Lonely Russia Kaliningrad Region St Petersburg p273 p156 #^#^#^ Northern European Russia p291 Moscow p54 #_#_ Golden Ring p125 Western European The Urals Russia p232 p411 Western Volga Siberia Region p435 Russian p332 Caucasus p369 Eastern Siberia p475 Russian Far East p540 Simon Richmond, Mark Baker, Marc Bennetts, Stuart Butler, Trent Holden, Ali Lemer, Tatyana Leonov, Tom Masters, Kate Morgan, Leonid Ragozin, Regis St Louis, Mara Vorhees
PLAN YOUR TRIP Welcome to Russia.... 6 Russia s Top 20.... 10 Need to Know.... 20 First Time Russia.... 22 What s New.... 24 Getting Your Visa.... 25 If You Like...... 28 Month by Month.... 31 Itineraries... 34 Great Train Journeys.... 39 Russian Adventures.... 43 Regions at a Glance.... 49 ON THE ROAD MOSCOW...54 Sights.... 69 Activities.... 93 Tours.... 95 Festivals & Events... 96 Sleeping.... 98 Eating....103 Drinking & Nightlife....109 Entertainment.......... 113 Shopping.... 115 Information.... 117 Getting There & Away.... 118 Getting Around....120 Around Moscow... 121 Country Estates.... 121 Istra....123 Borodino....124 GOLDEN RING... 125 Vladimir...126 Suzdal....130 Plyos...136 Kostroma... 137 Yaroslavl....142 Rostov-Veliky.... 147 Pereslavl-Zalessky...... 150 Sergiev Posad...153 ST PETERSBURG... 156 Sights.... 167 VPALES/SHUTTERSTOCK PETE SEAWARD/LONELY PLANET GUM SHOPPING MALL, MOSCOW P115 GARY LATHAM/LONELY PLANET LOMONOSOV IMPERIAL PORCELAIN FACTORY P162
Contents Activities....193 Tours....195 Festivals & Events...196 Sleeping....196 Eating.... 200 Drinking & Nightlife.... 206 Entertainment..........209 Shopping.... 211 Information....212 Getting There & Away....214 Getting Around....216 Around St Petersburg.... 217 Peterhof... 217 Pushkin (Tsarskoe Selo)....219 SAMI MAN WITH REINDEER P318 Pavlovsk... 222 Gatchina.... 223 Kronshtadt.... 224 Leningrad Region... 225 Vyborg.... 225 Staraya Ladoga.... 228 Tikhvin... 230 WESTERN EUROPEAN RUSSIA...232 South of Moscow....233 Tula... 233 Yelets.... 238 Voronezh.... 240 Oryol... 242 North & West of Moscow....246 Smolensk.... 246 Tver... 253 Torzhok.... 256 Veliky Novgorod....257 Staraya Russa.... 264 Pskov.... 265 Stary Izborsk.... 270 Pechory.... 271 KALININGRAD REGION... 273 Kaliningrad....275 Yantarny.... 285 Svetlogorsk... 286 Zelenogradsk.... 288 Kurshskaya Kosa.... 289 NORTHERN EUROPEAN RUSSIA... 291 Republic of Karelia....293 Petrozavodsk.... 293 Kizhi.... 298 Northern Lake Ladoga.... 299 Sortavala... 299 Valaam... 300 White Sea....301 Kem & Rabocheostrovsk....... 301 Solovetsky Islands...301 Arkhangelsk.... 306 Kola Peninsula.... 312 Apatity...312 Kirovsk...313 Lovozero....315 Teriberka....316 Murmansk.... 317 Vologda....324 Kargopol....329 Kenozero National Park.... 331 VOLGA REGION...332 Nizhny Novgorod.... 334 Kazan... 340 Ulyanovsk.... 347 Samara.... 350 Samara Bend... 354 Tolyatti... 354 Saratov.... 355 Volgograd.... 357 Astrakhan....361 Elista.... 365 RUSSIAN CAUCASUS...369 Kuban Steppe....372 Rostov-on-Don....372 Starocherkasskaya....375 Krasnodar....375 Black Sea Coast.... 377 Sochi.... 378 Adler... 385
