Beijing, a futuristic city which was transformed as a result of hosting the 2008 Olympic Games and in the process has made it more greener and visitor-friendly. This city has that affluent international city feel to it with streets and subway stations signposted in English and Mandarin, slick shopping malls and gleaming skyscrapers everywhere.
Ulaanbaatar, the world’s coldest capital is a fascinating place to visit, at first sight it’s a jumble of soviet style concrete buildings and at the same time the other part of the city adorns fancy malls and high rise towers with neon lights, the city has a cultural mix of old palaces nestled amongst curved glass buildings jostling for space amidst chaotic traffic snarls.
Irkutsk, one of the popular stops on the Trans-Siberian route, this central city in Russia has a bit of european touch with beautiful wooden houses, architecture and windows decorated in intricate architecture, Lake Baikal is one of the major reasons that brings many travellers to this cultural centre of Siberia.
Yekaterinburg is the fourth largest city in Russia, it’s a very pleasant, eminently walkable city with an attractive riverside promenade, a cluster of excellent museums and a lively dining and nightlife scene.
Moscow – the vast cosmopolitan metropolis that is the pulsating heart of Russia. We arrived here from Paris on the Paris-Moscow express on our Trans-Siberian adventure and Moscow is our first pit stop, we spent 2 days exploring the city and enjoying its architecture.
