Russia
Europe · Moscow · RU
Russia is the enormous country that spans the eleven time zones from the Baltic to the Pacific, a land of the onion domes, the imperial palaces and the vast empty wilderness that has been the heartland of one of the great world civilisations. The cities of the European core, the Moscow with its Kremlin and its cathedrals and the St Petersburg with its canals and its museum world, hold the marvellous concentration of the Russian culture, while the enormous spaces beyond, from the golden ring of the old towns to the lake of the Baikal and the rail of the trans-Siberian, carry the country's different soul. The history of the country, from the tsars to the soviet era, is written across its monuments, and its literature, its music and its art have shaped the world. Vast, cold, majestic and endlessly deep, Russia is a journey without an equal in its scale.
Overview
Russia is a country in Europe. Its capital is Moscow and the international dialling code is +7. Languages commonly used in everyday life here include Russian. Local currency is the Russian Ruble (RUB). We also list 1 city in Russia: Moscow.
The Kremlin of the Moscow and the Squares of the Red
The capital of the country, the enormous city of the Moscow, holds the most recognisable ensemble of the Russian state, the Kremlin with its red brick walls, its golden domes and its towers guarding the cathedrals and the palaces of the old imperial heart, and the cathedral of the Basil, the extraordinary onion-domed masterpiece of the square, the emblem of the whole country. The square of the Red, the great public space of the empire and the state, runs below the walls with its views over the towers and the domes, and the museums of the Kremlin, the armouries and the collections of the cathedral hold the treasures of the tsars. The city around the centre, with its metro stations that are themselves museums, its monasteries and its enormous parks of the communist era, holds the layers of the whole modern history of the country.
The Hermitage of the St Petersburg and the Canals of the Neva
The city of the St Petersburg, the imperial capital founded on the marshes of the Neva, holds one of the greatest ensembles of the Palaces and the museums in the world, and the Hermitage, the enormous museum of the Winter Palace, counts among its millions of the objects some of the most famous paintings on earth. The canals and the rivers of the city, with their granite banks, their bridges and their pastel facades, gave the city its other name, the Venice of the north, and the cathedral of the Saint Isaac, the church of the Saviour on the Blood and the monastery of the Alexander Nevsky frame the historic centre. The nights of the white summer, when the sun barely sets over the water, are the legendary season of the city, and the ballet, the music and the literary life of the capital continue its great tradition.
The Golden Ring and the Cathedrals of the Old Towns
The old towns of the north-east of the capital, the string of the medieval cities known as the golden ring, hold the finest of the early Orthodox architecture of the country, and the cathedrals, the monasteries and the kremlin of the small cities form an accessible circuit of the deep Russia. The towns of the Suzdal with its extraordinary concentration of the churches, the Vladimir with its great cathedral of the Assumption and the Rostov with its kremlin and its bells are the highlights of the ring, and their wooden architecture, their monasteries and their quiet, provincial life give the visitor a Russia far from the capitals. The ensemble of the towns, with its white walls and its blue and the green of the onion domes, is among the most beautiful and the least crowded of the country's journeys.
The Lake of the Baikal and the Rails of the Trans-Siberian
The lake of the Baikal, the enormous freshwater sea of the southern Siberia, is the deepest and the oldest lake in the world, and its clear, icy water, its steel-blue horizons and its winter ice of a translucent thickness make it one of the great natural wonders of the planet. The rail of the trans-Siberian, the legendary line that crosses the whole continent from the capitals to the Pacific, follows the southern edge of the lake on the most spectacular stretch of its whole route, and the towns of the shore, the Listvyanka and the bays of the western side, hold the lake's visitor life. The nature of the region, the surrounding taiga, the seals of the lake and the walking trails of the national parks, rounds out the journey, and the train adventure across the plain and the forest gives the traveler the unique scale of the country.
The Kazan and the Minarets of the Volga
The city of the Kazan, the capital of the republic of the Tatarstan at the confluence of the rivers, holds the meeting of the Orthodox and the Muslim worlds of the country, and its kremlin, a world heritage, crowns the hill of the centre with the great cathedral of the Annunciation beside the enormous minarets of the Kul Sharif mosque. The city, the old capital of the Tatar people, preserves the culture of the Muslim east of the country, with its museum quarters and its ancient streets, and the modern Kazan, with its embankment, its university life and its newly built monuments, is one of the most dynamic cities of the whole country. The river of the Volga, the great waterway of the nation, frames the city with its cargo and its cruise traffic, and the city offers a rare and fascinating blend of the two civilizations.
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- Capital
- Moscow
- Currency
- Russian Ruble (RUB)
- Languages
- Russian
- Calling code
- +7
- Internet TLD
- ru
Entry requirements
Check who can enter →See which passports travel visa-free or need a visa to enter Russia.
Which nationalities can enter Russia?
Current visa status for tourism for the origins we cover, with links to the detailed requirements.
Cities (1)
All cities →Frequently asked questions
Do I need a visa to visit Russia?
For the origins we track, Russia requires a visa for tourism (Morocco: visa required and United States: visa required). Entry rules depend on your passport, so confirm the current requirements for your own nationality with our entry requirements tool.
What is the capital of Russia?
Moscow is the capital of Russia, and the country sits in Europe.
What currency is used in Russia?
You pay with Russian Ruble (RUB) in Russia. Exchange rates move day to day, so check the current rate before you change money or use your card abroad.
Which languages do people speak in Russia?
The languages we list for Russia are Russian. A couple of greetings in the local language go a long way when you travel, even in cities where another language is widely used.
What is the international dialling code for Russia?
The dialling code for Russia is +7 — keep the plus sign when you save the number.
Which cities in Russia do you cover?
Our guide lists 1 city for Russia: Moscow (capital).