Tours of Russia

Russia, Belarus and the Baltics

Tour Map of Russia, Belarus and the Baltics

This is the perfect trip to introduce you to the legendary cities of the old Soviet Union. You'll visit 5 fascinating countries and stay in 6 historic cities. Whilst in the Baltics you'll have the chance to marvel at Tallinn's Old Town, Riga's Freedom Monument and Vilnius University. In Minsk you can stroll down Independence Avenue. Then in Moscow you'll ride the metro to the Red Square and visit the Hermitage in St. Petersburg and Catherine's Palace at Pushkin. This trip is a must for anyone looking to soak up the history and culture of Eastern Europe.

Get beyond the tourist façade of the countries you visit. Focus on the local culture, past and present, and discover the lifeblood of any country – its people. Discovery and culture tours uncover different ways of life, and offer the opportunity to meet and sometimes stay with local people or tribal groups. Our discovery tours explore cultural sites – both ancient and modern – and help you learn about the people and their culture. Visit the remote tribes of Ethiopia’s Rift Valley, live the nomad life in desert camps or meet the local people of the high Andean altiplano in Peru. There’s no better way to get to the true heart of a country than through its people.

Treasures Of The Tsars

Tour Map of Treasures Of The Tsars

We begin this tour in the megacity Moscow and travel by train to discover Russia's 'Golden Ring': the historic cities of Sergiev Posad, Vladimir and Suzdal. We also explore the Red Square and Kremlin in Moscow and visit the majestic Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg.

Get beyond the tourist façade of the countries you visit. Focus on the local culture, past and present, and discover the lifeblood of any country – its people. Discovery and culture tours uncover different ways of life, and offer the opportunity to meet and sometimes stay with local people or tribal groups. Our discovery tours explore cultural sites – both ancient and modern – and help you learn about the people and their culture. Visit the remote tribes of Ethiopia’s Rift Valley, live the nomad life in desert camps or meet the local people of the high Andean altiplano in Peru. There’s no better way to get to the true heart of a country than through its people.

Moscow and St Petersburg

Tour Map of Moscow and St Petersburg

On this short tour we explore in-depth Russia's two most important cities. In Moscow we visit the Kremlin, the 16th century St Basil's Cathedral and Lenin's embalmed body in its Red Square mausoleum. Later we discover the contrasting architecture of St Petersburg, whose vast and flamboyant palaces were once home to the Tsars.

Kaliningrad Short Break

Tour Map of Kaliningrad Short Break

On this short break we explore the little known Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. From Gdansk we will travel to Kaliningrad city before heading out to learn more about amber mining in the beautiful Baltic coastal resort of Svetlogorsk. A full day in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Curonian Spit National Park is our last excursion within the Russian borders before we return to Gdansk via the largest castle in the world, Malbork.

Russian Revolution

Tour Map of Russian Revolution

In the space of one year, 1917, Russia was ruled by three different governments. St Petersburg was Russia’s most opulent city and the home to its royal family. It is here that the February Revolution began, with riots over chronic food shortages; from here that the unelected Provisional Government ruled for eight months; and here that the ruthless Vladimir Lenin arrived just weeks later, to strengthen and lead the Bolsheviks into the military takeover that culminated with the October Revolution. On our new, fascinating tour, appreciate Russia’s greatest cities a century on - St Petersburg, the gilded backdrop for these momentous events, and Moscow, the grand new Bolshevik capital.

Magnificent Moscow and St Petersburg

Tour Map of Magnificent Moscow and St Petersburg

Moscow and St Petersburg vie for cultural supremacy in Russia, both presenting enthralling, spectacular and iconic sights to the traveller. This wonderful two-centre holiday includes the best of these imperial treasure-houses with plenty of expertly guided visits - to Moscow’s Red Square, Kremlin and colourful St Basil’s Cathedral, St Petersburg’s renowned Hermitage Museum and opulent Peterhof Palace amongst them. Look out for travel companies using the uncomfortable overnight train between the two cities; we offer the new, high speed Sapsan train that whisks you from Moscow to St Petersburg in a little over four hours.

Winter Palaces of Russia

Tour Map of Winter Palaces of Russia

Moscow and St Petersburg vie for cultural supremacy in Russia, both presenting enthralling, spectacular and iconic highlights. This wonderful two-centre holiday combines the best of these imperial treasure-houses, with departures in January and February, allowing you to truly experience their winter beauty. Red Square, the Kremlin and colourful St Basil’s Cathedral, are cosmopolitan Moscow’s unmissable sights and, after travelling by high-speed Sapsan train to St Petersburg, you will see the renowned Hermitage Museum and the Baroque Catherine Palace in their winter finery, with an included ride in a traditional Russian troika through the grounds of the latter, to enhance your Russian winter discovery.

Chechnya, Dagestan and Russia's Deep South

Chechnya, Grozny and Dagestan are names synonymous with the destruction and terror that followed their attempted breakaway from the Russia motherland following the break up of the soviet union. Yet the Caucasus is a place of great natural beauty with fascinating cultures set in the shadow of the mountains that mark the border between Europe and Asia. This trip offers a view into an region that remains almost unexplored by western visitors. We will visit four of Russia's least visited republics to get an insight in to life in Russia's restless underbelly. Starting in Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia's fading yet elegant capital, we'll travel to Beslan and the sobering memorials to the Beslan school massacre before passing through Ingushetia to Chechnya. There we will have time to see how the world's most destroyed city has been rebuilt into a gleaming capital complete with visible personality cult to the new Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. A truer insight into traditional Chechen life will be found in nearby Itum Kale where some of the regions best preserved traditional watch towers still are found. From there we'll pass through turbulent Dagestan staying in Makhachkala before heading down to the UNESCO world heritage town of Derbent. Derbent means “closed gate” in Persian and the town boasts the world's only surviving Sassanid fortress which used to be part of a 40km stretch of wall that kept the Persian empire safe from the barbarians to the north. A truly ground breaking trip into a much misunderstood region.

Russia: The North Caucasus - From The Black to the Caspian Sea

Tour Map of Russia: The North Caucasus - From The Black to the Caspian Sea

Wild Frontiers have been running trips to the Caucasus since 2004 and it is one of our favourite parts of the world, offering a wilder side to Europe with its striking scenery, proud history and unique culture.Our adventures have previously remained within the South Caucasus - namely Georgia and Azerbaijan - but we are now proud to be able to offer the chance to explore the remote villages and mountains of the North Caucasus; those once inaccessible republics of the Russian Federation. While it is true that the names of some of these republics - Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia in particular - have in recent years been more closely associated with conflict rather than tourism, the winds of change finally seem to be blowing through the region, making it now viable for those with an adventurous spirit to come and discover the authentic charm of these lands for themselves.On this epic journey of discovery, travelling from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea, we'll pass Europe's highest mountain Mt. Elbrus (5642m), discover UNESCO World Heritage sites in Dagestan, marvel at the medieval defence towers of Ingushetia and meet with the region's incredibly hospitable inhabitants who maintain their struggle to keep their ancient traditions alive amidst a rapidly changing world. This fascinating hidden world, where the very concept of tourism is still very much in its nascent stages, is just waiting to be discovered by those intrepid enough for the challenge.