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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Russia

183 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Russia

Updated January 25, 2023

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Unusual Attractions in Russia

Dargavs, Russia

Dargavs Village

This ancient village and its adjoining cemetery have a beautiful history of death and remembrance.

Moscow, Russia

Bunker-42

Dr. Strangelove-esque tours reveal the inside a bunker once reserved for Stalin himself.

Moscow, Russia

Izmailovo Kremlin

Moscow's other, lesser known kremlin is a fairytale-like cultural complex modeled after Old Russia.

Moscow, Russia

Lenin's Mausoleum

This building holds the embalmed remains of the leader of the Bolshevik Revolution.

Yekaterinburg, Russia

Psychedelic Salt Mines

It's hard to believe the dizzying patterns covering this abandoned mine are completely natural.

Moscow, Russia

Moscow Metro Stations

The gorgeous entrances into the city's underbelly look more like grand halls than subway stops.

Moscow, Russia

Children are the Victims of Adult Vices

Thirteen sculptures in central Moscow graphically depicting vices of the modern world.

Moscow, Russia

Museum of Soviet Arcade Games

Immortal combat in a Moscow museum.

See All 183 Things To Do in Russia

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Russia

Saint Petersburg, Russia

Russian Vodka Museum

The past, present, and future of Russia's signature alcohol is remembered in the world's only museum dedicated to the starchy spirit.

Saint Petersburg, Russia

Literary Café

Once frequented by heavyweights of the Russian arts scene, this café is stuck in the 1800s.

Tula, Russia

Tula Pryanik Museum

A tea party concludes each visit to this Russian spice cookie sanctum.

Semenkovo, Russia

Vologda Butter Museum

Slather on the history at an exhibition dedicated to this Russian luxury.

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Soviet History 28

Museums And Collections 19

Sacred Spaces 18

Military 18

Architectural Oddities 17

Monuments 15

Statues 13

Animals 12

Art 12

Nature 10

Churches 9

Ruins 9

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Stories About Russia

Podcast: Empress Anna’s Ice Palace

The spectacle in St. Petersburg, Russia, was the site of an incredibly strange wedding.

by The Podcast Team

January 25, 2023

The Curious Case of the Arctic Desert Island That's Not Actually an Island

No one is sure how this geological oddity got there.

by Gemma Tarlach

Could 'Monsters' Exist in the Modern World?

Cryptozoologist Richard Freeman on why we should still believe in unseen animals.

February 28, 2022

Podcast: Lake Karachay

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

by The Podcast Team

February 23, 2022

How to Find ‘Comets’ and Other Wonders Just Around the Corner

A nature photographer uses clever camera work to turn his own neighborhood into a visual wonderland.

by Gemma Tarlach

November 19, 2021

The Weekly Cross-Dressing Balls of 18th-Century Russian Royalty

How empresses used "metamorphosis" to show their male courtiers who’s the boss.

October 4, 2021

The Historic Russian Recipe That Turns Apples Into Marshmallows

Disarmingly simple, pastila is lighter than air.

There's Gold In These Here Strange Squiggles

Mining operations at one of Russia's largest gold deposits includes a method that leaves twisty tracks on the landscape.

by Gemma Tarlach

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