Russia tours for seniors

ALL TOURS TO RUSSIA SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

For details on our programs and an up-to-date list of guaranteed departures, please https://www.odysseytraveller.com/tour-category/guaranteed/

Odyssey offers easy, convenient, and relaxed escorted small group tours across Russia and beyond. We explore Russia’s incredible natural beauty, its great and storied heritage, World Heritage Sites, and fascinating eclectic cities, all with some truly spectacular scenery along the way. This and more is all waiting to be explored on one of Odyssey’s small group tours of Russia, designed for the senior traveller, and led by experienced, and enthusiastic like minded people.

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Russia Tours

Tours for Mature Aged and Senior World Travellers

Mongolia and Russia small group tours

30 days

Jul

Journey through Mongolia and Russia small group tour

Visiting Mongolia, Russia

This escorted small group tour traverses this expanse, from Ulaanbaatar to St Petersburg; from the Mongolian Steppes to Siberian taiga and tundra; over the Ural Mountains that divide Asia and Europe to the waterways of Golden Ring. Our program for couples and solo travellers uses two of the great rail journeys of the world; the Trans Mongolian Express and the Trans Siberian Express.

From A$17,850 AUD

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Transmongolian Transiberian

65 days

Mar, Jul, Feb

Singapore to Lisbon by train

Visiting China

A small group railway journey from Singapore to Lisbon. The longest in the world for senior couples and mature solo travellers. Explore over some 56 days, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Mongolia, Russia, France, Spain and Portugal. Limited to 10 travelers on this escorted program.

From A$41,145 AUD

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Payanitsa chapel Krasnoyarsk

23 days

Oct, May

Helsinki to Irkutsk on the Trans-Siberian Railway

Visiting Finland, Russia

Escorted tour on the Trans-Siberian railway network from West to East starting in Helsinki and finishing in Irkutsk after 21 days. This is small group travel with like minded people and itineraries that maximise the travel experience of the 6 key destinations explored en-route. Our small group journeys are for mature couples and solo travellers.

From A$16,995 AUD

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vladivostok viewpoint

22 days

Oct

Krasnoyarsk to Vladivostok on the Trans-Siberian Railway

Visiting Russia

Mature and solo travelers group Travel on the Trans-Siberian Railway for 22 days covering the second half of the Trans-Siberian journey, from Vladivostok to Krasnoyarsk to Vladivostok on the edge of Siberian Russia Small group journeys with a tour leader, explores 5 key cities with local guides providing authentic experiences in each with stops of 2-3 nights.

From A$12,650 AUD

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vladivostok viewpoint

22 days

Apr, Aug

Vladivostok to Krasnoyarsk on the Trans-Siberian Railway

Visiting Russia

Mature and solo travelers group Travel on the Trans-Siberian Railway for 22 days covering the second half of the Trans-Siberian journey, from Vladivostok to Krasnoyarsk in the heart of Siberian Russia Small group journeys with a tour leader, explores 5 key cities with local guides providing authentic experiences in each with stops of 2-3 nights.

From A$12,560 AUD

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Irkutsk to Helsinki

days

Apr, Aug

Irkutsk to Helsinki on the Trans-Siberian Railway

Visiting Finland, Russia

Escorted tour on the Trans-Siberian railway network from East to West starting in Irkutsk and finishing in Helsinki after 21 days. This is small group travel with like minded people and itineraries that maximise the travel experience of the 6 key destinations explored en-route. Our small group journeys are for mature couples and solo travellers.

As the world’s largest country, Russia has everything you might want in a travel destination, from historic cities of glittering castles and ornate churches to active volcanoes and the rich mystery of the under-explored Siberia. As a transcontinental country, straddling Europe and North Asia, the variance in culture and landscape across Russia is vast and you can feel as if you’re visiting multiple smaller countries rather than one large one. However, this is part of Russia’s allure and the reason Winston Churchill once described it as ‘a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma’.

The west of Russia offers two amazing cities to explore: St Petersburg and Moscow. These should be on the bucket list of every keen traveller, bursting at the seams with history, culture and energy with a treasure trove of monumental sights to visit. In Moscow, discover the beating heart of the city at the Kremlin and Red Square and admire the majesty of St Basil’s Cathedral. Take in the reminders of the Soviet Union scattered across the city and discover more about Soviet-era Russia at one of the many fascinating museums. St Petersburg offers grandeur and grace with its imperial palaces and striking plazas. Visit Peterhof, the Winter Palace and the extraordinary Church on Spilled Blood and be transported back to the time of the Romanovs. Cruise down Nevsky Prospekt, Russia’s most famous street, and admire Kazan Cathedral and Stroganov Palace.

