Travel in Soviet Union

There’s no question that we’re living through unusual times: the coronavirus pandemic is a health crisis unparalleled in our lifetimes. But it’s by no means the first disease to spread across the world: there are plenty of plagues and illnesses that are now consigned to the archives of human history. Here, we take a look at nine locations across the globe that have been touched by pandemics in the past.

The Iron Curtain was a figurative and ideological wall — and eventually a physical one — that separated the Soviet Union from western Europe after World War II.

Travelers looking for a budget break in Europe this year have something to smile about. A new report that surveyed cities on the continent found costs are down in 60% of destinations.

The birdcage was perfected in communist Hungary. In 1972, István Haraszty outfitted a parakeet dwelling with a sophisticated surveillance system that opened the door when the inhabitant was idle and shut it if she moved to escape.

Warsaw had never been on my travel radar. But when my friend asked me to join him on a birthday trip, I thought why not?

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This year has been a good one for Vilnius. The Lithuanian capital celebrated its 700th birthday on 25 January 2023, and a few months later it was named the European Union’s green capital for 2025. Perhaps most symbolically – as Lithuania continues to firmly reject its Soviet past and align itself closer with the west – Vilnius played host to the Nato summit in July.

Nestled in a picturesque valley surrounded by rolling hills, Ljubljana is often described as one of Europe's best-kept secrets. Ljubljana's small size and pedestrian-friendly layout make it a city that's easy to explore on foot or by bicycle. No cars are allowed in the center of town after 10 am every day. There’s plenty to do in town and its central location allows for lovely day trips to nearby lakes and national parks. No trip to Slovenia would be complete without a visit to the picturesque Lake Bled, the former summer playground of the infamous dictator Tito. Today, it’s a popular vacation spot for Slovenians and tourists, less than an hour from Ljubljana.

Poland shines as one of Europe’s most affordable destinations, offering a superb range of quality travel experiences. Visitors gravitate to cities like Warsaw but don’t sleep on Poland’s timeless countryside. There's so much to see and do in Poland – and this video will help you experience it.

What is the oldest country in the world? Depending on who you ask, you’ll get a variety of responses. Some might say it’s a country like China or Greece, where you can visit ancient cities that date all the way back to the second, third, even fifth millennium BCE. But borders and cultures have always shifted—and will continue to to shift—throughout history, and as a result, most of our present-day nations are actually quite young.

Nobody appointed Doug Michaels to serve as an ambassador of the human race. But the position, which he assumed in 1977, promised to have far greater significance than ambassadorships to China or the Soviet Union. He and co-ambassadors Alexandra Morphett and Robert Perry proposed nothing less than to develop diplomatic relations with a nonhuman species. Their seaborne embassy sought direct communication with dolphins.

One of the destinations to make our list of the top 19 places to visit in 2019, Kyrgyzstan has much to recommend it. Read more about all the places we've picked to visit this year with the Rough Guide to 2019 .

In Cuba, the car is not king. For a country whose image for visitors has become so inseparable with classic 1950s American automobiles, this is a remarkably auto-free nation. The most recently available World Bank statistics (from 2011) indicate that there are just 21 passenger cars per 1000 people in Cuba (in the UK it’s 457 and the USA 423). That means a lot of quiet roads. Hop on a bike and you’ve got the run of the place.

Abandoned buildings with crumbling walls. Deserted streets. Eerie silence. Scattered across Europe are a number of once-bustling towns that are now left uninhabited. Some were the scene of fierce fighting; others were abandoned when natural disasters struck. From France to Norway, these are the ones you should add to your bucket list.

The break-up of the Soviet Union gave the world an impressive array of new capitals. Some have since become familiar fodder on travel itineraries – think Tallinn’s Baltic charm, Kiev’s bulbous cathedrals and Riga’s drunken Brits. Others, for better or worse, remain something of a mystery.

Medieval yet modern, the intriguing national capitals of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania make some of the best small-city breaks in Europe. United by geography and a common history, yet proudly unique, they combine tightly packed, picturesque old towns with first-class museums, hip neighbourhoods, stylish bars and a burgeoning food scene. As all three countries celebrate 100 years of independence in 2018, here is our first-timer's guide to the highlights of Tallinn, Rīga and Vilnius.

Late 2019, we published a Rough Guide to the 100 Best Places on Earth. A stylish coffee table book, full of inspiring photographs and carefully curated places and experiences to take in 2020. Back then we didn't think about a possible pandemic limiting all of our travels to a bare minimum in 2020. We recently browsed the book again and are now more excited than ever to discover these places. Read further to find our top 6 bucket list places for 2021 and beyond.

In search of some adrenaline-filled activity in Central Asia, Rough Guides writer Kiki Deere makes a somewhat brave attempt at skiing in Kyrgyzstan.

Lithuania is a vibrant, quirky and largely unspoiled country, which has undergone rapid change since becoming independent from the Soviet Union. You’ll find lively nightlife, both in Vilnius and on the coast, ample grounds for outdoor pursuits in the national parks and several great beaches, as well as a stark contrast between city life and rural simplicity. Here's our pick of the best things to do in Lithuania.