The Atlas Obscura Guide To Russia

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

Updated September 30, 2024

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Unusual Attractions in Russia

Dargavs

Dargavs, Russia

Dargavs Village

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

Looking down the hall to the bunker

Moscow, Russia

Bunker-42

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

It contains museums, a market, and a number of exhibits celebrating Russian art.

Moscow, Russia

Izmailovo Kremlin

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

Lenin's Mausoleum

Moscow, Russia

Lenin's Mausoleum

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

Abandoned salt mine.

Yekaterinburg, Russia

Psychedelic Salt Mines

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

Komsomolskaya station.

Moscow, Russia

Moscow Metro Stations

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

Moscow, Russia

Museum of Soviet Arcade Games

Immortal combat in a Moscow museum.

Children are the Victims of Adult Vices

Moscow, Russia

Children are the Victims of Adult Vices

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

See All 185 Things To Do in Russia

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Russia

Russian Vodka Museum

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 28

Architecture 27

Military 18

Sacred Spaces 18

Architectural Oddities 17

Statues 15

Monuments 15

Art 12

Animals 12

Nature 10

Churches 9

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has been to Moscow State University
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has been to Red Gates Skyscraper
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wants to go to Lena Stone Pillars
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has been to Novodevichy Cemetery

Stories About Russia

Few folk figures have endured like Baba Yaga, who has been described as witch, mentor, villain, trickster, and now, perhaps, a feminist icon.

Who Is Baba Yaga?

Trickster, mentor, probable goddess—Slavic folklore's most famous villain is so much more than a witch.

September 30, 2024

Dance performances are a major part of Yhyakh celebrations.

In the Siberian Arctic, New Year Comes in June

Yhyakh is the summer holiday we all need.

by Andrew Coletti

Just how big can the gateway to the underworld get?

Siberia’s Doorway to the Underworld Is Getting Even Bigger

Say goodbye to a million cubic meters every year.

by Jennifer Billock

Taken in 1917 at Tsarskoye Selo, outside St. Petersburg, this is the only known color photo of the original Amber Room.

The Enduring Mystery of the Amber Room, Coveted by Tsars, Nazis, and Treasure Hunters

Crafted from amber and gold, it enthralled all who saw it. Then, near the end of World War II, it disappeared.

by Stefan Bachmann and April Genevieve Tucholke

February 14, 2024

Podcast: Dyatlov Pass, Part 2

The mysterious tragedy of the Dyatlov Pass Incident gets an explanation—but not necessarily one everyone accepts.

by The Podcast Team

November 22, 2023

Podcast: Dyatlov Pass, Part 1

The tragedy and mystery of the Dyatlov Pass Incident has captured imaginations for decades.

by The Podcast Team

November 21, 2023

This photo was taken around 1930 of the Tunguska marshes, the epicenter of the mysterious Tunguska Event.

Podcast: The Tunguska Event

Earth's largest documented impact event happened in a remote corner of Siberia in 1908.

by The Podcast Team

October 10, 2023

In Early Modern Russia, Witches Were Men and Belief in Magic Was Universal

Terrifying love spells and protective "spells to power" offered the chance for control in a fiercely hierarchical society.

by Valerie Kivelson

October 2, 2023

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