Cosmopolitan cities, bubbling volcanoes, spectacular mountains and breathtaking art - Russia is as diverse as it is dramatic, while Belarus satisfies those in search of a Soviet experience. Untangle the conspiracy theories and immerse yourself in the rich heritage - from Minsk to Moscow, Siberia to Kamchatka, make sure you're carrying this best-selling guide to the world's most enigmatic destination. CULTURAL CONTEXT - in-depth background information brings you up to date on Belarusian politics and Tuvan throat-singing DISCERNING REVIEWS - hand-picked listings from our team of expert authors reveal Moscow's swankiest clubs and Siberia's finest adventure tours 140+ MAPS - detailed, grid-referenced maps throughout COMPREHENSIVE LANGUAGE CHAPTER - includes Cyrillic script
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.0 / 5.0
Belarus, huh? What to say about Belarus? Well, we spent the day the White Russkis commemmorate the end of WWII there, so I've seen it in all of its "grandeur". Not much to recommend it, go and see Belarus if you missed out on the post WWII East European dictatorships, because Belarus is the last of its kind. A genuine personality cult around the president runs politics, and you can get a feel for what it was like in 1970's E. Europe. Guess what- you will not like it. Take some pics of Minsk & move on to Moscow. And... more info
Don't be paranoid! There is a wealth of information in this book but some of the information is way off. For example the restaurant Lechaim is said to be "excellent" and the cooking is "served in hearty portions". I got a small portion of fish, two soups and salad for an outrageous price of $50. LP warns that prices change but the book is only a few months old. Also the authors are overly sensitive about fitting in by suggesting that you use a plastic bag like the locals instead of a backpack to carry your things. First of... more info
Big Russia The only problem with this book is that if you're planning to travel just to an area of Russia, you won't need as much information of others. Russia is huge so the place you're travelling to, probably just will have a couple of paragraphs....
A Guide for the 17,000,000 square kilometers of Russia So you have already seen the present (Moscow) and former (St. Petersburg) capital, and now you would like to see the "real Russia", or you have an airplane conference to attend in Kazan, or you have adopted a child from Murmansk, or you are meeting a prospective bride from Magadan (don't laugh--whenever I answer questions from people who are traveling to regions outside of Moscow/St. Petersburg, 80% are going for adoption or marriage!). There are almost no current guidebooks to regions such as Perm,... more info