Visit - plus Tourism and travels

The winners of the global tourism rankings World Travel Awards 2016 were named. The award ceremony was held in the Maldives in early December. St. Petersburg was named among winners as the World's Leading Cultural City Destination.

The official opening of the last section of the Western High Speed Diameter highway was held December 2, 2016 in St. Petersburg (Russia). The opening ceremony was attended by the President of Russia VV Putin.

Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs has offered to take fingerprints of all foreigners entering the country. This topic will be discussed by Interior Ministry experts and the Russian Foreign Ministry. Perhaps foreigners coming to Russia have to undergo fingerprinting procedure in 2017. This can help to find the criminals and the identification of those killed in the disasters.

Russian citizens are required to be fingerprinted for a Schengen visa from September 2015. Thus, the Russian government supported the initiative of their European counterparts.

Many surprises are happening in our time. In June 2016, there were several unexpected events. Mention may be made, for example, the UK exit of the EU and a good game of Iceland national football team. For residents of Russia it is the restoration of cooperation with Turkey and the lifting of the ban on travel of Russian tourists to the country.

Turkey has for several years been the most popular destination for a summer holiday among Russians. Turkey's popularity among Russian tourists can be attributed to several factors:

St. Petersburg becoming more and more popular destination for foreign tourists in recent years. This contributes to favorable foreign exchange rate. Number of tourists coming from China increased most notably.

Nuclear-powered icebreaker "Arktika" was launched on June 16, 2016 in St. Petersburg. After the completion, the new icebreaker will be the most powerful in the world. Icebreaker is built at the Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg. The icebreaker of the same name already existed in 1972 - 2008.

The dimensions of the atomic icebreaker "Arktika" (Project 22220):

• Length - 173 meters.
• Width of 34 meters.
• Displacement - 33,500 tons.

Where tourists go on vacation in the summer of 2016? According to current projections, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe this year will be Greece. If the forecasts will be correct, then Greece could receive up to 25 million foreign tourists in 2016.

Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg entered into the world list of top tourist attractions Travelers Choice in the category "Top 25 Landmarks" by TripAdvisor site. The rankings are based on feedback from site visitors. The Church is particularly popular among foreign tourists. A visit to the Cathedral is part of a program of most of the tour groups.

Bicycle rent points started to operate again in St. Petersburg in April 2016. Bicycle rent stations was suspended in winter.

City rental bicycles network has about 90 stations. You can take a bike from any station, to get to your destination and return the bike at any station.
To use the rental bike you need to register on the site, buy a ticket and make down payment. Detailed instructions are available at every rental bike station.

Ice Hockey World Championship 2016 will be held from 6 to 22 May in Russia in the two cities. Competitions will be held in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Championship Matches will be held in two arenas:
"VTB Ice Palace" in Moscow (the nearest metro station - Avtozavodskaya).