Small town of Kaluga in Moscow Region combines happily saved 18th century Classicist urban area with memory about scientists made first steps for outer space exploration. Here lived in late 19th-early 20th century a school teacher Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, original and dreamer, who was the first to speak about flights to open space using rockets.

Zvenigorod is a small town not far from Moscow, of the same age. It appeared approximately in 11th century on the high bank of Moscow river. It is famous with two masterpiaces of early Moscow architecture, one of them tied with name of Andrey Rublev.

What do you know about mooses? About their habits and attempts to domesticate them? Do you know why is it almost impossible? And finally wherefore did the people still raise these animals? All the answers can be found at unique moose farmm, which is situated not far from Sumarokovo village, 27 kilometers from Kostroma.

Russian Far East, discovered by Russians in 16th century is still at most an enigma for a European. Far East is a kingdom of fire breathing volcanoes and geysers, deep blue mountains and exotic animals, - white and brown bears, and of course, Amur tigers. Brown bears don’t sleep in Kamchatka, and salmon species come here for spawning even in winter. There are some big cities here, but at the same time people still live in yurts and their best transport is reindeer and dog sleds. Here are some examples of winter activities on the Russian Far East.

Russian North is a region on the north-west of Russia, full of forests, lakes, rivers, ancient towns and monasteries keeping dozens of their secrets. This region is one for encounter with Russia and for the tourists visited Moscow or St. Petersburg only. It is situated not far in the East and gives much of specific national color, from old Russian fortresses and monasteries to life of the Russian province in the 19th century, described in the world-known books of Russian classic writers like Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and Chekhov.

Ivolginsky Datsan (lamaist monastery) the main centre of Buddhism in Russia is situated at the bottom of Khamar-Daban mountains, in 30 km from Ulan-Ude. Although its history begun just in 1945, Ivolginsky Datsan is draws attention of numerous tourists, pilgrims and believers from all over the world. Crowds of pilgrims come here to behold one of the main Buddhist shrines - incorruptible relics of lama Dashi Dorzho Itigelov. There is a Bo tree growing here as well.

Mari El Republic is one of the Russian regions, interesting with their intact nature. More than half of the territories of the Republic are covered with forests. This region is ideal destination for those who is fed up with urban life. Rivers, lakes, forests and sacred grooves are waiting for guests to return them back to nature and give rest their nerves.

A church bell tower sticks out waters of Uglich water reservoir next to Kalyazin town as a monument to human blindness and faith of early Soviet period that nothing but new world is valuable. Most part of the city with almost thousand-years history is now retired under waters, with market square, Holy Trinity Monastery and Nikolsky Cathedral, the bell tower of which is still to be observed.

Olkhon Island is usually called "heart of Baikal". It is situated in the centre of Baikal Lake. Olkhon has long been a kind of Mecca for the shamanistic world of Siberia. Moreover, Olkhon is an unbelievable beautiful place...

In Volga steppes in 140 kilometres from the city of Kazan lies Bulgar fortress-cite, the rests of ancient capital of Bulgaria, which was spreaded out from the White Sea to the Caspian Sea and was famous for its wealth and prosperity, full of beautiful houses, libraries, markets, baths and minarets. Yes, contemporary Bulgaria is a state on Balkan peninsula ...

Russia has plenty of sights and tourist attractions for any taste and budget, but the human nature is always eager of difficulties and many of us believe instinctively that things hard-to-get only are worth looking at. There are some really exciting places in Russia, which are very hard-to-get, on different reasons, from the lack of transportation to the location on the territory of working camp, or even because they are considered by local public as sacred ones, so they can be aggressive towards unbidden guests. Among these places...

Belukha mountain is the highest point of Altay and Siberia, one of the highest mountains of Russia: its altitude is 4506 metres above the sea level. Moreover, Belukha is an ultimatively beautiful mountain: it draws attention of artists and travellers, tourists and scientists, writers and fun-seekers veey year. The Buddhists and Russian Old-Believers think it is a sacred place, and gates to Shambala are situated here. In 1998 Belukha was included into the UNESCO World Natural Heritage List.

Solvychegodsk is a small town in Arkhangelsk Territory, which appeared in 16th century and became a centre of a huge trading empire, created by Stroganovy merchants. The family of Stroganovy, famous with their art patronage, so active, that the art historians identify specific Stroganov style in icon painting and even in architecture, have built their empire on salt-works and salt trading. The Stroganovy's salt works were prospering from mid-16th till the 17th century. Actually, Solvychegodsk stands literally in the beginning of their business and still keeps some rests of the salt-works and monuments of art and church architecture, demonstrating obviously, such a profitable business it was.

