Russia – a vast territory from the imperial beauty of Moscow and St Petersburg to bleak but romantic Siberian countryside.

Anyone embarking on Russia travel will find a country of contrasts—a vast territory rich in natural resources, where some are incredibly rich and millions are desperately poor. That said, a rising urban middle class is steadily changing the makeup of post-Soviet Russia. Most Russian dreams of prosperity are fuelled by foreign movies, television programs, extravagant Russian films, soap operas, commercials and billboards advertising luxury goods. But, for many, even standard material goods remain out of reach. Although the economy is recovering from the 1998 devaluation of the ruble, millions don’t have access to the country’s wealth, while others buy luxurious property abroad.

Today’s Russia is often exhilarating, sometimes ominous. Everyday life goes on amid a jumble of trial-and-error capitalism, glitzy casinos, billboard politics, czar mania, slick gangster-hangout restaurants and posh nightclubs. Add to this mix a religious revival: hundreds of renovated Russian Orthodox churches are offering services in urban centres, and thousands of worshippers make pilgrimages to the country’s monasteries and other sacred places.

So far, travellers to Russia haven’t been affected directly by the country’s turmoil. You’ll find that the overall quality of hotels, restaurants and service is improving,
Travellers to Russia should be flexible, tolerant, patient and aware of risks. For such travellers Russia is simply a fascinating place—from the imperial beauty of Moscow and St. Petersburg to the bleakly romantic Siberian countryside.

UNSECO World Heritage sites in Russian Federation

Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments
Kizhi Pogost
Kremlin and Red Square, Moscow
Cultural and Historic Ensemble of the Solovetsky Islands
Historic Monuments of Novgorod and Surroundings
White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal
Architectural Ensemble of the Trinity Sergius Lavra in Sergiev Posad
Church of the Ascension, Kolomenskoye
Virgin Komi Forests
Lake Baikal
Volcanoes of Kamchatka20
Golden Mountains of Altai
Western Caucasus
Curonian Spit
Ensemble of the Ferrapontov Monastery
Historic and Architectural Complex of the Kazan Kremlin
Central Sikhote-Alin
Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress Buildings of Derbent
Uvs Nuur Basin
Ensemble of the Novodevichy Convent
Natural System of Wrangel Island Reserve
Historical Centre of the City of Yaroslavl
Struve Geodetic Arc
Putorana Plateau