Siberia holds a particular place in the western imagination. Most envision it has a mysterious, permanently snowy land of exile and prisons. In reality, Siberia is remarkably diverse place – both ecologically and culturally. It’s vast expanse covers tundra, marshes, forests and prairies. It hosts large cities, but also wide areas of undeveloped lands.  It […]

An easy three-hour train ride from Moscow is a city known for two things related to tea: Russian gingerbread, known localy as “pryanik,” and the samovar, for which Tula has been the most famous production center for centuries. In fact, Tula is so well known for samovars that it has made it into a Russian […]

Kazan is the capital of Tatarstan, a semiautonomous republic within Russia. Roughly the size of West Virginia, but with nearly twice the population, Tatarstan has one of the strongest and most diverse regional economies in Russia. The Tatar people, for whom the republic is named and who still enjoy a majority in their republic, are […]

Bordered by the Caspian Sea to the east and by Azerbaijan and Georgia to the south and west, the Republic of Dagestan is often overlooked by tourists in favor of more well-known Russian destinations. During the late 90’s and well into the 2000’s, Dagestan’s reputation took a hit as conflict spilled over from war in […]

Moscow is ringed with locations of historical and cultural importance. Below is a sampling of some of the trips that SRAS groups have taken in the past as part the cultural package offered with SRAS Programs in Moscow. Note that not all trips are taken each session and trips themselves may differ from session to […]

Moscow is a great place to explore, but sometimes getting out of the city is a must. Luckily Moscow is a centrally located travel hub connecting you to many great places for a weekend getaway, which can include, not only different cities within Russia, but cheap and direct flights to cities such as Helsinki, Tallinn, […]

Kazakhstan is located in Central Asia, a landlocked country and the ninth largest country in the world. I took a four-hour flight from Moscow to Almaty for a little over $100 (cheaper tickets are definitely available). The gargantuan mountains that tower Almaty to the south of the city dominated my first impressions of the city, […]

The Golden Ring, a group of historic cities northeast of Moscow, is known for kremlins, monasteries and churches preserved from the 12th–18th centuries. There are eight principal cities (plus several more that have come, especially as tourism in Russia has grown, to market themselves as part of the Ring). Thus, it’s impossible to see it […]