What to see in Russia: 9 must-sees
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Discover what to see in Russia: 9 must-see destinations, from Moscow to St. Petersburg. Predominantly UNESCO heritage and natural heritage; each entry includes the best time to visit and the link to its official source.
UNESCO Heritage(4)
Immerse yourself in St. Petersburg, the former Leningrad that was capital of the Russian Empire, and walk the canals that earned it the nickname Venice of the North. Visit the Hermitage, one of the largest museums on Earth, and walk among the baroque and neoclassical palaces UNESCO declared a World Heritage Site in 1990. Cross its drawbridges over the Neva, contemplate the golden domes of the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood and make the most of June's white nights, when darkness barely falls.
Cross the red brick wall of the Kremlin, a 15th-century fortress in the middle of Moscow, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990. Inside appear the Assumption Cathedral, with its golden domes where the tsars were crowned, beside the Palace of Facets and other buildings concentrating centuries of Russian power. Walk among bell towers, cobbled squares and defensive towers as you discover how this walled enclosure went from medieval residence to the country's political symbol. Every corner keeps pieces of living history you can tour at your own pace, ringed by the religious and civic architecture that defines Moscow's identity.
Pause in Red Square of Moscow, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990. Before you rise the multicoloured domes of St. Basil's Cathedral, raised in the 16th century, and Lenin's Mausoleum beside the Kremlin walls. Walk the cobblestones that have seen parades, coronations and markets for centuries. In the background, the facade of GUM mall lights up as evening falls. Every corner of this square condenses layers of Russian history, from the tsarist era to the Soviet period, in one walking route.
Discover Peterhof, the 'Russian Versailles' raised by Peter the Great facing the Gulf of Finland, some 30 kilometers from St. Petersburg. Walk the Grand Palace and descend the Grand Cascade to the fountain of Samson tearing open the lion's jaws, while more than 150 fountains work without pumps — on water gradients alone. Stroll the Lower Park, cross the Monplaisir gardens and reach the quay where the hydrofoils depart for the city center.
Natural Heritage(2)
Behold the world's oldest and deepest lake, where 25 million years of history, crystal-clear water and snow create a fairy-tale landscape. UNESCO 1996, 25M years. Explore the natural landscape where geological formations, fauna and flora form a living ecosystem. Hiking, nature watching and contact with spectacular scenery.
Walk beside the limestone pillars rising up to 200 meters over the Lena River, deep in the territory of Sakha. These formations, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012, accumulate 500,000 years of geological history and preserve fossils of the Cambrian. Follow their trails, watch eagles and reindeer in the surrounding taiga, and climb the viewpoints from which the river draws curves between the pillars. Excursions set out by boat from Yakutsk, and between June and August the climate favours the walking routes.
City(1)
Walk Europe's largest capital, with 12 million inhabitants, all the way to Red Square, where St. Basil's Cathedral lifts its colored domes before the walls of the Kremlin. Both ensembles were declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1990. Cross the halls of GUM, glance at Lenin's Mausoleum and drop down to metro stations decorated like underground palaces. Among theatres such as the Bolshoi, parks along the Moskva River and avenues mixing Soviet buildings with glass towers, the city shows its history and its current pace at every step.
Religious(1)
Enter St. Basil's Cathedral on Moscow's Red Square and walk the narrow passages linking its nine chapels beneath nine domes of different colors. Ivan the Terrible ordered it built in the 16th century, and since 1990 it has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage. Inside you will find icons, frescoes and painted ceilings explaining centuries of Russian religious history. From outside, the onion domes in greens, reds and golds make it the country's most recognizable image.
Natural(1)
Climb Klyuchevskaya Sopka, or watch from the Valley of the Geysers as 160 volcanoes — 29 of them active — smokes over the Kamchatka Peninsula, at Russia's far east. Walk trails among fumaroles, hot springs and rivers where brown bears catch salmon in summer. Fly by helicopter over craters of solidified lava and ash fields that look from another planet. Camp beneath clean skies, watch sea eagles and understand why this volcanic region is a World Heritage Site.
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