OBSCURE DESTINATIONS ACROSS AND BEYOND THE FORMER EASTERN BLOC

Soviet Tours is a German boutique tour operator based in Berlin and specialising in cultural journeys to off-the-beaten-path destinations across the globe. 

Our core area, as the name suggests, lies mainly in and around the former USSR: from the mystic forests of Siberia to the austere peaks of the Caucasus, from the scorching deserts of Central Asia to the windswept steppes of Southern Russia, through the elegant shapes of Eastern Europe and across the endless vastness of the Far East, we cover every single corner of the mysterious and fascinating Land of the Soviets.

When travelling around the fifteen successor states of the bygone USSR and – by extension – the entire former Eastern Bloc, one will sooner or later encounter many a trace of the political structures and cultural dynamics that used to dominate life and society on the other side of the Iron Curtain. Monuments, memorials, public art, architectural shapes, urban landscapes, and forlorn military installations all represent tangible artefacts of a recent and yet distant past. And beyond the material patrimony, there is a vast plethora of non-tangible relics from a previous era still surviving amongst the hasty transformations engulfing the lands of the New East: the sweet memories of the babushkas, the unique atmospheres of the bazaars, that nostalgic time-capsule feeling permeating glorious Houses of Culture. Because of a widespread tendency of enlightening only certain periods of human history, however, the cultural, architectural, and artistic inheritance of the Soviet Union remains all too often ignored by most travellers and tour operators. Our mission is to shed light on this forgotten legacy.

In addition to our vast travel portfolio of USSR-themed itineraries, we also offer outstanding journeys to every single country of the former Eastern Bloc as well as a few obscure destinations in Africa, America, Asia and the Middle East, including Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Haiti, Eritrea, Venezuela, Somalia, and Angola.

Soviet Tours seeks to deliver an unforgettable travel experience that goes beyond the usual sightseeing. Our tours hit straight to the core of the culture and traditions of the regions we journey through. Travelling with us you'll be given the exceptionally rare opportunity to get a first-hand insight into the complex and often misunderstood geopolitical issues defining the unusual destinations we take our guests to.

Besides our regular group tours, we also offer customised services for private travel parties and lone wolves alike. As a traveller-oriented boutique operator, tailored trips and bespoke adventures are our bread and butter. Our team of English-speaking local guides and tour leaders boasts an in-depth knowledge and expertise about the hard-to-reach countries and regions we operate in and can rely on an extensive network of exclusive contacts to solve complex situations and breeze through redtape nightmares. We understand risk and, through rigorous analysis, we identify and manage it to protect you and your companions, ensuring safety in the wake of disruptive events.

Soviet Tours was proudly founded and is enthusiastically run by Italian photographer, adventurer and travel author Gianluca Pardelli, whose reportages from Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe have been featured in major newspapers and media outlets around the globe.

More about the founder and his work is available at www.gianlucapardelli.com

You were not made to live like brutes, but to follow virtue and knowledge.

(Inferno - XXVI)

A FEW good reasons to choose Soviet Tours

Always looking for new little-travelled destinations to pioneer and remote places to discover.  

A strong focus on Soviet history and culture, little-known ethnicities, and endangered traditions.

A wide portfolio of exceptional adventures to every single corner of the former Soviet Union.

Flexible scheduled itineraries and customisable bespoke tours in more than fifty countries.

Unique and uncontrived encounters with local communities, mouthwatering gastronomic discoveries, and unusual experiences.

Fair-priced long journeys in small-sized and dynamic groups of like-minded travellers.

Passionate and knowledgeable multilingual local guides deeply in love with the regions they work in.

A longstanding direct travel experience and an extensive knowledge of the territories we travel to.

Exclusive contacts with local authorities and unrivalled ability to solve travel-related issues.

Last but not least: no clichés, no simplifications and no kitschy dress-ups during our tours around the fading glories of the former USSR.

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