Russian Blog

Russia or the Russian Federation is a great country extending over much of northern Eurasia. It is a federation and a presidential republic comprising 84 federal subjects. Russia borders on sixteen countries. Russia shares land borders with Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia and North Korea, and also has sea-borders with the USA and Japan.

At about 17 million square kilometers, Russia is by far the largest country in the world, covering more than an eighth of the Earth’s land area, with 142 million people, it is the ninth largest by population. It extends across the whole of northern Asia and eastern part of Europe, spanning 11 time zones and including a great range of environments and landforms. Russia has the world’s largest forest reserves, mineral and energy resources, its lakes contain approximately one-quarter of the world’s unfrozen fresh water. On the vast territory of the country there are various types of climate, from arctic in the north to subtropical in the south. In the middle of Russia the climate is temperate and continental. There is hardly a country in the world where such a variety of scenery and vegetation can be found. There are several steppes in the south, plains and forests in the midland, tundra and taiga in the north, highlands and deserts in the east.

Russia has a rich cultural heritage that is expressed in the cities of Moscow with its Tretyakov Gallery, Bolshoi Theatre or the Kremlin, and Saint Petersburg on the river Neva, close to the Baltic Sea, with its famous “white nights”, the art collections of the Hermitage Museum and the Russian Museum.

St Petersburg is proud of its rich architecture that includes the cathedral of the Peter-Paul Fortress, the Summer Palace, the Winter Palace, the Smolny Convent, the Kazan and St. Isaac’s cathedrals, the Smolny Institute, the new Admiralty, and the Senate.

The «Golden Ring» is also a very popular tourist route. It includes towns and villages in the north-eastern part of the former State of Muscovy. It is rich in historical and architectural monuments. Among the most notable towns of the «Golden Ring» route are Pereslavl-Zalessky, Rostov Veliky, Borisoglebsky, Uglich, Kostroma, known for their elaborate churches and cathedrals, Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Suzdal, and others. The richness and brightness of Russian culture are embodied in very interesting and unique art, literature and classical music which have influenced greatly the world culture.

The very rich cultural heritage and rather tumultuous history of Russia make the country attractive and worth visiting.

Moscow offers a wide variety of hotels with such levels of comfort that fit any taste and requirements. Almost all hotels of the city are very conveniently located. It will take a little time to get to historical places or large exhibition and business centres of the capital. The basic characteristics of a hotel are a category (star raiting), a type of room, location relative to the metro and downtown and also the cost.

Three-star hotels of Moscow are an optimal choice for tourists and people traveling on business. Their basic advantage is a reasonable price. Hotels of a category "three stars" are close to the metro and not far away from center of Moscow. As a rule, Moscow three-star hotels have their own restaurants, a conference hall and/or business centre, a sauna or a bathhouse, a left-luggage office, a dry-cleaner’s/laundry. Due to the reasonable combination of the price and quality level such Moscow hotels as the Izmaylovo Vega Hotel, the Aeropolis, the Ulanskaya, the Zarya, the Novotel Sheremetyevo-2 and the Aerotel Domodedovo Hotel are in great favour among tourists. Hotels the Soyuz, the Sovetsky, the Mir, the Eridan, the Budapesht, the Belgrad and the Arbat also satisfy all requirements of a quality service.

The range and type of services available in four-star Moscow hotels are much wider, and the quality is higher. As a rule such hotels have several restaurants and cafes, multifunctional conference halls, a full set of business centre services. Four-star hotels provide visitors with a fitness-club, a weight room, a swimming pool, a beauty salon, a night club or a casino, around-the-clock service in rooms. Among such hotels are the Tatiana, the Sretenskaya, the Renaissance Moscow Hotel, the Radisson Slavjanskaya Hotel, the Novotel Moscow Centre, the Marriot Tverskaya Hotel, the Marco Polo Presnja, the Ukraina Hotel, the Danilovsky, the Cosmos Hotel, the Art Hotel and some others.

Five-star Moscow hotels also give a full set of services and in whole are characterized by a higher level of comfort and service quality than in four-star hotels. It is necessary to note the elegant design of luxurious hotels, roominess and comfortableness of their rooms, a special dignified atmosphere. Popularity of a hotel brand and its reputation also play an important role. Some of the five-star Moscow hotels are in the list of the best hotels of Europe. For example the Metropol, the Marriott Royal Hotel, the Golden Ring Hotel, the Savoy Hotel, the Ararat-Park Hayat, the Baltschug Kempinski Moscow Hotel are a fine choice for both businessmen and travelers.

Moscow… when mentioned, this word calls up in any person association with the city which has extraordinarily rich culture and history, the city full of wonderful mysteries and riddles. Moscow is a unique city, the biggest in Russia and one of the most ancient in the world. Moscow is a cradle of Russian people and Russian state.

The first mention of Moscow as a small settlement goes back to 1147. More than eight centuries and a half have already passed. Moscow has gone through many trials — Tartar invasion, the Mongol overlordship, inroads of the Crimean khans, national distempers, two World Wars, revolutions at the beginning of XX century. Numerous events have left its unique imprint on architectural look of the city — here silent alleys of XIX century adjoin modern busy avenues, boyar chambers neighbour upon buildings in a modern style and constructivism, ancient churches are along with tower buildings.

In Moscow the most valuable monuments of Russian history and architecture are concentrated: the Kremlin, the Novo-Dyevitchi Convent, the Moscow State university, the Triumphal arch, the Memorial architectural ensemble. There is a large number of churches and cathedrals in and around Moscow, although some of them are not used for services they are beautifully kept.

The best starting point of the tour around the city is Red Square, the central and the most beautiful square in Moscow. Here one can see the Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed, an enduring masterpiece of Russian architecture, monuments to Minin and Pozharsky, visit the State History Museum. The heart of Moscow is the Kremlin, a wonderful architectural ensemble with three magnificent cathedrals, the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, palaces, fortress walls and 20 towers.

The tremendous amount of ancient monuments is being restored and reconstructed. Much has been done to make muscovites and visitors of the city feel pleased and convenient in the streets of the capital, new hotels, cafes and restaurants are being constantly opened. Moscow is well-known for its museums and exhibition spaces — the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Museum of Fine Arts named after A.S. Pushkin, the Manege.

Moscow leads a versatile cultural life, full of exciting events and unforgettable performances. A lot of cinemas, clubs, concert halls, drama and musical theatres, including the Bolshoi Theatre with its world-known ballet and opera won’t leave anyone indifferent.

Every person who has once visited Moscow is sure to return to this fine original city to feel depth of its contrasts, to touch its cultural traditions, different times and fates.