Outside of these dazzling Russia cities, you will find pristine beaches hugging the Gulf of Finland, quaint rural villages of gingerbread houses and tiny churches and sublime natural beauty. You can take the world-renowned Trans-Siberian Rail or cruise between cities. From the River Volga and Lake Baikal to the Caucasus Mountains and the Altai Republic, there is plenty in the way of great outdoors. For adventurers, there is skiing, hiking, white-water rafting and more on offer. One thing is for sure: if you’re interested in discovering more about Russia’s history, culture, architecture, food or landscape, the best way is to see it all for yourself. You’re in for a memorable travel experience, we guarantee that.

Articles about Russia

20 Total Articles
Empires in World History

Empires in World History

Empires shape history and influence the format of many of our small group tours. The Mongol, Persian, Roman, British and Ottoman empires are just a few An Antipodean travel company serving World Travellers since 1983 with small group educational tours for senior couples and mature solo travellers.

29 Jul 23 · 13 mins read
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Rurik and his brothers arrive in Staraya Ladoga

Early Russian History and its Key Figures

Early Russian History and its Key Figures It is probably unsurprisingly that the largest country in the world, encompassing Eastern Europe and Northern Asia, with its ever-changing landscapes, multiple timezones and diverse inhabitants, would also…

5 Dec 19 · 23 mins read
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A History of Ukraine Since World War Two

A History of Ukraine Since World War Two

Article for travellers about the recent history of Eastern Europe's Ukraine since the 1940's. Odyssey Traveller is an Antipodean travel company serving World Travellers since 1983 with small group educational tours for senior couples and mature solo travellers.

7 Apr 22 · 21 mins read
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Hanseatic League

Hanseatic League

An Article on the early trading of Germany and the Baltic states by an Antipodean travel company serving World Travellers since 1983 with small group educational tours for senior couples and mature solo travellers who are curious.

17 Nov 21 · 11 mins read
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Sami People

Sami People of the Arctic

The Sámi people are the only indigenous people of the European Union and are one of the oldest living cultures of our planet. Article for senior couples and mature single travellers curious about the Samii people and Viking culture that stretches across the Faroe Islands, Norway, Sweden and Finland on a small group educational tour.

28 Oct 21 · 15 mins read
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trans-Siberian train

History of the Trans-Siberian Railway

History of the Trans-Siberian Railway The history of the Trans-Siberian Railway, a network of railways connecting Moscow to the Russian Far East, covers important events of the 20th century, tracing the rise and fall of…

6 Jan 20 · 13 mins read
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Touring Russia

The need to know

Getting around

Odyssey travels by coach and occasionally uses local transport, including trains and ferries. Specifics are always outlined in your tour itinerary. Because of the (at times) poor road system and the vast distances between cities, rail is often the best way to travel in Russia. Public transport in cities is comprehensive and cheap, and some of the more palatial stations in Moscow and St Petersburg are tourist attractions in their own right!

Accommodation

In major cities, Odyssey stays in centrally located 3-4 star hotels, with easy access to public transport. In smaller towns or rural areas, we usually stay in family-run hotels or guesthouses. On our longstay tours, during which you spend the length of the tour in a single location, we use serviced apartments.

Tour Guides

Odyssey always engages local guides with regional knowledge to ensure an authentic experience during which you can learn as much as possible about the history and culture of places you visit.

Geography, Environment, & Weather

Russia has a total area of 17, 098, 242 sq km, spanning spans almost half the globe (and two continents) from east to west and about 4,000 kms from north to south. As a result, Russia’s terrain and climate is diverse and varied. You will find stretches of tundra, dessert, dense forests, mountain ranges, lakes and rivers throughout the country.

Generally, the summers are warm to hot and the winters are cold, sometimes freezing depending where you are. You will find the mildest climate along the Baltic coast but Siberia is known for its extreme climate with very cold winters and short but hot summers. The northeastern areas around the Black Sea have much milder winters but experience heavy rainfall all year round. The most important point about Russia’s climate is that it depends where you are and when you are there.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

There are 29 World Heritage Sites in Russia. 20 of these are in Europe and 9 are in Asia. 18 of the 29 are cultural sites and 11 are natural. You can find the full list here

Some of the sites include:

Lake Baikal – the oldest and deepest lake in the world being 25 million years old and 1700m deep. It is home to some of world’s most unusual freshwater faunas and has been invaluable to the development of evolutionary science.

Ferapontov Monastery – an incredibly well-preserved monastery in northern Russia that acts as an example of a Russian Orthodox monastic complex from the 15th-17th centuries.

