Top 100 places to visit in Russia
100 must-see places and attractions in Russia, from famous landmarks to hidden gems, each with a map and photos.
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100 places
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1Landmark
Red Square
Historic central square bordered by the Kremlin, St Basil's Cathedral, GUM and Lenin's Mausoleum.
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2Castle & palace
Moscow Kremlin
Fortified complex of palaces, cathedrals and the Armoury Chamber at the heart of Moscow.
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3Museum & gallery
State Hermitage Museum
Vast art and culture collection housed in the Winter Palace and adjoining buildings.
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4Religious site
St Basil's Cathedral
16th-century cathedral with colourful onion domes, commissioned by Ivan the Terrible.
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5Castle & palace
Peterhof Palace and Gardens
Imperial palace on the Gulf of Finland with the Grand Cascade and hundreds of fountains.
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6Lake & river
Lake Baikal
World's deepest and oldest freshwater lake, a UNESCO site known for its clear water and ice.
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7Religious site
Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood
Onion-domed church covered inside with mosaics, built where Alexander II was assassinated.
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8Castle & palace
Catherine Palace
Baroque imperial palace at Tsarskoye Selo, home to the reconstructed Amber Room.
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9Historic site
Kizhi Pogost
UNESCO-listed island ensemble of wooden churches, including the 22-domed Transfiguration Church.
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10Castle & palace
Kazan Kremlin
UNESCO-listed citadel containing the Kul Sharif Mosque, Annunciation Cathedral and Söyembikä Tower.
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11Religious site
St Isaac's Cathedral
Monumental 19th-century cathedral whose colonnade offers views across St Petersburg.
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12Religious site
Trinity Lavra of St Sergius
UNESCO-listed monastery and spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church.
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13Museum & gallery
State Tretyakov Gallery
Leading collection of Russian art, from medieval icons to early 20th-century painting.
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14Old town & city
Suzdal
Golden Ring town of white-stone churches, monasteries, a kremlin and a wooden architecture museum.
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15Historic site
Peter and Paul Fortress
Founding citadel of St Petersburg, with the cathedral where the Romanov emperors are buried.
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16Landmark
Bolshoi Theatre
Historic theatre and home of the renowned Bolshoi Ballet and Opera companies.
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17Landmark
Moscow Metro
Underground railway famed for stations decorated with marble, mosaics and chandeliers.
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18Nature & national park
Valley of Geysers
Remote valley in the Kronotsky Reserve with dozens of geysers and hot springs.
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19Mountain & viewpoint
Mount Elbrus
Dormant volcano and Europe's highest peak at 5,642 metres, reached by cable cars.
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20Island
Solovetsky Islands
White Sea archipelago with a fortified 15th-century monastery and Gulag-era history.
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21Castle & palace
Veliky Novgorod Kremlin
Ancient citadel containing St Sophia Cathedral and the Millennium of Russia monument.
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22Religious site
Assumption Cathedral, Vladimir
12th-century white-stone cathedral with frescoes by Andrei Rublev, near the Golden Gate.
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23Museum & gallery
Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts
Major museum of European art, from antiquities to Impressionist and modern paintings.
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24Museum & gallery
State Russian Museum
Museum of Russian art in the Mikhailovsky Palace, from icons to the avant-garde.
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25Landmark
Mariinsky Theatre
Historic opera and ballet theatre, home of the company that premiered many Russian classics.
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26Neighbourhood & street
Nevsky Prospekt
St Petersburg's main avenue of palaces, churches, shops and canal bridges.
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27Landmark
Palace Square
Grand square framed by the Winter Palace and General Staff Building, with the Alexander Column.
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28Religious site
Novodevichy Convent
UNESCO-listed fortified convent in Moscow baroque style, beside a notable cemetery.
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29Old town & city
Yaroslavl Historic Centre
UNESCO-listed Volga city centre with frescoed 17th-century churches and a monastery.
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30Castle & palace
Pavlovsk Palace
Classical palace of Emperor Paul I surrounded by one of Russia's largest landscape parks.
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31Castle & palace
Rostov Kremlin
17th-century metropolitan's residence with churches and bells on Lake Nero.
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32Religious site
Church of the Intercession on the Nerl
Elegant 12th-century white-stone church standing alone in water meadows.
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33Historic site
Kolomenskoye
Former royal estate above the Moskva with the UNESCO-listed Church of the Ascension.
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34
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35Historic site
Mamayev Kurgan
Memorial complex to the Battle of Stalingrad, dominated by 'The Motherland Calls' statue.
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36Nature & national park
Curonian Spit
UNESCO-listed sand spit with high dunes, the 'Dancing Forest' and a bird-ringing station.
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37Museum & gallery
Yasnaya Polyana
Leo Tolstoy's family estate, preserved with his house, park and grave.
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38Castle & palace
Pskov Kremlin
Medieval stone citadel with the Trinity Cathedral at the confluence of two rivers.
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39Religious site
Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery
Large fortified monastery on Lake Siverskoye with an important icon collection.
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40Religious site
Ferapontov Monastery
UNESCO-listed monastery whose cathedral holds frescoes painted by Dionisy in 1502.
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41Castle & palace
Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin
Red-brick fortress on a hill above the confluence of the Volga and Oka rivers.
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42Religious site
Ipatiev Monastery
Walled monastery on the Kostroma River linked to the accession of the Romanov dynasty.
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43Island
Sviyazhsk
Island town founded by Ivan the Terrible, with the UNESCO-listed Assumption Monastery.
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44
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45Castle & palace
Derbent Citadel
UNESCO-listed Naryn-Kala fortress and walls in one of Russia's oldest cities.
