Explore Russia with Express to Russia. Russian travel made easy

Travel to Russia with our professional guides

Express to Russia » City Excursions » Excursions in different Russian cities

Ekaterinburg

Yekaterinburg was founded in 1723 and named after Saint Catherine, the namesake of Tsar Peter the Great’s wife Empress Catherine I (Yekaterina). Soon after the Russian Revolution, on 17 July, 1918, Tsar Nicolas II, his wife, Alexandra, and their children Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia and Tsarevich Alexei were executed by the Bolsheviks at the Ipatiev House where they were being held prisoner. Yekaterinburg is also famous for being located directly on the border between the Europe and Asia. It is also the city of Russia’s first president Boris Yeltsin.

»» See Ekaterinburg Excursions

Irkutsk

Irkutsk has over 600,000 people and is located on the Angara River. It is the starting point for many who adventure to the Lake Baikal area because it is a major point on the Trans-Siberian/Trans-Mongolian train route. Founded by Russians in 1652 as a major fort beyond the Ural Mountains, it was populated by exiled political prisoners sent by the tsars and communists. Today, the city has become a college town with many young people attending universities there.

»» See Irkutsk Excursions

Khabarovsk

Khabarovsk is the industrial, transport, administrative and cultural center of the Khabarovsk region. Khabarovsk was founded in 1858 as a military outpost, and is 8532km east of Moscow. Its numerous parks, riverside paths and historic downtown area make Khabarovsk a favorite place with visitors to the region. Russian masterpieces, early Slavic icons and a collection of Western European art can be enjoyed in the beautifully restored Fine Arts Museum overlooking the Amur River. It is within 30km of the Chinese border, but still retains a strong European feel and influence, most notably in the form of distinctive 19th century brick buildings and broad tree-lined main streets.

»» See Khabarovsk Excursions

Krasnoyarsk

Krasnoyarsk was founded in 1628 as a Russian border fort to protect the frontier from attacks of native peoples who lived along Yenisei and its tributaries. An intensive growth of Krasnoyarsk began with the arrival of the Siberian Road (the M53 nowadays) in 1735 which connected Krasnoyarsk with the rest of Russia. Growth continued with the discovery of gold and the arrival of the railroad in 1895. In the 19th century Krasnoyarsk was the center of the Siberian Cossack movement. By the end of the 19th century Krasnoyarsk had several manufacturing facilities, railroad workshops and an engine-house. During the time of the Russian Empire, Krasnoyarsk was one of the places to which political exiles were banished. Eight Decembrists were deported from St. Petersburg to Krasnoyarsk after the failure of the Decembrist revolt. During Soviet times the city became a large industrial center and today remains an important Siberian city.

»» See Krasnoyarsk Excursions

Novgorod

Novgorod the Great was the first official capital of Russia and is one of Russia’s most interesting towns containing some of Russia’s greatest jewels of architecture. The Kremlin of Novgorod is the oldest in Russia dating back to 864. The cathedral of St. Sophia dominates the structure of the Kremlin. Built between 1045 and 1050 under the patronage of Vladimir Yaroslavich, the son of Yaroslav the Wise. It is the best preserved of 11th century churches, probably the oldest structure still in use in Russia and the first one to represent original features of Russian architecture (austere stone walls, five helmet-like cupolas). It is adorned with beautiful frescoes from the 12th century and icons. The dome of the cathedral is made in the form of a huge helmet, to show the defendant power of the city. Another notable monument is the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Yaroslav´s Court. This cathedral was built to store an icon, believed to have magical powers. Novgorod is also home to the Yuriev Monastery, a medieval religious complex built in 1030 along the Volkov River.

»» See Novgorod Excursions

Novosibirsk

Novosibirsk is the third largest city in Russia after Moscow and St. Petersbirg and the largest Siberian city. The city was founded in 1893 at the future site of a Trans-Siberian Railway bridge crossing the great Ob river. The city was first named Novonikolayevsk in honor of both Saint Nicholas and Tsar Nicholas II. During Stalin’s industrialization of Russia, the city experienced rapid growth and became one of the major seats of industry in the Soviet Union. In the 1950s, the scientific research complex of Akademgorodok was constructed about 30 km south of the city center. The Siberian Branch of the Academy of Sciences is headquartered in Akademgorodok and the town hosts a total of fourteen research institutions and universities making it one of the most important centers for science research in the world. In 1962, Novosibirsk reached a population of one million. At that time, it was the youngest city in the world with over a million people. Novosibirsk took fewer than seventy years to achieve this milestone.

»» See Novosibirsk Excursions

Ulan-Ude

Ulan-Ude is the capital city of the Buryat Republic of Russia and is located about 100 km (66 miles) south-east of Lake Baikal on the Uda River at its confluence with the Selenga. The first occupants of the area where Ulan-Ude now stands were the Evenks and later the Buryat Mongols. The city was initially founded in 1666 by Russian Cossacks as a fortress. Due to its favorable geographical position, the city grew rapidly and became a large trade center which connected Russia with China and Mongolia. The Trans-Siberian Railway reached the city in 1900 causing an explosion in growth. The population which was 3,500 in 1880 reached 126,000 in 1939. On 27 July 1934, the city was renamed Ulan-Ude. Today the city has a population of about 360,000. You will definitely get a taste of the East when in Ulan Ude. The major religion of the area is Buddhism and you will see Buddhist monuments and temples during your time here.

»» See Ulan-Ude Excursions

Vladivostok

Vladivostok which means the Lord of the East is Russia’s largest port city on the Pacific Ocean situated at the head of the Golden Horn Bay and near the border of China and North Korea. The city is home to the Russian Pacific Fleet. The territory on which modern Vladivostok is located had been part of many nations, including the Mongol Empire and China and in the past was populated by many Chinese, Manchu and Koreans. Russia acquired the region in 1858 at the end of China’s Opium War with Britain. The naval outpost was founded in 1859 by Count Nikolay Muravyov Amursky who named it Vladivostok which is translated as “Lord of the East.” An elaborate system of fortifications was erected between the 1870s and 1890s and a telegraph line from Vladivostok to Shanghai and Nagasaki was opened in 1871. The city´s economy was given a boost in 1903, with the completion of the Trans-Siberian Railway. The city was fiercely fought over during the Russian Civil War but finally taken by the Red Army in October of 1922. This battle marked the end of the Russian Civil War and consolidation of power by the Soviets. Since that time, Vladivostok has been Russia’s main cultural, trade and militarily important city on the Pacific Coast.

»» See Vladivostok Excursions