Festivals & Events

Russian festivals are mostly based around religion, music, dance, food and drink or a mixture of all of these elements. To kick off the year, Russian Orthodox Christmas is celebrated on the 7 January and the evening of the 6th. Many people attend mass and come together to share a ‘holy supper’. On the 25 January, the country celebrates Tatyana’s Day or Russian Students’ Day to commemorate the establishment of Moscow State University. Seven weeks before Easter, the week-long Maslenitsa festivities take place. This is known as Russia’s pancake week and combines the Pagan tradition of marking the end of winter and the beginning of spring with the Christian tradition of merrymaking before Lent. Victory Day, celebrated 9 May, marks the end of World War II and impressive celebrations take place in Red Square with military marching and fireworks. In early November, Russians celebrate the communist revolution of 1917/1918, known as the Day of Accord and Reconciliation, with a big parade in Moscow.

Reading List

People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution by Orlando Figes

Gulag: A History by Anne Applebaum

The Last of the Tsars by Robert Service

Russian Stories edited by Christopher Keller

Floating Coast: An Environmental History of the Bering Strait by Bathsheba Demuth

Eating & Drinking

Russia’s size and diversity means that the country’s cuisine is full of variety and very much region-dependent. However, the country is known for its hearty and festive cooking and love of vodka.

The cold weather can last up to nine months in certain areas of the country which means that people will prepare some of their winter food in advance. This means preserved foods like pickled vegetables, jams and chutneys and salted, smoked or dried fish and meat feature prominently.

Soups and stews are also popular. Borchst is a purple soup made of meat and vegetables that usually include potatoes, carrots, onions, cabbage, garlic, and beetroot. It is served hot or cold with a dollop of sour cream.

Breads and pastries are also well-loved. There are blinis, Russian pancakes, dumplings such as pelmeni and varenniki and little pies known as pirozhki to try.

Popular desserts include medovik, a cake made up of 15 layers of ginger and cinnamon spiced honeyed pastry, with sweetened sour cream and condensed milk sandwiched in between each layer, and praniki, a type of Russian gingerbread.

If you’re not keen on straight vodka, try a Moscow Mule, which is ginger beer, vodka and lime.

Health & Safety

While much of Russia is usually safe to travel around, it’s important to stay alert to anything unusual. Also, you will often see signs warning of pickpockets in areas popular with tourists, so it’s important to keep a close eye on your belongings at all times.

Electrical Supply

Whenever you travel overseas, it’s always wise to take an appropriate travel adaptor. Russia uses 220 volt with two round pins, commonly used in Europe.

Tour Reviews

We did this tour in 2011. Wonderful, extraordinary experience. Loved every minute.

Rex and Maree

Journey through Mongolia and Russia small group tour

FAQs

What is the time zone?

Russia has 11 time zones, the most for a single country. Moscow is on Moscow Standard Time (+3). The nation does not observe daylight saving time.

Is tipping customary in Russia?

If you’re on an Odyssey tour, we take care of tipping so you don’t need to give it a second thought. However, in your free time, or if travelling independently, it’s essential that you make sure you tip an appropriate amount for services, as is the case throughout much of Europe. It’s customary to tip 10-15% of the bill at restaurants. It’s polite to round a bill up to the nearest whole figure or leave the change when buying drinks.

What is the internet access like in Russia?

Internet access is easily accessible, and most hotels and many cafes will be able to offer it.

Can I use my mobile/cell phone while in Russia?

Check with your cell phone provider to see whether you’re able to make calls and use data while in Russia. Many providers will offer a daily fee that allows you to make calls and check the internet while only being charged your regular rates. However, be certain to inform your provider that you’re heading overseas, because just like a bank they can turn off your service as a result of unusual activity.

Articles about Russia published by Odyssey Traveller

For all the articles Odyssey Traveller has published for mature aged and senior travellers, click through on this link.

External articles to assist you on your visit to Russia

Responsible travel tips for Russia

  • Learn at least the local greetings to break the ice. Although many locals speak English, the more you know of the native language, the greater your experience of the country will be.
  • Carry a business card in your wallet or purse from your local hotel, to assist you with the return journey if you do become lost.
  • Always ensure that you are covered by travel insurance. If you need advice on this feel free to contact Odyssey and we’ll be able to help.
  • When travelling independently, make sure you check the opening hours of shops and museums so that you don’t miss out! Museums and galleries are often closed on Mondays. Also be certain to check whether your trip coincides with any public holidays, so you can plan accordingly.
  • Consider contacting your bank to inform them that you may be making purchases overseas. Otherwise, they may flag any activity on your account as suspicious. Also, check which ATMs and banks are compatible with your cards, to ensure you can withdraw cash with minimal fees.
  • Before departing, make sure you have a number of Russian ruble in a range of denominations. You don’t want to be carrying around enormous amounts of cash, but take enough to make it easy to pay in locations that might not accept credit card. It will also help you avoid card transaction fees, and it makes tipping a breeze.

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