http://rbth.ru/rubrics/tourism.html Russia Beyond the Headlines en http://rbth.ru/articles/2010/09/01/ustiuzhna_vologdas_western_treasure04923.html Among the numerous historic towns of the Vologda territory, Ustiuzhna is perhaps the least known. Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400 http://rbth.ru/articles/2010/08/25/solovki_audio_slide_show_04900.html In the vast territory of the Russian north, no place carries more historical weight than the Solovetsky Transfiguration Monastery, located on Great Solovetsky Island, part of an archipelago in the southwestern part of the White Sea. Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0400 http://rbth.ru/articles/2010/08/17/baikal_shamanism_04880.html It is believed that shamans act as intermediaries between the human, natural and spiritual worlds. A shaman’s healing abilities are said to come from his use of these forces to mend and person’s soul. Tue, 17 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0400 http://rbth.ru/articles/2010/08/16/znamenskoe-raek_the_faded_glory_of_the_russian_country_estate04877.html The Russian countryside was once dotted with estate houses that belonged to the gentry and to prosperous merchants. Most of these houses were built of wood, modest in size and appearance such as the family estates of the great poet Alexander Pushkin at Boldino and Mikhailovskoe. Others, such as Leo Tolstoy's house at Yasnaya polyana, were more imposing. And a few of these houses reached palatial proportions. The upheavals of the 20th century dealt harshly with these relics of a bygone social order. Only a few of them have survived in recognizable form. Mon, 16 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0400 http://rbth.ru/articles/2010/08/02/summer_in_siberia.html Maxim Gorky called Siberia the “land of ice and chains.” A place with a reputation for extreme cold and prison camps doesn’t seem like the obvious choice for a summer holiday, but the pioneer cities along the trans-Siberian railroad and its tributaries are flowering in the elusive sunshine. Traveling in the area can be challenging, but the adventure has its rewards. Mon, 02 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0400 http://rbth.ru/articles/2010/07/15/torzhok_the_golden_age_of_provincial_russia.html Thu, 15 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0400 http://rbth.ru/articles/2010/07/08/an_inspirational_artists_house.html Thu, 08 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0400 http://rbth.ru/articles/2010/07/06/the_nature_of_kalmykia.html Tue, 06 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0400 http://rbth.ru/articles/2010/06/24/miracle_of_light_solovki_transfiguration_monastery.html In the vast territory of the Russian north, no place carries more historical weight than the Solovetsky Transfiguration Monastery, located on Great Solovetsky Island, part of an archipelago in the southwestern part of the White Sea. The islands form one of the most curious natural environments in Russia. Although buffeted by northern winds and sea currents, the same currents also moderate the northern climate and produce a rich ecological diversity. Thu, 24 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0400 http://rbth.ru/articles/2010/06/23/23_06_10_kaliningrad.html Wed, 23 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0400 http://rbth.ru/articles/2010/06/23/23_06_10_sunny_stone.html Wed, 23 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0400 http://rbth.ru/articles/2010/06/03/lakeside_idylls_pereslavl_zalessky.html “Zalessky” means “behind the woods;" there are acres of forest along the 150-kilometer road from Moscow, including Russia’s first national park, the Losiny Ostrov (‘Elk Island’). The writer Mikhail Prishvin described this road as “one of the most beautiful in the heart of the country, the forests rising all around.” The town of Pereslavl is part of the "Golden Ring" of ancient towns near Moscow and is one of the most popular. The infrastructure needs a bit of work to cope with the inflow of local tourists and several areas could do with a clean up. On busy weekends, the hotels can’t accommodate the number of visitors and yet the muddy lanes along the Trubezh River still feel like a fishing village. Thu, 03 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0400 http://rbth.ru/articles/2010/05/17/kargopol_star_of_the_north.html Among the many treasures of the historic Russian north, one of the richest is the town of Kargopol, located in the southwestern part of Arkhangelsk province. This small regional center of some 12,000 souls was founded perhaps as early as the 11th century. The town’s remarkable churches remind of its former wealth from the 16th until the 19th centuries, when it was part of a strategic trading route along the Onega River to the White Sea. Mon, 17 May 2010 00:00:00 +0400 http://rbth.ru/articles/2010/04/20/veliky_ustiug_northern_jewel.html The Vologda territory in the Russian North possesses a special charm, with its forested landscapes and old towns along river trading networks that once carried Russia's wealth to both the West and Siberia. The faded glory of these historic settlements is still evident in the churches, great and small, that dot the countryside. Among these towns, Veliky Ustiug has a particularly rich history and culture. It is located in the northeastern corner of the Vologda region at the confluence of the Sukhona and the Yug, which merge to form a third river, the Northern Dvina. This network of three navigable rivers spread throughout northern Russia in a major transportation route that attracted the earliest Russian settlers here, apparently by the middle of the 12th century. The mercantile city of Novgorod sent its pioneering traders to the region and lay claim to the area until the middle of the 15th century. Veliky Ustiug ultimately cast its lot with Moscow and became an important military post. Tue, 20 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0400 http://rbth.ru/articles/2010/04/12/see_beauty_everywhere.html “The eyes of the people must be trained to see beauty everywhere, in the streets and railway stations.” This was the philosophy of Siberian-born Savva Mamontov, the late nineteenth century railway tycoon, who gathered the finest artists of the age into his creative colony at Abramtsevo deep in the woods north of Moscow. Many of the painters whose work enriches Moscow’s Tretyakov Gallery lived here and inspired each other. You can still visit the estate at Abramtsevo, a museum of unspoilt Russian architecture on the banks of the picturesque Vorya River. Mon, 12 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0400 http://rbth.ru/articles/2010/03/12/120310_karelia.html Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300 http://rbth.ru/articles/2010/03/10/100310_ferapontovo.html Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300 http://rbth.ru/articles/2010/02/18/18210kolomna.html The medieval city of Kolomna, seventy miles south east of Moscow, is not a well-known tourist destination. During the cold war, the town's military activities kept it off-limits to foreigners. Since the doors reopened for tourists in the 1990s, the ancient fortified kremlin with is beautiful monasteries has been restored. Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0300 http://rbth.ru/articles/2010/01/14/14110tourism.html Russia hopes to attract foreign tourists to such far-flung places as Lake Baikal, Altai and Karelia as an alternative to the standard tourist spots of Moscow, St. Petersburg and the Golden Ring - and is planning a network of tourism information centres abroad to woo visitors. But it is not yet clear when the first centres could be opened, while visa issues, insufficient transport infrastructure and high prices hold back Russia's domestic tourism industry. Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0300 http://rbth.ru/articles/2009/12/25/251209_moscow.html Go to Moscow in winter and ride through forests on a horse-drawn sleigh or sail down the Moskva River on an ice-breaking boat; check out new artists in a converted wine factory or 19th-century paintings in a fairy-tale studio. Fri, 25 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0300 http://rbth.ru/articles/2009/12/11/111209_yekat.html With an increase in foreign tourists who dream of seeing the “real” Russia beyond Moscow and St. Petersburg, many provincial Russian towns are actively vying for the title of Russia's “third city.” One of these is Yekaterinburg, the administrative center of the Sverdlovsk Region and a metropolitan center with more than 1.3 million people. Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0300 http://rbth.ru/articles/2009/12/02/021209_novgorod.html “Russia’s oldest city, cradle of Russian democracy, medieval centre of trade and crafts…” This is how Veliky Novgorod’s tourist centre describes the historic town, which celebrated his 1,150-year anniversary last month. In 859, a fortress was first recorded here, at a key point on the trade route that ran from the Baltic to the Mediterranean, linking Scandinavia with the Byzantine Empire. Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0300 http://rbth.ru/articles/2009/11/09/091109_volga.html There are many large and picturesque rivers in Russia, such as the Ob, the Irtysh, and the Angara, but Russiaґs most famous river is, of course, the Volga. It is Europeґs longest river, stretching for almost 3,700 km, with its width reaching up to 2 km at the broadest point. In times past, when rivers were the backbone of Russiaґs transport infrastructure, the Volga played the role as the countryґs main thoroughfare. It is for this reason that so many rich and beautiful cities sprang up along its banks. Even today, boat travelers often see heavily loaded barges carrying timber, grain, coal, and building materials. But times have changed, and passenger ships make up the bulk of the Volgaґs traffic. Notably, it was in the Volga shipyards that the model of a comfortable passenger steamship was developed in the 19th century. Ships have changed little since that time, so good that model was. An average ship carries about 200 passengers and has four decks with staterooms ranging from first and second class to deluxe. All rooms are equipped with the basic amenities and differ only in size. There is also a restaurant (three meals a day are included in the ticket price), several bars, a movie theater and a gym. Of course, river boats lag ocean liners in terms of the services offered, but there is not much need for entertainment while on board. The distances between stops are comparatively short, taking just several hours, which you can spend relaxing in a chaise lounge chair on the upper deck and savoring the beautiful views. Thereґs simply no time to be bored, with cruise companies doing their best to provide entertainment while on the move, treating foreign travelers to lectures on Russian history or offering culinary master classes with a focus on Russian cuisine. In general, Volga cruises are in strong demand with foreign tourists, particularly those with an academic background. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0300 http://rbth.ru/articles/2009/10/13/131009_railroad4.html When I boarded the next train, I was more excited about getting away from Krasnoyarsk than getting to Irkutsk. Two days ago I had arrived at Krasnoyarsk after an over 20 hour train journey from Omsk. That same afternoon I lost my camera with over 500 photos of my Trans-Siberian trip so far. The following day, after an exhausting 7 km climb up Krasnoyarskґs jagged terrain to gigantic rock cliffs in the Stolby Natural Reserve, I - alone, tired and hungry - got lost in the forest for 2 very long and dark hours. In retrospect, itґs all laughable but back on 9th June, it felt like the end of the world. Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0400 http://rbth.ru/articles/2009/10/13/131009_railroad3.html About 30 minutes from Yekaterinburg, as I got ready to leave the train, I must have crossed the Euro-Asia border. About 40 km west of Yekaterinburg, stands a 413m marker at the border and Yekaterinburg sees itself as a child of the European and Asian traits of strength and wisdom. Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0400 http://rbth.ru/articles/2009/10/13/131009_railroad2.html I stepped out of Nizhniy Novgorodґs Gorky railway station and found myself standing opposite the most trusted sign of civilisation - a giant McDonaldґs `Mґ sitting on top of a mall. I had pictured Nizhniy as a small and, I dare say, `unhappeningґ city but this sight alone had raised the bar! Within the first 10 minutes, Nizhniy revealed she could not be conquered on foot. Later, I found a bus that would take me to the centre to Nizhniyґs biggest attraction - the Kremlin. Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0400 http://rbth.ru/articles/2009/10/13/131009_railroad1.html "I think I will leave this behind. I already have one and itґs almost June," I said to Anya as I struggled to stuff the second sweater in my already over-flowing backpack. Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0400 http://rbth.ru/articles/2009/10/13/131009_diary.html Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0400 http://rbth.ru/articles/2009/10/13/131009_probel.html Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0400