Russia: Tips, Tricks, and Travel

Microphones mean record success for Pavel Bazdyrev. We never know where life is going to take us and Pavel would have never guessed that he would grow up to be at the head of a microphone factory. He and his partner (an American in Russia) formed Soyuz Microphones in the city of Tula. This city has been known for its history of microphone manufacture since the Soviet Era. The ability of their condenser microphones to record vocals meets the standards of even super successful music groups like Coldplay and Radiohead who use their mics at their studios. Pavel’s su-017 microphone is being bought by professionals all over the world. Business in Russia is not easy, but Pavel has made a life for himself in it. Be it acoustic guitar or rock vocals he has made a unique product that real serious musicians want. Very soon Pavel is planning to reveal a new Soyuz Launcher that will add a whole new level to his business.

Sergey Karyakin has dedicated his life to ATV racing and motorsport in general. He is the first and only Russian winner of the Dakar Rally Raid on a quad bike. Rally racing is an extreme and complex sport. Off-road makes special demands of a racer's driving skills and physical condition, as well as the vehicle's technical characteristics. In other words, it's hard teamwork. For this reason, the young Russian team’s win in 2017 was of particular value. They had shown that they could compete on equal footing with established and experienced competitors in the Dakar Rally or any another off-road race, for that matter. These days, Sergey has set a target of repeating that success… on a buggy. We wish him and his team all the best!

Sergey Akimov had had a successful business, but he was stuck in a rut. One day, a crazy idea to make a tank changed everything. Sergey's first project with his team called UFO garage was to recreate the first Soviet tank - the MS-1 (T-18). This gave rise to a full-fledged tank workshop for the homemade tanks. They’ve since successfully implemented several other full-size and mini DIY tank projects, and they exactly know how to make homemade tanks. But most importantly, they were able to find a business that allows them to achieve self-realization, break out of the daily routine, and make yourself happy.

Stas Gorshenin’d had been enjoying regular city life as a Muscovite for a long time. He had concentrated on developing a 3D designer career, but somehow, he just wasn’t happy. But that all changed when Stas accidentally found himself on a trip to Altai, a Russian republic in southern Siberia. The young man immediately fell in love with the place and so began the path to his alternative lifestyle. He bought a homestead, built a small house and started a family. But simple doesn’t necessarily mean easy. Off-grid living is pretty tough. Stas had to work hard for a simple, sustainable life. But in the end, one can say he has won, as his depression has since abated and his health has improved. Moreover, he’s managed to improve his vehicle concept designer career while in the wilderness, becoming more successful than he could have ever imagined!

The Altai region of Russia is one of the most vast untouched parts of the globe. Anyone who travels to Russia will fall in love with the infinite mountains, tiny hidden villages, and endless skies. But for those of you who haven’t had the chance to travel in Russia please enjoy our 4k drone footage that we gathered while we were there. It was an awesome trip and is even better from a bird’s eye view.

Recently Tim and the RTTT team were in the Tula Region which means they took plenty of great drone footage. This footage mostly didn’t make it into the videos about Tula and we feel it would be a shame to let it go to waste and so here is our collection of 4K awesome drone footage from Tula and the area around it. You will get to see in order of appearance: the oddly Martian looking Rumyantsevskiye Hills, the Kulikova Battlefield and its bright white Museum, The Sergius of Radonezh Cathedral on Red Hill, the Tula Kremlin, Downtown Tula, the tiny village of Monastyrshino and its bright red church, the “Equestrian Courtyard” which offers horse and buggy tours of the Kulikovo area, the black and gold Dmitry Donskoy Column, the Tula State Museum of Arms, the Octava Cluster, the hip and trendy Iskra District, the rather uniquely designed Defenders of the Heavens of the Fatherland Memorial. We had a great time in Tula and it is only two hours by train or car from Moscow, so what are you waiting for? Give Tula (the arms capital of Russia) a shot.

