discover the best places to visit in russia

As the world’s largest country by far, the impossibly vast nation of Russia stretches from the edges of Europe in the west to Asia’s Far East, containing within its borders an array of landscapes, wildlife and peoples that defy easy categorisation. From mountain ranges to frozen seas, stark expanses of tundra to lush boreal forest, and metropolitan cultural centres to the shifting territory of nomadic reindeer herders, this is a land of extremes that holds countless opportunities for exploration. Polar bears gather for their summer breeding grounds on Wrangel Island in the Arctic Circle, the elusive Siberian tiger stalks through forests on the border with China, and Lake Baikal – the largest freshwater lake in the world – plays host to regular ice fishing. Below are just some of Russia’s many natural and cultural wonders.

Far East Russia is an expansive and diverse wilderness; ranging from the 29 active volcanoes of the Kamchatka peninsula to the frozen tundra of the far north.