Russia On Tour

As by far the biggest country in the world, with a land area of over 17 million km2 – eight million km2 more than its nearest rival, Canada – Russia tourism is packed with historical attractions and fascinating cultural experiences. Ring in the New Year in iconic Red Square, tour the Trans-Siberian Railway with organised itineraries and jump the queue with priority entrance to renowned cultural exhibits such as the Hermitage Museum with Russia tour packages that give you an unforgettable taste of this vast country like no other.

Russia tour packages offer the best of history and culture

Tours in Russia start and end in Moscow or St Petersburg, where travellers benefit from crucial visa assistance for smooth entry into Russia, safe, clean accommodation in all locations, and knowledgeable local guides for Moscow, Novgorod and St Petersburg.

All Russia tour packages are rich with cultural entertainment, including seats at traditional Cossack shows, and pre-reserved tickets to the Bolshoi Theatre and State Circus. Travellers enjoy exclusive access to the Catherine and Yusupov Palaces, guided tours of Peter and Paul’s Fortress as well as the Armoury Museum, stopovers in Tchaikovsky’s house in Klin, and visits to the famous GUM Shopping Mall.

Bolshoi Theatre

If you still want more, there are plenty of optional Russia tourism excursions like Volga river cruises, tours of the Victory Park Complex, and Metro and Kremlin city tours. Travellers can also join Moscow by Night tours, and enjoy free time to explore in Moscow and St Petersburg.

Yet another benefit of Russia tour packages is the scheduled high-speed train transport from Moscow to St Petersburg, ensuring you maximise your time in Russia. Travellers can also combine their Russia experience with combination tours visiting other parts of Europe, with a number of itineraries focused on Russia and Scandinavia in particular.

Itching to plan your trip? Take a look at our tour comparison Russia and find the right itinerary for you.

Want a taste of that insider Russia tourism knowledge we mentioned before? We have collected the best facts from real life tour guides. Impress them on tour with how much you already know.

• As the world’s largest country with a total area of 17.1 million km2, Russia borders 14 different countries, and touches several bodies of water, including the Pacific and Arctic oceans and the Baltic Sea.
• The Trans-Siberian Railway is the world’s longest train journey, snaking its way over 9,289 km from Moscow to Vladivostok.
• Several parts of Russia come into contact with the Arctic Circle, and it is also home to the world’s deepest lake: Lake Baikal.
• Russia is home to Europe’s longest river, the Volga River, which flows through 11 of the country’s biggest cities, including Moscow.
• The capital of Moscow is renowned for its heady mix of staggering architecture and lively vodka bars, while stately St Petersburg features giant museums and churches.
• The Ural Mountains form part of the border between the continents of Europe and Asia, both of which Russia is part of, and contribute significantly to Russia’s mineral industry.
• The city of Yekaterinburg is the primary base for visits to the Asia-Europe border, and was also where the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II, and his family were executed following his forced abdication.
• Russia is a mighty land of contrasts, with sand and snow deserts, the cold, bare landscape of Siberia, and the tallest mountain in Europe – Mt Elbrus.

• Sochi is widely known for hosting the 2014 Winter Olympics and is home to prime ski fields as well as Black Sea beaches.
• Formerly known as Stalingrad, Volgograd is home to numerous WWII memorials commemorating the Battle of Stalingrad, which lasted more than five months and remains one of the largest and bloodiest battles in the history of warfare with up to two million wounded, captured or killed.
• Famous Russian leaders include Vladimir Putin, Boris Yeltsin, Vladimir Lenin, Josef Stalin, while well-known Soviet politicians include Leonid Brezhnev, Mikhail Gorbachev and Perestroika.
• The city of Nizhny Novgorod is an important centre for science, education, culture, economy and transport in Russia, and as such is home to churches and art that make a visit here worthwhile.
• Vladivostok is home to the biggest Russian port on the Pacific Ocean as well as Russia’s Pacific Fleet.
• Part of Russia lies on the Ring of Fire, with the Kamchatka Peninsula home to more than 30 active volcanoes and hundreds that are dormant or extinct.
• Russia, then the U.S.S.R., was the site of numerous forced labour camps known as ‘GULAG’ during Joseph Stalin’s rule, with Prem and Solovetsky two of the most notorious.  
• Russia was once the dominant force in the nation formerly known as the Soviet Union, or U.S.S.R., which included present-day Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
• Important historical figures from Russia include Catherine the Great, Peter the Great, Prince Ivan the Terrible and the Romanovs.
• Bejewelled Fabergé eggs were created by the House of Fabergé between 1885 and 1917, with the most famous made for Tsars Alexander III and Nicholas II. Today many are lost, though some find their home in museums around the world or with private collectors.

• The KGB was the U.S.S.R.’s main security agency for almost 40 years, from 1954 to 1991, which followed directly after the Red Army, comprised of a fusion of military and people’s militia.
• Europe was divided after WWII by the Iron Curtain, which separated the U.S.S.R. from the rest of the continent until the Cold War ended in 1991.
• The Cuban Missile Crisis took place over 13 days in 1962, and saw tense negotiations between the U.S.S.R. and the United States regarding the presence of missile launch facilities in Cuba, Turkey and Italy – which ended with all being dismantled along with premises regarding future invasion.
• Russia has produced some of the world’s most acclaimed authors, such as Leo Tolstoy, author of ‘War and Peace’, among many others, Alexander Pushkin, Isaac Asimov and Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
• Cultural contributions from Russia include composer Tchaikovsky, whose works include Swan Lake and the Nutcracker, along with the Bolshoi ballet, dancers Anna Pavlova and Mikhail Baryshnikov, the Moscow State Circus, Russian Horn Capella, composer Sergei Rachmaninov, and more recently, music bands Tatu and Pussy Riot.
• Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich, and tennis stars Anna Kournikova and Maria Sharapova are all Russian.

• Russia has a well-documented history of space exploration, launching Sputnik I and the first cosmonaut in space Yuri Gagarin.

• Mystic Grigori Rasputin, journalist Anna Politkovskaya and the balalaika instrument were all Russian.
• Russia has a large supply of oil and gas, particularly in the Western Siberia region, with an estimated 17.8 billion tons recoverable.
• The periodic table, radio and Kalashnikov AK-47s are just some of Russia’s most notable inventions.

Courtney Gahan is a serial expat, traveller and freelance writer who has bartered with Moroccan marketeers, seen the sun rise at Angkor Wat and elbowed her way through crowds on NYE in NYC