During my trip to Tula, I managed to eat in three popular restaurants within walking distance of the main attractions of the city. If you decide to come to the arms capital of Russia, it’s very likely that, thanks to reviews on the Internet, your choice will fall on them when you want to eat. Therefore, I decided to try everything myself. The first on my list was ‘Khinkalnaya by the Kremlin’. The name says two things: the restaurant is located very close to the Tula Kremlin and serves Georgian cuisine. So, my choice of dishes was obvious: khinkali, khachapuri and satsivi. If you’ve only heard the names of these dishes before, then you’ll have a great opportunity to form an opinion about them here! And those who are already familiar with Georgian cuisine will not be disappointed. I later looked into the Soldence Porterhouse. It’s a very Western establishment, both in terms of cuisine and service, which for some may be a minus. But if you’re not looking for gastronomic adventures, and simply want to try a familiar, but very good steak, then Soldence is perfect. In addition, the beer served there is really excellent. I ended my busy day at the Serbian Restaurant Public. And again, a meat feast awaited me: goulash and another steak. This place is the closest to what, it seemed to me, a person would imagine, when thinking about Russian cuisine. Not surprising. Yes, this list didn’t include a single restaurant with national Russian cuisine. But instead of this, Tula offers excellent restaurants of other cultures and the opportunity to try dishes that are not so often seen outside of Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Hello everyone! Our trip to Tula continues but this time we are going outside of the city to visit the vast fields where the Russians and Mongol Empire fought at the Battle of Kulikovo. This open set of gorgeous fields and plains has more than just military history to it, and it is fantastic to take the quiet rural Russia tour you’ve been dreaming of. Well, I have been dreaming of it, I am so sick of the city! The centerpiece of this region and one of the best places to visit in Russia has got to be the Kulikovo Battlefield Museum. It is a gorgeous, interactive and informative attraction that will make anyone happy who loves historical places. The building itself is divided into two separate halves to look like lines of the Russians and Mongols clashing. I must say that you tourism fans should not pass on the chance to see the giant black iron column that is a short drive from the museum. It’s really something! So we’ve shown you Tula but now take a look at the gorgeous region around it!

In this episode, we are visiting Tula. Some call it the “city of craftsmen” because ever since Medieval times a lot of tools, weapons, and other goods were made right here. You’ll definitely feel the productive spirit in Tula at some of its museums, especially the Tula State Museum of Weapons. It is impossible to not notice this unique helmet shaped building that houses the Arms Museum, which is one of the biggest of its kind in the world. If you are at all interested in melee Russian weapons, hunting and sport rifles and/or hardcore military tech then coming here would be a good idea. You will definitely get inspired. If you want to know more about the history of when those weapons were used in medieval Russia then check out the Tula Kremlin right smack in the middle of downtown. It may seem like Tula is all about arms which are only partially true. Tula is also the home to the totally non-violent Pryanik cookies and inside the Tula Kremlin, there is a museum where they will show you how to make one of these Russian sweets with your own hands. And since they seem to last forever they are a great gift to take back home. Locals consider their Pryanik cookies to be the supreme Russian biscuit with a totally unique flavor that you can only get here in Tula. Tula may have a unique taste but it also has a unique sound, the sound of accordions! Tula is still a leader in accordion production to this day. Not only can you see accordions but hear them and learn to play songs for yourself. Who knows maybe you can take one home to impress (and/or annoy) your friends and family around Christmas?

The Moscow Metro is legendary across the globe for being not only fast and efficient but also a real tourist attraction. This subway system allows one to travel through different periods of Soviet and Russian history as each station reflects the times in which it was built. You can basically take a trip from Revolutionary Russia up to and including the 21st century all for the price of a train ride. Enjoy this guide of how to use this public transportation system that doubles as a museum/attraction of its own.

Hello from chilly Murmansk deep in the Arctic Circle. Yes as always it is your buddy Tim Kirby and to start of our series of videos this and other Russian cities up north we are going to show you some great 4K footage that we grabbed. For any of you planning to travel to Russia or take a brief trip to Russia on your way to other locals, I hope this 4k video will get you pumped because Russia does not sleep for the winter and there are plenty of places to visit even in the cold months of the year. And in Russia or should I say 4k Russia you will see lots of amazing nature. This is a big country so enjoy the footage and please share this video if you enjoyed it. It really helps me out.

I was pleasantly surprised by my food tour of Murmansk and its surrounding area. Being up in the north of Russia on a winter trip one does not expect to find amazing food, but I was dead wrong. There were plenty of local food options and even some of them were “must eat” sticker worthy. Hey, some people travel for beaches and swimming but I, my friends, travel for food! It was great visiting Murmansk to try eating something different and northern Russia inspired. I had a great time and I hope you enjoy the video.

Friends travel to Russia should be an adventure! In Russia drinking colorful drinks near the beach in swim trunks is often not an option. Now hiking up snow covered mountains in Murmansk is always a plan! Outdoor fun awaits but there are many neat things to see inside the city itself like the Lenin Icebreaker. Standing above it is the second largest statue in Russia - “Alyosha” who guards the city of Murmansk from bad guys. Just a bit down the road is the tiny yet infamous fishing village of Teriberka which is truly a symbol of the north. It has a great abandoned school to explore and amazing waterfalls right outside the town. The ship graveyard is also pretty sweet. We stopped at a geodesic dome hotel to hunt for the Northern Lights in style and comfort but it didn’t exactly work out. What did go well was playing with Huskies at the Saami Ethnic Village. Great fun in the fresh air, that is the spirit of Murmansk and its surrounding region. Enjoy the video!

