Barguzinsky nature reserve is the first nature reserve that appeared in Russia on the eve of the revolution in 1916. Its special attractiveness lies in natural treasures: mountain lakes, waterfall cascades, thermal springs, magic taiga, fanciful river turns, rocks-loaches, flowering valleys in highlands, rock glaciers, and the rarest species of local fauna.

Planning to visit Russia can be a daunting task: so many regions, so many cities. And while Moscow and Petersburg are traditional tourist staples, our guest author Rowena Kang looks farther to the North and to the East - to Veliky Novgorod and Yekaterinburg, respectively. These are two other cities in Russia you cannot possibly miss.

The Solovky archipelago is situated in the White Sea near the entry into Onežskiy bay. It consists of 6 big isles and plenty of small ones. Big isles Bolshoy Solovetsky, Anzerskiy, Bolshoy Muksalminskiy and Bolshoy Zajatskiy keep the traces human activity starting with Neolithic culture of 2nd – 1st millennium.

There are some cities in the Central Russia; they call it The Golden Ring. They are Old Russian cities with the medieval churches, fortresses, museums and traditional crafts. Some of them live because of the travel industry only (like Suzdal); others have something more serious, like Yaroslavl, the large industrial city. All of them are worth to visit and to ask a question: what’s the matter? Some of them are prosperous region centers or wealthy cities, but others look not very good, even their tourist objects.

Our guest author Dillon Michaelson gives generous advice on what you must not miss while travelling to Moscow and St. Petersburg - including St-Pete's environs.

We could not hope to help you navigate through all the UNESCO World Heritage Sites descriptions on our site. The purpose of this article is to quickly link you to the content we have created awhile ago but that may now be tricky to find - after all, this site has existed long enough to accumulate loads of information! Without further ado, we invite you to skim through the list of all Russian sites that have to date been added to the UNESCO's World Heritage List and zoom in on those that attract you most.

A LiveJournal blogger has recently visited Tula Region and brought back photographs, illustrating the life of a post-Soviet industrial region of Central Russia. This will be interesting for the fans of industrial tourism who enjoy discovering the remains of industrial towns and studying the process of adaptation of the town in post-industrial era.

Ipatiev House is the third place besides Ganina Yama and Verkhnaya Sinyachikha connected with the death of the Romanovs. Here the emperor Nicholas II was shot down with his wife and children. This tragic historic event became the reason for building the Church on the Blood on the same territory. The cathedral is not only a spiritual haven, but is also a museum and a spot, where everyone can try to ring the church bells during the Easter week.

There is a place in the Sverdlovsk region, that keeps memory of the Romanov dynasty. Small village not far from Alapaevsk is where Grand Duchess Yelizaveta Fyodorovna and other Romanovs were buried alive. This spot is associated with royal family as well as Ganina Yama. The Monastery of New Russian Martyrs with holy relics is a famous pilgrim destination and tourist attraction.

"So many secrets for such a small town!", these words can apply to the Ural town Nevyansk in full measure, as its history has an enormous amount of legends and mysteries, most of which related to the famous Demidov family - the most successful Russian magnates in the 18th century. This time we'll proudly tell you about the amazing Leaning Tower of Akinfiy Demidov - a unique building, which is considered Russian "Leaning Tower of Pisa".

One of the principal Christian centres of Moscow area, Nikolo-Ugreshsky monastery has a long and rich history, related to the main events of the country.

Nilov Monastery is not just an active male monastery on the island among the waters of lake Seliger, but also one of the principal Christian sacred places, where an amazing nature beauty unites with the old architectural works. It creates a unique atmosphere of Nilov Monastery, which attracts many Orthodox piligrims here every year.

It is hard to overestimate the importance of Optina Monastery in the history of Russia. The cloister is a bright example of the process of spiritual revival, which arose in the country in the end of the 18th century.

The monastery situated on the remote islands is a real incarnation of solitude and mystery.

Sergiev Posad is a place where meditative and spiritual elements combine with industrial economics,trade,science and secular culture,which make it a very special Russian city.

A green hill, a little church under blue sky... Have you ever been to Russain convents? These are the places of peace and solitude, where you can enjoy the beauty of Russian nature, see the arcitecture of Old Russia and, perhaps, get closer to discovery of the famous mystery of Russian soul.

There is a cape on the western shore of Baikal Lake. It is a place provided with a very still bay, sheltered from storms and storm winds. Now it is a part of national park. Famous Islands of Ushkanyi where Baikal seals rookery is situated are in front of the cape, just in 30 kilometers. One of the main Baikal sights - Chivyrkui Bay is situated in 50 kilometers by water. The sinister name only contrasts with all this.

Sakhalin is not only a disputed territory but a unique island region, with beautiful nature, unhacked history and a few amusing museums. The region is getting more open now. Recently tourists from Japan have been coming by ferry, staying for 72 hours visa-free and seeing sights of the region. Hopefully this is only the beginning, and this opportunity will be available not only for the Japanese. Anyway, Sahkalin is a place where you find traces of Russian Classic literature, many birds and sea mammals, one art museum with a good collection, and a very old oil derrick.

Frantz Joseph Land is an archipelago in the Arctic sea and one of the northernmost territories of Russia. 900 kilometers away from the North Pole is the northernmost island of archipelago - the Rudolph Island. Not long ago this territory was turned into a national park.

Peterhof park is sometimes associated with something luxury, official and a little boring. But eastern part of the Lower park is not so regular and is rich is signs of royal amusements, including fun fountains, very popular in 18th century Europe.