June 16th saw the beginning of the most watched spectacle on planet earth; The Soccer World Cup. Sitting at home, on the edge of your seat, wishing you could be in Russia screaming your lungs out. But is football the only reason to head over to this massive country?
You may be late to experience the excitement of soccer in this giant country, but the passion for discovery has no time limit! Apart from football, we have excuses for you to travel to Russia. For the cheapest flights click here, or to convince yourself, let us take you to the article!
1- BECAUSE MOSCOW
Moscow is one of the most touristic capitals in the world. The Kremlin Palace, the Red Square, and St. Vasil Cathedral are great alternatives for taking a breath during the summer months. While the old and the new Arbat streets fill your day with cafés and restaurants, Tverskaya Street is waiting for you as the number one address for nightlife.
2– BECAUSE KAMCHATKA
We admit it’s not easy to go and it’s too expensive, but it’s the Kamchatka! House to the salmons, the land where you see bears catching salmon from the river.
Why should a sane person travel to this lands covered with ice and snow for the most part of the year? Rich and unique wildlife, including grizzly bears, snow sheep, deer, wolves, foxes, sea eagles, 9 different whale species, seabird colonies and otters, is just some of the reasons to visit Kamchatka. If you are not yet convinced, the volcanic mountain chain, where the world’s largest active volcano is found, might attract your interest 🙂
No matter how much we describe this unique land, we know that it’s not possible to give enough information about Kamchatka in this article, the place deserves a lot of research before travel.
3- BECAUSE FOOD
Photo Credit: purchasesharesonline.com
Not something Russia is known for when you consider the leading cuisines of the world, but to say they don’t have some tasty dishes would be a great injustice. Whether you’re dining on stuffed pastries (Piroshki), Borsch soup, Russian dumplings (Pelmeni), traditional Tatar pie, crescent shaped burritos (Chudu), or perhaps a sweet donut (Pyshki), you’ll be in food heaven. Lest we forget about the visitors to Sochi who will be gorging themselves on Black Sea steamed flavours.
Hungry?
Us too.
4- BECAUSE ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE
It’s hard to imagine the sheer size of Russia, but we’ll try to help you out. This year the World Cup is being played across 4 different time zones. Think that’s a lot? At least fans didn’t have to deal with all the 11 time zones taking place in this massive country (these 11 become 9 when the Eastern clocks are turned forward).
Russia has territories in both Asia and Europe. This land is 2 times bigger than the US. Or 5 times bigger than India. In the photo, you can see the size difference with China, the most populous country in the world.
Thinking that you are in such a big geography, walking around in Russian cities will make you feel very small 🙂
5- BECAUSE WHITE NIGHTS
Photo Credit: vogue.com
You can experience the white nights from the end of May until the middle of July, and it’s like being in a fairy tale. Also known as a recurring subject in Dostoyevsky’s stories, St. Petersburg hosts these amazing nights. With the sunrise at 3 o’clock in the early morning and sunset at midnight, the white nights are one of the greatest events for daytime lovers and are one of the most beautiful wonders of nature. The city is also famous for being the hometown of many famous writers/artists such as Tchaikovsky, Pushkin, and Gogol. Those who are looking for inspiration now know where to go 🙂
6- BECAUSE THE MOST MOSTS ON EARTH
We have mentioned that Russia, with its vast lands, is the world’s largest country by area, but what else is there worth mentioning?
Russia has Europe’s largest and the world’s second largest national library.
It has Europe’s biggest and the world’s second biggest forest. Bye bye carbon dioxide!
The world’s biggest church bell is in the Kremlin and no, it doesn’t ring 🙂
Moscow is known as the city where the world’s richest people live in. A total of 78 billionaires live in this city.
Klyucevskaya Sopka, the world’s largest active volcano with a height of 4,750 meters, is located in Russia.
Lake Baikal, the world’s largest freshwater source, is also located in Russia. (31.500 km2)
St. Petersburg is home to the world’s deepest metro, sit tight, 100 meters!
The world’s oldest mountains, the world’s largest plain, Europe’s largest lake, the world’s biggest Medieval castle, Europe’s longest river… Russia has much more to offer than the World Cup.