ON THE ROAD Krasnaya Polyana.... 386 Mineral Water Spas... 389 Mineralnye Vody... 390 Pyatigorsk... 390 Kislovodsk... 394 Central Caucasus.... 398 Dombay & Teberda.... 398 Arkhyz.... 402 Nalchik... 403 Elbrus Area.... 405 ROKA/SHUTTERSTOCK THE URALS.... 411 Perm...414 Kungur...418 Yekaterinburg.......... 419 Around Yekaterinburg.... 427 Ganina Yama... 427 Nevyansk... 427 Nizhnyaya Sinyachikha... 428 Ufa.... 428 Ufa to Chelyabinsk.... 430 Zyuratkul National Park... 430 Taganay National Park...431 Chelyabinsk.... 432 WESTERN SIBERIA...435 Tyumen.... 437 Tobolsk... 440 Omsk.... 443 Novosibirsk............444 Tomsk... 450 Novokuznetsk... 455 Sheregesh... 456 Altai... 458 Barnaul.... 459 Biysk... 463 Gorno-Altaisk.... 465 Lake Manzherok... 466 Lake Teletskoe & Artybash.... 467 Chemal.... 468 Chuysky Trakt... 470 Onguday....471 Chibit....471 Aktash....472 Kosh-Agach.... 473 EASTERN SIBERIA... 475 Krasnoyarsk Territory & Khakassia.......... 478 Krasnoyarsk.... 478 GRAND CHORAL SYNAGOGUE P187 Divnogorsk & Ovsyanka... 485 Abakan... 486 Around Abakan.... 488 Minusinsk.... 488 Shushenskoe.... 489 Sayanogorsk... 490 Tuva....491 Kyzyl... 493 Around Kyzyl.... 497 Western Tuva.... 497 Kyzyl to Mongolian Border... 498 Western BAM.... 499 Tayshet.... 499 Bratsk... 499
Contents UNDERSTAND Severobaikalsk.........500 Around Severobaikalsk.... 503 Nizhneangarsk.... 503 Baikalskoe... 503 Lake Baikal... 504 Irkutsk.... 505 Listvyanka...516 Port Baikal....519 Olkhon Island....519 Slyudyanka....521 Arshan & Tunka Valley.... 523 Eastern Baikal.... 525 Selenga Delta.... 525 Ust-Barguzin... 526 Svyatoy Nos Peninsula.. 526 Barguzin & The Barguzin Valley... 527 Southern Buryatiya & Zabaikalsky Territory....527 Ulan-Ude.... 528 Around Ulan-Ude.... 534 Chita...535 RUSSIAN FAR EAST... 540 Eastern Trans-Siberian.... 542 Blagoveshchensk... 542 Birobidzhan... 544 Khabarovsk... 544 Vladivostok....551 Eastern Bam.... 561 Tynda....561 Komsomolskna-Amure... 562 Sakha Republic & Magadan Region....565 Yakutsk.... 565 Magadan....572 Sakhalin...573 Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk....574 Kamchatka....579 Petropavlovsk- Kamchatsky....581 Around Petropavlovsky- Kamchatsky... 586 Mt Avachinskaya & Mt Koryakskaya... 586 Nalychevo Nature Park.... 586 Yelizovo.... 587 Paratunka.... 587 Valley of the Geysers... 588 Lake Kurilskoe.... 588 Mt Mutnovskaya.... 588 Esso.... 589 Russia Today.... 592 History.... 595 Russian People.... 626 Religion... 632 Performing Arts & Music... 635 Literature & Cinema....640 Architecture & Visual Art....646 Food & Drink.... 652 Landscape & Wildlife... 660 SURVIVAL GUIDE Directory A-Z....666 Transport....676 Language.... 691 Index.... 701 Map Legend.... 717 SPECIAL FEATURES Getting your Visa.... 25 Great Train Journeys.... 39 Russian Adventures....43 Kremlin 3D Illustration... 70 Hermitage 3D illustration.........172
