Looming over the rest of Europe with its immense, inhuman size and dark, brutal history, Russia is an essential and fascinating destination, the flipside of modern Europe and still an unknown quantity to most travellers. Somehow Russia manages to pull off the truly impressive feat of being both a really exciting place to travel while never relenting on its tediously bureaucratic approach to life. Stay in the EU if you want things easy and hassle-free, but venture east for one of the last truly adventurous and unpredictable destinations on the continent.

Moscow’s rich history, amazing Kremlin, startling architecture and frenzied pace of development makes it a must on any trip to Eastern Europe, while with its colourful, crumbling Italianate mansions, beautifully wending canals and mind-blowing cultural treasures, St Petersburg is one of the incontestable highlights of the continent. For something totally different, drop into ignored little Kaliningrad, an enclave of Russia wedged between Poland and Lithuania, or to the famed outpost of Siberia.

Russia is the country of vast landscapes, vibrant life, beautiful contrasts, and interesting people. Taking an immense space of 9000 kilometers from west to east and 5000 from north to south, being home to people of so many different nationalities and customs, Russia is often called a 'bridge' between Europe and Asia, both geographically and sociologically. From the ancient times up to now, Russia has been changing and re-shaping itself, its boundaries, its culture. In the ancient times, the Slavs, Finn tribes, Tatars, had made their way through Russia, and this mix of many different nations and their traditions has defined the unique Russian character and culture.

Visiting Russia, especially if you come by a plane, you'll see neverending forests and lakes, scattered among them, gleaming little churches in Moscow and impressive imperors' palaces in St. Petersburg, all the modern attributes of 'capitalist' world and old relics of communist times, hip crowds of young people and old babushkas (old women) wearing big fur hats and coats in the snow. To us, it's all about this kind of differences, about constant change in Russia now, which makes it a very dynamic country with lots of energy and potential. There has never been time in the Russian history, when it was still or calm, always there would be something like a revolution, an economy crisis, a war, as if to make life less predictable, and, perhaps, more interesting too.

To find out more travel information about Russia click here.