You may have seen Moscow, you may have seen St Petersburg – you might even have toured the Golden Ring cities outside of the Russian capital, but still, you have barely begun to scratch the surface of what this magnificent country has to offer. So this week, Argophilia digs a little bit deeper and explores […]
Russian Federation
Moscow Planetarium Opens Its Doors
The planetarium in Moscow – closed down for 17 years – is finally reopening after sweeping renovations, billing itself as the largest planetarium in all of Europe with a massive 17,000 sq. meters of floor space. The renovations were first scheduled to begin back in 1994, only to be suspended for years by numerous lawsuits and scandals […]
Emirates Announce St Petersburg Route
The Dubai airline Emirates is to fly deeper into Russia than ever before with the announcement of new services to the northern city of St Petersburg, which will become the most northerly destination on their itinerary. The service to the city that is sometimes known as the “Northern Capital” of Russia will begin from November […]
A Wedding in St Petersburg: From Russia with Love
Las Vegas and Gretna Green are no longer your only options should you want to secretly elope with your loved one, for now it’s possible to get married in just 72 hours in St Petersburg in Russia. The new law, approved by the local government in St Petersburg, is set to bring a whole new […]
Russia’s Golden Ring Sees New Investment
A brand new development corporation in Russia has announced plans for an extensive redevelopment of the country’s “Golden Ring” of historical cities that surround the country’s capital Moscow. Known as the Golden Ring Development Corp., the organization has announced that it will invest more than $650 million in the ambitious plan over the next four […]
Sochi Winter Olympics Could Be Visa-Free
Visa free travel to Russia is set to become a reality at last – but only for winter sports fans. With Russian and EU ministers edging ever closer towards an agreement that would scrap the current complicated visa arrangements, Russia could be prepared to make a gesture of goodwill by making the Sochi Winter Olympics […]
Exploring Russia’s Wilderness
Few places offer such immense diversity when it comes to traveling as Russia, the world’s biggest country with wild forests, magnificent mountain ranges, grass steppes and deep blue seas stretching for thousands of miles in every direction. The Russian interior is a wilderness just waiting for the world to discover it. The only problem is, […]
Russian Arctic Tourism on the Agenda
Arctic tourism was high on the agenda during last week’s International Tourist Forum in Arkhangelsk, which was attended by over 400 experts, travel agencies and travel industry officials from seven different countries. According to Russian travel industry officials, Arctic tourism is becoming more and more popular as it remains one of the few exotic, largely […]
France, Russia Announce Ambitious Caucasus Development
The Presidents of France and Russia have announced a joint venture to transform the war-torn region of the north Caucasus into a premier tourist destination, they said on Thursday. The spectacular Caucasus Mountains, which have been the scene of a bloody Islamist insurgency in recent years, are an ideal location to develop ski resorts, the […]
Allegro High Speed Between Finland and Russia Booming
Since we reported on the Russia-Finland Free Visa issue, visitors to the Russian Federation via high speed rail have increased by 22 percent over the same period a year ago. According to the news, some 100,600 rail passengers traveled between Finland and Russia in the first quarter of 2011.
Russia Should Ease Visa Rules says World Tourism Organization Chief
Russia should undertake a review of its strict visa requirements and do more to make travel for foreign tourists in the country easier if they want to attract more visitors to the country, the World Tourism Organization chief has said. “Each nation has the ability to encourage increased tourism through regulation and procedure adjustment,” said […]
Austria Agrees to Ease Visa Restrictions for Russian Travelers
Austrian visas are set to become much easier for Russian citizens to obtain after the country’s president agreed to ease current restrictions, saying Vienna should be as liberal as possible when concerning the Schengen Agreement. “If the system works fine for Italy, France and Spain then I do not see why Austria shouldn’t adopt the […]