![](https://www.wanderlustmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/articles-the-wanderlust-guide-to-the-best-of-russia-390x700.jpg)
The Wanderlust guide to the best of Russia
It’s big. It’s intimidating. And the writing is tricky to understand. Here’s your guide to one of the most fascinating countries on earth: Russia
Russia, the world’s biggest country, is (predictably) huge. Spanning 11 time zones, it can take days to travel from one city to another. Don’t even think about tackling it all at once unless you’ve got a serious amount of time on your hands.
Moscow, home of fairytale pepper-pot churches, Red Square, Lenin’s tomb and some great nightlife is an obvious pull. So too is St Petersburg: its Heritage Museum is an embarrassment of riches that will have you wandering open-mouthed from one masterpiece to another.
Away from the big cities is the real Russia. Relax in the spa town of Pyatigorsk in the Caucasus Mountains, go rafting or skiing in Siberia or play some real-life ‘Risk’ in Kamchatka: it’s famous for extreme sports.
Or simply catch a train and take it all in as it rushes by.
![](https://www.wanderlustmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/magazine-shutterstock_1124218161.jpg)
St Basil’s Cathedral on Red Square, Moscow (Shutterstock)
Looking for inspiration?
In a country as vast as Russia there are no end of possibilities. You could be enjoying an artistic weekend in St Petersburg one moment, the next, heading to the vast Altai region, where spacecraft fall from the sky and Buddhism and shamanism mix. You may wish to sample the distinct personalities of each of Russia’s 22 federal republics or experience shock and awe on the Kamchatka peninsula, where the forces of nature are monumental and the scale immense. Lake Baikal, the world’s largest fresh water lake, beckons too. As does the elusive Siberian tiger.
Russia is not short of challenges. Which one will you take?
More information
An artistic weekend in St Petersburg – Jeremy Head
Altai, Russia: Where worlds collide – Rob Bright
Exploring Russia’s federal republics – Mark Stratton
A fiery tour of Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula – Chris Moss
Beyond Baikal – Neil McGowan
Earning your stripes: searching for the Siberian tiger – Mark Carwardine
![](https://www.wanderlustmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/magazine-articles-trans-siberian-a-time-zone-blending-thrill-of-a-ride.jpg)