Useful Information

Vladivostok City Tour

Vladivostok City Tour

Main highlights of this trip include:

Literally translated from Russian as "to rule the East," Vladivostok has grown since 1860 into the administrative center of Primorye and the nation's major Pacific Ocean port. Home to a rich and turbulent history and a closed city for many years, Vladivostok opened its gates again to tourists in 1992 after the breakup of USSR. The first foreign visitors were surprised to see a very nice city and not just the military base with barracks as it had been perceived by the outside world. Today, Vladivostok is a city of 700,000 people and a major political, industrial, scientific, educational, and cultural center of Russia.

Below you can find our suggestions. It is updated on a regular basis to make sure you make the most of your travel. Please remember to plan this part of your travel in advance, especially theater and exhibitions due to the seasonal nature of these events and an occasional shortage of tickets for certain shows.

Your morning/afternoon sightseeing tour will begin either from the railway station or Eagle's Nest Hill. The latter has great views of the city, Golden Horn Harbor and Amursky Bay. You will sense quickly why Vladivostok is often compared to San Francisco and Naples.

The Vladivostok railway station deserves special attention. The 17th-century architecture is carefully preserved and continues to serve the 9302-kilometer Trans-Siberian Railroad. Here you will have a chance to see the milestone symbolizing the beginning of the Trans-Siberian Railroad with the inscription: "Here is the terminus of the Great Trans-Siberian Railroad. Distance to Moscow is 5771 miles." The station was visited and "christened" by the last Russian Imperator Nikolai II in 1891.

Next to the railway station there is a passenger and cargo sea terminal. The nearby square is considered the birthplace of the city, founded 150 years ago.

The next stop on our tour will be the central square of the city. It is the site of all major public holiday celebrations with its main landmark - the memorial complex dedicated to "Fighters for the Soviet Power in the Russian Far East in 1917 - 1922." It is an ensemble of three sculptures symbolizing the Red Army, the Revolution of 1905-1907, and the Partisans of Primorye. Here you will also see the Regional Administration and the local government buildings.

We then continue along Svetlanskaya street until we come to the A.K. Arseniev Regional Museum. After the museum we will transfer to the Pacific Fleet Headquarters to visit the impressive C-56 submarine museum, an actual WWII sub that sank 10 enemy ships.

Next stop is the Marine Cemetery, where much of Vladivostok's turbulent history is reflected amongst the monuments and graves of leading citizens and the veterans of the Russian-Japanese war of 1904-05 and subsequent conflicts - Civil War, Khasan border dispute, WWII, Korea and Afghanistan. You will also see graves of American, British, Canadian, French and Japanese forces involved in these struggles. On the way to the cemetery we will stop at the St. Nikole Russian Orthodox church built to honor seamen and ships lost during the 1905 Russian-Japanese war.

The last point of our tour will be the Egersheld Observation Point from where you will be able to view the cityscape of Vladivostok from another angle and see the major lighthouse.

In addition to the stops noted, the tour will pass many historic, cultural and architectural landmarks that make up the flavor of Vladivostok:

Many impressive pre-revolutionary buildings on Svetlanskaya and Pushkinskaya streets (many of them being restored) that serve as foreign consulates commercial offices, scientific centers (the Russian Academy of Science, Far East Division) and academic institutions (Far East State University, the oldest university in the Russian Far East, celebrating its 100th anniversary in 1999).
   During the tour, we will stop for a 15-30 minute coffee break at the local cafe or restaurant.

Included:
Not included:
Route:

Vladivostok

Duration:
5 hours by car
Date:

upon request

Discounts:
Difficulty:
Easy / No activity
Cost:
$195 -per person, per event, private car.