Spring and early autumn are the best times to visit the country.

In the spring, a short period of flowering of the desert and mountain slopes creates an extremely colorful landscape design, warm and rather mild weather from September to early November is accompanied by a harvest when all the markets are filled with vegetables and fruits.

July and August are the best months to visit the mountains, but the weather here is quite changeable at any time of the year, so you should carry the necessary supply of warm clothes and equipment.

In November, the rains begin, and in December the snow closes the mountain passes. The ski season lasts from the end of October - the beginning of December to the end of April. Nights can be cool at any time of the year.

The borders of Armenia are open for Russian tourists. Regular flights between Russia and Armenia have been restored.

Due to sanctions, flights to foreign destinations have decreased, but airlines have decided to increase the number of flights to CIS countries. The widest flight program is announced for Armenia.

Demand for Armenia has risen sharply. Some use the country as a transit when traveling to other countries, and someone purposefully goes on vacation.

How to get to Armenia now

Various airlines fly to Armenia - Utair, FlyOneArmenia, Nordwind, RedWings and others.

Some carriers have practically not changed the tariffs for this direction. The price of tickets in almost all companies is about 20 thousand one way per person.

Experts say that in the near future air fares will only grow. Price increases are expected not only for flights abroad, but also within Russia.

We live in difficult times. More recently, in order to understand which countries are open to tourists from Russia, it was necessary to understand the numerous covid entry rules. At first it was so strange, but over time, everyone somehow got used to it.

Now, the sanctions have also turned tourism on its head, and since September there has been a partial mobilization (there is no travel ban, but not everything is so simple). Of course, this did not make it easier to make plans, but the opportunity to relax in a foreign resort did not disappear.

What should a tourist know about in the current conditions, how to prepare for a trip. Our recommendations:

• You should not travel to countries that have imposed sanctions on Russia for the purpose of recreation. If you still want to get to these countries, remember that on a trip you may be overtaken by new sanctions for which you did not prepare in any way.
• Give preference to countries where MIR cards are used. You should not go with one card, order another one or two in different banks. For example, Tinkoff Black WORLD is issued online, delivered to your home in a couple of days.
• Be sure to bring cash with you. Opt for catering or all-inclusive hotels to keep your holiday expenses to a minimum.

The number of destinations from Russia with direct flights has increased from 32 to 40 by 2024. However, not all of these destinations are attractive to tourists, and some interesting routes are available "in homeopathic doses." Nonetheless, experts have compiled a list of countries and destinations that Russian and foreign airlines are planning to offer, and they also presented the leaders in terms of the number of flights. This list is quite predictable— the Moscow-Istanbul route is the leader, according to *Turprom*.

In total, Russian and foreign airlines are planning to operate direct flights from Russia to 40 countries in 2024. The complete list of countries is as follows: Azerbaijan, Algeria, Armenia, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Belarus, Venezuela, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Georgia, Egypt, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Kazakhstan, Qatar, China, Cuba, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritius, Maldives, Morocco, Mongolia, Myanmar, UAE, Oman, Seychelles, Serbia, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, and Ethiopia.

Note that last year, there were only 32 countries on this list.

Clearly, not all of them are attractive as tourist destinations. Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria are too "extreme," as are the closed Tajikistan and even more closed North Korea, which is nonetheless making some efforts to attract tourists. Once-popular Israel is also not a destination for tourists for obvious reasons.

Some popular destinations are only on the list in name, as the existing flights are clearly insufficient for tourist traffic. For example, Tunisia, where only Tunisian airlines operate flights by two tour operators, which are only planned to start in April. Myanmar has even fewer flights—only from Novosibirsk. However, the country's place on the tourist map is already small.

According to experts from the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR), one of the "significant additions" of 2023 was the flights to Georgia—tourists can fly to Tbilisi and Batumi from several Russian cities, using them both as hubs and vacation spots. Another major expansion was in Southeast Asia, specifically with the "new" destinations of Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Hainan. There aren't many flights yet, but their existence is encouraging. In 2023, direct flights between Moscow and Morocco were also restored.

