Russia Vacation Trips

Trip Holidays Russia offers travel tips and information for top travel places and best destinations. We feature links, resources and large selection of budget airlines, chartered planes, sea cruises, ferries, travel agencies, land transports and attractions including beaches, medical tourism, retirement homes, historical and pilgrimage tours.

Russia is a country extending over much of northern Eurasia. It is a presidential republic comprising 83 federal subjects. Russia shares land borders with the following countries: Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. At 17,075,400 square kilometres, Russia is the largest country in the world, covering more than an eighth of the Earth’s land area; with 142 million people, it is the ninth largest by population. It extends across the whole of northern Asia and 40% of Europe, spanning 11 time zones and incorporating a great range of environments and landforms. Russia has the world's greatest reserves of mineral and energy resources, and is considered an energy superpower. It has the world's largest forest reserves and its lakes contain approximately one-quarter of the world's unfrozen fresh water.

The nation's history began with that of the East Slavs, which emerged as a recognizable group in Europe between the 3rd and 8th centuries AD. Founded and ruled by a noble Viking warrior class and their descendants, the first East Slavic state, Kievan Rus', arose in the 9th century and adopted Christianity from the Byzantine Empire in 988, beginning the synthesis of Byzantine and Slavic cultures that defined Russian culture for the next millennium. Kievan Rus' ultimately disintegrated and the lands were divided into many small feudal states. The most powerful successor state to Kievan Rus' was Moscow, which served as the main force in the Russian reunification process and independence struggle against the Golden Horde. Moscow gradually reunified the surrounding Russian principalities and came to dominate the cultural and political legacy of Kievan Rus'. By the 18th century, the nation had greatly expanded through conquest, annexation and exploration to become the Russian Empire, which was the third largest empire in history, stretching from Poland eastward to the Pacific Ocean and Alaska.

Russia established worldwide power and influence from the times of the Russian Empire to being the largest and leading constituent of the Soviet Union, the world's first and largest constitutionally socialist state and a recognized superpower. The nation can boast a long tradition of excellence in every aspect of the arts and sciences. The Russian Federation was founded following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, but is recognized as the continuing legal personality of the Soviet Union. It has one of the world's fastest growing major economies and has the world's eighth largest GDP by nominal GDP or seventh largest by purchasing power parity with the fifth largest military budget. It is one of the five recognized nuclear weapons states and possesses the world's largest stockpile of weapons of mass destruction. Russia is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, a member of the G8, APEC and the SCO, and is a leading member of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Russia Most Popular Attractions and Landmarks

St. Petersburg Attractions

Also known as 'the city of Tsars', St. Petersburg is one of the greatest historical places of Russia. The vibrant nature seems to be in perfect harmony here combined together with unique heritage buildings and monuments scattered at different places of the city. Read More about St. Petersburg Attractions...

Moscow Attractions

One of the popular places of visit in Russia is the capital city of Moscow. Also regarded as one of the most happening cities of the world, it has more to offer in terms of historical forts and great architectural edifices. The city is well connected and has round the clock regional and international transport services. If you're a shop alcoholic, then you have come to the right place for it offers you a wide range of elegant dress materials, extravagant accessories sold under various Russian designer labels. Read More about Moscow Attractions...

Novgorod Attractions

One of the oldest cities of Russia, Novgorod is regarded as an ancient Slavic city and was believed to be explored in 859, as a trade hub between the then Baltics to Byzantium. After the foundation of the state of Kievan Rus, Novgorod was accorded prime importance. Read More about Novgorod Attractions...

Golden Ring Cities Attractions

It refers to a string of cities located towards the northeast of Moscow formerly known as Zalesye. Read More about Golden Ring Cities Attractions...

Facts for the Traveler

Visas: All visitors require a visa.
Health risks: Diphtheria, Hepatitis, Rabies, Typhoid
Time: GMT/UTC +3 ((+4 Summer) Moscow and St Petersburg), GMT/UTC +2 (Kaliningrad region), GMT/UTC +4 (Samara and Izhevsk), GMT/UTC +5 (Orenburg, Perm, Ufa and Yekaterinburg), GMT/UTC +8 (Irkutsk), GMT/UTC +10 (Vladivostok), GMT/UTC +12 (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky)
Dialling Code: 7
Electricity: 200V (some 127V still found) ,50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric

When to Go?

July and August are the warmest months and the main holiday season. They're also the dampest - it might rain one day in three. So if you want to avoid the crowds and the rain, try May-June or September-October. In early autumn the leaves are turning and you can pick mushrooms and berries. Although winter is bitter, theatres open, the vodka comes out, buildings are warm and the snow is beautiful. Spring is slushy, muddy and generally horrible.

Events

Easter and Christmas are celebrated with midnight services, candlelight processions and flourishings of folk art. In April St Petersburg celebrates Music Spring, an international classical music festival, and the last 10 days of June feature the White Nights, a time for general merrymaking and staying up late. A film festival is held in Moscow in autumn in odd-numbered years. The Russian Winter Festival is celebrated in St Petersburg, Moscow and Novgorod from late December to early January, and includes folklore shows and vodka. The other main winter celebration is New Year, celebrated with presents, champagne and yet more vodka.

Trip Holidays Russia also showcase a unique blend of travel and leisure photos and stories, updates, events and announcements about roads, shopping malls, hotels, bed and breakfast, restaurants, groceries and more. Not just a travel guide but one-of-a-kind discovery of people and places.