The federal highway R256 “Chuysky Trakt” (968 km), the oldest route from Siberia to Asia, begins in Novosibirsk and ends at the border with Mongolia, passing through the territory of the Novosibirsk region, the Altai krai and the Altai Republic.

In 2014, National Geographic magazine included the Chuya Highway in the list of the 10 most beautiful highways in the world. Photos by: Alexey Zhirukhin.

take a ride

Tags: Altai krai · Altay Republic · Novosibirsk oblast

Kolomna is a city with a population of about 140 thousand people located in the south of the Moscow region, about 113 km southeast of the center of Moscow. It is one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in the region.

The city has a rare monument of old Russian defensive architecture – the Kolomna Kremlin. Its main attraction is the Assumption Cathedral (1672-1682), the main cathedral of Kolomna. Photos by: Vladimir Dar.

beautiful cathedral

Tags: churches · Moscow city · Moskovskaya oblast

There is a rather unique place located about 60 km west of Ekaterinburg, the capital of the Sverdlovsk region – a huge abandoned railway tunnel named after the village of Didino, which is also almost completely abandoned at the moment. But in the past life was in full swing here.

Construction of the tunnel lasted from 1914 to 1918. During the Civil War in Russia, this tunnel was of great strategic importance. Kolchak’s echelons passed through it retreating to Siberia, which gave rise to legends of countless treasures, which the White Command left somewhere in these places saving them from the Bolsheviks. The Didino Tunnel on Google Maps. Photos by: Dmitry Solodyankin.

explore the tunnel

Tags: Abandoned · Ekaterinburg city · Sverdlovsk oblast

The ensemble of the Monastery of St. Jacob Saviour (Spaso-Yakovlevsky Monastery in Russian) stands on the shore of Lake Nero on the western outskirts of Rostov Veliky (Rostov the Great) – one of the oldest towns in Russia, located 58 km south-west of Yaroslavl.

The panorama of this monastery with a picturesque combination of architectural forms of various styles – pseudo-Gothic towers, baroque and classical churches – gives the impression of a fairy tale castle perfectly fitting the lake landscape. Spaso-Yakovlevsky Monastery on Google Maps. Photos by: Vadim Razumov.

fly over the monastery

Tags: churches · Yaroslavl oblast

The Borisoglebsky Monastery in Torzhok, a town located 63 km north-west of Tver, is considered the oldest monastery in the Tver region.

It was founded by the boyar Efrem, a former stableman of Kiev Prince Vladimir I Svyatoslavich, in 1038. That year a stone church was built, named in honor of Boris and Gleb – the first saints of Kievan Rus. Torzhok on Google Maps. Photos by: Dmitry Gazin.

beautiful old monastery

Tags: churches · Tver oblast

Krasnoye is a village with a population of about 400 people located in the Staritsky district of the Tver region, 100 km south-west of Tver.

The main attraction of the village is a beautiful pseudo-Gothic church – the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior (1785-1790) built on the territory of the former estate of the noble family of Poltoratsky. Krasnoye on Google Maps. Photos by: Vadim Razumov.

magnificent church

Tags: churches · Tver oblast

Nativity of the Virgin St. Paphnutius of Borovsk Monastery is located on the outskirts of the town of Borovsk in the Kaluga region, about 90 km north of Kaluga and 100 km south-west of Moscow.

The monastery was founded by the monk Paphnutius of Borovsk in 1444. In the 16th century, the monastery was surrounded by stone walls and fortifications, it turned into a strong border fortress. St. Paphnutius of Borovsk Monastery on Google Maps. Photos by: Vladimir Dar.

very picturesque monastery

Tags: Kaluga oblast

Elton is a picturesque salt lake located in the Pallasovskiy district of the Volgograd region, not far from the border with Kazakhstan, 206 km east of Volgograd.

It is not only the largest lake in the Volgograd region, but also the largest mineral lake in Europe and one of the most mineralized lakes in the world. Lake Elton on Google Maps. Photos by: Andrei Kireev.

the realm of salt

Tags: Volgograd oblast

Sheremetev Castle is a picturesque palace and park ensemble and an architectural monument of federal significance located in the village of Yurino in the Republic of Mari El, on the bank of the Volga River.

In 1812, Yurino was bought by the landowner Vasili Sheremetev. The construction of the castle, which lasted from 1874 to 1915, involved three generations of Sheremetevs and seven architects. Sheremetev Castle on Google Maps. Photos by: Dmitry Gazin.

magnificent brick palace

Tags: Cheboksary city · Mari El Republic · Yoshkar-Ola city

The cliff of Bolshiye Pritesy, located in the west of the Chelyabinsk region, is one of the most famous and popular sights of the Ay River. The height of this steep rocky wall is up to 100 meters.

The Ay River is one of the most beautiful rivers in the Urals. In the Bashkir language its name means “Moon” or “Moon River”. It flows through the territory of the Chelyabinsk region and the Republic of Bashkiria. The length of the river is 549 kilometers. It has a lot of picturesque cliffs, rocks, caves.

very picturesque cliff

Tags: Chelyabinsk oblast