One of the oldest squares in St. Petersburg, Senate Square was created in 1704, shortly after the city’s founding. On Dec. 26, 1825, the Russian political opposition organized an uprising on Senate Square, aiming to put an end to autocracy. Known as the Decembrist uprising, it was decisively suppressed. 

Surprisingly, the largest square in Russia isn’t located in Moscow or St. Petersburg, but in Samara on the Volga River. With an area of 15 hectares, Kuybyshev Square is also the largest in Europe. 

This square ended up feeling the impact of various state ideologies during the course of its history. Known as Hansaplatz in the early 20th century, it was renamed to Adolf Hitler Platz during the years of Nazi rule. When the city was ceded to the Soviet Union after the War, the square acquired its current name. Until 1958, one could see a statue of Stalin there, but then it was replaced with a Lenin monument.

This square, which is located in front of the Kazan kremlin, is the city’s calling card. All major city events are held here: Victory Day, and Tatarstan Republic Day, as well as music festivals and even a Formula One race.

St. Petersburg’s main square, Palace Square, got its name thanks to the adjacent Winter Palace, which was the official winter residence of the Russian emperors, but today it hosts the world-famous Hermitage Museum. Key revolutionary events of 1905 and 1917 happened on Palace Square.

Market Square in the city of Suzdal hasn’t changed much since the 12th century. Surrounded by ancient churches, monasteries and market stalls, it is today a favorite location for Soviet and Russian filmmakers.  

In 1714 construction started on the magnificent Peterhof Palace in the new city of Saint Petersburg. Peter the Great was personally involved in designing it as his dream was to turn it into Russia’s version of the Palace of Versailles in France. The palace and its terraced gardens, with gold fountains, are breathtakingly grand, making it one of the most impressive Russian palaces to tick off your bucket list. The palace houses several museums, including The Special Treasury Museum, The Court Entertainments Exhibition and Museum of Art Collectors. Due to its seaside location, it was also chosen to be the home of the Imperial Yachts Museum.Peterhof Palace is at Razvodnaya Ulitsa, 2, St Petersburg.

The opulent Catherine Palace is to the south of Saint Petersburg and is another palace you should not miss. In 1710, Peter the Great gifted the land to his wife, Catherine I, and the original palace was built a few years later. Catherine I passed on the estate to her daughter, Empress Elizabeth of Russia, who expanded the building to over 300 m long. Strong women continued to take possession of the palace, with the final major works occurring during the reign of Catherine the Great, the last Empress of Russia. Visitors to the palace can choose to tour the gorgeous interior rooms, manicured exterior gardens, or a combination of both. Highlights are the Great Hall and the Amber Room.

The Winter Palace is another highlight of Saint Petersburg because of its stunning architecture and the Hermitage Museum. The current building is the fourth version of the Winter Palace at the site. Peter I built the first palace in 1708 and the second in 1721. His son, Peter II, enlarged the palace in 1728 while three empresses, Empress Anna, Empress Elizabeth and then Catherine the Great, continued its construction. The Winter Palace houses the Hermitage Museum, one of the most significant art museums in the world, featuring artworks from Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Russia, the Italian Renaissance, and the Dutch Golden Age. There are works from most of the masters, including Van Gogh, Monet, Rembrandt, Rubens, Da Vinci, Matisse and Picasso.

The Kazan Kremlin has a history dating back to the 11th century when the original Tartar fortress was built. In the 15th century, Ivan the Terrible conquered it and ordered his people to transform it into the Christian See of the Volga Land and East. There are many interesting buildings to explore at the Kazan Kremlin, notably the Annunciation Cathedral and Kul Sharif Mosque, which represent two of the world’s largest faiths. You can also visit the Suyumbike tower, Tatarstan Museum of Natural History, market stalls and an observation deck. Next door is the National Museum of the Republic Tatarstan.

The largest cathedral in St. Petersburg and one of the biggest Orthodox church buildings in the country, its construction took 40 years, but the result was an amazingly beautiful building in Neoclassical style. The area of the cathedral is about 4,000 sq. m. and it is 101 meters in height. It can accommodate up to 12,000-14,000 people (In the 19th century, it was believed that the cathedral could accommodate 7,000, the difference being accounted for by the voluminous dresses worn by ladies at the time).

The largest cathedral in St. Petersburg and one of the biggest Orthodox church buildings in the country, its construction took 40 years, but the result was an amazingly beautiful building in Neoclassical style. The area of the cathedral is about 4,000 sq. m. and it is 101 meters in height. It can accommodate up to 12,000-14,000 people (In the 19th century, it was believed that the cathedral could accommodate 7,000, the difference being accounted for by the voluminous dresses worn by ladies at the time).

The capital of the Buddhist Republic of Kalmykia is the location of Europe's biggest Buddhist temple, built in 2005. Inside is a nine-meter statue of the Buddha. The temple of Tibetan Buddhism, which was blessed by the 14th Dalai Lama, is dedicated to the national Festival of Lamps and it also commemorates the deportation of Kalmyks to Siberia and the Far East in the Soviet period.

The temples of northern Russia differ from those that were built in the southern lands. The northern temples are squat, have powerful walls and narrow windows. This is due to the harsh climate. However, despite this, ancient architects created a monumental temple, 38 meters high.

