Some from the history of Moscow

The capital of Russia, Moscow is a city with a history that accounts more than IX centuries. Nowadays it is a huge prosper city which combines the beautiful palaces and pieces of art from the czars Russia,  the rational but not least tremendous architecture of the Soviet Union past, and the modern high-tech business centers and entertaining areas.  Moscow is the top Russian tourist city, which  attracts millions of tourists each year. Moscow travel has been on a rise in recent years.There is nothing quite like Moscow vacations.

However, not many people know about the Moscow of 1147 and how it has become from the small village to a capital of biggest country in the world. In this article I’ll tell you a little bit about the young Moscow and the legends around it.

There are many legends that argue about the founding of the name of the city. There are two most popular legends. According to the first, the name of the city came from two different words which are “mosk” ( on Old Slavs it means flint or stone) and “cov” ( which means to cover).  That shows that word Moscow means “stone cover” and from there the name pass to the river.

The other legend, which most researchers believe in, said that the name of the city pass from the river. It has two hypothesis. First states that the word “Moscva” occur from the far times when the old Finnish tribes were living by the river, which later were force back by the Slavs. “Va” here is translated as a water or a river, and the beginning of the word translated as a bear.

Second states that the name to the river was given by Slavs, and in Old Slavs Moscow have meantwet or damp. But both hypotheses agree on the same- the name of the city came from pointing on water and dampness. Explore the best of Russia and travel to Moscow.

Suzdal

There are many places to see in Russia and one of the most popular Russia vacations is in the Golden Ring.

Suzdal is one of the oldest cities in Russia that account almost a 1000 years history. Suzdal take a leading position in Russia  in number of  old Russian architecture monuments and is considered as a city-museum itself.

City was established in 1024, in a place of an old trading colony, and was a part of a Kiev princedom. This is a time when Suzdal was fighting for it’s independence from Kiev prince which have never succeed. For centuries city was an important trading and defencive sight.

The highlights of a city architecture is Spasko-Efimovski Monastery, which was originally a stronghold for protection of a city from numerous aggressors. The complex of twelve towers that could carry artillery connected with the high walls, monastery provide protection for a region.

After a decline in political importance, the town rose in prominence as a religious center with numerous monasteries and a remarkable ratio of churches to citizens: at one point, forty churches for four hundred families. Walking trough the city you realize that every third building is a church, and every one of them is a piece of art itself.

If you are looking for a special Russian travel idea, consider going to Suzdal for an unforgetable Russia tour.

Russian Cuisine

Russian cuisine is an important part of Russian culture. It foundations goes back to the peasant food, where  a harsh climate, severe winter, and limited resources formed a very interesting and different type of cuisine. Surprisingly, though the huge territories, there are almost no regional differences in Russian national food.

Because of the long winters a lot of preserve food is present . There are various types of preserved vegetables, fruits, mushrooms. Mostly, Russian food comes from goods of forest; mushrooms, berries, and fern are very popular. Also, there are hundreds of different types of pies and evened bread products.

The central place of Russian food takes its rich “meaty” bread and numerous kind of soups. Every lunch or dinner usually starts with soup, followed by appetisers, main dish, and a desert. Russian soups are very different and use a wide variety of products from vegetables to a meat. The best known soups are ”borsh”, “shi”, and “salianka”.

For appetisers it is often a pancakes with caviar, salad with herring  and red beet,  cucumbers, cabbages, and other preserved vegetables. The main meal most often is a meat, chicken, or fish. Bread is always takes the center spot on the table. Suck alcohol as beer, vine, and vodka usually served on a table.

There is no better way to try Russian food than going on a Russia tour. There are many ways to save on your trip to Russia. Consider getting a cheap Russia hotel, and booking your flight to Russia in advance.

Rostov-on-Don

A Russian city established on the river Don has a great cultural and economic importance to the country from the ancient times. Officially the establishment of the city goes back to 1749, however this site was already for many centuries in annals of the history. In 3 century BCE it was a Greek colony Tanais, that was a a developed and prosper trading arteries of Greece for more than two centuries before the annihilation by the Goths. Only 12 centuries later history bring us the information about the site, where now, the mighty Ottoman Empire have established a strong fortress Azov for protecting and controlling the area.

Russian history is overwhelmed with the wars, and the most wars  it has was against the Ottoman Empire. For two centuries Russian and Turkish Empires were fighting for the region, and the central place for resistance was the fortress Azov. Finally, in 1774 following under the terms of  Treaty of Kuchuk-Kainarji, Azov ceded to Russian Empire, which it is till now.

Rostov-on-Don is one of the biggest river ports in Russia, which is both passenger-oriented and industrial shiping. It’s favorable geographic location which is connecting the southwest Russia with a regions in the north allowing city to develop rapidly through all times of it’s history. Now it is a prosper city with a rich culture, which form from the clash of different nationalities and countries.

Getting to Rostov is easy. You should first select one of flights to Moscow and then get Russian train tickets. Booking a Russia hotel is also easy and can be done online.

Novosibirsk

Novosibirsk

Novosibirsk is the biggest city in Siberia. Novosibirsk was established in 1893 under the name of Novonikolaevsk. The city was later renamed to Novosibirsk and rather soon became the administrative center for the entire Novosibirsk Province. This city was mostly founded to become the main junction and crossing for the Trans-Siberian Railway.

Novosibirsk is not only important railway station, but also a very important cultural and educational center of the country. Many young people come to this city to study and research. Getting to St Petersburg from Moscow takes a couple of days on a Russian train or couple hours on flights to Russia.