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46Nature & national park
Kungur Ice Cave
Gypsum cave with ice formations, grottoes and underground lakes in the Urals.
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47Nature & national park
Ruskeala Mountain Park
Flooded marble quarry canyon with cliffs, walkways and boat trips.
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48Lake & river
Lake Teletskoye
Long mountain lake in Altai, part of the UNESCO-listed Golden Mountains of Altai.
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49
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50
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51Castle & palace
Yusupov Palace
Aristocratic palace on the Moika with lavish interiors and a private theatre.
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52
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53Park & garden
Zaryadye Park
Modern park beside the Kremlin with a floating bridge over the Moskva River.
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54Religious site
Cathedral of Christ the Saviour
Rebuilt 19th-century cathedral on the Moskva River, Russia's largest Orthodox church.
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55Religious site
Alexander Nevsky Lavra
Monastery founded by Peter the Great, with cemeteries holding Dostoevsky and Tchaikovsky.
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56
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57Castle & palace
Vyborg Castle
Swedish-founded medieval castle on an island in Vyborg Bay, with a museum.
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58Religious site
Kronstadt Naval Cathedral
Neo-Byzantine cathedral in the island naval town of Kronstadt.
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59Castle & palace
Oranienbaum
Palace and park ensemble including Peter III's palace and the Chinese Palace.
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60Religious site
Pskov-Caves Monastery
Monastery in a ravine with cave burial chambers, active since the 15th century.
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61
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62Historic site
Staraya Ladoga
Early Rus settlement with a stone fortress and 12th-century churches on the Volkhov.
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63Historic site
Borodino Battlefield
Museum reserve on the site of the 1812 battle, with monuments and a museum.
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64Religious site
New Jerusalem Monastery
Monastery with a cathedral modelled on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
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65Castle & palace
Arkhangelskoye Estate
Neoclassical Yusupov estate with terraced gardens above the Moskva River.
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66Castle & palace
Kuskovo Estate
18th-century Sheremetev summer estate with a palace, formal garden and ceramics museum.
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67
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68Museum & gallery
Museum of Cosmonautics
Space history museum beneath the soaring Monument to the Conquerors of Space.
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69Castle & palace
Tula Kremlin
16th-century brick fortress in the centre of Tula, near museums of arms and samovars.
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70Historic site
Kolomna Kremlin
Remains of a 16th-century fortress enclosing historic streets, churches and museums.
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71Historic site
Vologda Kremlin
Historic ensemble with St Sophia Cathedral, its bell tower and museums of lace.
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72Historic site
Uglich Kremlin
Volga-side kremlin with the Church of St Dmitry on the Blood and a palace chamber.
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73Old town & city
Plyos
Small Volga town that inspired painter Isaac Levitan, with a museum and riverside views.
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74
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75Religious site
Church on the Blood
Church built on the site of the house where the last Romanov family was killed.
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76
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77Old town & city
Irkutsk Historic Centre
Siberian city centre with carved wooden houses, churches and the Decembrists' museums.
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78Nature & national park
Stolby Nature Reserve
Forest reserve with tall volcanic rock pillars popular with walkers and climbers.
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79Mountain & viewpoint
Mount Belukha
Highest peak of the Altai Mountains at 4,506 metres, with glaciers and trekking routes.
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80Nature & national park
Lena Pillars
UNESCO-listed rock pillars rising above the Lena River in Yakutia.
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81Nature & national park
Putorana Plateau
Remote UNESCO-listed plateau of canyons, lakes and waterfalls above the Arctic Circle.
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82
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83
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84Island
Russky Island
Island linked to Vladivostok by a cable-stayed bridge, with forts, bays and an oceanarium.
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85Mountain & viewpoint
Khibiny Mountains
Arctic mountain range above the Arctic Circle for skiing, hiking and the northern lights.
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86
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87Museum & gallery
Nuclear Icebreaker Lenin
The world's first nuclear-powered surface ship, now a museum.
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88Nature & national park
Manpupuner Rock Formations
Seven weathered stone pillars on a plateau in the Northern Urals.
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89Museum & gallery
Khokhlovka Architectural-Ethnographic Museum
Open-air museum of wooden Ural buildings on a peninsula in the Kama Reservoir.
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90Mountain & viewpoint
Dombay
Mountain resort in the Teberda Reserve with glaciers, ski slopes and hiking trails.
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91Nature & national park
Sulak Canyon
Deep canyon with a turquoise river and reservoir in the mountains of Dagestan.
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92Archaeological site
Dargavs Necropolis
Hillside medieval burial ground of stone crypts in a mountain valley.
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93Park & garden
Kislovodsk Resort Park
Extensive spa park with walking trails, mineral springs and mountain views.
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94Mountain & viewpoint
Krasnaya Polyana
Mountain resort area above Sochi, host to the 2014 Winter Olympic mountain events.
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95Religious site
Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni
Large Buddhist temple in Europe's only Buddhist-majority region, Kalmykia.
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96Historic site
Astrakhan Kremlin
16th-century white-walled citadel with the Assumption Cathedral near the Volga.
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97Nature & national park
Volga Delta
Vast wetland of channels and lotus fields, rich in birds and fish, where the Volga meets the Caspian.
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98Nature & national park
Samarskaya Luka National Park
Park inside the Volga's great bend with the forested Zhiguli Mountains.
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99Religious site
Königsberg Cathedral
Restored Brick Gothic cathedral on Kant Island, with Immanuel Kant's tomb.
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100Neighbourhood & street
Tomsk Wooden Architecture
Streets of intricately carved 19th- and early 20th-century wooden houses.
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