St Petersburg rarely gets the love it deserves among travellers. Whether that's a function of the difficulty of getting a Russian visa or its location far on the fringes of Eastern Europe, is anyone's guess. Either way, skipping out on St Petersburg is a huge mistake. It could be one of the best Eastern European cities you've never thought of visiting.Most visitors rush into St Petersburg on a cruise from Tallinn or Helsinki, snap some pictures, and set off on their merry way. But I'd never …
Russia
Quirkiest Museum in Russia? The Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines in St. Petersburg
If you're an '80s kid who grew up with Atari or Nintendo controllers attached to your thumbs, I guarantee that you'll fall in love at the Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines in St. Petersburg, Russia.Could I have stumbled into a weirder (or cooler) museum in Eastern Europe? I doubt it.And even if it doesn't crack many lists of top places to see in St. Petersburg, it might well be the most memorable addition to your St. Petersburg itinerary. The Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines The Museum …
The (Not-So) Epic Quest for Central Asian Food in St Petersburg, Russia
Growing up with two Ukrainian grandmothers, Eastern Europe is literally in my blood.And in my stomach.Weekends spent stuffing my face with perogies, cabbage rolls, and borsch were not uncommon. So when it came time to head to Russia, I wasn't completely in the dark; I had a small idea of what would await me in the Russian kitchen.But I wanted to try something new, something completely different—and Russian food just wasn't going to cut it.Then it hit me.I was standing in the …
3 Beautiful Cities in Eastern Europe Independent Travellers Should Not Ignore
To all you Cold War kids out there (just in case you didn't know) the news is officially out: Eastern Europe is no longer that strange, bleak, cold, and grey place we devoured images of while growing up.Times have changed—mostly for the better—and as it turns out, Eastern Europe is actually not so bad these days; it's even surprisingly pleasant.When I decided to travel independently to Eastern Europe for the first time almost 10 years ago, I was slammed with a multitude of blank stares …
4 Steps for Applying for a Russian Visa (Without Losing Your Cool)
Russia cracks more Eastern Europe travel bucket lists than you can imagine, and yet, so few ever manage to sneak a peek inside the walls of Kremlin or hop into the ice-cold waters of Lake Baikal. Why?The short and slightly vulgar answer: It's a huge pain in the ass.But, really, when all that stands between you sitting on the couch and wandering the streets of St Petersburg alongside the ghosts of Dostoyevsky and Gogol is a monolithic Kafkaesque bureaucratic nightmare, why not just …