{"id":103772,"date":"2018-07-25T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-07-25T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelstartblg.wpenginepowered.com\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\/"},"modified":"2025-11-04T13:55:04","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T13:55:04","slug":"russia-destination-travel-bucket-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Russia should be the next destination on your travel bucket list"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now that the hype of the games is over, the once overflowing stadiums stand empty, and the players have \u2018fallen\u2019 in many, many more dramatic ways than we ever thought imaginable, fans that decided to travel to Russia for the Soccer World Cup have stayed on to explore just a little bit more of the incredible cities and landscapes of Russia.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/lp\/russia\/flights\">Russia<\/a> is not typically a destination that South Africans look at exploring, but we\u2019ve rounded up the reasons why you should definitely consider a trip to the world\u2019s largest nation. Now you can\u2019t cover it all, but here\u2019s where you could start\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-69604\" src=\"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2-12.jpg\" alt=\"Russia Travel Tips\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>Photo credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/kate_els\/\">@Kate_Els<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A European summer in St. Petersburg<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Love the idea of Europe in the warmer months, but terrified of the price tag? St. Petersburg offers centuries of history, world-class museums and galleries, effective public transportation, and incredible dining experiences that rival those in Europe, but at a better price!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Summer in St. Petersburg is delightfully special, with sundowner river cruises and ambling walks through the green spaces of the city, the perfect interlude between museums visits and exploring the hallways of golden palaces. Wandering down the wide avenues of the city, with the brightly-coloured onion domes of cathedrals and churches is both a free activity and an incredibly satisfying one!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">St. Petersburg is well suited to walking with its wide, stone avenues and open parks. The entire city feels like a museum and it\u2019s well worth looking up for the balconies of rooftop bars and restaurants to watch sundowners from.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-69606 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/4-10.jpg\" alt=\"Russia Travel Tips\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>Photo credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/kate_els\/\">@Kate_Els<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Discover one of the world\u2019s most incredible art collections<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As the second largest museum in the world, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hermitagemuseum.org\/\">State Hermitage Museum<\/a>, has earned a reputation as one of the premier destinations for art lovers the world over. Opened to the public in 1852, the museum houses collections ranging from Egyptian artefacts to Italian Renaissance paintings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Spread across five adjacent buildings including the Winter Palace, Small Hermitage, Old Hermitage, New Hermitage, and Hermitage Theatre, this museum really deserves more than a day to discover its riches. Entrance to the museum costs R150, a far cry cheaper than some of its European counterparts that hover at around the R400 mark, and the entrance fee is even waived on the first Thursday of every month!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-69608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/6-10.jpg\" alt=\"Russia Travel Tips\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>Photo credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/kate_els\/\">@Kate_Els<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The garish golden statues of Peterhof<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">About an hour\u2019s drive from the centre of St. Petersburg lies <a href=\"http:\/\/www.saint-petersburg.com\/peterhof\/\">Peterhof<\/a>, the sprawling grounds that were once the summer palace of Peter the Great. Often referred to as the Russian Versailles, Peterhof is particularly impressive on a sunny day, with its gold statues reflecting the sun\u2019s rays onto the rushing waters of the Grand Cascade and Samson Fountain. This series of 64 fountains that flow down multiple levels to the lush gardens below are symbolic of Russia\u2019s intense history and you won\u2019t be able to help gasp at how impressive they are.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But while the cultural and historical significance can seem all-consuming, day visitors to Peterhof who frolic in the gardens, children dancing mischievously in the fountains, carve a balance between riches, war and the frivolities of life that simply can\u2019t be found anywhere else. It\u2019s frequented by both travellers and nearby residents, so a good way to feel like a local, ice lolly in hand!<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Joining the vodka appreciation society<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If Russia was a drink, it would be embodied in the viscosity of ice cold vodka. It seems so cliche to visit the vodka museums dotted everywhere, but great quality vodka and lessons on how to drink it without causing yourself a severe hangover, are one of the greatest stories you will be able to tell after your visit to Russia.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Be prepared though, the tricks involved in not getting too carried away when drinking vodka involves consuming lots of fatty snacks. These sound great in theory, but when presented with a sliver of pork fat on a cracker, it\u2019s rude not to accept.