The huge country of Russia straddles two continents, contains 11 different time zones and has a landscape that varies from the domes of Moscow to the frozen landscapes of Siberia.
Moscow is the capital city, and arrival point for many flights to Russia. Here are some of the biggest tourist attractions: the Kremlin, Red Square and hedonistic clubs. Stately St Petersburg was capital of the Russian Empire for more than 200 years until the revolution in 1917. Its cityscape is magnificent, with awe-inspiring public buildings and its treasures straight out of a fairytale.
But though most travellers who book flights to Russia plan on visiting at least one of its main cities, away from the urban centres is a country of huge diversity. Russia contains more than 30 national parks. There is skiing and snowboarding at Mount Cheget and Mount Elbrus. The Lapland Biosphere Reserve in Murmansk is naturally popular during Christmas time, and is home to reindeer, elks, brown bears and wolves. If you have time, take one of the epic train journeys across the country to watch the scenery unfold.
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Russia is an enormous country with extremely different climates. It will get colder the farther north you go. For most of the country, summers are quick and winters far too cold and long.
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Peak Season:
Moscow and St Petersburg are two of the most popular tourist destinations and they can be visited for most of the year. Moscow’s temperatures can range between -30 to 30 degrees Celsius; St Petersburg’s average winter temperature is about -10 degrees Celsius and summer highs are about 25 degrees Celsius.
St Petersburg enjoys White Nights when the sun does not set until after 10pm – twilight melts into dawn – between late-May and early-July.
Off Season:
Winters are bitterly cold. If you look for cheap flights to Russia in the off-peak season, be sure to bring plenty of warn clothes.
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Because of Russia's size, it can be easiest to fly if you're planning on visiting different parts of the country. Aeroflot Russian Airlines is the national airline and has a comprehensive domestic flight network. It flies from Moscow to several cities including St Petersburg, Kazan, Samara and Vladivostok. A number of other airlines offer services, including S7 Airlines and Transaero.
The Trans Siberian railway is the longest railway in the world and possibly one of the most famous. It starts in Moscow and makes its way through Nizhni Novgorod, Kirov, Ekaterinburg, Omsk and over to Vladivostok. This is an amazing way to see the country.
Bus travel is also cheap and links cities and towns around Russia, but is not very comfortable. The main bus station in Moscow is called Schyolkovsky Bus Terminal.
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- Better known as Stalingrad, Volgograd was the location for the infamous World War II battle between Russian and German soldiers. An enormous statue – 82 metres tall – called Motherland Calls! stands on a hill overlooking the city as a memorial to those who were killed. The city was renamed in 1961, after the River Volga, on whose western banks it lies.
- Sochi, on the Black Sea, was Stalin’s and, more recently, Vladimir Putin's preferred resort. Due to the warmest climate in Russia, you can swim in the sea in the summer and ski in the mountains in the winter. The town also has the largest botanical gardens in Russia.
- Veliky Novgorod, is the oldest Slavic city recorded in Russia. It is a beautiful city which contains the cathedral of St Sophia the Wisdom of God, Russia’s oldest church, which dates from the 11th century.
- Kamchatka, on the extreme northeast of the country, is a land of volcanoes and geysers. There are active and extinct volcanoes, mineral springs and hot springs.
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Moscow (SVO) (Sheremetyevo) is 35km northwest of the city.
St Petersburg (LED) is 17km south of the city.
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Visitors to Russia required a valid passport and visa, which must be obtained before the trip begins.
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