Places

The 4th most popular blog site in the world, www.livejournal.com, has been acquired by a Russian media company SUP. LiveJournal is the most popular blog platform in Russia and is used mainly by intellectuals and young people. For many people it's become the only independent source of information in Russian.

SUP's CEO Andrew Polson is well known in Russia for establishing the most popular entertainment magazine, Afisha.

This is the first regular bicycle tour in St Petersburg! The Sunday Morning Bike Tour is a perfect way to explore this flat and spread-out city. Admire the great panoramic views along the Neva and the canals, visit sites that are hard to get to otherwise – both major tourist landmarks and well-hidden corners only locals know.

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There are plenty of unique areas to walk around in St. Petersburg, and
they are not all architectural landmarks.

Way to Russia guide to Trans-Siberian railway was updated. Plan your journey, search for trains, see the photos, share experiences...


(photo by Celine Smith)

Click here to read the Trans-Siberian Guide

There was a tradition in the Soviet Union to paint the walls of houses with some propaganda-like images. Usually these images depicted glorious events, such as revolutions, demonstrations or huge construction sites, like this one here from Barnaul (Siberia):



Having served their purpose in the past, they are still an attractive sight to a passer-by. But what happens when state-sponsored graffiti artists let their inner vision out in the modern Russia?

The Aeroflot sale only comes twice a year (at the start of spring and the start of autumn) and always features some great bargains. This is a great chance to visit Moscow with return flights from places like Rome and Amsterdam just 149 euros. But one of the best deals is London to Moscow return for just 99GBP. If you're living in Moscow this is the chance for a holiday to places like Kiev for 99 euros return, London, Paris or Madrid for 199 euros return, Beijing or Shanghai for 299 euros return, or Toronto for 349 euros return.

For domestic airfares some of the best deals are Moscow to Samara or Astrakhan return for 1900R ($72), Moscow to Irkutsk return for 4900R ($187) or Moscow to Vladivostok return for 13900R ($529). Tickets go on sale on Tuesday February 27th at 9am and are available until March 5th. But you really need to buy on the first day of the sale to be sure to get your tickets. In Moscow there are usually long queues outside Aeroflot offices when these sales start, but you can beat the crowds and book online from Aeroflot's website. Tickets are for travel between April 2nd and June 9th. Click here for the full list of special fares.

The first Russian discount airline Sky Express started regular daily flights between Moscow and Sochi for 500 R ($20) one way. This is the cheapest offer on the market, and the airline will soon launch daily flights to Rostov-na-Donu (9 February) and Murmansk (14 February) as well. The price will stay the same at least for a few weeks and you can book your flight by calling +7 800 2009-360. Sky Express' website has an English version, but the online booking works in the Russian version only.
A small tip: you can get the special price if you use the promo code when you book your ticket: SKYX001



Sochi is a popular tourist destination for Russians, as it is situated on the shore of the Black Sea. However, what is even more interesting about this destination is that the best Russian ski and snowboard resort Krasnaya Polyana is located within a short drive from Sochi. Considering there's not so much snow in Europe these days, there's a good reason to try it out. You can read more about the resort in the World Snowboard Guide's , the guide to all Russian resorts in this book was written by Way to Russia team.

There is lots of snow in Moscow at the moment and the local airports (Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo) announced that there might be flight delays. Also, there's lots of traffic on the main motorways connecting Moscow to the international airports, so the journey to the center of the city will take about 2 hours instead of 1 hour it takes normally. Be careful when you plan your journey!

The Russian Railways have finally created something really special and nice: a virtual tour of "Rossiya" Trans-Siberian train (#1/2), which departs from Moscow and goes all the way to Vladivostok. It's possible to see the views from the window, "talk" to the passengers, take a look at the compartments, the restaurant, toilets, and learn a lot of interesting things. The texts are in Russian, but it's pretty easy to navigate through, just click through from the Day 1 to Day 6 in the interface above.

You can view the virtual tour here.

Moscow is severely lacking in graffiti compared with other major European cities. This can probably be explained by a relatively young and small hip-hop culture and an overbearing police presence. Which makes this video quite unique. He's not the most talented graffiti artist around but some of the locations he hits are pretty brazen - Kamergersky Pereulok, Kuznetsky Most Ulitsa, both the inside and outside of a metro train and a street corner right opposite the Kremlin. The video's worth watching just for its sightseeing value. Shame about the music though...