Russia
On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a large-scale military invasion of Ukraine, its neighbor to the southwest, marking an escalation to a conflict that began in 2014 with the Russian annexation of Crimea and the Donbass region.
Russia is the venue for the 2018 World Cup. Russia has much to be discovered for any visitor to the 2018 World Cup finals: culture, history, people and places.
Russia is situated in the far east of the European continent bordering Ukraine, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Belarus to the west, Georgia and Azerbaijan to the south and Kazakhstan to the south east.
Visit our guides to Russia to find the best recommendations on World Cup 2018 host cities for accommodation, flights to the region and domestic travel for Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, Saransk, Sochi, Volgograd, and Yekaterinburg.
Moscow Hotels
Moscow Hotels - see recommended hotels in the Tverskoy, Meshchansky, Arbat and Zamoskvorechye districts of the Russian capital.
Tverskoy District's trio of iconic landmarks: The Kremlin, Red Square and St. Basil's Cathedral are the three most recognized symbols of Russia for foreign tourists. Characterized by historic architecture and new commerce, Tverskoy is all about shopping, sightseeing and expensive cuisine.
Revolutionary St Petersburg
Tour revolutionary St Petersburg - visit the sights of the 1917 Russian Revolution: the Aurora, the Peter and Paul Fortress, the Winter Palace (Hermitage Museum) and Elizarov Apartment Museum.
It was exactly a hundred years ago that the Russian Empire came to a crashing end, with a Bolshevik-led revolution that led to the establishment of the Soviet state. In 1917, as a venerable autocratic system gave way to a supposedly classless regime, the centre of events was the sophisticated, distinctly European city of St. Petersburg, perched at the western edge of Russia on a finger of the Baltic Sea.
Nevsky Prospect
Nevsky Prospect - is the most famous street in St Petersburg, equivalent to the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
"There is nothing finer than Nevsky Prospekt, not in St. Petersburg at any rate, for in St. Petersburg it is everything…", waxed great Russian author Nikolai Gogol more than 150 years ago. First laid out in the 1700's, today this grand commercial artery is still home to Russia's finest baroque and neoclassical architecture, while the surrounding neighborhood boasts one of the greatest concentrations of shops, cafes, churches, theatres and museums in northern Europe. As they say in Russia, davai! (let's go!).
St Petersburg Contemporary Art
St Petersburg Contemporary Art Scene - modern art in Saint Petersburg.
Emerging from Moscow's shadow, these are exciting times for contemporary art in the Russian city of St. Petersburg. With new galleries and boutiques opening monthly, there's no better time for the art-minded traveller to pay a visit.
Saint Petersburg In Winter
Saint Petersburg In Winter - see the best of Russia's second city in the snow.
It may have defeated a succession of earlier invaders, but the Russian winter is actually the perfect time to visit St. Petersburg. Bisected by the mighty River Neva and boasting a never-ending succession of ornate architectural masterpieces, this north European metropolis has the look and feel of an enchanted city, especially when draped in a thick mantle of snow.
It was on Russia's Baltic coast that Tsar Peter the Great (1672-1725) founded St. Petersburg in 1703 as "a window onto Europe" and today the city remains a glittering shopfront for the entire Russian nation. Known affectionately as "Piter" by locals, this is Moscow's prettier younger sister - more elegant, more cultured, more welcoming.
Map of Russia
Map of Russia - shows the venue cities of the 2018 World Cup.
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