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TopThingsToDo
Top Things To Do : • Have a night out in Moscow, where you are spoiled for choice as to what to do. The world-famous Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre at Teatralnaya Square dates from 1824 and has an interior colour scheme of red and gold. Alternatively, the Moscow Circus is equally – and justifiably – famous, with animal acts and clowns and more technical wonders.
• Discover the handicrafts of the Russian Federation. The State Museum of Ceramics in Kuskovo, 10km (6 miles) from the centre of Moscow, has a fascinating collection of Russian china, porcelain and glass. Arkhangelskoye Estate, a museum housed in a palace, exhibits European paintings and sculptures. Zhostovo, 30km (19 miles) from Moscow, is a centre renowned for its lacquered trays, and Fedoskino, 35km (22 miles) from Moscow, produces lacquer miniatures, brooches and other knick-knacks.
• Fly in a MIG-29 aircraft, a fighter capable of more than twice the speed of sound, that was once part of the formidable Soviet Air Force.
• Go skiing in the Caucasus, at Teberda-Dombay (west) and at Baksan Elbrus (north), and Kamchatka. Cross-country skiing is available outside the city at Olgino on the Gulf of Finland. Heli-skiing is available in the Caucasus and Kamchatka where, it is claimed, the powder snow rivals that of Colorado and there is a guarantee of snow throughout the short season. Amid the wilds of Karelia, north of St Petersburg, cross-country skiing is routed through the taiga and over a terrain of frozen rivers and lakes including Ladoga and Onega.
• Trekking can climb to altitudes of 3200m (10,499ft), where the landscape changes en route from alpine meadows of red poppies to snow-capped peaks and scenic plateaux. Until recently, previously unexploited areas of the Fan Mountains, known as Matcha, had never been trodden by Western feet. Perm in the Middle Ural Mountains is home to some of the rarer birds of prey. The Baseguy National Reserve has been created on the Kama River Basin and ornithologists can get glimpses of eagle owls, great grey owls, Ural owls and golden eagles. The Caucasus Mountains, which stretch from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea, separate Russia from Armenia and Georgia. Dominating the range is Mount Elbrus, at 5642m (18,510ft), the highest peak in Europe. The jagged peaks overlook a vast vegetation range from palm trees to deciduous forest and flower-carpeted valleys. Trekking, again strenuous, is possible across the beautiful scenery of the peak and its neighbours. Six-day Elbrus trekking circuits and three-summit climbs in the Adyl-Su Valley that include the Elbrus peak are also available.
• Siberia used to be associated with salt mines and permafrost, yet the Altai region of southern Siberia rivals Switzerland for rolling hills, snowy peaks, flowers and pine forests. Undiscovered areas of Siberia, on the borders of Kazakhstan and Mongolia where summer temperatures hit 22°C (71°F), are heady with the scents of its flowers, herbs and trees. Mount Belukha rises to 4506m (14,784ft) over a few scattered villages in an area where the bear population outnumbers the human. Not unsurprisingly, among tours offered are botany itineraries through June and July with safari camp accommodation.
• Go ice skating in St Petersburg's Central Recreation Park, a favourite among skaters, and also having a ski centre. Many other towns and cities have artificial ice-skating rinks for the summer but during the hard winters, frozen lakes and rivers ensure plenty of room for skating.
• Those interested in Russia's achievements in the field of space travel should visit Star City, just outside Moscow, which is a cosmonaut training complex open to visitors.
Tourist Information : Russian National Tourist Office in the UK
70 Piccadilly, London W1J 8HP, UK
Tel: (020) 7495 7555.
Website: www.inntel-moscow.co.uk or www.visitrussia.org.uk
Intourist Ltd in the UK
7 Wellington Terrace, Notting Hill, London W2 4LW, UK
Tel: (020) 7727 4100 or (0870) 112 1232 (reservation line).
Website: www.intouristuk.com
Russian National Group in the USA
130 West 42nd Street, Suite 1804, New York, NY 10036, USA
Tel: (212) 575 3431 or (877) 221 7120 (toll-free in USA).
Website: www.russia-travel.com
Top Things To Do : • Have a night out in Moscow, where you are spoiled for choice as to what to do. The world-famous Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre at Teatralnaya Square dates from 1824 and has an interior colour scheme of red and gold. Alternatively, the Moscow Circus is equally – and justifiably – famous, with animal acts and clowns and more technical wonders.
