Readers send us their stories of interesting train journeys and interactions.

There may be no better way to understand Russia than spending a few days chugging across the country by train. Here are our tips for how to make the most of it.

News and brief items from around Russia.

Snakes, shashlik, secret Soviet structures, students: just a few things you can find on Russky Island. 
 

Sometimes a subway is just that. And sometimes it is not. On the perils of inter-lingual travel...

On the foundation of Intourist and some of the beautiful posters they used to entice tourist to Soviet Russia.

After years of threatening to ban cheap dormitory-like hostels and any other accomodation in residential buildings, Russian lawmakers have approved a measure that could cause many private individuals to stop renting out beds, driving up lodging costs for young travelers.

On the eastern tip of Crimea is a mysterious, salty lake. We take you there.

Tigran loves history and music, plays piano, and founded hotels. Oh, and he also tries to make time travel possible.

Old meets new in the Far North, while both pranksters and public officials see their performances go awry.

Ekaterina is an artist who is constantly sketching in St. Petersburg bars. Her hobby led to the creation of the Instagram blog “Between the Bars,” where she captures the city's bohemian atmosphere.

Nikita Khrushchev’s great granddaughter, Nina Khrushcheva, and an expat living and reporting on Russia and the Soviet Union since 1993, Jeffrey Tayler, offer a poignant exploration of the largest country on earth.