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Did you know? <a href=\"https:\/\/travelstartstg.wpenginepowered.com\/visa-free-russia-st-petersburg\/\">South Africans no longer require a visa to visit Russia<\/a>!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-69607\" src=\"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/5-11.jpg\" alt=\"Russia Travel Tips\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>Photo credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/kate_els\/\">@Kate_Els<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Delve into powerful Moscow<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As the capital of Russia, it would be remiss not to spend a few days in the country\u2019s most populated city. From contemporary art galleries to wandering the streets around the brightly-lit Kremlin at night, Moscow is a veritable photographic dream. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Any journey to Moscow should start at Red Square, arguably the most visited attraction in all of Russia. From here, you can spiral out to see attractions including the Kremlin, St Basil\u2019s Cathedral, and Lenin\u2019s Mausoleum among others. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Stop in at <a href=\"https:\/\/gumrussia.com\/\">GUM<\/a>, Russia\u2019s biggest department that has existed for over a century, just off Red Square. Here you\u2019ll find over 200 boutique stores housed inside this beautiful glass-roofed building &#8211; a sure place to find a unique souvenir that will remind you of Russia.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Feasting in Russia<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Strangely enough, it\u2019s quite difficult to find authentic Russian restaurants serving traditional meals when you\u2019re in Russia. It\u2019s believed this is really because Russians typically want to experience something they wouldn\u2019t eat at home when they\u2019re out and about. What you will find though is a host of international cuisines that have been adjusted slightly to better suit the palate of Russian diners. Think Russian-style pasta, chicken schnitzel and curries that are usually way less spicy than they were originally intended to be, and for some reason, dill is usually dusted in huge swathes over plates before serving.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-69603\" src=\"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1-19.jpg\" alt=\"Russia Travel Tips\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>Photo credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/kate_els\/\">@Kate_Els<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you are looking for an authentic Russian meal, however, don\u2019t despair, the <a href=\"https:\/\/hotels.travelstart.com\/ho127219\/?pa=2&amp;q-check-out=2018-07-26&amp;tab=description&amp;q-room-0-adults=2&amp;YGF=2&amp;q-check-in=2018-07-25&amp;MGT=1&amp;WOE=4&amp;WOD=3&amp;ZSX=0&amp;SYE=3&amp;q-room-0-children=0\">Belmond Grand Hotel Europe<\/a> in St Petersburg is dedicated to celebrating the finest fare Russia offers at its restaurant, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.belmond.com\/hotels\/europe\/russia\/st-petersburg\/belmond-grand-hotel-europe\/leurope-restaurant\">L\u2019Europe<\/a>. Dishes are not only focused on traditional Russian recipes but also divulge the rich and complicated history of this country on each exquisite plate. Dinners are accompanied by elegant ballet performances, a rather unique pairing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Ready to start planning for a trip north? Browse through Travelstart\u2019s flight options for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/lp\/st-petersburg\/flights\">St. Petersburg<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/lp\/moscow\/flights\">Moscow<\/a> now!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Now that the hype of the games is over, the once overflowing stadiums stand empty, and the players have \u2018fallen\u2019 in many, many more dramatic ways than we ever thought imaginable, fans that decided to travel to Russia for the Soccer World Cup have stayed on to explore just a little bit more of the incredible cities and landscapes of Russia. Russia is not typically &#8230; <a title=\"Why Russia should be the next destination on your travel bucket list\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Why Russia should be the next destination on your travel bucket list\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":103778,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,445],"tags":[39],"class_list":["post-103772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel","category-destinations-travel","tag-travel","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why Russia should be the next destination on your travel bucket list<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Art, museums, ballet and exceptional dining, we\u2019ve rounded up the reasons why you should definitely consider a trip to Russia...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Russia should be the next destination on your travel bucket list\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Art, museums, ballet and exceptional dining, we\u2019ve rounded up the reasons why you should definitely consider a trip to Russia...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Travelstart Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Travelstart\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-07-25T00:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-04T13:55:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/3-15.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Brandon Mlilo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Travelstart\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Travelstart\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Brandon Mlilo\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Brandon Mlilo\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/607405fa1eb10609e1f0966851769710\"},\"headline\":\"Why Russia should be the next destination on your travel bucket list\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-07-25T00:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-04T13:55:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1031,\"commentCount\":3,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/3-15.