Novosibirsk has many historical and cultural sights, which are really worth visiting. Art Galleries, theatres and museums situated in the city will help the tourists to get acquainted with culture, traditions of this region of Russia.
Many theatres are located in the city: the State Academy and Ballet Theatre, the Youth Theatre Globus, the Novosibirsk Puppet theatre and many others.

Novosibirsk is flourishing nowadays, because of new business opportunities in the city, as well as because of the big flow of tourists there due to the Trans-Siberian railway.

Many hotels in Novosibirsk offer all modern conveniences for the tourists. Hotel “Sibir” is one of the most beautiful ones. It is located in the center of the city, only 10 minutes from the Opera and Ballet theatre.

The highest hotel in the city is the “Novosibirsk Hotel”, which was reconstructed in 2001. The hotel has 25 floors and about 900 rooms. Many different facilities are available for the tourists.

Novosibirsk is really a good city to spend the Russia vacation there.

Russian rivers

Russia is the world’s largest country in land area. Numerous lakes and rivers flow through this county. One of the best ways to see Russia is on Russian river cruises.

The largest rivers of Russia, such as the Ob, Yenisei and Lena flow into the Arctic Ocean. All the rivers in Siberia begin in the mountains and flow from south to north. Grandiose hydropower projects were carried out on the rivers Angara and Yenisei.

The Volga is regarded by many as the national river of Russia. It is the longest river in Europe. Volga flows through many cities of Russia, among them Moscow and St. Petersburg. Volga has many tributaries; most important of them are the Kama, the Oka, the Vetluga and the Sura rivers. The river is very fertile and provides large quantity of wheat.

River Angul is a really great place for relaxation and rafting. It is located in a very picturesque region. It begins in the eastern Sayan Mountains. This river lies about thousand meters above sea-level. Those who are fond of fishing will find here such species of fish as Taimen, Lenok and Grayling.

Zupanova River is also a good place for fishing. Here you can find large amount of salmon. The river is situated among big rocky mountains and beautiful canyons. Zupanovsky huge volcano is also located there.

Make your Russia travel trully unique and go on a Russia cruise. Browse Russian river routes

Airports and hotels in St Petersburg

The St. Petersburg Pulkovo Airport is placed on two sites. This Airport is divided into Pulkovo-1 and Pulkovo-2. The close location of the sites makes this airport an attractive transit to other cities in Russia.

Pulkovo is used for flights within the country. It is located 18 km from the city, so you can easily get there by bus or metro. St Petersburg travel

Pulkovo-2 is used for international flights. It is located 17 km from the center of St. Petersburg. It has all modern equipment for serving international flights. Flights to Russia

Offices of many international airline companies, such as Air France, Austrian Airlines, British airways, are situated in St. Petersburg, so it would be easy to buy tickets to any direction.

There are many hotels in St. Petersburg that have all modern conveniences. Five-star hotel “Angleterre” was built in 2003.It is situated in the center of St. Petersburg and is one of the best ones. Another five –star hotel “Astoria” is also popular among tourist. It has 223 rooms, which are perfectly decorated.

St. Petersburg is a very beautiful city, so you’ll surely fully enjoy the time spent there. And, you will not overpay on St Petersburg hotels, unlike in Moscow .Don’t miss your opportunity to visit St. Petersburg and admire its sights, which can be found everywhere.

What’s to see in St Petersburg

St Petersburg travel is one of the best ways to see Russia.

St. Petersburg is a city that attracts tourists from different parts of the world. The city is full of historical monuments that are magnificent even now.

There are special agencies that plan excursions to the sights of St. Petersburg. Tourists can choose an excursion and plan their time spent on sightseeing.

An excursion to Peterhof or Petrodvorets, which is often called “Russian Versailles”, will give you an opportunity to see the mot beautiful palace in St. Petersburg, as well as the Low Park, located there.

Petrodvorets is a complex that consists of a big palace, beautiful park, several small palaces and fountains. The Grand Palace has about 30 rooms, decorated in styles of the time of Peter the Great. Picture Hall is a big room which I positioned in the center of the palace. The walls of this room are all covered with paintings of variously dressed women.

The Lower Gardens or Lower Park is a masterpiece of Russian garden design of the 18-th century. The garden is designed in French fashion. There are many fountains of different kinds in the garden, which are beautifully designed.

When you to on Russian vacations and visit to St.Petersburg you can also make a wonderful journey along the rivers of the city. During the cruise you will see the city with its ancient embankments. You’ll be able to make a journey not only on boats and ships, but also elite yachts. St Petersburg tours

Travel to Russia

According to the head of Tourist Agency of Russian federation, Vladimir Straljkovski, tourism is growing rapidly in the country. Travel to Russia become more pleasant opportunity to many tourist from year to year. Infrastructure is developing rapidly: new hotels and entertainment areas, airports, highways and railroads are upgrading to the high standards. All that affect on the growing interest of foreign tourists.

The main attractive regions of travel to Russia are St.-Petersburg, with its palaces and beauty, Moscow, with its  Red Square and the famous night life, cities of  the “Golden Circle”, which include Vladimir, Susdal, Kostroma, Yaroslavl, Pskov, Rostov, Uglich. The Bailkal lake, with its purest water in the world, and Far East, where Chinese people could be seen across the river.

Tourism is in 20 of the main states of income for the year of 2006,  and get at more then $90 millions. Thanks to rapidly growing economy and increasing interest to the country it is planning to rich the level of $130 milions in year 2007. It is an opened country and visit Russia is possible to people all over the world.