Russia Tours

Russia tours typically focus on two very important cities: Moscow and St. Petersburg. Russia's capital Moscow continues to adjust to the twenty-first century and the fall of the Soviet Union, but nods to its historic past are everywhere, especially in its architecture. The Kremlin is the heart of Moscow, and this massive fortified structure is the official residence of the President of Russia. On your Russia tour, you will likely snap dozens of photos of glorious St. Basil's Cathedral, which is ornately colorful and known for its onion-shaped domes. Both sights are on Red Square, one of the most famous plazas in all of Europe.

St. Petersburg is the cultural capital of Russia, founded by Peter the Great in 1703. Also once known as both Petrograd and Leningrad, St. Petersburg is simultaneously called the Window to the West, because it is styled after European cities, and the Venice of the North, for its crisscrossing city waterways and location on the Gulf of Finland. Perhaps one of the most important sightseeing visits here on any Russia tour is the Hermitage Museum, which houses one of the largest and most prestigious art collections in the world. Other key landmarks are the imposing Peter and Paul Fortress with its enclosed Cathedral, and the statue of Peter the Great.

While you are on your Russia vacation, eat like the locals do by sampling traditional shchi, cabbage soup, or borscht, beet soup. Of course, salmon caviar is a traditional Russian appetizer, so you may want to indulge in the name of cultural research!

If you found this article helpful, you can read more articles about touring at our Travelguide