Since its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has been put under severe sanctions in multiple ways. The newfound difficulty to leave the country for tourism or other needs, while initially overwhelming and upsetting to Russian citizens, quickly became a reason to remind themselves of the wonders within their own country. Tourism within Russia spiked, from Kaliningrad to Sakhalin, people began to travel around the country for cheaper, and more efficiently.
“I always dreamed of going to Iceland, but my August 2022 trip fell through, after the February events. I was distraught, but decided to look into Kamchatka. I came back in awe of my country, and completely forgot about Iceland.” – Stanislav Tkachenko.
Stanislav Tkachenko by Elisaveta Semasheva
Warm beaches in Turkey became replaced by the pebbles in Sochi, atmospheric European buildings have been found in Kaliningrad, and breathtaking Icelandic landscapes are not to be put above the beauty of Kamchatka and Sakhalin.
Kaliningrad by Elisaveta Semasheva
Russian tourists are exploring more of their own country, beating the record of domestic tourism, as it spiked 20%, reaching 78 million trips. The Ural Mountain Range has welcomed over two million tourists since the start of the year, and the Tver Oblast released 19 new family-friendly tourist routes. However Russian tourism doesn’t have to be limited to the more exotic places, even the little towns become popular, as most carry a lot of history behind them. The Olympic Village in Adler, the Gingerbread Museums of Tula, and the World War Two memorials in Volgograd (among many others) became destinations just as important as Moscow and St. Petersburg, as they teach children about the vast, tragic, and beautiful history of their country.
St. Petersburg by Elisaveta Semasheva
Tula by Elisaveta Semasheva
Nonetheless, Moscow and St. Petersburg are still not forgotten, as they still remain two of the more popular destinations, making it a struggle to catch a train in either direction. While the “Platzkart” and public compartment trains are still an option, even if most seats are usually booked months in advance, the high-speed train “Sapsan” becomes less efficient, with no available seats for months in advance for a reasonable price. That is due to the German company Siemens terminating working with Russia, and therefore causing a lack of materials to repair, or build new high-speed trains (Tatiana Serebryakova, 2024).
Sapsan Train by Elisaveta Semasheva
“Having travelled quite a lot around the world before the war, I was sad I won’t get to see as many new sights. But having visited the opposite corners of Russia, needless to say, I was not disappointed. I forgot how proud I am of being where I’m from.” – Ivan Linnikov.
Sakhalin by Elisaveta Semasheva
Whether one prefers finding magnificent natural landscapes, hiking a mountain and reconnecting with nature in their travels, or admiring historical architecture, trying food from different parts of the country and learning how different all the cultures within Russia are, the country is big enough to accommodate the needs of both. From the depths of Baikal to the high-rise points of Moscow City, the views are equally as beautiful, and underline the diversity that exists within the nation.
