 Discover Russia (Россия)
Kremlin Embankment, Moscow, Russia
Author: NVO (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
Russia, or the Russian Federation is a country in northern Eurasia. Covering an area of 17,075,400 square kilometers (6,592,800 sq miles), Russia is the biggest country in the world. With a population of 142 million people, it is also the 9th most populous nation.
Guide to Russia Hotels
Here's a list of hotels in Russia that you can book online, listed by city, with full description, star rating, address, location map, evaluation, and prices as offered by different booking sites.
More on Russia
Russia occupies the whole of northern Asia and 40% of Europe, spanning time zones and incorporating an enormously diverse spectrum of climates and landforms. It has the world's largest reserves of mineral and energy resources, the largest forest reserves and one quarter of the world's fresh water.
Church of St Nicholas, Saburovo, Moscow
Author: A.Savin (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)
Russia was the largest and most powerful constituent of the Soviet Union. The establishment of the Russian Federation followed the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The country spans 8,000 km at its widest, from the boundary with Poland to the Kuril Islands off Hokkaido, Japan. It shares a border with Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland (via the Kaliningrad Oblast), Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia and North Korea. This makes Russia a monumental undertaking for anybody wishing to explore it from end to end. Except for the most hardy travelers, most people concentrate on the main cities of Russia, which I will describe in this guide.
Moscow City skyscrapers, Moscow, Russia
Author: Bradmoscu (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
Fast Facts about Russia
Official Name: Russian Federation
Capital: Moscow (8,400,000)
Population of Russia: 145,934,000
Languages: Russian (official), others
Currency: Ruble
Religions: Russian Orthodox, others
Size: 17,075,400 sq km (6,592,812 sq miles)
Continents: Europe and Asia
Kamensk Cathedral, Russia
Author: DenWiki (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
Visiting Russia
Nationals who are not the citizens of the Commonwealth of Indepedent States need a visa before arriving in Russia. Let me warn you in advance that this may be a costly, time-consuming, not to mention often infuriating affair. Preparations should be made at least two months before your departure.
Arriving in Russia
Moscow and St Petersburg are the two main international gateways to Russia, with direct flights from all over the world. Delta, American Airlines and United Airlines are some of the airlines from the United States flying to Russia. The Russian flag carrier Aeroflot flies to New York City, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles from Moscow.
Dombay Mountains in the Caucasus, Russia
Author: Peter Shmelev (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)
Budget travelers can take NIKI from Vienna; Air Berlin from Berlin, Düsseldorf, Munich and Stuttgart; Germanwings from Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg and Stuttgart.
Alternatively, you can also take the train to Moscow or St Petersburg from many cities in Europe, and finally, the Trans-Siberian Railway connects Moscow with Beijing and Harbin, as well as with Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia.
Exploring Russia
The best way to explore Russia is by train. The roads are pretty bad and driving in Russia can be considered a dangerous sport. There are train services connecting the major cities, and from there, to many of the smaller towns. The trains are surprisingly punctual, and the staff surprisingly courteous - the same cannot be said across Russia.
Cathedral of the Assumption, Moscow
Author: Smack (public domain)
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Cities of Russia
- Moscow (10,562,000)
The capital and most populous city in Russia.
- Chelyabinsk (1,130,000)
Capital of Chelyabinsk Oblast, to the east of the Ural Mountains.
- Irkutsk (600,000)
One of the largest cities in Siberia.
- Kazan (1,137,000)
Capital of the Republic of Tatarstan.
- Murmansk (308,000)
City in the extreme northwest of Russia.
- Nizhny Novgorod (1,279,000)
Economic and cultural heart of the Volga-Vyatka region.
- Novosibirsk (1,409,000)
Third largest city in Russia, and the largest in Siberia.
- Saint Petersburg (4,600,000)
Second biggest city in Russia.
- Samara (1,135,000)
City at the confluence of the Volga and Samara rivers.
- Vladivostok (592,000)
Main Russian city on the Pacific coast and terminus of the Trans-Siberian Railway.
- Yekaterinburg (1,341,000)
City on the eastern side of the Ural mountain range.
Major Destinations in Russia
In alphabetical order:
- Caucasus Mountains
The tallest mountain range in Europe with spa resorts.
- Kaliningrad
The small enclave of Russia on the Baltic Sea.
- Kamchatka
Volcanic landscape on the extreme eastern end of Russia.
- Kizhi
Village on an island in Lake Onega with the most beautiful collection of traditional wooden churches.
- Lake Baikal
The world's deepest and biggest lake.
- Qolsharif Mosque
One of the great mosques of Russia.
- Sochi
Black Sea resort, host of the coming 2014 Winter Olympics.
- Tomsk
Most beautiful city in Siberia.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Russia
- Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments
- Kizhi Pogost
- Kremlin and Red Square, Moscow
- Cultural and Historic Ensemble of the Solovetsky Islands
- Historic Monuments of Novgorod and Surroundings
- White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal
- Architectural Ensemble of the Trinity Sergius Lavra in Sergiev Posad
- Church of the Ascension, Kolomenskoye
- Virgin Komi Forests
- Lake Baikal
- Volcanoes of Kamchatka
- Golden Mountains of Altai
- Western Caucasus
- Curonian Spit
- Ensemble of the Ferrapontov Monastery
- Historic and Architectural Complex of the Kazan Kremlin
- Central Sikhote-Alin
- Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress Buildings of Derbent
- Uvs Nuur Basin
- Ensemble of the Novodevichy Convent
- Natural System of Wrangel Island Reserve
- Historical Centre of the City of Yaroslavl
- Struve Geodetic Arc
Get a GPS and never get lost again!
Avoid charges for overweight luggage! Get a luggage scale for your trip.
Prepare for your trip!
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