Russia extends from Europe to the North Pacific Ocean, and borders the Arctic Ocean. It is the biggest country in the world as it has 17,098,242 sq km, meaning the country is around 1.8 times the size of the US.
Russia shares borders with several countries like Azerbaijan (338km), Belarus (1312 km), China (4179 km), and Estonia (324 km). Other countries that also share a border with Russia are Finland (1309 km), Georgia (894 km), Kazakhstan (7644 km), North Korea (18 km), Latvia (332 km), Lithuania (261 km), Mongolia (3452 km), Norway (191 km), Poland (209 km), Ukraine (1944 km).
The country has a wide range of climates, from steppes in the south through humid continental in much of European Russia; subarctic in Siberia to tundra climate in the polar north.
NATURAL RESOURCES, POPULATION, RELIGION, AND OTHER FACTS
Moreover, they have a wide natural resource base including major deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, and also many strategic minerals, bauxite; also reserves of rare earth elements, and timber. Currently, Russia has a population estimation of 142,320,790.
Furthermore, nearly 200 national and/or ethnic groups had representation in the census, but 77.7% of the population is Russian; and it is the official language of 85.7% of the population.
Russia officially recognizes Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and also Buddhism as the country’s traditional religions. Furthermore, almost half of the population is within the range of ages from 25-54 (43.38%).
The 99.7% of the population age 15 and over can read and write. Furthermore, Russia is a semi-presidential federation and the capital is Moscow. It is also important to mention that Russia has 11 time zones, the largest number of contiguous time zones of any country in the world.
NATIONAL HOLIDAY AND TYPE OF GOVERNMENT
The national holiday of Russia is Russia’s day on 12 June (1990), where they commemorate the adoption of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. Moreover, they have a civil law system; a judicial review of legislative acts, with a bicameral Federal Assembly.
Russia has two types of courts, the highest courts like the Supreme and the subordinate courts (regional and provincial). The country also has national symbols like a bear, double-headed eagle; and its national colors are white, blue, and red.
Russia moved from a centrally planned economy towards a more market-based system and is one of the world’s leading producers of oil and natural gas. The country is also a top exporter of metals such as steel and primary aluminum.
The GDP recovered from the sanctions, as the world’s demand for oil increased. Almost 70 million people are part of the workforce, and most are in the service sector of the economy.
WHAT IT’S NECESSARY TO HAVE IF YOU ARE MEXICAN OR SPANISH:
Mexico and Spain are part of the list of open airspace according to Russia. This means that the nationals of both countries have the opportunity to travel if they fulfill the requirements.
The first and most important requirement for both countries and others is to have a visa and a perfectly valid passport. The visas have a specific purpose and have two dates, the first one is when the tourist can enter the country, and the other is the limit of stay.
The other types of visas are two entries and exits, and the one with multiple entries and exits.
COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS TO ENTER
To be able to enter Russia apart from the need of having to request a visa, and following the covid-19 pandemic; Russia has some requirements for the foreigners that wish to enter the country.
The passengers need to present a PCR with a negative result 48 hours before the trip to Russia. That document will need to be in English or Russian, and if it’s in Spanish, as it is the main language of both countries; it will need to have a Russian translation validated by one of the Russian Consulates.
Without it, the air companies won’t allow you to get into the aircraft. One day before the trip, the passengers will need to fill a formulary that received the name of Registry of People that arrive at the Russian Federation.
If the Russian authorities request it, the obligation to be in quarantine for fourteen days so is recommended to contact a Russian Consulate to see the different requests of quarantine.
ACCOMMODATION:
Russia has categorized hotels into classified and non-classified typologies. As far as the accommodation facilities are concerned, officially authorized organizations are assigned for the purpose. Customers show confidence and trust if the hotel is said to be classified. Moreover, the quality of classified hotels is also upgraded.
