Trip to Moscow, Sochi and Sankt-Petersburg

Moscow, the political, historical and economic capital of Russia, displays the country's most extreme contrasts. The old and the modern come together perfectly in this city of 10 million people. The Russian capital is today a dazzling metropolis whose sheer grandeur never fails to amaze. Take the metro from one of the ornate stations to get close to the city’s main attractions that are a symbol of the great and terrible past of the city. The remains of the Soviet state are scattered all around the city. Monuments remember fallen heroes and victorious battles, while museums attempt to analyse and synthesise the past. See Lenin and Stalin – off their pedestals – at the whimsical Art Muzeon. Step into the Socialist Realist fantasy at VDNKh. Descend into the depths of the Soviet system at Bunker-42 Cold War Museum. And remember the millions who suffered at the Gulag History Museum. Nowadays, many fun or clever retro clubs and cafes give their guests a taste of the Soviet experience. The very founding site of the city (and arguably, the country), the Kremlin and Red Square are still at the heart of Moscow – historically, geographically and spiritually. Among the city’s most recognisable sights are the almost cartoon-like onion domes of St Basil’s Cathedral that tower above Red Square, UNESCO gems that were built between the 14th and 17th centuries. Modern-day Moscow defies its grey Soviet past and has developed a hedonistic atmosphere and the sense that great things are once again happening here. Shopping for designer labels at frighteningly expensive boutiques has become a national sport, but Moscow is regarded as one of the world’s most culturally sophisticated capitals, with world-class institutions like the Bolshoi Theatre, the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts. The city is also proud of its great writers, playwrights, composers, choreographers, and film-makers. Glitzy, historical and screaming hedonism, Moscow is truly beguiling.

Sochi is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located on the Black Sea coast near the border between Georgia/Abkhazia and Russia. The Greater Sochi area, which includes territories and localities subordinated to Sochi proper and sprawls for 145 kilometers along the shores of the Black Sea near the Caucasus Mountains. Being part of the Caucasian Riviera, it is one of the very few places in Russia with a subtropical climate, with warm to hot summers and mild winters. MAIN TOURISTS ATTRACTION • Stalinist period Empire Style buildings. The modern-period architecture history in Sochi started from the general construction plan of 1934. • Loo temple. Located at the hilltop away from the sea, it was initially built in 10-12 centuries, rebuilt in 14th century and converted into a fortress in 15-16 centuries. • Anchor and Cannon. The oldest monument in the city, built in 1913. An original 19th century cannon and 18th century anchor symbolize the victory of Russian army in Russian-Ottoman war of 1828-1829 . • The Singing Fontains. Located in the center of the city, at the corner of Kurortny Prospekt and Navaginskaya street, at the entrance to Sochi Trade Gallery. A pool with numerous water streams, and special sound and visual hardware, allowing the water to ""sing"" and ""dance"" in rhythym. • Olympic Countdown Clock. Installed and launched in May and June of 2011, 1,000 days before the start of Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Games. • Sochi Art Museum. The museum occupies one of the most beautiful buildings of Sochi, built in 1936. Its collection is the largest at the Black Sea coast. The exposition expands with new paintings of Sochi artists, regular solo exhibitions are organized. • Sochi History Museum. This museum is one of the oldest cultural sights in the city, was open in 1920. The exposition embraces the important milestones of the city's history, archaelogical findings, nature and famous people. • Riviera Park. The most popular and the biggest public park of Greater Sochi, established in 1898 and fully renovated 100 years after. Riviera is an all-season sight. The Green Theatre of the park is a venue for frequent concerts and festivals. But the main point of interest is probably Friendship Alley, established in 1960, with trees planted by famous politicians, celebrities and other well-known people. • Dendrarium. The best park at the Black Sea coast, where a wide variety of trees' species is collected. • Frunze Park. One of the oldest resort parks in the city, located in the coastal park of Khosta district, near Dendrarium, having at its area the Summer Theatre, venues for sports, and an amazing cascaded fontain.

Inextricably linked to the major events of Soviet Union, St. Petersburg cannot escape its imperial past. Physically, at least, St. Petersburg has been the city of the tsars since Peter the Great founded the city in a swamp and moved the capital here from Moscow in 1712 to provide greater contact with the West. Many of the major baroque and neoclassical buildings and well-designed streets and landscaped parks are the work of imperial French and Italian architects. St. Petersburg, Russia’s second largest city, is often called Russia’s Western Gate, and the City of White Nights. For a splendid overview of the city, climb the dome of St. Isaac’s Cathedral on Isaakievskaya square, a massive example of 19th century civic-religious architecture; its dome is covered in pure gold. Nearby, on Senate Square overlooking the Neva, is Falconet’s Monument to Peter the Great. Peter and Paul Fortress was founded by Peter the Great and was erected in just one year between 1703 and 1704 during the Great Northern War against Sweden. The fortress was never used to defend the city but it was used as a political prison under the Tsar. Inside the fortress is the main attraction for visitors: the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul containing the tombs of Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, Nicholas II and other tsars. Nevsky Prospect is St. Petersburg’s main avenue and one of the best-known streets in Russia. The buildings along Nevsky Prospekt are a treasure house for art-nouveau-fans. Nevsky Prospect is also the city’s central shopping street and the hub of the city’s entertainment and nightlife. Even if the rest of the city were non-existent, the Hermitage alone would merit a week-long visit to St. Petersburg. Located in the magnificent, luxurious Winter Place, former residence of the tsars, this collection of art unquestionably ranks among the world’s finest. But before you immerse yourself in the art, take in the main halls where the tsar reigned and entertained, especially the awesome Malachite Hall, where the provisional Government held its last meeting before the revolution exploded around it. Cool and aristocratic St. Petersburg is a magnificent city with beautiful architecture everywhere. Often described as the Venice of the North, St Petersburg is a city defined by water. Whether you’re cruising the elegant canals, crossing one of the 342 bridges in the city, or just watching them being raised over the mighty Neva River at night to allow ships to pass through, you’re never far from water in St Petersburg.