Russia travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises spa and resorts

The one-time capital of Russia, founded in 1703 by Peter the Great, is like a living museum where white is recurring theme. To live out those Dr. Zhivago fantasies, visit in winter when a dusting of snow covers the city’s golden cupolas, whereas in summer, the sun shines all night during the ‘‘White Nights”. Magical, full of history and charm, the Venice of the North’s highlights include the Winter Palace, home to the Hermitage Museum’s amazing three million pieces of art. Spoil Yourself and book into the Kempinski Moika 22 overlooking the Hermitage. Located in a traditional St. Petersburg mansion, it dates back to 1853, during the reign of Czar Nicholas I. Photo by: heini-pdm
Continue reading Kempinski Moika 22

Hotel Suites is an East German airplane, which has been decorated into a super delux hotel suite. Composited next to the Teuge Airport in The Netherlands, this spectacular suite comes complete with all the amenities — including a cockpit where you can watch the planes land and take off. All of this comes at a fairly reasonable price of 350 Euro per night; you even have a 24-hour on-call air hostess.
Continue reading Hotel Suites

This five luxury star hotel is situated in the Malá Strana quarter, 16 kilometers from Prague’s airport. Hotel Hoffmeister Lily Wellness & Spa is just a few minutes away from Prague’s historical landmarks – Charles Bridge is a five minute walk away and St Nicholas’s Church is 10 minutes away. Set at the foot of the the famous Hradoin castle, the architecturally interesting building reflects the history, culture and charm of Prague. The sprawling white building, fronted by a garden and courtyard offers the highest international standards of comfort and convenience.  
Continue reading Welcome to Prague – Hotel Hoffmeister

Suomenlinna or Viapori (Finnish), or Sveaborg (Swedish), is an inhabited sea fortress built on six islands, today within Helsinki, the capital of Finland. The Sea fortress Suomenlinna is a unique architectural monument, a popular recreation area and museum. Although the island is located off the coast of Helsinki, it is part of the city. The Fortress was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage in 1991!
Continue reading Suomenlinna Sea Fortress, Helsinki

The Cathedral of Basil the Blessed, is a Russian Orthodox cathedral erected on the Red Square in Moscow in 1555–1561. The Monument to Minin and Pozharsky is made of bronze. Not particularly large, it consists of nine chapels, built on a single foundation. According to legend, however, it was built by an Italian architect who was blinded so that he could never create anything that was similar or equal. The St. Basil’s Cathedral, along with the Red Square were inscribed by Unesco as World Heritage Sites in 1990!
Continue reading Saint Basil the Blessed

Hiiumaa is a bleak but breathtakingly beautiful island in the Eastern Baltic, a nature reserve that covers an area of just under 1,000 sq km. It is Estonia’s second largest island, separated from the mainland by 22 k wide strait and surrounded by some 200 deserted islets and reefs, where, over the centuries hundreds of ships have come to grief. Photo by: Tiina Gill
Continue reading Hiiumaa

The island of Stolnby is one of some 160 islands on Lake Seliger in western Russia, about 360 km from Moscow. The lake is a complex system of 212 sq km of interconnected lakes, channels and islands, a protected nature reserve surrounded by spectacular wild countryside of hills, fens, pine forest inhabited by moose, brown bears, lynxes and wolves. Photo by: Dmitry Chastikov
Continue reading Stolbny Island