Russian Federation prepares the list of classified hotels. These hotels provide reliable information which builds their soft image among the general masses. This federal list has divided the hotels into six categories. The highest-ranking hotel gets five stars while the lowest one gets a one-star rank. The number of stars shows the quality and level of accommodation facilities. However, non-classified hotels are put into a no-star category.
Currently, the Russian Federation has accredited 23 international hotel operators to run more than 150 hotels. Moreover, these operators are covering around 38 Russian cities. Moscow, Sochi, Ekaterinburg, and also Saint Petersburg concentrate most of the tourism facilities.
The federal list has also accustomed online booking system which is necessary for smooth tourism activities within Russia. The most popular online hotel booking system include Booking.com, Airbnb.com, Ostrovok.ru, Oktogo.ru, and also Agoda.com.
ATTRACTIONS:
They have the Hermitage Museum, the San Basilio Cathedral, the Kremlin in Moscow, the Church of the Savior over the blood, the Red Square, the Mount Elbrus, Peterhof Palace, Bolshoi Theater, San Isaac Cathedral.
Other attractions that are worth seeing are the Winter Palace, Katherine Palace, Tretiakov Gallery, State Russian Museum, Fortress of Saint Peter (Pedro) and Saint Paul (Pablo), Pushkin Museum, Cathedral of Christ Savior of Moscow, Gorki Park, Lenin’s Mausoleum, Mariinski Theater, Curlandia, Saint Peter and Saint Paul Cathedral, the State Museum of History and so much more.
ACTIVITIES AND AMENITIES:
- Activities
Russia is home to natural landscapes and different tracts of land along with the largest freshwater lake- Lake Baikal. Rivers, forests, volcanoes, beaches, historical monuments, and awe-inspiring cities make Russia the best-suited place for every kind of tourism. The tourists can see the colorful Russian heritage in many cities like that of Sergiev, Suzdal, Rostov, Kostroma, and also Vladimir.
Russia is mainly attractive due to the magical beauty of tourist activities. These activities include boat trips from Moscow to St. Petersburg and Valaam Island. Valaam Island is one of the significant religious centers for Russians.
Moreover, a visit to Kizhi Island and Black Sea Coast is adding fuel to the tourism industry. Kizhi Island is famous for wooden artifacts whereas Black sea Coast is a seaside playing field.
Russian culture is really rich and has some interesting festivals and celebrates the typical days differently than the rest of the International Community. It is important to mention that before the departure from the Soviet Union, Russia followed the Julian Calendar, the Russian celebrate twice.
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Russian Festivities
Besides the religious festivals, Russia has political ceremonies that celebrate victories, unification, and independence. In all of them, they have traditional music of the country and several dances.
- New Year’s Eve: It is one of the most important festivities in Russia, first they celebrate it with family and afterward with a big party with fireworks. During the night, they wait for Ded Moroz, the Russian Santa Claus. Moroz is an ice grandpa that alongside his granddaughter Snegurochka, gives gifts to the children.
- Cities Days: Every city in Russia has its day, the first Sunday of September, Russia celebrates the foundation of Moscow, in 1147. The ceremony is in the Red Plaza and during the weekend, the citizens and tourists can attend several concerts, fairs, workshops, cultural and sports events all over the city; the last night they can also see fireworks.
- Victory Day: This one is to commemorate the soldiers that fought during World War II against Germany and Hitler. During this day, the authorities organize several acts in public plazas or streets in some cities like Moscow or Saint Petersburg. The citizens and tourists can attend the military parades and acts to honor those that survived WWII and the victims that lost their lives in the conflict.
- Day of Russia: It is the day of independence of Russia, which means the day that the country left the Soviet Union in 1990. To commemorate it, during the day, the plazas of the Russian cities are full of food and beverages stalls, there are concerts and a firework spectacle in Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
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Other cultural festivals:
- International Festival Art November: It is celebrated in Moscow since 1994, and as its name implies, it is one month long. It is one of the most important cultural festivals of the city that include spectacles, concerts of different genres, and also literature and art expositions.
