Luxury Russia Tours & Travel

Where to visit in Russia

Our travel experts have collated their top recommendations of where to visit in Russia.

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  Moscow

  One of the world’s most fascinating and spectacular capital cities, Moscow is filled with magnificent architecture with golden domes that can be seen peeking over the rooftops around nearly every corner. Of course, St. Basil’s Cathedral is one of the most impressive and most colorful buildings. Located in Red Square its one of the country’s cultural symbols, completed in 1561 with an insane confusion of shapes, patterns and colors. There are historic fortresses and churches packed with ancient icons, along with plenty of modern treasures, like the GUM shopping mall and the always buzzing nightlife scene.

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  St. Petersburg

  Easily reached by ferry from Finland, St. Petersburg is a cultural center where Peter the Great’s vision lives on, even in the newer buildings which adhere to the classicism and symmetry of his day. The Winter Palace which overlooks the Neva River is home to the Hermitage Museum and its more than 600,000 works of fine art, and just minutes from the city is majestic Catherine’s Palace and park. Russian folkdance is celebrated here with performances held at Nikolaevsky Palace, stunning to watch with beautiful costumes and dance styles.

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  Lake Baikal

  Lake Baikal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the world’s largest, deepest freshwater lake by volume – so big, it’s often mistaken for a sea. It’s surrounded by forest mountains and wild rivers as an immense area of striking natural beauty. It’s home to over 2,000 plant and animal species, two-thirds of which can be found nowhere else on Earth, including the nerpa, one of the only freshwater species of seal in the world. In the forests and mountains that surround it are lynx, elk, bears and other wildlife.

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  Pushkin

  Pushkin is a popular day trip from St. Petersburg, just over 15 miles south of the city. While it’s often combined with trips to the palace and park in Pavlovsk, it’s easy to spend a full day here. The town changed its name in 1937, honoring the country’s favorite poet who studied here and whose school you can visit. It’s most famous for the Tsarskoye Selo complex of palaces and parks, once home to the Romanov imperial family. It includes the baroque-style Catherine Palace which boasts elegant staterooms set within the landscaped gardens of Catherine Park.

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  Sochi

  While Sochi is best known as Russia’s most famous beach resort, after the 2014 Winter Olympics, the spotlight was put on its ski resorts, but it’s also a nature lover’s dream, with 30 botanical gardens, countless waterfalls, caves, nearly a half-million acres of forest, and nature parks. It also includes the Caucasus Mountains the Black Sea, with its warm water for swimming, making it an ideal destination for anyone seeking stunning scenery and outdoor adventure. Hike the Caucasus, explore the underground at Vorontsov Caves, one of Europe’s longest and explore the 70 waterfalls, rivers and streams at Sochi National Park.