Post-Soviet Russia is spending its petro-dollars hand over fist from party capital
Moscow and cultural capital Saint Petersburg to the once closed city
of Vladivostok. But you can still find the Russian soul among the stoic mariners
of Polar city Murmansk and the holidaying babushkas of the Black Sea
resorts. Bring some comfortable shoes, a sturdy liver and an open mind.
Background
Don't expect to fathom this complex, contradictory country in one trip.
Cosmopolitan European Russia runs from the frozen wastes of the northern Kola
Peninsula to the southern vineyards of Krasnodar. Beyond the rugged
Ural Mountains, Siberia's pine forests stretch east to
the volcanoes of the volcanic Kamchatka peninsula and the military stronghold
of Vladivostok. Relax on the shores of Lake Baikal, the
world's largest freshwater lake, or discover exotic cultures around the
southern Siberian towns of Kyzyl, Chita and Ulan Ude.
Urban
The Russian capital, Moscow, is changing fast, but you'll find the
heart of ‘Ancient Rus' in Yaroslavl, Suzdal, Vladimir and
other cities of the Golden Ring (a series of ancient cities in a circle
around Moscow). Tatarstan's capital Kazan has a Kremlin to
match Moscow's, while further south Volgograd's 236-foot
Motherland statue honours World War II's dead. Uncover the
history of the Tsars among the canals of pre-revolutionary capital Saint
Petersburg. Or find an ice-carved city at New Year in the Urals'
capital of Yekaterinburg.
Rural
For a whistle-stop East-West snapshot, take the Trans Siberian Express through
the industrial heartland of the Urals to the crystal waters of
Siberia's Lake Baikal, the world's largest freshwater lake.
Discover Buddhist temples hidden among the alpine peaks of Southern
Siberia's Altai Mountains. Adventurous types will love the live
volcanoes of Kamchatka, in the far east, just north of Vladivostok. Hedonists
might prefer 2014 winter Olympic city Sochi's year-round sun-kissed
beaches and skiing, or ancient cities beside the slow-flowing waters of the Volga
and the Don rivers.
Moscow is GMT +3 (GMT +4 in summertime). Russia's 11 time zones can be
confusing, particularly when travelling the Trans-Siberian Railway.
Ekaterinburg is five hours ahead of GMT, Novosibirsk six,
Irkutsk eight and Vladivostok ten, but check every destination
when planning your route
Electricity
220V AC, 50Hz, European two-pin plugs are standard
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