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"travel\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Travel\",\"Travel Destinations\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\\\/\",\"name\":\"Why Russia should be the next destination on your travel bucket list\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/3-15.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-07-25T00:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-04T13:55:04+00:00\",\"description\":\"Art, museums, ballet and exceptional dining, we\u2019ve rounded up the reasons why you should definitely consider a trip to Russia...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/3-15.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/3-15.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":600},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Why Russia should be the next destination on your travel bucket list\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Travelstart Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Travelstart ZA\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\",\"caption\":\"Travelstart ZA\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/Travelstart\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/Travelstart\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/travelstart\\\/?hl=en\",\"https:\\\/\\\/za.pinterest.com\\\/travelstartza\\\/?etslf=6584&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;eq=travelstart\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/TRAVELSTARTchannel\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.travelstart.co.za\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/607405fa1eb10609e1f0966851769710\",\"name\":\"Brandon Mlilo\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/85747dfa7c29be6c5eab5afe41b9a4d31b3db20961febcb45650400a9bc94a62?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/85747dfa7c29be6c5eab5afe41b9a4d31b3db20961febcb45650400a9bc94a62?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/85747dfa7c29be6c5eab5afe41b9a4d31b3db20961febcb45650400a9bc94a62?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Brandon Mlilo\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why Russia should be the next destination on your travel bucket list","description":"Art, museums, ballet and exceptional dining, we\u2019ve rounded up the reasons why you should definitely consider a trip to Russia...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why Russia should be the next destination on your travel bucket list","og_description":"Art, museums, ballet and exceptional dining, we\u2019ve rounded up the reasons why you should definitely consider a trip to Russia...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\/","og_site_name":"Travelstart Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Travelstart\/","article_published_time":"2018-07-25T00:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-11-04T13:55:04+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":600,"url":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/3-15.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Brandon Mlilo","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Travelstart","twitter_site":"@Travelstart","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Brandon Mlilo","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\/"},"author":{"name":"Brandon Mlilo","@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/607405fa1eb10609e1f0966851769710"},"headline":"Why Russia should be the next destination on your travel bucket list","datePublished":"2018-07-25T00:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-04T13:55:04+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\/"},"wordCount":1031,"commentCount":3,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/3-15.jpg","keywords":["travel"],"articleSection":["Travel","Travel Destinations"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\/","url":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\/","name":"Why Russia should be the next destination on your travel bucket list","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/3-15.jpg","datePublished":"2018-07-25T00:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-04T13:55:04+00:00","description":"Art, museums, ballet and exceptional dining, we\u2019ve rounded up the reasons why you should definitely consider a trip to Russia...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/3-15.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/3-15.jpg","width":800,"height":600},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/russia-destination-travel-bucket-list\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Why Russia should be the next destination on your travel bucket list"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/","name":"Travelstart Blog","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/#organization","name":"Travelstart ZA","url":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"","contentUrl":"","caption":"Travelstart ZA"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Travelstart\/","https:\/\/x.com\/Travelstart","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/travelstart\/?hl=en","https:\/\/za.pinterest.com\/travelstartza\/?etslf=6584&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;eq=travelstart","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/TRAVELSTARTchannel"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/607405fa1eb10609e1f0966851769710","name":"Brandon Mlilo","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/85747dfa7c29be6c5eab5afe41b9a4d31b3db20961febcb45650400a9bc94a62?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/85747dfa7c29be6c5eab5afe41b9a4d31b3db20961febcb45650400a9bc94a62?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/85747dfa7c29be6c5eab5afe41b9a4d31b3db20961febcb45650400a9bc94a62?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Brandon Mlilo"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103772"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103772\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103778"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}