34 Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Itineraries Peterhof St Petersburg Tsarskoe Selo Veliky Novgorod BELARUS MOSCOW #_ Sergiev Posad Suzdal Vladimir 2 WEEKS Russian Capitals Start in Moscow where the Kremlin, Red Square, the Tretyakov Gallery, a performance at the Bolshoi Theatre and riding the grand metro system must all be factored into your schedule. Stretch your legs in the revamped Gorky Park and along the embankments by the Moscow River. Save a few days for trips to the historic and serene Golden Ring towns of Sergiev Posad, Suzdal and Vladimir. Break your journey between the two big cities at tourist-friendly Veliky Novgorod. It s home to an impressive riverside kremlin, ancient churches and a wonderful open-air museum of wooden architecture. The historic heart of St Petersburg offers the incomparable Hermitage and Russian Museum, as well as the opportunity to cruise the city s rivers and canals. Enjoy some of Russia s top restaurants and bars, and attend first-rate performances at the Mariinsky and Mikhailovsky Theatres. If you have the time, venture out to grand palaces set in beautifully landscaped grounds such as Peterhof and Tsarskoe Selo, easy half-day trips from the city.
35 NORWAY SWEDEN FINLAND St Petersburg MOSCOW Yaroslavl #_ Suzdal Vladimir Perm Kungur Yekaterinburg Tomsk Krasnoyarsk Lake Olkhon Baikal Island Novosibirsk #f Irkutsk Ulan-Ude Ivolginsk KAZAKHSTAN Datsan MONGOLIA Khabarovsk Vladivostok CHINA PLAN YOUR TRIP Itineraries 4 WEEKS The Trans-Siberian Odyssey Situated on a stunningly attractive natural harbour, the port of Vladivostok is worth a couple of days sightseeing before boarding the train. An overnight journey west will take you to your first stop at Khabarovsk, a lively city with a lingering tsarist-era charm located on the banks of the Amur River. Two more days down the line hop off the train at Ulan-Ude, the capital of Buryatiya, where Russian, Soviet and Mongolian cultures coexist; from here you can venture into the steppes to visit Russia s principal Buddhist monastery, Ivolginsk (Ivolga) Datsan. The railway then skirts around the southern shores of magnificent Lake Baikal. Allow at least three days (preferably longer) to soak up the charms of this beautiful lake, basing yourself on beguiling Olkhon Island. Check out historic Irkutsk on the way to or back from the lake. Flush with oil wealth, happening Krasnoyarsk, on the Yenisey River, affords the opportunity for scenic cruises along one of Siberia s most pleasant waterways. Siberia s capital of Novosibirsk offers big-city delights, including the gigantic Opera & Ballet Theatre. Detour slightly from the main Trans-Siberian Railway line to Tomsk, the cultural capital of Siberia, to hang with its lively student population and admire the city s treasure trove of wooden architecture. Crossing the Urals into European Russia, spend a day or so in Yekaterinburg, a historic, bustling city well stocked with interesting museums and sites connected to the murder of the last tsar and his family. Perm is also doing an excellent job of reinventing itself as a cultural centre; use it as a base from which to make trips to an ice cave at Kungur and the Gulag labour camp Perm-36, preserved as a museum. Finally, take a reviving break in the Golden Ring towns of Yaroslavl or Vladimir, which is also the access point for the idyllic village of Suzdal: all are stacked with beautiful, old onion-domed churches. You should then be fortified for the bustle of Moscow and St Petersburg.
