Visit to Russia
Russia is the world's biggest country having world's longest land border of about 60,000 km (over 37,000 miles). Russia has a population of 142,905,200 people (according to the census of 2010).The Russian Federation consists of 83 federal subjects, among them there are 2 cities of federal importance - Moscow, the capital of Russia with a population of more than 11 million inhabitants, and St.Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia also called "the northern capital" with its population of around 5 million people.
With about 80% of the population being ethnic Russians, the rest 20% covers more than 150 nationalities living in Russia. The official language is Russian. As for the religion communities, the majority of Russian people are Orthodox Christians, there are also many Muslims, Catholics, Hebrews and Buddhists.
The climate in Russia varies from the subtropical on the Black Sea coast to the continental in Southern Siberia, as well as from the arctic in the Far North to the maritime one on the Baltic Sea and to the moderately monsoon in the southern part of the Far East. Russia's weather is known to change from extremely cold to extremely hot. Rather dry summer is hot and rather snowy winter is mild in Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as in the towns of the 'Golden Ring' and in the cities of the Volga Area. Such weather conditions make the European part of Russia more attractive for the travellers from all over the world.
The most popular and convenient transportation means throughout the vast territory of Russia is air and railway transport, so the whole year around the majority of Russian people and tourists prefer travelling by plane and train.
The history of Russia and its culture traces back to the ancient times of the Kievan Rus when the Russian Empire came to be known and flourished later for about three hundred years. Ancient churches and monasteries have been preserved in many Russian cities, towns and suburbs leaving us the great memorial heritage of the Russian culture, art and literature. Many world famous writers, artists, sportsmen, scientists originated from Russia brought great success and have glorified the national culture which Russia people are proud of.
Russian people love to celebrate and take most of their national holidays very seriously.
New Year is the most widely celebrated holiday, followed by Orthodox Christmas, so Russians enjoy the whole holiday week at the start of the New Year.
The following holidays are announced to be official public ones recognized by the Russian government:
February, 23 - Defender of the Fatherland Day, celebrated for the sake of honor of men serving in the Armed Forces, can be regarded as Father's day
March, 8 - International Women's Day, celebrated with the love and respect for women
May,1 - Labor Day
May,9 - Victory Day, celebrated with regards and commemoration of those who died in World War II
June, 12 - Russia Day can be considered as an Independence Day with a celebration of the Russian sovereignty from the USSR
November, 4 - Unity Day, aka Consolidation Day
Religious holidays, such as Easter, and western holidays and festivals, such as Valentine's Day and Halloween are also celebrated in Russia, although they are not considered as official days off.
The "Golden Ring of Russia" is the name given to a number of ancient cities and towns to the North-West of Moscow (Sergiyev Posad, Pereslavl-Zalesskiy, Rostov Velikiy, Ples,Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Ivanovo, Gus-Khrustalny, Suzdal, Vladimir, Rybinsk, Uglich, Alexandrov and others), each of them being unique and magnificent due to its historical heritage dating back to the times of Kievan Rus. Golden Ring bus tours and cruises are popular among Russian and foreign travellers - splendid cathedrals, ancient churches and monasteries are worth while visiting to unveil Russia's foundation through the centuries.
The Golden Ring towns are known as Russia's emeralds that have survived the destructions of numerous Polish and Mongol invasions and have preserved the traditions of the national hand-craft, ancient architecture, arts and culture recognized worldwide that Russian people are so proud of.
The travelers have the opportunity to enjoy the best dishes of the Russian cuisine in the restaurants of the Golden Ring - traditional Russian soups, poultry, fish, numerous desserts and drinks.
Along the Golden Ring itinerary there are still settlements that provide offers of the authentic Russian souvenirs of traditional national handicrafts: cut glass and crystal souvenirs in Gus Chrustalny, painted wooden boxes in Palekh, painted salvers in Zhostovo, large kerchiefs with bright ornaments in Pavlov Posad, fine jewelry with enamelled patterns in Rostov.
The Golden Ring towns are known as Russia's emeralds that have survived the destructions of numerous Polish and Mongol invasions and have preserved the traditions of the national hand-craft, ancient architecture, arts and culture recognized worldwide that Russian people are so proud of.
The travelers have the opportunity to enjoy the best dishes of the Russian cuisine in the restaurants of the Golden Ring - traditional Russian soups, poultry, fish, numerous desserts and drinks.
Along the Golden Ring itinerary there are still settlements that provide offers of the authentic Russian souvenirs of traditional national handicrafts: cut glass and crystal souvenirs in Gus Chrustalny, painted wooden boxes in Palekh, painted salvers in Zhostovo, large kerchiefs with bright ornaments in Pavlov Posad, fine jewelry with enamelled patterns in Rostov.