Facts about Russia:
«Most ethnic Slavs are Russian Orthodox»
Most ethnic Slavs are Russian Orthodox (a brand of Christianity) and make up roughly 70% of the population, while the Turks are Muslims and make up an estimated 5-14% of the population. The ethnic Mongols in the East are primarily Buddhists.
Facts about Russia:
«Russia is the biggest country IN THE WORLD!»
If the Soviet Union was 1/6th of the Earth's landmass, the Russian Federation is "only" 1/8th. You can say we shrank a little bit - but we're still number one in terms of size.
Facts about Russia:
«The Moscow State Circus»
The Moscow State Circus has been in existence for two hundred years and was given strong support during the Communist era
Facts about Russia:
«The Metro of St. Petersburg»
The Metro of St. Petersburg is the world’s deepest subway (about 100 m deep). Also it is the northernmost subway in Russia. Its northernmost station - Parnas, the westernmost - Primorskaya.
Facts about Russia:
«There are 7 absolutely the same high-ride»
There are 7 absolutely the same high-ride buildings in Moscow: 2 hotels, 2 administrative buildings, 2 blocks of flats and Moscow state University.
Facts about Russia:
«Moscow is the biggest city in Europe»
Having a population of more than 10 million residents, Moscow became Europe's biggest city. Moscow is the fastest growing city in Europe.
Facts about Russia:
«Russian language uses the Cyrillic alphabet»
Russian language uses the Cyrillic alphabet instead of the Latin. Besides, it is one of the 5 most spoken languages in the world.
Facts about Russia:
«Carl Faberge»
Carl Faberge, the famous goldsmith, designed a number of Easter Eggs for the Russian royal family.
Facts about Russia:
«In the 18th century»
In the 18th century, Russia was the 3rd largest empire in earth’s history; it covered the area from Poland in Europe to Alaska in North America.
Facts about Russia:
«Moscow metro»
310 km is the total length of 12 Moscow metro lines. 182 stations serve almost 10,000 trains. Average length of a trip is 13 km.
Facts about Russia:
«Tetris»
The most famous computer game –Tetris – was created by Russian programmer Alexei Pazhitnov in 1985. The game, first available in the Soviet Union, appeared in the West in 1986.
Facts about Russia:
«The father of modern American television was Russian electronic engineer»
The father of modern American television was Russian electronic engineer and inventor, Vladimir Zvorykin, who immigrated to the United States in 1919.
Facts about Russia:
«Time»
Moscow and St. Petersburg are three hours ahead of London time and eight hours ahead of New York City. Vladivostok is seven hours ahead of Moscow. It takes about nine hours to fly from New York City to Moscow, three-and-a-half hours from London to Moscow, and ten-and-a-half hours from Tokyo.
Facts about Russia:
«The largest Russian cities»
The largest Russian cities with the population greater than 1 million are Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhniy Novgorod, Samara, Kazan, Omsk, Chelyabinsk, Rostov-on-Don, Ufa and Volgograd.
Facts about Russia:
«First artificial satellite of Earth was Russian»
First artificial satellite of Earth was Russian «Sputnik» was launched on October 4, 1957 – the beginning of the Space Age.
Facts about Russia:
«Soviet Cosmonaut»
Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was the first human to journey into outer space when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on April 12, 1961.
Facts about Russia:
«Ural Mountains are the oldest mountains in the world»
Ural Mountains are the oldest mountains in the world. Their age is about 600 million years old. They also divide the European and Asian parts of Russia.
Facts about Russia:
«Valenki»
Valenki is traditional wild Russia winter footwear. Their name itself means «made by felting». Genuine valenki are made of wool felt.
Facts about Russia:
«Moscow actually has more billionaires»
Moscow actually has more billionaires living in the area than any other city in the world. With a total of 74 billionaires, Moscow beats New York City’s statistic by three.
Facts about Russia:
«woman»
There is approximately 10 million more woman than men in Russia.
Facts about Russia:
«Samovar»
Samovar is the ancient version of the electric kettle. Without electricity a samovar worked on coal and produced boiling water.
Facts about Russia:
«When you have a visitor»
When you have a visitor (friend or anyone else) you have to offer them at least a coffee or tea with cookies, it's rude if you don't feed your guest.
Facts about Russia:
«Hospitality»
Hospitality plays a significant role in the Russian mentality and character, once you make friends with Russian people you will surely value this unique feature of the so-called «Wide Russian soul».
Facts about Russia:
«Fountains»
There are about 176 operating fountains (including 40 huge fountains) and 5 cascades in Peterhof, located in the suburbs of St.Petersburg
Facts about Russia:
«10% of St. Petersburg»
10% of St. Petersburg territory is covered by water.