36 Esso Petropavlovsk- Kamchatsky PLAN YOUR TRIP Itineraries Yakutsk Lena Pillars Neryungri Tynda Blagoveshchensk Birobidzhan Komsomolskna-Amure Sea of Okhotsk Khabarovsk # # PA C I F I C O C E A N CHINA JAPAN Vladivostok 4 WEEKS Russian Far East circuit Spend a few days in the booming capital of the region, the port of Vladivostok, taking in its beautiful location, thriving food and bar scene, great new arts centre and oceanarium, and constantly improving infrastructure. Next, head north to the attractive city of Khabarovsk by the Amur River, using this as a base for a side trip to Birobidzhan, the sleepy yet interesting capital of the Jewish Autonomous Region. Continue west to lively Blagoveshchensk with its splendid tsarist architecture (China is on the opposite bank of the Amur River). An overnight train will transport you to Tynda, the main hub on the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM), which has a museum dedicated to this other Trans-Siberian rail route. Continue by train to Neryungri, where you have a choice: either fly or endure a very bumpy all-day ride in a Russian UAZ 4WD or van to Yakutsk, the extraordinary permafrost-bound capital of the Sakha Republic. In Yakutsk, visit the Permafrost Kingdom and Mammoth Museum. If it s the summer sailing season, cruise to the scenic Lena Pillars on the Lena River. Backtrack to Neyrungri, reboard the BAM and take it through to the attractive city of Komsomolsk-na-Amure, built from scratch in the 1930s and decorated with some amazing Soviet-era mosaics. Return by train to either Khabarovsk or Vladivostok, from where you can fly over the Seat of Okhotsk for a spectacular climax to the trip in Kamchatka. Be prepared to spend several days planning your outdoor adventures (and likely waiting for good weather) in the volcano-studded peninsula s capital, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Splash out on a helicopter tour to the amazing Valley of the Geysers, the bear hot spot of Lake Kurilskoe or the fuming caldera of Mt Mutnovskaya. Finally, make your way north to the lovely Evenki village of Esso, friendly to independent travellers with cheap guesthouses, public hot springs and well-mapped trails for trekking.
37 Valaam St Petersburg Lake Ladoga FINLAND Lake Seliger Tver #_ MOSCOW Petrozavodsk Kizhi Lake Onega Murmansk White Sea Solovetsky Islands #_ MOSCOW B A R E N T S S E A UKRAINE Gorodets Nizhny Novgorod Volgograd Ulyanovsk Kazan Samara KAZAKHSTAN Astrakhan Caspian Sea PLAN YOUR TRIP Itineraries 3 WEEKS Lakes of the Russian North 3 WEEKS Volga Route to Astrakhan From Moscow follow the Volga River north to Tver where Catherine the Great used to pause on cross-country journeys. Make a side trip to serene Lake Seliger. Top up on big-city culture and fun in St Petersburg, then take the train to Petrozavodsk to access Lake Ladoga and the island of Valaam, home to a beguiling working monastery. Return to Petrozavodsk, where you can board a hydrofoil that will zip you across Lake Onega to the island of Kizhi, an architectural reserve that includes the astounding Transfiguration Church, a symphony of wooden domes, gables and decoration. The White Sea is the location of the Solovetsky Islands; the beautiful landscapes and monastery here were also the setting for some of the most brutal scenes in Solzhenitsyn s The Gulag Archipelago. More offbeat adventures, including top fishing sites, await in the Kola Peninsula. Finish in Murmansk by checking out a decommissioned nuclear icebreaker and the giant concrete soldier Alyosha. In the summer, the sun never fully sets, while in winter you may witness the amazing northern lights. Starting in Moscow, head east towards Nizhny Novgorod where the river can be viewed from above on a cable-car ride. Spend a day or so here enjoying the town s kremlin and museums. Consider making a day trip by hydrofoil to Gorodets, known for its folk arts. The next major stop is the intriguing Tatarstan capital of Kazan with its World Heritage Site listed kremlin that includes an enormous mosque and a small satellite branch of St Petersburg s Hermitage. The Volga continues to guide you south past Lenin s birthplace of Ulyanovsk and Samara, from where you can hike in the rocky Zhiguli Hills or search out the town s several offbeat design and cultural sights. The 17-hour train journey to Volgograd, a city entirely rebuilt after Russia s bloodiest battle of WWII, is worth it to see the amazing 72m-tall statue of Mother Russia Mamaev Kurgan. The Volga spills into the Caspian Sea at Astrakhan, the jumpingoff point for exploring the glorious natural attractions (including rare flamingos) of the Volga Delta; this is the home to the endangered sturgeon, the source of Beluga caviar.