As for the most popular destinations for tourists in terms of flight numbers, they are quite predictable: Turkey is at the top, followed by Thailand, with the UAE and China sharing the third spot. With Turkey, there are direct flights to up to 30 city pairs; with Thailand, up to 25; and with the UAE and China, up to 20 city pairs.

The most popular international route right now is Moscow-Istanbul, with about 120 flights per week in winter 2023/2024. The second most popular route is Moscow-Dubai, with about 116 flights per week. The third is Moscow-Minsk, with up to 99 weekly flights.

Interestingly, the longest flight of the season is Moscow-Varadiero, operated by Aeroflot and Nordwind airlines—it takes 14 hours and 20-25 minutes.

Experts also calculated that the most destinations—about 80—are available to tourists from Moscow, which is quite predictable. Of these, 30 are unique, meaning they cannot be reached directly from anywhere else but Moscow. Following Moscow, St. Petersburg ranks second, with around 30 international routes. Kazan and Yekaterinburg offer about 25 destinations each, and Novosibirsk has around 20.

"Over the past year, the demand for vacations in Almaty has tripled, and Milan has become 50% more popular. However, fewer tourists are heading to Yerevan and Paris this February, with a decrease of 34% and 11%, respectively," OneTwoTrip, a travel planning service, told *RG*.

The high demand for trips to Kazakhstan is linked to convenient logistics: direct flights from Moscow are available daily, and it is also possible to travel to Kazakhstan by train—prices range from 6,000 to 18,000 rubles—by bus, or by car, explained Elena Nikolskaia, PhD, Associate Professor of the Department of Hotel and Tourism Management at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics.

"Buses depart to Kazakhstan from cities like Omsk, Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Yekaterinburg, and others. For example, the trip from Novosibirsk to Astana will cost at least 7,500 rubles, and from Omsk, around 3,000 rubles. The developed business relations between Russia and Kazakhstan have increased the share of business trips to 40% of all trips in 2024. In total, Russians made 2.8 million trips to Kazakhstan in 2024.

Almaty topped the list of best tourist destinations in 2024 according to CNN Travel. The city offers everything for a great vacation—national cuisine, a rapidly developing arts and culture scene, and easy access to nature, with pristine mountain lakes, snow-capped peaks, virgin forests, and deep canyons," Nikolskaia shared.

There is also modern futuristic architecture in Astana, Soviet-era buildings in Shymkent and Almaty, the Baikonur Cosmodrome, and national parks, she added. The most visited attractions in Kazakhstan for Russians include: the Bayterek Monument, the Palace of Peace and Accord, Hazret Sultan Mosque, the Central Mosque of Astana, Khan Shatyr, Atameken, the Karagiye-Karakol Nature Reserve, and Borovoe Lake. Active recreation is also a major draw in Kazakhstan. Activities such as rock climbing, rafting, mountaineering, off-roading, and other extreme sports are attracting more travelers to the country. Therefore, all tourists planning to visit Kazakhstan are advised to have medical insurance for their stay.

"The educational sector in Kazakhstan is growing, and in 2024, 17% more Russian students chose local universities for higher education. The opportunity to purchase branded goods at attractive prices in cities near the Russian border has led to an increase in shopping trips. Kazakhstan also offers Russians opportunities for relaxation and wellness—this is reflected in a 25% increase in trips for these purposes. The country has many thermal and mineral springs, and deposits of therapeutic mud, which help treat a wide range of health issues, including musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, nervous system, respiratory, skin, gynecological, and urological diseases. Private trips to visit relatives and friends in Kazakhstan also grew by 35% last year," she added.

OneTwoTrip also analyzed hotel bookings for February and concluded that most Russians decided to travel within the country: the share of domestic bookings grew by 18%, accounting for 65% of all bookings (compared to 55% last year).

"The most popular destination remains Moscow, with 24.9% of all bookings within Russia. Following closely is St. Petersburg, which will be visited by 12.5% of travelers at the end of winter. However, both cities saw a 7% decrease in their share compared to last year. Sochi rounds out the top three, with 7.3% of bookings (a third fewer tourists will visit the city compared to February 2024)," the company reported.