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'A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma’ said Winston Churchill about this land of snow and deadly winters. By far the largest country in the world, Russia covers most of northern Asia and nearly half of Europe revealing a vast landscape rich in culture, history and nature. Get ready to peel back the layers of this mysterious and dramatic land…

Why go?

Architecture

To many, their image of Russia is St Basil’s Cathedral with its richly-decorated, colourful domes rubbing shoulders with the Kremlin in Moscow’s Red Square. Over in St Petersburg the city has been built on more than 45 islands and is connected by 342 bridges giving it the nickname ‘Venice of the North’. Famous buildings include the Winter Palace – one of many – and the carousel-domed Church of Our Saviour on Spilled Blood. A tour through Russia’s Golden Ring also affords spectacular visions of architectural grandeur.

Winter wonderland

When temperatures drop here you really need to wrap up, but as winter is the season most of us associate with Russia, somehow everything seems to look as it should with a covering of white. As well as magical sightseeing, you can also take part in a range of winter sports from cross-country, downhill and heli (helicopter drop) skiing and snowboarding (the Caucasus and Kamchatka regions offer exciting options) to ice skating in most cities and towns during the cold season.

East meets West

Take the Trans-Siberian railway (www.trans-siberian.co.uk) from the imperial splendour of St Petersburg to the oriental mystery of Beijing in China. The most popular route goes via Moscow, Lake Baikal in Siberia and Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia but you can choose to add more stops on the way or even go as far as Japan.

Past to present

Pre-16th century, Russia was divided into a number of small principalities and fiefdoms. The dominant player emerged as the trading principality of Muscovy ruled by Ivan the Terrible, the first prince to style himself as a Tsar. The Romanov family then emerged as Russia’s leaders and kept their stronghold for 300 years. Notable figures include Peter the Great and Catherine the Great.
In the 20th century, social discontent triggered the Bloody Sunday Massacre in 1905, and later, the start of The Russian Revolution in 1917. The last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II, and his family were famously executed in 1918. The Bolshevik Party (later Communist Party) then took official control, led by founder Lenin. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was established, later ruled by Stalin until his death in 1953 and by a host of subsequent leaders. The eventual dissolution of the USSR came about in 1991. Development is well under way but the legacy of harsh Soviet rule continues to structure national and world affairs.

Lie of the land

Russia spans 11 time zones and stretches across the super-continent of Eurasia. It shares land borders with Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia and North Korea, Lithuania and Poland (the latter two which border Kaliningrad Oblast).
The landscape is therefore hugely diverse from taiga (coniferous forest) and tundra in Siberia, to grass steppes, semi-deserts fringing the Caspian Sea and mountain ranges such as the Caucasus, Altai, Verkhoyansk and Urals. The highest point is Mount Elbrus at 5,642 metres.
Russia boasts an extensive coastline of more than 37,000 kilometres along the Arctic and Pacific Oceans, as well as the Baltic, Black and Caspian Seas. It also encompasses hundreds of islands, rivers and lakes. This includes Lake Baikal, cited as the world’s deepest and purest freshwater lake and the River Volga – the longest in Europe.

When to go

This is a land of extremes, from the frosts of the north in Siberia to the heat of the European south. Moscow and St Petersburg tend to share average summer temperatures of around 24ºC, sometimes rising to 35ºC. On the flipside, winter here sees bitter temperatures of about -15ºC. The coldest recorded temperature in Russia was an incredible -71ºC in the northern region of Yakutia in the 1950s. July and August are the warmest months, but to avoid crowds it’s wise to go in May-June or September-October. Avoid late February through to early April when conditions are slushy and travel and other chaos can ensue.

Getting there

There are several daily flights from London to Moscow and less frequent ones to St Petersburg and Ekaterinburg with British Airways. Cathay Pacific also flies from Manchester to Moscow en route to Hong Kong. For more details visit www.flightmapping.com/Europe/Russia. Or travel overland, starting by taking the Eurostar (www.eurostar.com) from London to Brussels. For Moscow you need to continue via Cologne and for St Petersburg via Berlin. See www.seat61.com for more information.

Red tape

Travel insurance for Russia

Ensure that you have the correct level of cover on your travel insurance for the activities that you will be undertaking on your trip.  Crime, terrorist and health risks are present in Russia and certain areas are designated as dangerous territories. Don’t travel uninsured, without the right amount of cover or before checking the FCO travel advice guide on Russia at www.fco.gov.uk for country-specific tips on zones to avoid, travel health and avoiding crime.

Find out more

Find more holiday ideas at www.visitrussia.org.uk. Or pick up a copy of Lonely Planet’s Russia and Belarus travel guide or The Rough Guide to Moscow or St Petersburg to take with you.

With Direct Line it’s quick and easy to sort out travel insurance. Our Discoverer policy is perfect for gap years, backpacking holidays and longer trips to Europe and Russia. For shorter or frequent travel, try our single trip or annual policies. Simply apply for a travel insurance quote online today.

If you only do three things…

1. Take a tour of the Golden Ring of Russia. This is a collection of cities and towns that roughly constitute a ring around Moscow and are known for their architectural beauty and charm. They include Vladimir, Suzdal, Kostroma, Yaroslavl, Rostov, Velikiy, Pereslavl-Zalesskiy and Sergiev Posad.
2. Cruise around the canals of St Petersburg. Go in winter and witness the city at its most sparkling under a layer of snow. Book an excursion to the Museum of Russian Vodka where you’ll learn about the history of the national drink. Finish your day with a trip to the tasting room where you can sample the vodkas and warm your soul.
3. Those seeking natural beauty and relaxation should head for Lake Baikal. Located in Siberia near the Mongolian border, it is surrounded by mountains, forests and wild rivers. Bathe in its pure waters followed by a meal of freshly-caught Baikal salmon.

Russia at a glance

Country name:
The Russian Federation

Capital
Moscow

Population
143,500,000

Language (official)
Russian

Currency
Rouble (RB)

Dialling code
+7

Time zone
GMT +2 to GMT + 2

Related information:
Travel wise – read our advice on how to avoid crime abroad
European weekend breaks – how to find the best holiday for you out of the huge range of choices