October – 2007 is time for the 3rd Gastronomic Festival in Moscow that has been held annually since 2005. This month the city’s 50 best restaurants are taking part in the festival that is aimed at demonstration of the latest tendencies and achievements of the catering industry.

Since last Friday Russian media have been teeming with news about Alain Robert – French Spiderman – famous for climbing the world’s highest buildings without belay. Finally, the Spiderman came to Moscow and climbed the highest tower in Europe…with the help of a preliminarily set ladder.

It is hard to imagine a traveller going to a foreign country and unwilling to capture the most exciting moments and sights during the trip. Photo and video cameras can be listed amongst the must-take things in a traveller’s bag. Undoubtedly, it would be useful for travellers to know the basic terms and regulations of photography and video shooting in Russia.

More and more foreign tourists to the Russian city of Tobolsk express interest in the thematic excursion called “Last Mile of the Romanovs Family”. According to the chairwoman of the Committee for Travel and Investments of Tobolsk`s administration Alexandra Strunkina, in 2008 the city will host the first group of tourists from Switzerland interested in this exact route.

Moscow is a huge city not only on the surface but underground also: multiple labyrinths, shelters, secret constructions, abandoned mines, catacombs, and bomb-shelters. The underground spaces of Moscow keep mysteries and legends, which open only to dare-devils ready to start on a dangerous journey.

Ice-diving in the Arctic is considered to be one of the most extreme kinds of sports. Nevertheless, the number of people willing to get a thrill increases annually. Despite the severe conditions of diving in the White Sea it remains one of the most popular places for diving in the country.

The new law on migration records for foreign citizens makes the procedure of foreign tourists` registration so time consuming that tourists in fact have no options: they must not leave the hotel or pay fines to Moscow police. The standard fixed price for being unregistered in migration records is 3000 roubles (120 USD).

Mountain travel is linked with passing through areas of complex mountain relief, such as mountainsides, ice shelves, passes, and rivers: to put the description short – it is travelling with a rucksack from the point A to point B, and often over mountain peaks. In this way mountain tourism is different from alpinism – climbing mountain tops with no luggage.

National parks are a comparatively new form of environment protection in Russia. Creation of national parks on the territory of the country started in the early 80`s of the 20th century, and at the moment there are 35 parks of this type. The majority of Russian national parks are located in the European part of the country; the westernmost park – the Curonian Spit – is in the Kaliningrad Region.

Original culture, shamanistic ceremonies, and musical folklore are expected to help in development of ethnical tourism in Siberia. The international travel fair Baikaltour has a lot to show its guests and has gained the reputation of a considerable event in the sphere of tourist business.

The National Park at Baikal has for a long time encountered the problem of buildings on the lake coast. Active trials over the buildings illegally set on the costs of Baikal within the park’s territories are still in process. Notwithstanding this fact, newspapers and websites teem with stead sale offers.

Making money on country life is possible by not only growing potatoes and grain. Even at lower expenses country tourism can be more profitable than being traditionally occupied with the household, and citizens of the Tver Region are trying to prove this fact.

The new migration records act is likely to affect not only guest market vendors but also foreign tourists living in hotels of St. Petersburg. Representatives of the hotel business deem that the new law “On migration records” may seriously hit the sphere they deal with.

The old town Sengiley in the Ulyanovsk Region is going to turn into the pancake capital of Russia in the nearest future. Local authorities and public organizations hope that such move will attract tourists to the region. The first thematic point of interest – a monument to pancake, traditional Russian food, - is expected to appear in the town this February.

“Military tourism” in Russia is actually a half legal activity. The Ministry of defence of Russia does not provide civilians with shooting machine guns and tank ride: managers of tourist firms arrange this type of services by means of personal relations with commanders of military units.

The attitude towards foreigners in Russia is complex. First of all, the generation gap is particularly evident here. People of the elder generation brought up in conditions of international isolation are more apt to be suspicious about foreigners.

About half of all foreign guests in the capital came to Russia with the purpose of business. The scale of international contacts linking Russia with other countries is constantly growing. That is the reason why building of comfortable, favourably located congress hotels is a priority in the sphere of hotel business development. Besides, business travel is turning into one of the most highly profitable branches.

Excursions to the legendary Russian prison Vladimirsky Central have stopped: the prison’s administration was penalized by the Federal Penitentiary Service.

It`s usually the time of frosts and snow in Russia, but this year the temperatures let Russians open mushrooms season in December. What are other side effects of the anomalous warmth in Russia?

Drinking vodka in order to warm up is out of fashion now. Despite being cold, Russian winters can offer a lot to all willing to spend a nice and merry time.