About Russia

Thirty years on from our first foray into Russia it never fails to enthral. From the grandiose cities of Moscow and St Petersburg to the wilds of Siberia, Russia continues to surprise.

Moscow and St Petersburg vie for cultural supremacy. Moscow's Red Square with the Kremlin and psychedelic St Basil's Cathedral and St Petersburg's Hermitage are the iconic images of Russia but contrast the big cities by visiting the towns of the Golden Ring dotted with golden-domed Orthodox churches in a rural setting. Watch the world go by as you cruise from Moscow to St Petersburg passing typical villages and luminous silver birch forests.

Pause at Ekaterinburg, the burial place of the Romanovs, before heading into Siberia with its endless steppes and taiga. Stop off at towns on the Trans-Siberian rail route or head into the wilderness to stay in yurts and encounter shamans and throat singers. Experience the dramatic beauty of Kamchatka with its active volcanoes, raft along rivers, spot bears and relax in hot springs.

Find time to visit the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, squeezed between Poland and Lithuania, take in the hero city of Volgograd, relax on the Russian Riviera at Sochi and join the locals in a steam bath.