Do you know the Russian region of Evenki Autonomous District in the Krasnoyarsk Territory is famous with? You know, even if you don’t know, that it is situated there. Tunguska phenomenon took place directly in this region in 1908, June, 30 at 7. 17 o’clock (local time). This phenomenon, also known as Tunguska meteorite, is still a thing exciting the imagination of scientists and ordinary people as well. Was it a meteorite, or an accident, happened with some spaceship or something else? It happened more than one hundred years ago but it is still discussed together with little green men and gossips about stars’ private life. Now the place of mysterious catastrophe is a natural reserve and you can visit (even in three ways!) it and see with your own eyes the place above which the explosion, which made the sky above all the Europe to glow with strange colored light for a few days, took place.

The caves of Pinega are a few systems of including about 100 sinks, situated in the karst area in the Pinezhsky District of Arkhangelsk Region, in the interstream area of the Pinega and Kuloy Rivers. The caves are situated on the territory of the Pinega natural reserve. They have some special features, instead of the caves of Caucasus and others, but the most interesting one is that the changes in the configuration and plan of the caves, be observed during the human life: the Pinega caves live very active life.

Sokolniki is one of the biggest parks in Moscow, very popular among the Moscow people and guests of the Russian capital. Actually, Sokolniki is a name of profession, tied with hunting: Sokolniki are the people, who trained hawks for the sport of kings. Since the 15th the forests here were the favorite hunting place of the Moscow princes and, later, tsars. The whole village of Sokolniki was situated there in the 17th century serving the needs of the royal hunting. Later the forest was used for military maneuvers, and then the park was laid out there and used for the festivities. Finally it was turned into that we have now: a huge more or less regular park with 7 radial, 1 ring and 2 semi-circular alleys, with restaurants, sports complexes, skating rinks in winter and beaches functioning in summer, and even rose houses. But the name of this park and of the big district on the East of Moscow is still the same: Sokolniki. Some events also take place in the park, for example, the Ice-Cream Fest, coming soon, on the May, 30.

All-Russia Exhibition Centre is one of the most popular resorts in Moscow, where you can spend your free time skating, riding a bike or skateboarding. If you haven’t got a bicycle or roll-skates, you can rent them for reasonable price. The complex of All-Russia Exhibition Centre is a monument of Stalin-Style architecture and garden art as well, which were creating not only the myths, but also environment for the New Human of coming communism. The buildings of pavilions initially dealing with all the soviet republics and branches of national economy and now are turned into exhibition and sale areas. There are some permanent exhibitions and museums there as well, and such more common things like the largest in Europe Big wheel and playgrounds for children.

Country-seat of Muromtsevo is situated almost on the way between Vladimir and Moscow. You have a chance to get there if you take the wrong way in the trip from Vladimir to Suzdal. Suzdal lays in 40 km from Vladimir northwards, the little town of Sudogda, which is not mentioned in the traveller’s guides lays in 40 km as well, but to the south-east. The town is notable because of the outstanding beautiful Muromtsevo country estate, built in the Gothic style in the late 19th century, then turned into a forest research institute, which did not exist long, and then it was little by little ruined, and that must be also in the Gothic style. It is not very easy to reach and it is really ruined. The people fond of architecture and romantically-minded persons, welcome! But please, be careful.

Chukhloma, famous with its wooden architecture, is a little pretty provincial town in Kostroma Region. It stays on the beach of the Chukhlomskoye Lake which is sometimes called Chudskoye after the ancient Finno-Ugric people, which lived in this densely wooded country and was called Chud’ by the Russians. But it is not the same lake where the Neva battle with knights Order of the Brothers of the Sword took place in the 13th century. That Chudskoye Lake is situated on the frontier with Estonia. The exotic place names like Edomsha, Vozega, Morega still keep the memory about the Finno-Ugric peoples.

What is Yakutia (Sakha Republic) usually associated with? Diamonds, the Pole of cold, huge territories with wild northern nature, almost uninhabited, huge rivers, tundra, taiga, reindeers and Northern shining. 40 per cent of its territory is situated beyond the polar circle. It is a real paradise for the hunters and fishers. This region, occupying one fifth of all the territory of the Russian Federation, is populated mainly with the Yakuts ingenious people of this land, whose origin and ethnogenesis goes back to antiquity and is still not very clear. They still keep their traditions and beliefs, and you can see it. This country is however available by train and by air.