Petropavlovsk, Russia

Petropavlovsk is the capital and largest city on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula and the second largest city in the world that is unreachable by road. It is a port city on the Avacha Bay surrounded by high, snow-capped mountains and volcanoes.

Some of the main attractions in Petropavlovsk include the Lenin Square, the Naberezhnaya Embankment, the Vitrus Bering Monument and Museum, the Museum of Regional Studies, Museum of Volcanoes, Monument to Charles Clark, Monument to La Perouse, Memorial Complex on Nikolskaya Hill, The Chapel and the Monument to the Heroes of Lt. A. Maksutov's Battery. The city also has a variety of shops, stores, restaurants and cafes.

A tour of the Valley of the Geysers is interesting, showing bubbling water, steam and the odd grumble every so often. A boat ride to Avachinskaya Bay to explore the coastline and enjoy the local cuisine onshore is also a great adventure. Surrounding landscapes are filled with an amazing selection of wildlife and birds that are unique to this region.

Things to See and Do

* Lenin Square
* Nikolskaya hill
* Vitus Bering monument
* Museum of Volcanoes
* Naberezhnaya Embankment

Cruise Season - March - Nov
Currency - Ruble (RUB)
Language - Russian
Land Area - 400 sq km
Population -200, 000 approx
Electricity - 2 round pins European style
Time - GMT plus two hours to plus eleven hours
International Country Telephone Code - + 7

Travel Links - The small Petropavlovsk Kamchatsky airport is 16 km from city border in Yelizovo. Most visitors arrive on the Aeroflot flight from Moscow, but S7 also arrives from Vladivostok. There is also a regular connection to Khabarovsk. The Aeroflot flight is on an IL-96. Bus #113 goes from the airport to the city center.

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is the second largest city in the world that is unreachable by road. However, a handful of roads on the peninsula connect the city with its airport (in Yelizovo) and with the closed city of Vilyuchinsk.