I want to show you some of my favorite places in the beautiful country of Russia. So here is my Russian top ten. Russia is home to some of the world’s most stunning landscapes. The country is full of incredible scenery, intriguing history, and some of the world’s most peculiar places. From the coast of the Black Sea to the mountains of Siberia. Russia just has so much to offer. For our first location, we’re going to head to the Kamchatka Peninsula. Now, this may be one of the most wild and beautiful places in all of Russia is a sea battered land dotted with over 160 volcanoes. It’s basically Russia’s version of Iceland with a little bit of Alaska. The volcanic peninsula is home to bears, killer wells and some of the most stunning places I’ve ever seen. The largest active volcano on the peninsula and all of Eurasia is there. I won’t even try to pronounce it. It’s down to an impressive 4750 meters tall. The capital of the peninsula is Petra Pavlovsky. It’s an impressive city that is dwarfed over by massive volcanoes. There are no roads from mainland Russia that lead to Kamchatka, so the best way to get there is by plane. I think this may be one of the most beautiful yet undiscovered places in the world. After Kamchatka, we’re going to head over to Siberia. Siberia is just this massive region. It makes up more than three fourths of Russia’s land area, but only about 25% of Russia’s population lives there due to its remoteness and harsh weather. One of the craziest places in Siberia in all of Russia is Lake Baikal, located in the southern part of Siberia. Lake Baikal is the largest freshwater lake in the world.
It contains more than 20% of all the real fresh water. I mean, take that in for a second. It’s also the real deepest lake with a depth of 1642 meters. It’s home to one of the only freshwater seals. During the winter months, the ice can freeze to be two meters thick. One of the easiest ways to get across is with a hover boat. Or you can have a winter workout, an ice skate on the world’s largest ice rink. The Ocean Island is the third largest island on the lake, and it’s home to Lake Baikal. Most famous landmark, the Shaman rock there. Also several vibrantly colored ritual poles that hold a secret significance to the native people. After Lake Baikal, we’re going to visit the Altai Mountains. This mountain range is nicknamed the Switzerland of Siberia, and I totally understand why. I’m just blown away by the scenery here. Altai Mountains are a mountain range that is located not only in Russia, but also extends to Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan.
Altai translates to Golden Mountain. And I have to say that the Altai scenery lives up to its name with its unique colors and golden vegetation. The tallest point in the Altai is the beluga mountain. It stands at an impressive 4509 meters tall. One of the best places to see the peaks is from the Glacier Lake down below. Another incredible spot in the Altai is the true valley. It’s a stunning glacier valley that is dwarfed over by this uniquely shaped mountain. I mean, it just be so cool to camp there. I mean, who would have thought Russia looks so much like Switzerland? Another stunning place in Siberia is the Iraqi nature park. Now it’s located in the western Sayan Mountain Range, more than 14 hours drive from the Altai Mountains. Now, ergot might as well be called the Dolomites of Russia, because that’s what they remind me of. It’s a beautiful park full of impressive peaks and alpine scenery. One of the coolest features of Hagi is the brothers rock formation. It creates an almost perfect parabola. I mean, just such a cool shape. Gorky is just another one of Russia’s many hidden gems I hope you all can see after we’re going to head over to the Pacific Ocean, to the port city of Vladivostok. When you look at where the city is on the map, it’s in a very peculiar spot. It’s located right in the southeastern tip of Russia. It’s right next to China, and it’s just a four hour drive to the border of North Korea.
And I’m just really impressed with this city. It’s so green and has beautiful surroundings of the coast. Vladivostok is the largest Russian port on the Pacific Ocean. It marks the end of the Trans-Siberian Railway. It’s a seven day journey all the way back to Moscow. Now the force and mountains around Vladivostok are home to the incredibly rare Amir leopard and Siberian tigers. Anyways, Vladivostok is such an interesting Russian city. I hope you can see some day, though. Afterwards we’re going to take that seven day train ride across Russia to Moscow. Look in the central part of the country. Moscow is the real, northernmost and coldest megacity. It’s also Europe’s second most populous city, with over 12.4 million residents. One of the most impressive places in Moscow is the St Beatles Cathedral is completed in 1561 under orders of Ivan the Terrible. I mean, it has such a unique look with its colorful onion shaped domes. Now, right next to the cathedral is the Moscow Kremlin, the fortified complex that was completed in 1495. It serves as the official residence of Vladimir Putin. So it’s basically the Russian equivalent of the White House. One of the most stunning buildings is the Moscow State University. Reminds me of a scene straight out of a Batman movie. I mean, there’s just so many intriguing places to visit in Moscow. What a wild place. Moscow is also a. Starting point to visit the Golden Ring of Russia. Now the golden ring is a loop of some of the country’s most picturesque and historical towns. You’ll find no shortage of the classical onion domed churches to do the loop. You can start in Moscow and make the 12 hour journey as you visit the eight charming towns that make up the golden ring. Now, one of my favorite towns on the route is Sousse. It’s one of the oldest towns in Russia and was founded back in the 11th century.
I really liked the Cathedral of the Nativity with its blue domes dotted with stars. Another impressive town on the Golden Ring is a stroma. It’s the farthest one from Moscow. It’s home to an impressive Petoskey monastery that was founded back in the 13th century. I mean, there’s just so many fascinating places to visit. So if you’re in Moscow, I’ll definitely recommend checking out the Golden Ring after we’re going to head over to the Caucasus Mountains. The mountain range stretches from the Black Sea all the way to the Caspian Sea. Now the Caucasus Mountains are home to the tallest mountain in Europe. Mount Elbrus, now located in southwestern part of Russia, stands this massive 5642 meter high stratovolcano It’s a dormant volcano and the last eruption was in 50 A.D. The mountains in the area remind me a lot the Swiss Alps.
I just can’t believe how big they are. You want to hike to the top? The easiest way is by taking up the cable cars up to around 4000 meters in elevation and then taking the normal route. I love to summit the mountain. One day after Mount Elbrus, we’re going to head to the Russian Riviera to visit Sochi. Now, look it on the eastern coast of the Black Sea. Sochi is home to one of the best climates in all of Russia.
Thanks to the sea, it maintains a subtropical climate. Sochi is famous for having a great coastline and it hosted the Winter Olympics back in 2014. The beachside area of Aldea is where the Olympic Park is located and it’s just full of wonderful attractions. Now what’s great about Sochi is its access to the mountains. Just a 40 minutes drive from the coast can take you to some of Russia’s greatest ski resorts where the Winter Olympics took place. Now, for last location, we’re going to head to the beautiful city of Saint Petersburg. St Petersburg is located at the end of the Baltic Sea. It was founded back in 1703 after Russia captured it from the Swedish colonist. Today is one of Russia’s most thriving cities and receives millions of tourists each year. I love all the canals. It reminds me the mix between Amsterdam and Venice. Now one of the most famous spots is the Peter and Paul Fortress. It was the original citadel of St Petersburg and was finished in 1740. Saint Petersburg is also home to the left center, which is the tallest building in all of Europe with a height of 462 meters. Also, check out the site such as the Palace Square, or many of the city’s beautiful gardens. Anyways, St Petersburg is such an incredible city you got to visit. Well, that is it for my Russian top ten. I mean, there’s just so many beautiful places in Russia, but this is all i have for you now!