St. Petersburg (Petrograd in 1914-1924, Leningrad in 1924-1991), located in the northwest of Russia on the coast of the Gulf of Finland at the mouth of the Neva River, was the capital of the country for more than 300 years, from 1712 to 1918.

It is the northernmost city in the world with a population of over one million people and one of the most important centers of tourism in Russia. The historic center of St. Petersburg is included in the World Heritage List of UNESCO. Photos by: Stanislav Zaburdaev.

let’s fly over St. Petersburg

Tags: Saint Petersburg city

This year, the center of Moscow was completely transformed to celebrate the Christmas holidays. All together it is called a festival “Journey to Christmas.” Everything looks pretty nice and cozy.

In Red Square, for example, a large fair and skating rink were opened. Here you can taste Russian pancakes, hot Christmas drinks. Let’s walk through the streets of the city and see how Moscow prepared to welcome the new year. Photos by: Dmitriy Chistoprudov for VOSTOK agency.

beautiful Moscow

Tags: Moscow city

Ufa, a city with a population of over one million people, is the capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan. The city stands on the banks of the Belaya River, 1340 km east of Moscow.

Ufa is the third longest city in Russia after Sochi and Volgograd. Let’s fly over Ufa and look at the city in winter time. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

winter in Ufa

Tags: Bashkortostan Republic · Ufa city

Novy Urengoy is a city located in the northern part of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region. It is the unofficial “natural gas production capital” of Russia.

This city, located on the boundary of the subarctic climate, is a great place for watching the Northern Lights. Here is an example. If you visited the territory around the city in the first half of November 2015, you would see the following beautiful scenery. Photos by: Kamil Nureev.

night landscape in shades of green

Tags: Yamalo-Nenets okrug

Magadan is a city and seaport on the Sea of Okhotsk, located in the northeastern part of Russia, in the Far East, the capital of Magadan oblast.

In Soviet times, it was the center of the industrial development of Kolyma – a historical region in north-eastern Russia, covering the upper reaches of the Kolyma River and the northern coast of the Sea of Okhotsk. For many years, prisoners were used as the main labor force here. Photos by: Sergey Dolya.

explore Magadan

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Every year, in September, the Grand Cascade of fountains in Peterhof is used as a venue for the Festival of Fountains. In recent years, you can see the show within 2-3 days from Friday to Sunday.

Everyone can attend this show after buying a ticket at the ticket office of the museum-reserve. Also, this service is provided by numerous travel agencies in St. Petersburg.

colorful show

Tags: Saint Petersburg city

Tsarskoye Selo, the former country residence of Russian emperors, is a museum-reserve located in the town of Pushkin (part of St. Petersburg).

The museum includes the palace and park ensemble of the 18th-19th centuries and the former country residence of the Russian imperial family, converted into a museum after nationalization in March 1918. Photos by: Eduard Gordeev.

riot of colors

Tags: Saint Petersburg city

Tolbachik is a volcanic massif with a height of over 3,000 meters located in the east of Kamchatka, in the southwestern part of the Klyuchevskoy volcano group.

Five settlements with a total population of about 8 thousand people are situated at distances of 50-68 km from the foot of the volcano. The distance to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the capital of the region, is 343 km. Let’s look at the last volcanic eruption of Tolbachik that occurred in 2012-2013. Tolbachik on Google Maps. Photos by: lusika33.

night of fire

Tags: Kamchatka krai

The State Nature Reserve “Stolby” (“Pillars”) is located in the north-western spurs of the Eastern Sayan. From the northeast it borders the city of Krasnoyarsk. There is a city bus running to the reserve (the bus stop “Turbaza”).

The reserve was founded in 1925 on the initiative of Krasnoyarsk residents to preserve this beautiful natural complex. Today, the total area of the reserve ​​is 47219 hectares.

enjoy the beauty of the reserve

Tags: Krasnoyarsk city

Kuthiny Baty, a bizarre curtain of pumice cliffs, is a unique natural monument located about 4 kilometers from the source of the Ozernaya River (Lake Kurilskoye) in Kamchatka.

According to local legend, once, a wise raven Kutkh decided to dry his boats, and that’s why he placed them vertically on the bank of the river. But then he forgot about them, and the boats remained standing there forever.

Kamchatka never ceases to amaze

Tags: Kamchatka krai