Travel

Russia trip reviews

Helen Gillespie-Jones

This tour was such an easy and enjoyable way to be introduced to and navigate a fascinating country (which would otherwise be tricky with non-existent language skills).

Best time to visit Russia

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Top 5 Soviet Surprises of Russia

Ever wonder where all those nasty Cold War nuclear leftovers ended up? At least some of them can be found in Sarov, a town converted into a nuclear facility and hidden from the world until the collapse of the USSR. Nowadays, the town is keen to show off its collection of 30 kiloton bombs, as well as a scale model of the ‘Tsar Bomba’, the largest bomb ever detonated.

2. Stalin’s Bunker

Almost too good to be true, Stalin’s elaborate bunker sits 60 metres below an athletic field in the middle of suburban Moscow. Only recently discovered and refurbished, the bunker is now open to visitors, and is complete with annotated war maps, a pool table and Stalin’s famous pipe.

3. Star City

Once the highly secret and closely guarded base of the Soviet space program, this fully functioning city northeast of Moscow now serves as a training centre for current and aspiring cosmonauts. You can even be a cosmonaut for a day yourself, if you re willing to pay a price that is out of this world.

4. Perm-36

Not for the fainthearted, Perm 36 is one of the best-preserved Soviet gulag camps, and a relic of Siberia’s tragic past. While difficult to reach, the site is a worthy memorial to the millions of people who were once forced to live there.

5. Vladivostok Fortress

The largest port city in the Pacific has a wealth of abandoned military bunkers, tunnels and even a fortress to explore, all with a colourful Soviet history. Vladivostok s wide array of dark tunnels, decommissioned guns, old battle stations and antiquated bombs will definitely get historians and army nuts excited.