Tourism in Russia

Tourism in Russia

Tourism in Russia is growing rapidly since the Soviet years, first through domestic tourism and also through international tourism. A rich cultural heritage and a variety of landscapes make the country one of the most popular tourist destinations worldwide. The country has 23 sites on the World Heritage of UNESCO, with more on the indicative list of UNESCO 1.

Many tourists make a trip to the old towns of the gold ring, or make a cruise on one of the major rivers like the Volga, or make a long journey in the Transsiberian. Regions and different ethnic cultures of Russia each have a variety of local dishes and souvenirs, and have very different traditions, the Russian banya in Tatar Sabantuy festival through shamanic rituals in Siberia. In 2013, 28.4 million tourists visited Russia; This is the 9th most visited countries in the world (7th in Europe) 2.

Unless excepted, tourists visiting Russia must purchase a visa, in addition to their valid passport. Visas can only be purchased at the border, and tourists must present all the necessary documents at the border

In 2013, 27 million foreign tourists visited Russia, which brought in $ 11.2 billion in the country received internationaux3 tourists. If you count the Russian and foreign tourists, the tourism industry reported 860 billion rubles in Russian GDP and employs 966,500 people in country 4

The most popular tourist destinations in Russia are St. Petersburg (which is in the list of European cities most visited in 2010) and Moscow, the former and the current capital of the country and major cultural points centers, recognized as world cities . Moscow and St. Petersburg have famous museums around the world such as the Hermitage Museum and the Tretyakov Gallery, as well as famous theaters like Bolshoi and Mariinsky, churches such as St. Basil's Cathedral, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, St. Isaac's Cathedral and St. Savior on the Spilled Blood Cathedral, impressive fortifications like Moscow Kremlin and Peter and Paul fortress, beautiful places like Red Square Palace Square, and streets such as Tverskaya Street and Nevsky Prospect. Rich palaces and beautiful parks are located in the former imperial residences in the suburbs of Moscow (Kolomenskoye, Tsaritsyno) and Saint Petersburg (Peterhof, Strelna, Oranienbaum, Gatchina, Pavlovsk, Detskoye Selo). Moscow also has many buildings from the Soviet era and modern skyscrapers, while St. Petersburg, which is nicknamed the Venice of the North, is classical architecture with a large number of rivers, canals and bridges.

Kazan, capital of Tatarstan, is a unique blend of Russian Christian culture and Tatar Muslim culture. The city filed its mark the third capital of Russia, although several other large Russian cities compete for this status, as Samara, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg and Nizhny Novgorod, which are major cultural centers with a rich history and architecture fame. Novgorod, Pskov, Dmitrov and the cities of the Golden Ring (Vladimir, Yaroslavl, Kostroma and others) préservié architecture and the spirit of the ancient and medieval Russia, and also count among the tourist destinations most important. Many old fortifications (typically of kremlins), monasteries and churches are scattered throughout Russia, so that the heritage of Russia is present both in large cities and in remote areas.

The coastline of the Black Sea, subtropical warm climate, is dotted with popular resorts such as the Crimea and Sochi, known for their beaches and their natural ecosystem. But there are also ski resorts in Sochi, Krasnaya Polyana as the City hosted the Winter Olympic Games 2014. The mountains of North Caucasus also have popular ski resorts, like Dombai in Karachai-Cherkessia .

The natural tourist destination best known in Russia is Lake Baikal, called the Blue Eye of Siberia. This unique lake, oldest and deepest in the world, has very clear water and is surrounded by mountains covered with taiga.

Nature tourism and tourist complex

Other popular natural destinations such as Kamchatka and its volcanoes and geysers, Karelia with its many lakes and granite rocks, the Altai and its snowy mountains, Touv and wild steppes, the Adygea and Mount Ficht, Chechnya and its lake Lake Kezenoyam, and the Republic of Karelia and its canyon Ruskeala5.
Gift & kitchen

Typical souvenirs are for example the Russian dolls and other handicrafts, samovars for water heating, winter hats (Ushanka and papakha) and fur clothing. Vodka and caviar are popular with tourists, as well as honey, blini, pelmeni on the borsch (Ukrainian), as well as other products and typical dishes of Russian cuisine