You can travel around Russia all year round. Where? I tell you! Ideas for all 12 months.
I have been morally tuned for a long time to prepare this great material for you. The other day I was on the air of the radio « Lighthouse ». There I was once again asked how I choose places to travel, and if I have any plan in the travel schedule. Of course, I have long formed such a plan, and today I will share it with you, without hiding anything.
I began to compile a kind of travel calendar back in 2013. Since then I have been correcting and supplementing it, and in formation, as a rule, I proceed from the following principle: it should be the moment when a place looks most picturesque, but the conditions should be quite comfortable. I will write little about cities, with them more or less clear — urban infrastructure allows us to travel on them regardless of the time of year ( with a rare exception ). But in nature, we are much more dependent on the weather, so the list of ideas is more likely designed for lovers of adventure and eco-tourism. Let's go!
January: Ural
It’s cold at this time on the Urals, but if you dress warmly, you will find fabulous beauty! When we imagine a real Russian winter with an ice cream, creaky and iridescent snow, snow-capped villages, Christmas trees and foreign carts — it's all about the winter Urals. For myself, I first distinguish the Perm Territory: Krasnovishersky, Gremachinsky, Kungursky districts. It is also worth looking at the Chelyabinsk region with the Zyuratkul and Taganai National Parks, and Sverdlovsk, where I will mark the Main Ural Ridge and Mount Kachkanar.
Alternative: Pskov region with chain bridges in the city of Ostrov, Pushkin Mountains and the picturesque Izborsko-Malsky Valley.
February: Baikal
The lake is already completely frozen, and moving along the ice is safe. In February, it is not as cold and humid as it is in January, and there is a great chance to find not completely broken ice grottoes and caves, for which tourists from all over the world fly here.
Alternative: Murmansk region with Khibins, Kandalaksha and Teriberka.
March: Yamal
Not the most popular among tourists, but interesting from the point of view of history, ethnography and life of the northern peoples region. March is still a winter month, but there is less chance of frostbite and there is no slush, as in the more southern latitudes. This is the case when within the framework of our country you can plunge into another culture and look at a life that is very different from that familiar to us. To do this, take an ethno-tour in the rack to real reindeer herders or visit the main local holiday — Reindeer Herder's Day, which is just taking place in March.
Alternative: weathering pillars Manpupunierin the Komi Republiса
April: Kalmykia
This is the only Buddhist region in Europe, but it is interesting not only for this. Although getting to know the culture of Kalmyks, it’s certainly worth noting the influence of religion on architecture and trying national cuisine. How to see the real desert and take pictures on top of the velvet. And at the same time, love the steppe — an amazing natural zone, where you see the horizon tens of kilometers ahead, where neither settlements, nor forests, nor hills cross it. And in April, wild tulips bloom in the Kalmyk steppe, and even a festival is held in honor of this colorful event.
Alternative: neighboring steppe regions: Astrakhan region with Bogdinsky-Baskunchak reserve, Volgograd region with Lake Elton and Saratov region with the Kurilovo steppe.
May: Crimea
I love to travel to Crimea from April to the end of May, when the region has the peak of active flowering. At this time, the weather is great: very warm and sunny. There are already quite a few tourists, but not yet like in the summer. In May, at every step they sell fresh strawberries, you can stock up on vitamins for a year in advance. The brightest point, in my opinion, is the flowering of poppy fields in the second half of the month.
Alternative: Dagestan, where poppies also bloom, as well as numerous fruit gardens on incredible mountain terraces.
The middle strip with its cities and estates, where the cherry, apple trees, cherries, lilacs, etc. blooms with might and main.
Transbaikal Territory with impressive flowering of the trunk.
And on Baikal in May you can catch the awakening of a mighty lake: see the melting ice, swim among the huge ice floes and find snowdrops.
June: Caucasus
A month when the peaks of the Caucasian mountains are still in the snow, and below, in the gorges, all the slopes, fields and river valleys are the flowering carpet of the variety — these are the so-called alpine meadows. Fresh greens of juicy emerald color endlessly pleases the eye. Separately, I note the moment of flowering of the Rhododendrons in Kabardino-Balkaria and Adygea, as well as the abundance of beautiful places in Karachay-Cherkessia and Ingushetia.
Alternative: Lipetsk region with Vorgol rocks, Kudykina mountain and Oleniy park.
July: Karelia
When the south is already very hot, I am leaving for the northern regions for the state of the beginning of summer. At the beginning of the month in Karelia there are still white nights, you can catch this unusual time. There are many leisure options, starting with pilgrimage and ending with hiking trails and alloys. The region has developed tourism infrastructure, beautiful places for recreation are available, and the nature of Karelia is generally a brand in itself.
Alternative: neighboring Vologda region with the National Park Russian North, Lake Onega and White.
Republic of Tatarstan with a beautiful capital, island of Sviyazhsk and ancient Bulgaria. If it gets too hot, you can go to the Blue Lake.
August: Kamchatka
August is considered almost the only summer month in the province of volcanoes. The weather at this point is the most stable, and tourists are more likely to see all the natural wealth of the region without low cloud cover.
Alternative: The Volga Delta in the Astrakhan region, where lotus fields bloom at the end of summer...
September: Altai
One of the most unique and beautiful places in Russia, and September — is perhaps the most colorful time in the region. Many larchs grow on Altai, who in early autumn become yellow and seem to burn in the sun. In October, they will be covered with snow.
Alternative: also a chic golden autumn awaits us in the Murmansk region in Khibinakh, Lozer tundra and on the coast of the Barents Sea, on Lake Jack London in the Magadan region and on the Putoran plateau in the Krasnoyarsk Territory.
October: Krasnodar Territory
Golden autumn almost throughout Russia, but I will mark the Krasnodar Territory, because there is a beautiful Kiparis Lake, as well as Lake Kardyvach. At the same time, you can bask in the end.
Alternative: Dombay in Karachay-Cherkessia, where the stunning mountain peaks are already in the snow, and the gorges are buried in the gold of foliage.
Beech forests of Crimea.
Nizhny Novgorod region with impressive manor and a capital updated for the anniversary.
November: Kola
The moment when the polar night has not yet arrived, and nature pleases with long dawn and sunsets. This transition period — can catch both autumn and winter, and the junction of two seasons together. And at night, the sky of Kola decorates the polar radiance! If the radiance is strong, then children's enthusiasm and a storm of emotions are provided. I know many people who burst into tears when they first saw this miracle with their own eyes.
Alternative: If the body requires the sun, then in Sochi you can still catch warm weather and echoes of golden autumn.
December: Arkhangelsk region
Meeting the winter stands where the residence of Mother Zima is located, namely — in the Arkhangelsk region. Here you will not stand under your feet slush and dirt, but you will crunch with white and clean snow.
Alternative: fabulous Great Ustyug or the New Year's capital of Russia, which changes every year. Such a trip will charge a festive mood before December 31.
I am absolutely convinced that you can travel around Russia all year round, every time you find something new for yourself, be inspired and admire your native country. I hope that this material has been interesting and useful for you. If you have something to add, write in the comments. And thanks for reading to the end!