to have, for example, a cup of caramel latte as a sweet treat after a walk on a cold winter day. In historical chronicles, you’ll find out that Russians used coffee for medicinal […]

Major sights of Moscow

Moscow is one of the most beautiful cities in Russia and in the world and a real paradise for travelers: everyone can find any kind of entertainment for any taste and budget. In this article I will give you a general review of where to go and what to do in Moscow, so you could choose what’s most interesting for you and make your own tour. Here we go! Cultural life Red Square and city-center First thing you remember about Moscow or Russia is, of course, Red Square and Kremlin. Though these sights may seem a little cliché, don’t lose […]

The Center of Oceanography and Marine Biology “Moskvarium”

Winter is the season that associated with the snow. I've never had experience with winter, everything was new for me. My first winter was in Moscow in February 2018. I think some people will agree with me if winter isn't the best season to go outside for a long time. But that didn't stop me from going out. My husband and I had a free time to go somewhere so we decided to spend our free time indoors. We did some research where would be the best place to visit. Aquarium gave me more attention to visit. Why aquarium? Is […]

A day at the Russian North – the Republic of Karelia

You wouldn’t expect a lot of sun from the Far North of Russia, especially given the stereotype about Saint-Petersburg’s lack of sunny days. But there is a place that lies about five hours north of Russia’s second-biggest city that would not only greet you with rays of warm sunshine but also the beautiful wilderness, waterfalls and marble canyons (in the summer, that is!). I am talking about the Republic of Karelia. The program of the trip I chose included driving through the Leningrad region and Karelia, and stopping at the Korela fortress, Sortavala, the Ahvenkoski waterfalls and finally, at the […]

Sunny morning in Moscow: lovely walk with the tasty stops

It’s bright Sunday morning, you’ve just woken up and found yourself in Moscow? Great! Let’s have a lovely walk in the heart of the city. But first… tasty breakfast. Use a subway to get to the starting point Choose a ticket In Russia, we call it metro. You need to get a metro ticket. You can buy it directly inside your metro station. Choose this one ticket – it's the most convenient and works like a usual credit card: you buy it, then put some money on it and go. 1 metro trip = 35 RUB with this card. It does not […]

The best places in Russia: magic of the Moscow metro

One of the best places in Russia for tourists is Moscow. And one of the most interesting places of our capital is the Moscow metro. When the revolution took place in Russia, the main idea was that everything in our country now belongs to the people. And if before the palaces belonged to the aristocracy, now the people must have their own palaces. Therefore, the metro stations of the capital became palaces for all the residents and guests of the city, all the passengers of the Moscow metro. And I must say that this plan was quite successful. There are special […]

Saint-Petersburg: walking the streets like a local

Saint-Petersburg is the most “European” city of Russia and also the one that was named the best tourist destination in Europe twice. I myself am particularly glad to know that, working as a tour guide. But this time I don’t want to tell you about “tourist” stuff, there is plenty of info about that around. I would like you to see where the locals hang out. As “the city of the crazy” we have pretty much anything you would like to visit. So, let’s start with the most important things. Walking around The most logical is to start hanging out […]

Sights of Nizhny Novgorod

How to buy tickets from Moscow to Nizhny Novgorod. Nizhny Novgorod I want to tell a little about the trip to Nizhny Novgorod. We bought the tickets a week before departure. High-speed trains “Strizh” and “Lastochka” go from Moscow. On the way 3 hours 35 minutes and 3 hours 50 minutes. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.rzd.ru. The cost is not more than 2000 rubles or 30$. Departure time is different, we chose an evening train. The hotel arrived late at night. The hotel we had was the “Silver Key”, we found it on https://www.booking.com. The […]

Chukotka, Russia: travelling in the Arctic

Getting to Chukotka If you want to visit a really remote, hard-to-get and wild place, you should definitely go to Chukotka. It's a Russian region in the Extreme north, at the very edge of the world. The journey will take you much time, money and effort, but you will never regret it. The first challenge you face is just getting there. There is boundary regime, so you have to get special permissions. Be attentive and careful with them and follow all the instructions. You also have to review your itinerary in case you have to enter the Beringia National Park, […]

Weekend walks around Moscow

Moscow is one of the most famous destinations for tourists in the world. It has a lot of places of interest. But today I will offer you three options for a quiet weekend: Kolomenskoye Park and Estate, Poklonnaya Hill and Bulgakov's House. Kolomenskoye. Secrets of old Moscow. There are a lot of places in Moscow associated with mysterious myths and legends. Perhaps Kolomenskoye is one of the most mysterious. When visiting this place not only do we hear a lot of controversial pieces of information, legends and stories of eyewitnesses, but also see everything with our own eyes. We are […]

Russian Golden Ring. Suzdal.

Visiting Russian tourists are usually limited to Moscow and St. Petersburg. But I want to tell you about the Golden Ring – a necklace of ancient Russian cities around Moscow. And I want to start with the city of Suzdal – the most interesting in my opinion the city in a necklace. The town is tiny, about 10 000 people, but there are located several ancient Russian monasteries, some cultural and architectural monuments included in 1992 in the UNESCO World Heritage List. All the ancient part of the city are well preserved to our days. Suzdal – one of the few […]

Kamchatka: Prepare Yourselves for Authentic Russia

Welcome to the edge of the earth Kamchatka is one of the places that are worth to be called the edge of the earth. And it’s one of the most authentic places in Russia. Wild virgin nature, a combination of different climate zones, active volcanos, geysers, hospitality of the locals – all this makes it one of the best attractions not only in Russia but in the world. Besides, it’s the unique place where you can face to the most famous stereotypes about Russia (vodka, caviar, bears) . The same time geographical remoteness and poor infrastructure putting off foreigners who […]

Russia to Slovenia by car

This summer we went to Slovenia by our car. The way from Nizhny Novgorod (Russia) to Ribnica (Slovenia) was long, about 4 days, but amazing! The route ran through Byelorussia, Poland, Austria and Czech Republic. We visited interesting cities and places and fell in love with Poland (I tell you about it later…). You can see it on the map below. First of all, to make your journey pleasant, you should know all information about: • International driver’s license; • Vignettes (especially in Austria, Czech Republic); • Appearance and good conditions of your car; • Special documents, which you should have always in your car; • Passing […]

The Ay river

The Ural If you don't know what to do with your life or cannot look on the bright side, I would advise you to visit the Ay river of the Southern Urals, the Russian Federation. You will relax surrounded with gurgling water, listen to the silence of the nature and the most important thing: you will sleep very comfortably with fabulous dreams! The Ay was named by Bashkir tribes who has been living here for a long time. The name of the River in translation from the Bashkir language means “moon” because the Ay river is very quiet, beautiful and has a lot of places […]

Load More