38 UKRAINE Rostovon-Don Starocherkassk PLAN YOUR TRIP Itineraries Tobolsk Tyumen Novokuznetsk Abakan Barnaul Biysk Gorno-Altaisk Kyzyl Artybash Lake Teletskoe Chuysky Trakt KAZAKHSTAN MONGOLIA Sochi MONGOLIA Black Sea Gum-Bashi Pass Dombay CHINA c Kislovodsk R Nalchik Mt Elbrus (5642m) GEORGIA 4 WEEKS Siberia s Deep South 3 WEEKS Adventures in the Caucasus Begin in the oil-rich city of Tyumen, full of traditional architecture. Journey northeast to Tobolsk, whose splendid kremlin lords it over the Tobol and Irtysh Rivers; the last tsar and his family were exiled here before their fateful journey to Yekaterinburg. Next, head south to Barnaul, the gateway to the mountainous Altai Republic. Here you can arrange a white-water rafting expedition or plan treks out to the pretty village of Artybash and beautiful Lake Teletskoe. Stop in Gorno- Altaisk to register your visa. Drive along the southern section of the panoramic Chuysky Trakt, a helter-skelter mountain road leading to yurt-dotted grasslands. Return from the Chusky Trakt to Biysk, take a bus to Novokuznetsk and then a train to Abakan to arrange onward travel to Tuva. This remote and little-visited region, hard up against Mongolia with which it shares several cultural similarities is famed for its throat-singing nomads and mystical shamans. Kyzyl has a good National Museum and Cultural Centre and can be used as a base for expeditions to pretty villages and the vast Central Asian steppes. The violence in parts of the Caucasus in recent decades has put off visitors, but this beautiful and multifaceted region of Russia is actually an amazing and, for the most part, safe place to travel, offering beaches, mountains and a fascinating mix of cultures. Start in cosmopolitan Rostov-on-Don, where you can take a stroll or cruise along the Don River. Upriver it s worth making a day trip to the Cossack capital of Starocherkassk. Take an overnight train south to the coasal resort of Sochi to experience the glamour of the Russian Riviera as well as Stalin s extraordinary dacha. Next, head inland on another overnight train to the relaxing Mineral Waters spa town of Kislovodsk. Hire a taxi for a spectacular journey over the Gum-bashi Pass to the even more stunning mountain resort of Dombay. After a few days of hiking or skiing (depending on the season), hop on a series of marshrutky (fixed-route minibuses) via Nalchik to the big daddy of the Greater Caucasus range, Mt Elbrus. If you re planning to climb Europe s tallest peak, you ll need to set aside at least a week. If not, ride the cable cars up the mountain for out-of-this-world views.
Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 717 Map Legend Sights Beach Bird Sanctuary Buddhist Castle/Palace Christian Confucian Hindu Islamic Jain Jewish Monument Museum/Gallery/Historic Building Ruin Shinto Sikh Taoist Winery/Vineyard Zoo/Wildlife Sanctuary Other Sight Activities, Courses & Tours Bodysurfing Diving Canoeing/Kayaking Course/Tour Sento Hot Baths/Onsen Skiing Snorkelling Surfing Swimming/Pool Walking Windsurfing Other Activity Sleeping Eating Sleeping Camping Hut/Shelter Eating Drinking & Nightlife Drinking & Nightlife Cafe Entertainment Entertainment Shopping Shopping Information Bank Embassy/Consulate Hospital/Medical Internet Police Post Office Telephone Toilet Tourist Information Other Information Geographic Beach Gate Hut/Shelter Lighthouse Lookout Mountain/Volcano Oasis Park Pass Picnic Area Waterfall Population Capital (National) Capital (State/Province) City/Large Town Town/Village Transport Airport Border crossing Bus Cable car/funicular Cycling Ferry Metro station Monorail Parking Petrol station S-Bahn/Subway station Taxi T-bane/Tunnelbana station Train station/railway Tram Tube station U-Bahn/Underground station Other Transport Routes Tollway Freeway Primary Secondary Tertiary Lane Unsealed road Road under construction Plaza/Mall Steps Tunnel Pedestrian overpass Walking Tour Walking Tour detour Path/Walking Trail Boundaries International State/Province Disputed Regional/Suburb Marine Park Cliff Wall Hydrography River, Creek Intermittent River Canal Water Dry/Salt/Intermittent Lake Reef Areas Airport/Runway Beach/Desert Cemetery (Christian) Cemetery (Other) Glacier Mudflat Park/Forest Sight (Building) Sportsground Swamp/Mangrove Note: Not all symbols displayed above appear on the maps in this book
Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Regis St Louis St Petersburg Regis grew up in a small town in the American Midwest the kind of place that fuels big dreams of travel and he developed an early fascination with foreign dialects and world cultures. He spent his formative years learning Russian and a handful of Romance languages, which served him well on journeys across much of the globe. Regis has contributed to more than 50 Lonely Planet titles, covering destinations across six continents. His travels have taken him from the mountains of Kamchatka to remote island villages in Melanesia, and to many grand urban landscapes. When not on the road, Regis lives in New Orleans. Mara Vorhees Russian Caucasus & Moscow Mara writes about food, travel and family fun around the world. Her work has been published by BBC Travel, Boston Globe, Delta Sky, Vancouver Sun and more. For Lonely Planet, she regularly writes about destinations in Central America and Eastern Europe, as well as New England, where she lives. She often travels with her twin boys in tow, earning her an expertise in family travel. Follow their adventures and misadventures at www.havetwinswilltravel.com.
on the beautiful beaches of Southwest France with his wife and two young children. His website is www.stuartbutlerjournalist.com. Trent Holden Western European Russia A Geelong-based writer, located just outside Melbourne, Trent has worked for Lonely Planet since 2005. He s covered 30-plus guidebooks across Asia, Africa and Australia. With a penchant for megacities, Trent s in his element when assigned to cover a nation s capital the more chaotic the better to unearth cool bars, art, street food and underground subculture. On the flipside he also writes books to idyllic tropical islands across Asia, in between going on safari to national parks in Africa and the subcontinent. When not travelling, Trent works as a freelance editor, reviewer and spends all his money catching live gigs. You can catch him on Twitter @hombreholden. Ali Lemer Golden Ring Ali has been working for Lonely Planet as a travel writer and editor since 2007. Besides authoring articles for lonelyplanet.com on Japan, Scotland and the US, she s written for several travel magazines and authored guidebooks on Bali, Hawaii and Russia; she also co-edited an anthology of personal narratives from migrant Australian authors called Joyful Strains: Making Australia Home. A native New Yorker, Ali has also lived and studied in Chicago, Prague, the UK and Melbourne, Australia, where she became naturalized several years ago. She currently resides in Brooklyn, NY. Tatyana Leonov The Urals Tatyana is a travel writer and editor based in Sydney, Australia when she s not on the road. She s written for Lonely Planet Asia magazine and lonelyplanet.com, as well as a heap of other magazines, newspapers and websites from around the world. Check out www.tatyanaleonov.com.au for more. Tom Masters Russian Far East Dreaming since he could walk of going to the most obscure places on earth, Tom has always had a taste for the unknown. This has led to a writing career that has taken him all over the world, including North Korea, the Arctic, Congo and Siberia. After graduating with a degree in Russian literature from the University of London, Tom went to work in Russia as a journalist at the St Petersburg Times. He now indulges his love of communist architecture by living on Karl-Marx-Allee in Berlin s Friedrichshain, but still returns regularly to the former Soviet Union for work. Tom can be found online at www.tommasters.net. Kate Morgan Western European Russia Having worked for Lonely Planet for over a decade now, Kate has been fortunate enough to cover plenty of ground working as a travel writer on destinations such as Shanghai, Japan, India, Russia, Zimbabwe, the Philippines and Phuket. She has done stints living in London, Paris and Osaka but these days is based in one of her favourite regions in the world Victoria, Australia. In between travelling the world and writing about it, Kate enjoys spending time at home working as a freelance editor. Leonid Ragozin Moscow & Eastern Siberia Leonid studied beach dynamics at the Moscow State University, but for want of decent beaches in Russia, he switched to journalism and spent 12 years voyaging through different parts of the BBC, with a break for a four-year stint as a foreign correspondent for the Russian Newsweek. Leonid is currently a freelance journalist focusing largely on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine (both his Lonely Planet destinations), which prompted him to leave Moscow and find a new home in Rīga.
