British couple flew to Yakutsk for a real winter

Abnormal frosts are recorded in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) — according to the Hydrometeorological Center of Russia, this week the temperature there dropped to record levels, which is why the region was recognized as the coldest place on the planet. However, this has not become an obstacle for tourism. In a conversation with Izvestia on December 24, the British couple who arrived in Yakutsk admitted that they had long wanted to see a "real" winter.

"For a vacation, my husband chose a place that he wanted to visit all his life — the city of Yakutsk. I agreed because I also always dreamed of experiencing the emotions of a real winter. It's incredibly beautiful, we've heard a lot about how magical it is here, and now we've seen it live. We came here and we don't regret anything," Alexandra said.

She stressed that one should prepare well for such frosts by taking warm clothes with them.

"If you are not very comfortably dressed, after 5-10 minutes you feel as if wasps have bitten your fingertips and hands, and then your face, but we are prepared and therefore do not freeze. <...> Yesterday we climbed the Lena pillars and just broke into a sweat," the tourist shared.

An operational find: Russians have started booking tours right before their trips

This is most often the way to travel to Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg.

Analysts of Russian Railways — Digital Passenger Solutions told Izvestia on December 15 that the railway routes between Moscow and St. Petersburg are leading in winter tourism. They also stated that shipments from the regions are growing dynamically in the winter of 2025: +125.1% from Novosibirsk, +113.4% from Saratov, +111.7% from Nizhny Novgorod and +109.2% from Voronezh.

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