Golden Ring Russia tour

Golden Ring - Reflections of Russian Heritage

By Anna Schneider | Last updated on 22nd Oct 2020

Long before the Golden Ring gained fame as one of Russia’s best multi-day tourist circuits, the small collection of cities northeast of Moscow played a vital role in shaping the country’s history. Its oldest settlements can be traced back to at least the 10th century. Our  Golden Ring Russia tour will unfold the fascinating, deep-rooted history of the region and take you back to a simpler time of picturesque farms and villages, wooden houses and onion-domed cathedrals, all set against the enchanting backdrop of the Russian countryside.

Golden Ring Russia Tour Highlights

  • The village of Suzdal appears like a scene from a Russian storybook and has inspired artists and writers for centuries. Wander wide-eyed through quiet laneways and cobblestone plazas, passing horse-drawn buggies and medieval churches.
  • Yaroslavl was the first Christian city on the Volga River. Many of Russia’s greatest craftsmen, stonemasons, painters and sculptors came together to create this city of magnificent churches and monuments, dating back to the 12th century.

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Golden Ring tour Russia Suzdal

Golden Ring at a Glance

By Anna Schneider | Last updated on 22nd Oct 2020

The Golden Ring is the name given to a popular tourist route that connects a network of ancient towns north-east of Moscow. This 2-day Golden Ring tour will take you on a quest for unique architectural constructions dating from the 12th to the 17th centuries. During this short detour from Moscow, you will discover the age-old allure of Mother Russia from generations past.

Travel from the capital to the countryside, where golden spires and the onion-shaped domes of colourful monasteries dot the horizon. Explore enchanting towns and fairy tale villages, set against the picturesque backdrop of rural Russia as you learn about the war and peacetime history, religion, and culture of a part of Russia that still holds fast to time-honoured traditions and a leisurely, provincial way of life.

Golden Ring 2-day tour highlights:

  • Suzdal appears like a scene from a Russian storybook and has inspired artists and writers for centuries. Wander wide-eyed through quiet laneways and cobblestone plazas, passing horse-drawn buggies and medieval churches
  • Vladimir is a former medieval Russian capital whose main historic monuments are UNESCO’s World Heritage sites, including the Cathedral of the Assumption, which features murals by 15th-century Russian masters, and the Golden Gate, part of the city’s 12th-century defenses against the invading Mongol armies

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Karelia tour Russia

Gems of Karelia - Kizhi Island, Solovki and Valaam

By Anna Schneider | Last updated on 22nd Oct 2020
Karelia is situated to the north of St.Petersburg: it stretches along the border with Finland up to the Arctic Circle and is abundant with forests, lakes and rivers, including the Ladoga and the Onega – the two largest lakes in Europe. This singular place in the Russian North is truly a land of primordial nature. This Karelia tour will take you on scenic boat rides to some of the region’s many lakes or rivers, trekking with huskies on trails in the beautiful pine forests and picking berries in the woods. Take your time. Wander around. Enjoy the scenery.

Gems of Karelia tour highlights:

  • The Kizhi Open Air Museum of Wooden Architecture is one of the most unmissable greatest cultural attractions in Russia. The island contains some 83 relocated wooden buildings from the 17th to the 19th centuries, with the crown jewel being the elaborate 1714 Church of the Transfiguration
  • The Valaam Archipelago is a group of 50 islands in Lake Lagoda, the largest lake in Europe. The heart of Valaam is its magnificent monastery complex, which is somewhere between 1000 and 600 years old and was at the centre of the 16th-century power struggle between the Russians and Swedes

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Northern lights Murmansk, Russia aurora borealis

Northern lights in Murmansk - Quest for Aurora Borealis

By 56th Parallel | Last updated on 4th Apr 2022

To visualise the Northern Lights Murmansk experience, imagine a place that lives, works and plays above the Polar Circle. This extraordinary place is the Kola Peninsula in the far north-west of Russia.

Why do we visit Murmansk in the coldest part of the year? Well, the Northern Lights are best seen in the winter months. Murmansk city, being so close to the Arctic Circle, is one of the world’s premier destinations to see the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, one of the most breathtakingly beautiful natural phenomenon visible from Earth.

Northern Lights in Murmansk Tour Highlights:

  • Murmansk is the northernmost city in Russia, with a population of around 300,000 people, by far the largest city above the Arctic Circle, and it’s considered one of the best places in the region to view the Northern Lights.
  • Visit a Siberian husky farm. The local Saami people will introduce you to their beautiful dogs and teach you how to navigate a dog sled through a specially prepared route through the forest

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Lake Baikal Summer Tour Russia Siberia

Legend of Lake Baikal

By 56th Parallel | Last updated on 4th Apr 2022

Dive into the Legend of Lake Baikal on this glorious summer excursion to the glittering Blue Pearl of Russia. Plummeting to 1,642m at its deepest point, Baikal is also the world’s most voluminous lake. Its mirror-clear waters are a reflection of Siberia’s wildness, its vastness, and its beauty. Baikal is a place where shamans still speak to the spirit world, wildlife-rich virgin forests thrive and lake-living seals fish and frolic in freshwater. Surrounded by jagged mountains and taiga of pine, fir, and cedar, Lake Baikal is a protected World Heritage site. Unsurprisingly, it is the most famous attraction in Siberia, but Baikal’s sheer size means there’s always an escape from the crowds.

Legend of Lake Baikal Tour Highlights:

  • The Taltsy Museum between Irkutsk and Listvyanka is a fabulously comprehensive open-air museum, set over 64 acres. Over 40 historical buildings from both the Russian and Buryat cultures of Baikal have been painstakingly reconstructed and authentically furnished. Wander through the streets of an 18th-century Siberian village and get a feel for life in a nomadic Buryat summer camp
  • Cruise to Olkhon Island, the largest of Lake Baikal’s islands and the “capital” of shamanistic culture. On a day tour of Olkhon’s natural wonders, discover untouched Siberian forests, craggy capes, pristine beaches, and jaw-dropping sunsets

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About 56th Parallel

56th Parallel is a travel company specialising in providing packaged tours and travel services in Russia.

Our goal is to redefine travel to Russia, focusing on creating the most rewarding experiences, which help travellers unfolds the soul of this exciting destination.

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