The Assumption Cathedral is the main cathedral of Smolensk, in the Central region of Russia. The Assumption Cathedral is located on the top of the Cathedral Mountain, where in ancient times there was a wooden Kremlin. Smolensk is located on a hilly terrain, and the high walls and domes of the cathedral are visible from almost everywhere.

Was founded at the Tula gun factory in 1724. Displays the valuable collections of fire-and cold steel arms, Russian and foreign, army and experimental. Gives the chance to follow evolution of arms since the late 16-th century till the present day.

Museum of the World Ocean is one of the most innovative modern cultural institutions in Russia. It is more than just a museum – it’s also a cultural centre offering opportunities to see, learn about, and listen to everything marine. We try to connect different shores, cultures and people with our permanent expositions and temporary exhibitions, innovative ideas and ecological initiatives.Our vessels: Diesel/electric Submarine "B-413", Scientific-research Vessel "Vityaz", Research vessel of the Russian Aerospace Agency "Kosmonavt Victor Patsaev", Medium Catching Trawler "SRT-129", Icebreaker "Krasin". Main building and open territory: Aquariums with dwellers of various areas of the World ocean. Congress-hall for exhibitions, conferences and presentations. Exposition "Shores of the World". The lighthouse “Sperm-whale” pavilion. Open territory with oceanological and diving equipment, archeological findings. Landscape park "The Baltic Sea".

The Museum of Soviet Life, located in a former communal apartment in Kazan, is a kind of "time machine" that carries visitors to the Soviet era. Against the backdrop of appropriate interiors with old wiring and cast-iron batteries, the rarities of a country, that does not exist, are exhibited in the Museum of Soviet Life: a jacket made of party cards, homemade electric brush made of a soldering iron, Soviet Christmas toys, a pioneer uniform and film cameras. All the exhibits can be held in hands, examined and even tried on. A special pride of the museum is the hall of rock and roll glory, where homemade guitars, jeans with autographs, personal belongings of Russian musicians,

The Alexander Column was erected on Dvortsovaya Ploschad in 1834 by the architect Auguste Montferrand. With a height of 47.5 meters, it signified the victory of the Russian army over Napoleon and France in 1812. The Alexander Column is the tallest column in the world and is made of solid stone. It was named after both Emperor Alexander I, who defeated Napoleon, and the Pharos lighthouse in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and embodies the ultimate level of human achievement. This most beautiful monument in Russia is made of red granite processed in St Petersburg and weighs 600 tons. It is not dug firmly into the ground but is held on its weight solely by exact calculations.

Worker and Kolkhoz Woman represents a well-preserved example of socialist realism featuring ubiquitous Soviet imagery. Stop by the sculpture, originally designed for the Soviet pavilion at the 1937 Paris World’s Fairrising to a height of more than 25 m (82 ft). The stainless steel representing the laborers and collective farm workers of the USSR and the monument depicts a man and woman clutching their famous tools. Note that the figures are arranged so that their equipment forms the classic hammer-and-sickle symbol of the Communist Soviet government. 

Installed out the front of the Space Museum in Samara is an authentic Vostock rocket – the first rocket to send humans into space. It pays homage to Samara’s role in Russia’s space exploration; the city was where these rockets were assembled during Soviet times. It was installed in 2001 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first manned space flight, when cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin orbited the Earth in a Vostok on 12 April 1961 and cementing the Soviets as space pioneers.

Soaring victoriously above Volgograd, on what was the bloody battleground of the Battle of Stalingrad, The Motherland Calls is a hulking monument to one of the Soviet Union’s greatest World War II triumphs. She marks the Red Army’s defeat of the Nazis, in a conflict that saw over a million officers killed, captured or wounded – over half of the soldiers employed to fight. To symbolise the 200 day-long battle, 200 steps lead to the statue’s base. At the time of construction, in 1967, she was the tallest free-standing statue in the world, however now, stretching across 85 metres (279 feet), she is only the tallest statue of a female.

Prince Dmitry Pozharsky and merchant Kuzma Minin rallied together an army to ward off the Polish-Lithuanian forces and put an end to the Times of Troubles – the 15 years or so that were marked with widespread famine and civil unrest, when Russia was occupied by the Polish-Lithuanian coalition – in 1612. Erected to celebrate the bicentenary of the events, the base is made from slabs of granite hauled from Finland and carries a plaque depicting the sacrifice of personal property for the greater good of the nation. The statue sits in the Red Square, near St. Basil’s Cathedral.

Sochi is considered among the famous Russian national parks and this park was also started in the year 1983. This park is situated 1000 miles south of Moscow. It is quite impressive to notice that since the year 2007, Caucasian leopards have been introduced again in this park. The surroundings of this park are really attractive and pleasing. Waterfalls, caves, and canyons altogether make the atmosphere really enjoyable and you can also take pleasure swimming in the warm black sea. To reach this park, you need to take a flight from Moscow to Sochi and then from the Central Railway station of Sochi, you need to catch a bus. The entry fee to this park is 100 rubles.

The Summer Garden (Russian: Ле́тний сад, Letniy sad) is a historic public garden that occupies an eponymous island between the Neva, Fontanka, Moika, and the Swan Canal in downtown Saint Petersburg, Russia and shares its name with the adjacent Summer Palace of Peter the Great. Its inception dates back to early 18 century when Russia took these lands from Sweden in the Great Northern War.