Ravishing Russia

Dhanya Damodaran
Jan 1, 2020
5 min read

Updated: Feb 12, 2020

Visited in July 2016

Dobro pozhalovat' v Rossiyu!!

Russia....The largest country in the world that spans over Asia and Europe. Planning a 5 days trip was not that easy for this vast country. For our first visit, we were definite to visit Moscow and St Petersburg. We were keen to experience the beauty of Russian country side, so chose for a lovely outskirt from Moscow. The Russian Revolution, Catherine The Great, The stories of Ivan...lot of thoughts pour in when we plan Russia.

Our itinerary was

1) Moscow

2) Suzdal

3) Vladimir

4) St Petersburg

A visit to Russia was very much in the to-do list from a long time. Those imperial palaces, the earlier soviet union memories, the world famous circus, sip of cold vodka, experience the lovely country sides, onion domes and the white nights. Russians call the summer evenings as white nights as it doesn't get dark even until 10-11 pm.

We landed in Moscow and it was beautiful summer. Warm and long days which allowed us to roam around till late night. We chose to experience a 'Walking Tour' in Moscow. This is indeed a very nice option to get an orientation of big cities. These tours are mostly run by locals and will be for 2.5 - 3 hours. They take you in a group to major attractions, and we can always come back for a detailed view later on our own. They run on tips, so if you like the tour, tip the guide generously. You can find many such walking tour options when you search over the internet. If you are someone who loves to interact with other tourists from round the world, walking tour is a great opportunity.

Day 1 was a walking tour of Red Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and evening on to Kremlin. There is a lot of walking involved, so carry some snacks and water with you and boost up your energy for some fascinating views of the city and its history. The St Basil's Cathedral, which has become the icon of Russian tourism, is indeed a delight to watch. The Red Square is a vast complex and separates Kremlin from the Kitai-Gorod. St Basil's Cathedral, GUM Department store, Lenin's Mausoleum, Kazan Cathedral, State Historical Museum. You can also get good views of River Moskva

Kremlin (fortress within the city) - the former residence of the Russian Czars is now the official residence of the Russian President sprawls across a vast area overlooking River Moskva. You can see the Czar Canon and Czar Bell. The beautiful golden domed Cathedral of Annunciation is within the complex. The Grand Kremlin Palace and State Kremlin Palace can also be seen. The other 2 iconic buildings are Spassakya Tower with Kremlin Star on top and Ivan the Great Bell Tower. The golden domed Dormition Cathedral is also within the Kremlin.

We used public metro transport in Moscow. The metro stations are worth a special mention for its grandeur and elegance. They look like palaces with huge chandeliers, art works, sculptures etc. Also, we started developing a special love for the Russian Language. We had a copy of the metro map in both Russian and English and in a day or two, we were guessing the names written in Russian wherever we go :). By the way, we hear a lot that the Russians are not very friendly, but from my experience, that's totally not right. While we struggled a bit to find the way to reach certain destinations, we took the help of locals. Although they didn't speak English they tried their best to help, to the extent that one nice friend walked with us all the way to the place! What more you would need to be a happy tourist...

The evening was dedicated to watch the world famous Russian Circus. The circus is not allowed to be photographed. We were pleasantly surprised and delighted to view the beautiful Russian dancers dance to Indian Bollywood songs to conclude the event. Circus was indeed a great experience.

Day 2 was to the country side outskirts of Moscow - Suzdal and Vladimir, the Golden Ring of Russia. Beautiful places indeed and we took the service of a local guide to see around. Colorful Onion Domed cathedrals - wow!!!

Vladimir is a neat little town. Cathedral of Assumption Cathedral of St Demtrius and Golden Gate are worth a visit. You can also see the space suit of Yuri Gagarin displayed in a museum here

Suzdal is a beautiful sleepy countryside very near Vladimir and gives beautiful views.The visit to Museum of Wooden Architecture and Peasant Life was quite interesting. It took us back to the old Russian farmer's life. Their wooden houses, windmills, equipment, churches etc brought from all over Vladimir were all maintained intact and the place is exceptionally beautiful

Day 3 in Moscow was to explore some more of the city sights and then a high speed train to St Petersburg. We took metro to visit the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour by the River Moskva. It is huge, elegant, magnificent and indeed beautiful with golden domes. We then visited Bolshoi Theatre which is quite famous. Finally we visited Izmayilov Market for souvenir shopping and then headed to the train station.

While Moscow gives us a very warm Asian feel, St Peterburg is pretty much modern and European in its outlook. While Moscow gave us warm and sunny weather, St Peterbug just less than 4-5 hours by Sapsan - the high speed train, has unpredictable weather. It can get very windy and rainy anytime of the year, so it will be useful to carry raincoats and wind / waterproof jackets.

The very first view of the city made us fall in love with its beauty and charm. The metro stations are well maintained and elegant like Moscow.

We did a walking tour of St Petersburg and was a good experience. We got a good orientation of the majestic city and made our plans of detailed visit.

Catherine The Great - a name you cannot miss while in this city. Every corner has a lot of her stories to say. Every museum and palace has a lot to describe about her wisdom, courage and power. We heard a lot about her and was mesmerized with the beauty and elegance of the palaces and museums. There is a lot to see and explore in this city, the important and must sees being - State Hermitage Museum, Savior on the Spilled Blood, Peterhof, Peter and Paul Fortress, Winter Palace, St Isaac's Cathedral, Kazan Cathedral, Palace Square etc.

The Winter Palace and Peterhof Palace are extra ordinarily beautiful with a vast sprawling park with several fountains and gardens. The palace interiors are absolutely elegant and you can also view the Gulf of Finland from Peterhof.

Peterhof is an island and you will need a good 2-3 hours to explore the place and enjoy the surroundings

We thoroughly enjoyed the vegetarian Russian and Ukrainian cuisine during our stay in Russia and not to forget the tinge of cold vodka shots to tickle your tongue. Some of our Russian Gourmet moments