St Petersburg

A city created from a wilderness by Peter the Great was given its original name back after seven decades as Leningrad.  Nicknamed Venice of the North, it is set along the banks of the wide Neva river and bisected by canals, a city of palaces, churches and museums.  The State Hermitage Museum holds the largest and perhaps one of the most famous collections of art in the world, while outside the city, Peterhof Palace and Gardens and baroque Catherine's Palace with its famous Amber Room, are meant to impress.  St. Petersburg is known for its "white nights" around the summer solstice when days are long and the sun barely dips below the horizon.  A ballet performance at the Mariinsky Theatre is a must for those interested in the performing art.

Solovetsky Islands

In Russia's far north, within the White Sea, lie the remote Solovetsky Islands, home to a famous 15th century Russian Orthodox monastery.  Visit during summer and you'll be spellbound by its natural beauty, even though the islands once housed some of the earliest Communist-era prisoner camps.

Novgorod

Known as the birthplace of Russia, it was here that Viking king Rurik proclaimed the Russian state in the 9th century.  A bustling town at the centre of a network of trading routes, traces of its past can be found in its Kremlin and in St Sophia's Cathedral, Russia's oldest church.

Moscow 

Russia's capital has found a new energy since the fall of Communism and with its friendly populace, this is one city that will impress you.  Wander across Red Square, hemmed in between the walls of the Kremlin, the spires of St Basil's Cathedral and the shops of the GUM arcade, and you'll feel like are in the heart of Mother Russia.  The city is a center for the performing arts, with the Bolshoi Theatre the most famous attraction.  To get from one site to another, don't forget to ride the metro, one of the world's deepest and famous for its beautiful stations.

Yaroslavl

The oldest and largest town on the famous Golden Ring, Yaroslav lies on the banks of the Volga and is famous for its ancient monuments, onion domed-churches as well as the Transfiguration Monastery.

Rostov Veliky

One of Russia's oldest cities, Rostov the Great sports one of the finest Kremlins in the country outside Moscow.  With a kilometre-long white-washed wall it sits atop a hill overlooking the picturesque town itself.

Suzdal

One of the most beautiful towns on the Golden Ring, Suzdal has some beautiful monasteries as well as the five-domed Cathedral of the Transfiguration.  The Field Museum of Wooden Architecture is a lovely open-air museum of ancient churches, houses and windmills.

Vladimir

Vladimir, the city of the Golden Gates, is famed for its UNESCO protected architectural masterpiece of the Cathedral of Saint Demetrius, a true medieval gem and one of the finest in Russia.

Sergiev Posad

A main centre for the Russian Orthodox Church Sergiev Posad's Trinity Monastery of Saint Sergius sports a great bell tower and beautiful golden domes.

Kazan

A mix of Slavic Orthodox people and Tartar Sunni Muslims make up the bulk of the population of this ancient city, older even than Moscow.  Nicknamed 'Istanbul on the Volga', this is a city where East meets West, and where Orthodox domes and spires compete with minarets to form one of the most interesting skylines of Russia.  Kazan also has a magnificent Kremlin Fortress.

Yekaterinburg

Known as the town where the Romanov family, the last Tsars of Russia, was executed, that single fact makes up but one facet of its fascinating history.  A convenient stopover point along the Trans-Siberian Railroad, Yekaterinburg deserves at least a day of exploration.

Irkutsk

Irkutsk, a popular stopover along the Trans-Siberian Railroad, was historically a place of exile for the country's elite during Tsarist times.  Today it is a pleasant city known as the ‘Paris of Siberia’, with beautiful 18th century churches and log houses decorated with intricate wooden lace-work and brightly painted shutters.

Lake Baikal

Lake Baikal is the world's largest freshwater lake by volume and also its deepest, containing nearly one quarter of the world's fresh surface water, more than all of the North American Great Lakes combined.  It also has a reputation as the clearest and oldest lake on Earth and you may find it is also one of its coldest!  As a nice break on your travel through Siberia you can stay in the lakeside village of Listvyanka, a popular summer resort famed for its traditional houses, and beautiful wooden church.

Vladivostok

One of Russia's most important ports, Vladivostok boasts a beautiful setting and is known for its multitude of beaches and bays along the Pacific coast.  Perhaps most famously it is the terminus of the Trans Siberian Railway.

Kamchatka

The Kamchatka Peninsula hangs like a forlorn appendix off the bulk of Siberia.  It is a remote wilderness of volcanoes, snowy mountains and rushing rivers, visited by only the most intrepid of travellers.  Walrus, brown bear, and Steller's sea eagle are often seen along the coast.

Novaya Zemlya

Separating the Barents and Kara seas, the two islands that make up Novaya Zemlya is an Arctic wilderness inhabited by lemming, Arctic fox, seal, walrus.  Polar bears make an occasional appearance.

Franz Josef Land

The northernmost archipelago in the world, Franz Josef Land was not discovered until the late 19th century.  Bowhead whales and Atlantic walrus are often seen in the waters surrounding the islands, while on land polar bear and numerous sea birds make their appearance.