OUR STORY A beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end broke but inspired they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they d sold 1500 copies. Lonely Planet was born. Today, Lonely Planet has offices in Franklin, London, Melbourne, Oakland, Dublin, Beijing and Delhi, with more than 600 staff and writers. We share Tony s belief that a great guidebook should do three things: inform, educate and amuse. OUR WRITERS Simon Richmond Russian Caucasus & St Petersburg Journalist and photographer Simon has specialised as a travel writer since the early 1990s and first worked for Lonely Planet in 1999 on their Central Asia guide. He s long since stopped counting the number of guidebooks he s researched and written for the company, but countries covered including Australia, China, India, Iran, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar (Burma), Russia, Singapore, South Africa and Turkey. For Lonely Planet s website he s penned features on topics from the world s best swimming pools to the joys of Urban Sketching follow him on Instagram to see some of his photos and sketches. Mark Baker Kaliningrad Region & Volga Region Mark is a freelance travel writer with a penchant for offbeat stories and forgotten places. He s originally from the United States, but now makes his home in the Czech capital, Prague. He writes mainly on Eastern and Central Europe for Lonely Planet as well as other leading travel publishers, but finds real satisfaction in digging up stories in places that are too remote or quirky for the guides. Prior to becoming an author, he worked as a journalist for The Economist, Bloomberg News and Radio Free Europe, among other organisations. Instagram: @markbakerprague Twitter: @markbakerprague Marc Bennetts Northern European Russia Marc is a Moscow-based journalist and writer whose work has appeared in the UK s Guardian and Times, as well as other UK and US newspapers. He is the author of three books: Football Dynamo (Virgin, 2008) about Russia s football culture, Kicking the Kremlin (2014, Oneworld), about the anti-putin protest movement and I m Going to Ruin Their Lives (Oneworld, 2016), about how Putin has retailated. Marc has lived in Russia since 1997. Stuart Butler Western Siberia Stuart has been writing for Lonely Planet for a decade and during this time he s come eye to eye with gorillas in the Congolese jungles, met a man with horns on his head who could lie in fire, huffed and puffed over snowbound Himalayan mountain passes, interviewed a king who could turn into a tree and had his fortune told by a parrot. Oh, and he s met more than his fair share of self-proclaimed Gods. When not on the road for Lonely Planet he lives OVER MORE PAGE WRITERS Published by Lonely Planet Global Limited CRN 554153 8th edition March 2018 ISBN 978 1 78657 362 9 Lonely Planet 2018 Photographs as indicated 2018 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in China Although the authors and Lonely Planet have taken all reasonable care in preparing this book, we make no warranty about the accuracy or completeness of its content and, to the maximum extent permitted, disclaim all liability arising from its use. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, except brief extracts for the purpose of review, and no part of this publication may be sold or hired, without the written permission of the publisher. Lonely Planet and the Lonely Planet logo are trademarks of Lonely Planet and are registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Lonely Planet does not allow its name or logo to be appropriated by commercial establishments, such as retailers, restaurants or hotels. Please let us know of any misuses: lonelyplanet.com/ip.
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