Must See

Black Sea

The Black Sea area is home to some beautiful beaches and resorts, such as Dagomys, which is located amongst thickly wooded hills and subtropical greenery. Other popular areas include Sochi, a popular resort with a famous health spa and subtropical climate, situated beneath the dramatic Caucasus Mountains, and Rostov-on-Don, which is not only home to a beautiful beach, but also to a racecourse, several parks, an orchestra and four theatres.

The Golden Ring

The area north-east of Moscow is famed for its ancient towns, which have a rich collection of monasteries, kremlins (citadels), fortresses and cathedrals. Many are located along the river banks, and a river cruise along the Volga can be a great way to see this area.

Suzdal is perhaps the most important town in the Golden Ring, and boasts 50 well-preserved examples of ancient architecture. Rostov Veliky, founded in the 9th century, overlooks the shores of the Nero Lake, surrounded by ancient monasteries. It is also home to a beautiful kremlin and the Cathedral of the Dormition. Yaroslavl lies on the banks of the Volga, and contains a host of ancient churches, most notably the Transfiguration of the Saviour Cathedral, built in the early 16th century. Uglich is another beautiful town on the banks of the Volga, notable for the Chambers of Prince Dmitry (son and heir of Ivan the Terrible) and its kremlin. In Sofrin, the artistic and literary museum of Abramtsevo houses paintings by Serov, Repin and Vrubel. The museum is surrounded by birch woods and parkland. There are a number of ornate traditional Russian huts dotted around the estate.

Lake Baikal

Lake Baikal, the world's deepest lake (1,637 m or 5,371 ft) has a surface area of 31,494 km sq - about the same size as Belgium. Its 2,000 km (1,243-mile) shoreline is a feeding ground for wildfowl and even the occasional bear. The lake's pure water provides a habitat for a wide variety of fish, including omul (a type of salmon), loach, sturgeon and grayling, whilst freshwater seal colonies are found around the Ushkan Islands in the centre of the lake. Primitive rock drawings may be seen on Olkhon Island, which is also the site of and a unique necropolis of an ancient Siberian tribe whose members are thought to have been ancestors of indigenous North Americans.

Moscow

The capital's focus is Red Square, in which stands the Kremlin, surrounded by a thick red fortress wall. The Uspensky Cathedral (1475-79), where the tsars of Russia were crowned, stands within its grounds. The cathedral also houses three of the oldest Russian icons and Ivan the Terrible's throne. Also within the Kremlin stand the golden-domed Belfry of Ivan the Great and the 14th-century Grand Kremlin Palace. At the other end of Red Square is St Basil's Cathedral (1555), with its famous, brightly coloured domes. The extravagantly decorated Blagoveshchensky (Annunciation) Cathedral, built for Ivan III, features beautiful copper domes and agate- and jasper-tiled floors.

One of the more infamous attractions of Moscow is Lenin's embalmed body, housed in Lenin's Mausoleum. Other highlights include Novodevichy Convent, one of the finest examples of 16th- and 17th-century architecture in the city, and home to a museum of ancient and rare Russian art. The neighbouring Prechistenka and Ostozhenka Streets feature urban estates and mansions associated with many classic Russian authors, such as Tolstoy. Arbat Street is the main pedestrian thoroughfare of a traditionally bohemian quarter, crammed with artists, crafts stalls and street performers. The Moskva River offers a superb vantage point to view the White House (the Parliament Building), scene of the dramatic siege of 1991, and boat tours may be taken from the Kutuzovskaya Pier to take in this, and many other sights.

Those looking for entertainment should take in a show at the world-famous Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre at Teatralnaya Square, the location for the premiere of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. Alternatively, visit the Moscow Circus, with clowns, animal acts and technical wonders. Just outside Moscow is Star City, a cosmonaut training complex open to visitors.

St Petersburg

St Petersburg, spread over 42 islands in the delta of the River Neva, is Russia's second-largest city. Built by Peter the Great in 1703, the city remained the capital for 200 years of Tsarist Russia, before changing its name to Petrograd at the start of the first world war, then Leningrad, before reverting back to its original name in 1991. Its bridges, tranquil canals, wide boulevards, and stunning tsarist architecture have led to the city becoming known as the 'Venice of the North'. In June and July the city experiences 'White Nights', when darkness recedes to a brief twilight and the city is graced with an extraordinary aura.

Europe's fourth largest city is one of the most culturally significant too, as the birthplace of Dostoyevsky, Shostakovich and the Russian Revolution. The homes of Dostoyevsky, Pushkin, Anna Akhmatova and Rimsky-Korsakov serve as museums dedicated to their former occupants. The cruiser Aurora is berthed on the Neva; in 1917, a blank shot was fired from her bow to signal to start the assault on the Winter Palace, and Lenin also announced the victory of the Revolution from here.

Visitors should head to Palace Square to wonder at the Winter Palace and browse the Hermitage's fabulous art collection. Also worth a visit is the wonderfully decorated Yusupov Mansion, built for the Romanovs. A waxwork exhibition commemorates Rasputin, who died in the building, and the mansion's concert hall is now a venue for theatrical productions, recitals, ballet and opera.

On the outskirts of St Petersburg are number of palaces, collectively known as the Summer Palaces. These include:

• The Grand Catherine Palace at Tsarskoye Selo, built for Tsar Peter the Great's wife. Its park, designed by the Italian Gonzago, is one of the finest landscaped parks in Europe. Some of the place's interiors were designed by the Scottish architect Charles Cameron, who also designed the subtle buildings at nearby Pavlovsk, which were intended to complement the beauty of the parkland.
• Oranienbaum, built as the summer residence of Alexander Menshikov, Peter the Great's associate. The palace's Sliding Hill and Chinese Pavilions are particularly beautiful.
• Petrodvorets, the former summer palace of Peter the Great, known for its beautiful fountains and cascades.

Siberia

Covering 12,800,000 sq km, Siberia (translated as 'sleeping land') is a vast stretch of marshy forest and plain. The area contains a million lakes and over 50,000 rivers, and is probably best experienced via the Trans-Siberian Railway, the longest continuous railway in the world, which crosses the landscape of arctic wastes, tundra and steppe. Although Siberia may once have been associated with permafrost and salt mines, the southern Altai region of the area rivals Switzerland for snowy peaks, rolling hills, pine forests and flowers. The temperature in winter falls well below freezing point, but the weather in summer can be very warm. Undiscovered areas of Siberia, on the borders of Mongolia and Kazakhstan where summer temperatures reach 22°C (71°F), are heady with the scents of herbs, flowers and trees.

Volgograd

Formerly known as Stalingrad, Volgograd lies at the confluence of the Don and Volga rivers. The whole city is a monument to the year-long battle that took place there in 1942-3, which became the pivotal turning point in the war against Germany. Volgograd is home to the Victory Museum, which celebrates the victory over the Nazis. Tours to the battlefields are also available.