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A great power
European Russia stretches from the borders of Belarus and Ukraine to the Ural mountains, over 1000km east of Moscow; even without the rest of the vast Russian Federation, it constitutes by far the largest country in Europe .
Formerly a powerful tsarist empire and a Communist superpower, Russia continues to be a source of fascination for travellers . Moscow , Russia’s bustling capital, combines the frenetic energy of an Eastern city with the cosmopolitan feel of a Western one.
With its dense human traffic and show-stopping architecture – from the Kremlin ’s tsarist palaces and onion domes of St Basil’s Cathedral , through the monumental relics of the Communist years to today’s massive building projects – the metropolis can feel rather overwhelming.
By contrast, with its beautiful canals and graceful buildings, St Petersburg , Russia’s second city, is nicknamed “the Venice of Northern Europe”.
A cruise to Russia is a unique chance to visit this seaport, founded in the eighteenth-century by tsar Peter the Great and intended to emulate the best of Western European elegance .
Today, its people are more relaxed and friendly than the capital’s, and its position in the delta of the River Neva is unparalleled, giving it endless watery vistas.