Facts about Russia:
«Ladoga lake»
Ladoga lake is the largest one in Europe. Its area makes 18 400 sq km, average depth is 51 m, the largest one is up to 230 m.
Facts about Russia:
«Lapti»
Lapti are typical Russian shoes, invented in wild-wild Russia long-long time ago. Lapti are shoes made of bast and laces which were extremely popular among Russian peasants.
Facts about Russia:
«12 seas»
Russia is the only State in the world, on the territory of which there are 12 seas.
Facts about Russia:
«Ostankino Tower»
Ostankino Tower is the highest TV tower in Europe. World’s tallest self-supporting structure from 1967 to 1975.
Facts about Russia:
«The Hermitage»
The Hermitage is one of the world's largest museums. The museum contains three million works of art from the Stone Age to the Modern Day.
Facts about Russia:
«There are 221 museums, 2000 libraries,»
There are 221 museums, 2000 libraries, more than 80 theaters, 100 concert organizations, 45 galleries, and 62 cinemas in St Petersburg.
Facts about Russia:
«Russia is also a home to the world’s largest active volcano»
Russia is also a home to the world’s largest active volcano Klychevskaya Sopka, which is 4,750 m height (15,584 ft).
Facts about Russia:
«Russia has some of the best art institutions in the world,»
Russia has some of the best art institutions in the world, like Bolshoy Theater and Pushkin Art Gallery in Moscow, and Mariinsky Theater and the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.
Facts about Russia:
«Dmitriy Mendeleyev,»
Russian chemist, Dmitriy Mendeleyev, created the periodic table of elements by arranging them according to scientific laws. The whole world uses this periodic table.
Facts about Russia:
«Siberia»
Siberia contains more than 25 % of the world’s forests. Their area is about 886.5 million hectares
Facts about Russia:
«Russia is home to more than 100 ethnic groups»
Russia is home to more than 100 ethnic groups and indigenous people. Slavs account for about 75% of the total population. The densest areas of Russia are near the Ural Mountains and in southwestern Siberia.
Facts about Russia:
«World Heritage Sites»
Russia has 40 UNESCO Biosphere Reserves and 23 World Heritage Sites
Facts about Russia:
«Red Stars»
Red Stars worked for a long time as a Red Army Symbol. After the end of Red Army, red stars can be seen only on the top of Kremlin towers and on the bottom of the Baltic Sea
Facts about Russia:
«The legendary Trans-Siberian route»
The legendary Trans-Siberian route passes through 8 time zones in Russia. The length of the route - more than 9,000 km.
Facts about Russia:
«Moscow’s Saviors Cathedral»
Moscow's Saviors Cathedral holds around 5,000-6,000 at one time and is the tallest Eastern Orthodox church in the world and currently the largest operating Orthodox Church in the world.
Facts about Russia:
«The Russian State Library»
The Russian State Library is the biggest in Europe and second in the World after Library Congress in the USA. The Russian State Library is located in Moscow and was founded in 1862.
Facts about Russia:
«About 100 festivals and competition»
About 100 festivals and competitions of different trends of culture and art including 50 international ones are held every year in St. Petersburg.
Facts about Russia:
«The world’s largest bell»
The world’s largest bell, the Tsar Kolokol bell, can be found at the Kremlin. The bell was made in 1735 and cracked soon afterwards. It has never been rung. It is 6.14m high and weighs 223 tons!
Facts about Russia:
«Oimyakon»
In Russian city Oimyakon lowest temperature of air is registered in year 1933 was -67.7 °C.
Facts about Russia:
«The Baikal Lake in Siberia»
The Baikal Lake in Siberia is the deepest lake in the world. States such as Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands can fit inside this lake. The coastline equals the distance from Moscow to Turkey.
Tatyana was a wonderful guide. Knowledgeable, personable and gave attention to details. Wonderful time in St. Petersburg. Thank you!nn1
Loved the enthusiasm and knowledge of the guide – a very good, thoughtful person – well organised.nn1
Please check your “info@marlis.ru email for a copy of my letter concerning recent wonderful travel.nn1
Dear Marlis Travel, Dear Anna and Lea, BRAVO! BRAVO! BRAVO! Our Trans-Siberian, Trans-Mongolian, and Trans-Chinese Odysse was fantastic! In every respect, and all the way! You have done a marvellous – and a very professional – job organizing such a complicated individual adventure for my husband and I. We had a great time, and we were very impressed by your overseas services like the delivery of traintickets in Irkutsk and Beijing, our wonderful guide and driver in Mongolia, and our tour along the Circum Baikal Rail. We also appreciated the Extras, like the evening with a Mongol throat singer performing in our Ger and our visit to a nomadic family near the Gobi Desert. Thank you very much. We were happy to be in your hands!! We shall gladly recommend Marlis Travel to our friends, and hope that our four Danish colleagues will make use of your services within long. How may I help promoting your business further (all the business cards you gave me, are handed out by now!)? Warm regards to both of you
Valentina and Alexander were superb guides in Moscow. Wonderful knowledge and personality. Everything interesting and on time.