- Ivan Kupala Party: It is one of the most popular festivities in Russia that celebrates the summer solstice. The occasion symbolizes water, fire, and natural herbs that the people believe produce miracles. The origin of the party is in paganism, although with the arrival of Christianism, it is a mix of both of them. During the night, the Russian don’t sleep, they light bonfires, bathe in the water, and the single women sleep bouquet of plantain herbs under the pillow.
- Old New Year: During this day, the Russian citizens celebrate the arrival of the New Year according to the former Soviet Union Calendar until 1918; which was the year when the Soviets returned to the Gregorian Calendar. During this day, the Russian drink champagne and party in the streets.
- Orthodox Christmas: The Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on 7 January. Orthodox Christians follow a strict diet for forty days before Christmas; where they have to avoid eating and drinking meat, eggs, dairy, and alcohol. When the forty days finish, on Christmas day they have a feast.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTTzkadvlbI
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Amenities:
TRANSPORT
- Air Transport
In the context of air transport, the federal list consists of 247 facilities including 77 international airfields. The busiest airports of Russia are Sheremetyevo (Moscow), Domodedovo (Moscow), Vnukoyo (Moscow), Sochi (Sochi), Pulkovo (Saint Petersburg), Tolmachevo (Novosibirsk), Simferopol (Simferopol), and Koltsovo (Yekaterinburg),
But, more than half of the international and domestic passenger traffic is carried by S7 Airlines, Rossiya Airlines, Aeroflot Russian Airlines, Pobeda, and UTair. Federal Air Transport Agency publishes the key statistical information regularly.
- Rail Transport
Russian railways are the largest operator of rail transport. Rail transport is one of the most affordable ways of traveling across the country. Besides, Russian railways are put among the top three railroad companies in the international market.
Russia doesn’t only provide services within the country but other countries as well. This includes Austria, Germany, China, Poland, Finland, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Czech Republic, France, Lithuania, North Korea, and Mongolia.
- Public Transport
Public transport also plays an important role in facilitating tourists and promoting the soft image of the country. In Russia, the general public uses buses, trolleybuses, trams, and minibusses for urban ground transport. The bus is the popular transport which is used by almost eleven billion passengers, annually. This urban ground transport is managed by municipal enterprises.
After bus service, taxi facilities are provided in all major Russian tourism sites. It is operated by an online booking system which includes Yandex. Taxi, Uber, and Gett Taxi. Metro is also available in seven major cities. Moscow metro’s stations are taken as monuments of architecture which attracts tourists every year.
AVAILABLE PACKAGES:
- Group Tour of Russian Northern Lights
This package is worth ₹2,29,000 per person. It includes facilities like meals, sightseeing, hotels, flight, and visa. The visit will cover three cities encompassing ten days. The cities included are Moscow, St Petersburg, and Murmansk.
The people also know the Northern Lights as Aurora Borealis. It is a kind of natural phenomenon which consists of neon glows and makes arc-like pathways across the night sky. This appears only in Russian Northern Hemisphere.
- Group Tour (Women) of Russian Northern Lights
This package is worth ₹2,29,000 per person. Moreover, it is important to mention that the facilities are the same as mentioned above. The objective of this package is for women to feel comfortable while touring the Russian majestic cities.
- Lake Baikal Visit
This package provides a visit to three cities encompassing eight days. Furthermore, the visit includes meals, sightseeing, and hotel booking.
TRAVEL AGENCIES:
Currently, Russia has the 10 most famous agencies to book packages to visit everything the country has to offer. Those are: Travel All Russia, Express to Russia, Russian National Group, G Travels, Travel Addicts Club, Intrepid Travels, Contiki, Europamundo, On the Go Tours, and Explore.
COST:
The total cost for a family of four to travel from Madrid to Moscow for four days and three nights including the plane and two rooms in a four-star hotel is 1.257,75 €. The cost will increase depending on the number of tours the family desires to make. For three days and two nights, the price for the plane and the hotel is 1115,24.
