Western European Russia
This comprehensive museum covers WWII in the Smolensk area from the beginning of the war and occupation by the Nazis to the region's liberation. Displays …
Western European Russia
This comprehensive museum covers WWII in the Smolensk area from the beginning of the war and occupation by the Nazis to the region's liberation. Displays …
Western European Russia
Unveiled in late 2016, Russia's first monument to the formidable 16th-century tsar, Ivan the Terrible, has caused plenty of controversy. Locals protested…
St Petersburg
This Whiskey-class Soviet submarine was built in 1954, and – incredibly, once you've looked around inside – served in the Soviet navy until 1990. It has…
Moscow
In 2016 Vladimir Putin unveiled a new monument dedicated to his namesake Vladimir I, ruler of Kyivan Rus from 980 to 1015. At 17m high, the massive statue…
St Petersburg
This is the former home of Isaak Brodsky, Repin’s favourite student and one of the favoured artists of the revolution (not to be confused with Joseph…
Northern European Russia
This museum displays the works of Russian artist Kronid Gogolev, who spent much of his life in Sortavala. His landscape paintings are appealing but not…
Northern European Russia
The natural history section has clearly benefited from the untimely demise of numerous regional species of wildlife, such as the dramatically posed…
Northern European Russia
Enough to give a taste of its former grandeur, the evocative remains of this monastery are bleakly derelict, in sharp contrast to the beautifully tended…
Yakutsk
This popular zoo is some distance from Yakutsk, but it's well worth the trouble of getting out here if you're interested in the fascinatingly hardy fauna…
St Petersburg
The Cathedral's 122.5m-high bell tower is the second structure in St Petersburg after the television tower. At the base there is a small exhibition about…
Northern European Russia
Beyond the beautifully proportioned Church of the Nativity of Christ (Церковь Рождества Христова) and just off ul Lenina, this small log house is the…
Northern European Russia
Located within the Church of the Entry into Jerusalem, this museum highlights Totma’s unlikely contributions to marine exploration (one-fifth of all…
Northern European Russia
A British tank on the streets of a Russian city is an unusual sight indeed. This one, which saw service in WWI, was captured by the Red Army in 1919 after…
Western European Russia
On the grounds of what once was Tver’s kremlin, this park has a fun fair (rides from R60) with a Ferris wheel and cafes, and often hosts live concerts on…
Yakutsk Regional History Museum
Yakutsk
A good place to delve deeper into Sakha culture, the Regional History Museum contains local minerals, information on the region’s first Russian settlers…
Northern European Russia
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Arkhangelsk’s heart and soul was this merchants' yard, a grand, turreted brick trading centre built between 1668 and 1684…
Western European Russia
A large, pleasant park perfect for strolling and watching locals cycling and rollerblading around. If you enter the park from pr Lenina, you'll see the…
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
Housed in an attractive half-timbered building overlooking the bay, this museum features an imaginative mix of relics and murals that outline Kamchatka’s…
Northern European Russia
The construction of this 72m-high cathedral, which stands on the site of a prerevolutionary cathedral that was destroyed by the Soviets in 1938, is due to…
Vladivostok
This recently redone museum dates from 1890 and offers three floors of galleries, although there's little in the way of English labelling. Exhibits delve…
Northern European Russia
This historical building houses an impressive collection of Russian art from the 18th to the 20th centuries, including works by Karl Bryullov of The Last…
Yakutsk
If time is limited, don't miss this excellent museum, with Sakha-themed exhibits covering local craftmaking traditions (mammoth tusk carvings, reindeer…
Moscow
Insightful exhibits examine the history, present and future of design, eg Soviet Design 1950–1980 and New Olds: Classics & Innovation in Design. Exhibits…
Western European Russia
There’s a good collection of photos and other documents relating to the Nobel Prize–winning writer (no English captions, however), plus a 'Paris Room’…
Northern European Russia
This attractive 17th-century church is one of Vologda's oldest constructions and contains some 200-year-old frescoes. Located on the river bank opposite…
Western European Russia
The southern end of ‘Peace Square’ is easily identified by its WWII tank memorial, one of the original involved in liberating Oryol from German occupation…
Vladivostok
Vladivostok was building a massive new cathedral on its central square at the time of writing, and it's set to be one of the city's most recognisable…
Moscow
Travelling with children who ask too many questions about life, the universe and everything? Here is a place that provides answers for them to ponder for…
Northern European Russia
Besides exhibitions on trade between Russia's north and the Byzantine world, the history of the city and regional trades, this excellent museum (with…
St Petersburg
This multi-floored gallery near the Griboyedov Canal stages intriguing exhibitions that showcase the talents of Russian artists of the 20th and 21st…
Russian Far East
Run by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve is a unique slice of the Primorsky region and a vital remaining habitat for…
Moscow
Several rooms of the manor house have been preserved intact, complete with artwork by various former resident artists. The main attraction is Mamontov’s…
Moscow
Completed in 1878, this is a good example of old Russian architecture, with a wood-carved exterior and chequer-painted roof. When the Mamontovs lived on…
St Petersburg
This compact contemporary art museum, with galleries on the 3rd and 4th floors, is worth visiting to see all kinds of visual art forms created by a group…
Northern European Russia
One of several enchanting old wooden buildings at the eastern end of ul Leningradskaya, this little museum evokes the life of a 19th-century, 17-child…
Northern European Russia
The third largest of the Solovetsky Islands, Bolshaya Muksalma is connected to the main island by a dam built by monks in the 19th century. It's an…
Western European Russia
This detailed museum covers military history through the years, including the Napoleonic War, Russian Civil War, WWI and WWII, as well as more recent…
Moscow
This monastery is the second-oldest in Moscow, founded in 1296 by Prince Daniil, son of Alexander Nevsky. The current Epiphany Cathedral – with its tall,…
St Petersburg
One of St Petersburg's newest 'art clusters', the Berthold Centre has a handful of shops, cafes and galleries spread around a former foundry. There's a…
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
This new museum was just about to open during our last visit to Kamchatka, and a quick peek inside as they were putting up the display revealed an…