Russia came into the limelight and became a popular destination for tourists from around the world last year, when the Eurasian country hosted the twenty first FIFA World Cup in cities across the nation. However, Russia has been a popular tourist hotspot for years before that, attracting over thirty million tourists every single year, who visit to experience the country’s rich cultural heritage, beautiful architecture and sprawling natural beauty. If you’re keen to make a trip, here is everything you need to know about Russia tourism.
One of the key draws for Russia tourism is the fact that it is the largest country in the world, covering almost seventeen million square kilometres of land – that is over one eighth of the world’s inhabited land! In addition to that, Russia is also a transcontinental country, covering Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. Moscow is the capital of Russia and is one of the largest cities in the world. Other notable cities include Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk and Yekaterinburg.
Most of the Russian land mass consists of sprawling plains, with grasslands in the south of the country and dense forested areas in the north of the country. Russia is also dotted with many mountain ranges – in the south, you will find the Caucasus and the Altai, and in the east, you will find the Verkhoyansk Range which is home to the highest active volcano in Eurasia; however, the most famous mountains in Russia are the Ural mountains, which are a rich source of minerals for the country and separate Europe from Asia. When it comes to Russian tourism, no place gives you a better glimpse into the nation’s stunning natural beauty than the Ural Mountains.
Russian weather is best characterised by extremes; however, given the size of the country, it is difficult to generalise, as temperatures and climates can very vastly, depending on which part of the country you are in.
Generally speaking, the summers (running from June to August) are warm and dry, while the winters (running from November to March) are extreme, with temperatures known to touch negative thirty, heavy snowfall and strong winds during the season. The north and central European parts of the country have the most extreme weather, while areas along the Baltic coast are less extreme.