Well when you have the chance to journey to the edge of the world you should take it, right? Well, I certainly picked a doozy for a travel experience, because in this episode I am going to go from Murmansk to the northernmost point of European Russia. Today’s “Must Do” adventure will end very deep into the Arctic Circle. It is basically like a fun winter road trip only with extreme cold and the risk of death if your vehicle breaks down. I always tell people that there are a lot of things to do in Russia besides snow related things during the Russian winter. But this time I am really doing to do it, hardcore traveling in Russia in its most extreme northern environment. So let’s get started and let’s go north to adventure!

The largest freshwater lake in the world and its surrounding area attract many tourists every year. This is a mystical untouched location that extends to infinity. If you are going to travel to Russia then this part of Siberia really is a must. A Holiday trip near the black waters or frozen ice of Baikal can be really amazing. In winter the whole lake turns into one massive attraction where people drive all over the ice, go fishing and just enjoy the open space. It is a truly unique vacation opportunity deep in the heart of Russia. So let’s travel to Baikal in this nature 4K footage.

It’s winter and there is no snow in Moscow, to escape this insanity I took the chance to go down to the mountains around Sochi where thankfully there is always snow! My destination was the Rosa Khutor Ski Resort, which is pretty famous throughout Russia and is quite big. The only problem is the last time I went skiing was over a year ago, and before that it was over a decade ago so I decided that it was time to remember how to ski and so I got some skiing lessons. My ski instructor Denis really upgraded my ski technique, as I was doing everything slightly wrong. You’ve really got to lean into your turns, which seems counter-intuitive. But anyways besides skiing and snowboarding there is a lot to this whole Rosa Khutor travel experience. There are plenty of places to visit in this region of the Caucasus mountains including Sochi itself which still has plenty of Olympic heritage and endless miles of stony beaches which can come at a premium in Russia. But anyways if you are planning a trip to Russia then Sochi and the Rosa Khutor Ski Resort are a must do. Russia is a cold country and you should take advantage of that fact by taking an affordable ski trip. Travel to Russia gets easier every year as does ski tourism so grab your skis\board and give winter Sochi a try. It was worth my time for sure and I actually seriously got better at skiing, not that I go good, but I certainly got better, and I got out of muddy Moscow for a week!

If there is any place full of churches it is old time Russia. The beauty of these religious structures has stood the test of time and changes in political systems. Russia's Golden Ring provides all the spiritual architecture that you could ever want to see.

Dear friends, it's time for a medieval feast for kings... or tsars because in this video we are eating big around Russia's Golden Ring of ancient cities! The quality of eats around the country keeps going up and up but are there any great restaurants worth visiting in the very oldest parts of the country? Gastro tourism is one heck of a reason to visit Russia for sure! So while you're eating dinner, enjoy watching Tim eat the most Russian food possible. It'll be like a mukbang, but Slavic!

Here comes the second part of our trip around the Golden Ring! Take a look at a true mix of old Russian cities: ones that are full of churches and snow and others – with Soviet buildings and cheese factories. Friends, I hope you enjoy this video! Please tell me in the comments which of the Golden Ring towns would be the best pick for a short weekend trip in your opinion.

Friends, I had an absolute blast going all the way around Russia's most famous trip route - the Golden Ring. It is a collection of medieval cities that still have a lot of history and a lot of churches inside them. This is part one of the journey. There is plenty to see along this route so I hope you enjoy the video. These cities are a true must see and the reason to come visit Russia.

The Trecol Vega is not your mom's SUV. This is a real 6x6 all-wheel drive beast that allows you to explore those places across Russia that you could never see from the window of a bus. Off road means an all terrain adventure, which is a great option for this country. I definitely had a unique travel experience behind the wheel of this bad boy. Just imagine while visiting Russia taking a "must do travel tour" on this thing! Well for the ultimate travel in Russia this is one big fat six-wheeled option.

“Russia: Tips, Tricks and Travel” takes a look at this often ignored, but very important and completely omnipresent Russian gentleman’s tradition that still lives to this day.

Dmitrov is a lovely little town just north of Moscow. It is easy to hop on a train and go see its history especially since much of it is in its local architecture, which is obviously free for all to enjoy. Like many small Russian towns in the heart of the country, it has a Kremlin and Monastery. Enjoy the video!

Our series of places you can hop over to from Moscow continues this time the little town of Zvenigorod, which is easy to find as the rail road that goes to it dead ends on the outskirts of town. This place is almost like a peaceful village with lots of Russian style that happens to be near Moscow. It only costs a few dollars to go there to get your real Russian experience. Enjoy the video and please share it around if you like it.

Probably the most famous little town around Moscow and one of the most ancient is Sergiev Posad lying just a short train trip north of the nation's capital. If you like old time Russia filled with churches, monasteries, and everything else medieval then this is your stop. it is a great sight to see near Moscow. This is an absolute must see for history buffs on a holiday/vacation to Russia.