Russia & Belarus

by Simon Richmond

Cosmopolitan cities, bubbling volcanoes, spectacular mountains and breathtaking art - Russia is as diverse as it is dramatic, while Belarus satisfies those in search of a Soviet experience. Untangle the conspiracy theories and immerse yourself in the rich heritage - from Minsk to Moscow, Siberia to Kamchatka, make sure you're carrying this best-selling guide to the world's most enigmatic destination.

CULTURAL CONTEXT - in-depth background information brings you up to date on Belarusian politics and Tuvan throat-singing

DISCERNING REVIEWS - hand-picked listings from our team of expert authors reveal Moscow's swankiest clubs and Siberia's finest adventure tours

140+ MAPS - detailed, grid-referenced maps throughout

COMPREHENSIVE LANGUAGE CHAPTER - includes Cyrillic script

Genres: Travel, Russia, Nonfiction, Reference, History

792 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Kostan]

A few places had closed down, but for the most part a very useful and comprehensive review of the best places to visit in Russia. Very helpful.

[Michelle]

Great overview about Russia (and one of the few available ones that cover all of Russia). However, I found most of the places covered to be not “off-the-beaten-track”, while some small gems were definitely left out. I would have also appreciated a little less focus on the cities, as the Russian territory spans such a wide range of landscapes and natural sights. Sure, a lot of first time travelers will only visit the cities but for some more in-depth understanding of the country, smaller towns and how to get out into the wild-advice would be great.

[J.W. Ellis]

Ok. So now i want to visit. It made it look n sound amazing.

[Joan L Huffman MD]

Good introduction to Russia prior to travel within the country

[Ruth]

reference book for a personal project

wealth of information about Russia. Of course not the same as actually going but I've learned a lot

914.7 RUS 2018 in our library

[Cynthia]

As always, Lonely Planet guides are super helpful when planning a trip. This edition of Russia was very useful for my 2018 World Cup trip in which I covered the following route: Moscow-Saransk-Ekaterimburg-Sochi-Moscow-Kazan-Nizhny Novgorod-Moscow-San Petersburg-Moscow. The only city which was not in the guide was Saransk (I believe because it is small). All the other cities are listed and the guide offers awesome tips and recommendations regarding tours, places to eat & sleep according to your budget. Also, there are chapters dedicated to the history of Russia, and a handy survival pages if you are totally new to cyrillic alphabet (which I was obviously!) with common phrases and pronunciation.

I didn't read all the chapters, of course, so I would definitely read this book again for a future trip to Russia (the Trans Siberian train looks very promising to do someday :)! ).

Personal tip: since my trip was 40 days long (at least the longest I have had so far) I would consider buying the ebook version for a next trip to another country. First, because of the weight of the book. This is not a heavy volume but some days my shoulders really hurt after a full day of activities so I wouldn't mind loosing those book grams. Second, the physical version notes that the digital version contains more multimedia content. So, something to think of.

[Fernanda Fadel]

Only read the parts about Moscow and St Petersburg, because those are the places I visited. The guide is from 2015 and already a lot of information is out of date. This guide is not yet the version with pictures, which is also what I expected when I ordered it. Not as helpful as it should be.

[Anthony]

This book was very helpful in preparing for my trip to Belarus.

[René]

Très utile, avec une foule d'information. Il ne nous aura servi malheureusement qu'une année, passée trop vite pour tout visiter...

[Tatiana Lammers]

This book has always been a great help when we travel to Russia. It provides a lot of precise and useful information about various places of interest for a tourist

[Bubba]

I don't know when I'm going to learn my lesson and quit trying to use LP's ridiculously unhelpful maps.

[Simone De Marchi]

Great guide, as always it helped me a lot during preparation of the trip, a must have if you have to travel outside Russian tourists sites