The Russian Tea tour at home was wonderful. Talking (through translator) to Elena about Russian literature(especially Pushkin) was inspiriny and Elena was wonderfully hospitable. Great to see inside a real Russian home.
We really enjoyed our tour guides. They went out of their way to make sure. We enjoyed our trip. Thank you, Peter & Galina
Dear Luda
Thank you so much for being an amazing tour guide during our time in St. Petersburg. We appreciate you beinf flexible with the schedule and not making us eat lunch so we could see more at the Hermitage. Also, thanks for getting up with us when we lagged behind to take all the pictures! We all liked going to the Catherine’s Summer Palace, the Hermitage, Peter & Paul Fortress, the gardens, the sand castle sculptures, Peterhof, the fountains and the hospital visit.
Thanks for being a great tour guide
From Melissa, Mei, Ted & Anita
Our guide, Valentina, was a professional with grace and very knowledgeable. We loved our visit in Moscow
Guide was excellent, knowledgeable, very pleasant, personable and willing to please, answered questions well and versed in history. Very positive experience.
Hi Lia and the rest of the Marlis team,
I want to thank for you for your great cooperation before and during the Moscow trip of the Rotterdam Running Ambassadors. You were good, quick, accurate, anything we asked you handled for us.
Our stay in Russia was fantastic. We loved every part. All of our tour guides were very professional and knowlegable. Marina was a wonderful tour organiser! Excellent experience!
Cassandra Dickinson, Clare Dickinson, Veronica Dickinson and David Dickinson.
Hi folks it is wonderful time greeting you all at different timezone…,
Things are great here. The tour is perfect. Two women from the travel agency here came to the hotel and brought me roses and food and three beautiful red roses and reimbursement money for my taxi from the airport to my hotel which was entirely unnecessary. My arrival mishap did not dampen my enthusiasm for this trip. I’m having the time of my life and I thank you so much for planning it. Its the most beautiful experience.. beyond what I could ever have expected. You did a great job. Have a good time wherever you’re going next we’ll talk when I return from Paris and you return from God knows where. With much love and appreciation
We really liked our guide Olga, a middle aged Russian lady with excellent English, who was with us on all three tours (car touring, Hermitage and Peterhof). She even met us at the airport along with the driver, which was unexpected. In any case all information was clear, all timing worked out, and we enjoyed Olga. The tipping guidelines sheet provided was invaluable. Kempinski Hotel is a big thumbs up. We had a chance to see the other two major properties most people consider, Astoria and Grand Hotel Europe, and we can say Kempinski from our point of view had best location, right on the Moika canal a stone’s through from Palace Square and Hermitage (but off the square, so not in the middle of the craziness) and also close to Nevsky Prospect. The concierge service was superior — and I used them quite a bit. Breakfast included excellent hot menu in addition to buffet. The maid service was noticeably above
par (i think they were in the room 4 times a day). We also had dinner at the beautiful rooftop terrace restaurant, Bellevue Brasserie, and it was a very memorable meal, both for the view and the modern take on Russian/French food. Hotel also had a small tea room and a nice bar where you could have lunch/snacks. So we were very very comfortable. They even allowed us to add a bed to kids room one night so my son who is studying in St Petersburg could crash with us (and didn’t blink an eye at his appearance at breakfast next morning).
Dear Olga,
I just wanted to say how brilliant my guide was today, so brilliant I have quite forgotten his name but he was very well informed about the architecture, culture and history and passionate about Moscow in general,
I really enjoyed myself on today and wanted to say thank you!
Victoria
Dear Victoria
his name is Ilya. And it’s our pleasure to hear that you’ve had such a wonderful walking tour. Thanks for your opinion. It’s very important to us.
Hope you will enjoy the rest of your journey!!!
Best wishes,
Marlis Travel team
Ilya was the complete professional, a young man with passion and (to us) surprising openness about modern Russia and its politics, hugely knowledgeable, and full of humour.
The Sokos Vasilievsky hotel is the best on the tour. Tanya in St. Petersburg – wonderful, professional and full of information & a happy person. Drivers were very good and punctual. St. Petersburg is beautiful! We will come back!!!
We have been very impressed by how well organized everything has been. Excellent guide – very welcomin+friendly, lots of very interesting information. Great hotel – very comfortable. Very lovely Russian meal hostess.
Thank you.