Catherine Palace
The centrepiece of Tsarskoe Selo, created under Empresses Elizabeth and Catherine the Great between 1744 and 1796, is the vast baroque Catherine Palace, designed by Rastrelli and named after Peter the Great’s second wife. The palace can only be visited by individuals between noon a
Lenins Mausoleum
Although Vladimir Ilych requested that he be buried beside his mum in St Petersburg, he still lies in state at the foot of the Kremlin wall, receiving visitors who come to pay their respects. Line up at the western corner of the square (near the entrance to Alexander Garden) to see
Mariinsky Theatre
The Mariinsky Theatre has played a pivotal role in Russian ballet ever since it was built in 1859 and remains one of Russias most loved and respected cultural institutions. Its pretty green-and-white main building on aptly named Teatralnaya pl (Theatre Sq) is a must for any visitor
Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts
This is Moscow’s premier foreign-art museum, split over three branches and showing off a broad selection of European works, including masterpieces from ancient civilisations, Italian Renaissance and Dutch Golden Age. To see the incredible collection of Impressionist and post-Impres
Cathedral of Christ the Saviour
The gold domes of Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, built in 2006, are visible from many parts of the city
Yusupov Palace
This spectacular palace on the Moyka River has some of best 19th-century interiors in the city, in addition to a fascinating and gruesome history. The palace’s last owner was the eccentric Prince Felix Yusupov, a high-society darling and at one time the richest man in Russia. Most
Monastery of St Ipaty
There is a bizarre similarity in the names of the Romanov dynasty’s start and end points. The last tzar’s family was executed in engineer Ipatyev’s house in Yekaterinburg, while St Ipaty Monastery in Kostroma – standing at the confluence of the Volga and the smaller Kostroma River
Kunstkamera
Also known as the Museum of Ethnology and Anthropology, the Kunstkamera is the city’s first museum and was founded in 1714 by Peter himself. It is famous largely for its ghoulish collection of monstrosities, preserved ‘freaks’, two-headed mutant foeti, deformed animals and odd body
Grand Palace
The Grand Palace is an imposing building, although with just 30-something rooms, it is not nearly as large as your typical tsarist palace. From the start of June to the end of September it is open to foreign tourists only between 10.30am and noon, and again from 2.30pm until 4.15pm
Saviour Monastery of St Euthymius
Founded in the 14th century to protect the town’s northern entrance, Suzdal’s biggest monastery grew mighty in the 16th and 17th centuries after Vasily III, Ivan the Terrible and the noble Pozharsky family funded impressive new stone buildings, and big land and property acquisition
Armoury
The Armoury dates back to 1511, when it was founded under Vasily III to manufacture and store weapons, imperial arms and regalia for the royal court. Later it also produced jewellery, icon frames and embroidery. To this day, the Armoury still contains plenty of treasures for ogling
Solovetsky Transfiguration Monastery
This imposing, stone-walled monastery is the heart and soul of the Solovetsky Islands. Founded in 1429, it has played various roles throughout its existence: a hermits retreat, a vibrant religious community, a rebel enclave that held out against the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodo
Novodevichy Convent
The Novodevichy Convent was founded in 1524 to celebrate the taking of Smolensk from Lithuania, an important step in Moscow’s conquest of the old Kyivan Rus lands. The oldest and most dominant building in the grounds is the white Smolensk Cathedral, with a sumptuous interior covere
Malye Karely Wooden Architecture Museum
Set in pretty rolling dales 25km southeast of Arkhangelsk’s centre, this delightful open-air Malye Karely Wooden Architecture Museum is Arkhangelsk’s foremost attraction. Featuring dozens of 16th- to 19th-century wooden buildings relocated here from rural villages during the 1970s
State Hermitage Museum
Mainly set in the magnificent Winter Palace and adjoining buildings, the Hermitage fully lives up to its sterling reputation. You can be absorbed by its treasures for days and still come out wanting more.The enormous collection (over three million items, only a fraction of which ar
Mt Elbrus
Mt Elbrus, enigmatically unusual with two peaks – the western at 5642m and eastern at 5621m – bulges nearly 1000m above anything else in the vicinity. This volcanic cone has upper slopes reputedly coated in ice up to 200m thick; numerous glaciers grind down its flanks and several r
Doing business & staying in touch while in Russia
Russia: Doing business & staying in touch
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Russia Weather, climate and geography
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Russia History, Language and Culture
Russia Travel Guide and Travel Information
Russia Travel Guide