• Discover the handicrafts of the Russian Federation. The State Museum of Ceramics in Kuskovo, 10km (6 miles) from the centre of Moscow, has a fascinating collection of Russian china, porcelain and glass. Arkhangelskoye Estate, a museum housed in a palace, exhibits European paintings and sculptures. Zhostovo, 30km (19 miles) from Moscow, is a centre renowned for its lacquered trays, and Fedoskino, 35km (22 miles) from Moscow, produces lacquer miniatures, brooches and other knick-knacks.
• Fly in a MIG-29 aircraft, a fighter capable of more than twice the speed of sound, that was once part of the formidable Soviet Air Force.
• Go skiing in the Caucasus, at Teberda-Dombay (west) and at Baksan Elbrus (north), and Kamchatka. Cross-country skiing is available outside the city at Olgino on the Gulf of Finland. Heli-skiing is available in the Caucasus and Kamchatka where, it is claimed, the powder snow rivals that of Colorado and there is a guarantee of snow throughout the short season. Amid the wilds of Karelia, north of St Petersburg, cross-country skiing is routed through the taiga and over a terrain of frozen rivers and lakes including Ladoga and Onega.
• Trekking can climb to altitudes of 3200m (10,499ft), where the landscape changes en route from alpine meadows of red poppies to snow-capped peaks and scenic plateaux. Until recently, previously unexploited areas of the Fan Mountains, known as Matcha, had never been trodden by Western feet. Perm in the Middle Ural Mountains is home to some of the rarer birds of prey. The Baseguy National Reserve has been created on the Kama River Basin and ornithologists can get glimpses of eagle owls, great grey owls, Ural owls and golden eagles. The Caucasus Mountains, which stretch from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea, separate Russia from Armenia and Georgia. Dominating the range is Mount Elbrus, at 5642m (18,510ft), the highest peak in Europe. The jagged peaks overlook a vast vegetation range from palm trees to deciduous forest and flower-carpeted valleys. Trekking, again strenuous, is possible across the beautiful scenery of the peak and its neighbours. Six-day Elbrus trekking circuits and three-summit climbs in the Adyl-Su Valley that include the Elbrus peak are also available.
• Siberia used to be associated with salt mines and permafrost, yet the Altai region of southern Siberia rivals Switzerland for rolling hills, snowy peaks, flowers and pine forests. Undiscovered areas of Siberia, on the borders of Kazakhstan and Mongolia where summer temperatures hit 22°C (71°F), are heady with the scents of its flowers, herbs and trees. Mount Belukha rises to 4506m (14,784ft) over a few scattered villages in an area where the bear population outnumbers the human. Not unsurprisingly, among tours offered are botany itineraries through June and July with safari camp accommodation.
• Go ice skating in St Petersburg's Central Recreation Park, a favourite among skaters, and also having a ski centre. Many other towns and cities have artificial ice-skating rinks for the summer but during the hard winters, frozen lakes and rivers ensure plenty of room for skating.
• Those interested in Russia's achievements in the field of space travel should visit Star City, just outside Moscow, which is a cosmonaut training complex open to visitors.
Tourist Information : Russian National Tourist Office in the UK
70 Piccadilly, London W1J 8HP, UK
Tel: (020) 7495 7555.
Website: www.inntel-moscow.co.uk or www.visitrussia.org.uk
Intourist Ltd in the UK
7 Wellington Terrace, Notting Hill, London W2 4LW, UK
Tel: (020) 7727 4100 or (0870) 112 1232 (reservation line).
Website: www.intouristuk.com
Russian National Group in the USA
130 West 42nd Street, Suite 1804, New York, NY 10036, USA
Tel: (212) 575 3431 or (877) 221 7120 (toll-free in USA).
Website: www.russia-travel.com
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Inscrita en el R.M. de Madrid Tomo 15.973, F. 206, Sec. 8, Hoja M-270179 . C.I.F. B82826991 Gran Vía, 22 Dcdo. 4º Madrid, 28013 Spain.
Tel. (+34) 913 605 670 Fax: (+34) 902 196 339
Inscrita en el R.M. de Madrid Tomo 15.973, F. 206, Sec. 8, Hoja M-270179 . C.I.F. B82826991 Gran Vía, 22 Dcdo. 4º Madrid, 28013 Spain.
Tel. (+34) 913 605 670 Fax: (+34) 902 196 339