Roads of Russia

Spread across the vast expanse of Eastern Europe and Northern Asia, Russia is a land of contrasting landscapes and gripping tales. A drive across its most iconic roads is akin to turning the pages of an epic novel that tells stories of history, hardship, and sheer human determination.

Among the most legendary is the Kolyma Highway, more ominously known as the "Road of Bones." This hauntingly beautiful route in Russia's Far East stands as a chilling testament to the Gulag prisoners who built it, with many of their remains lying beneath the very road itself.

Daring souls seeking a brush with the wild side will find the BAM Road a thrilling challenge. Stretching for over 4,300 km, this off-road trek takes you deep into the heart of Siberia, traversing terrains that few dare to tread, revealing the raw beauty of Russia's untamed wilderness.

Then there's the colossal Trans-Siberian Highway. Beginning from the historic streets of St. Petersburg and stretching to the Pacific port city of Vladivostok, this 6,800-mile-long journey is a kaleidoscope of Russia's diverse cultures, climates, and terrains. Every mile driven is a testament to the country's vastness and variety.

In Russia, roads aren't mere stretches of asphalt. They are timelines tracing the nation's heartbeats, arteries connecting its vast body, and pathways to its soul. As you traverse these routes, you don't just travel across land; you journey through time and tales that have shaped the largest nation on Earth.

Kolyma Highway is an exciting adventure running from Yakutsk (where the coldest temperature ever recorded outside Antarctica was documented) to Magadan, Russia. It was built by prisoners using hand tools in the 1930s, marking one of the most terrifying chapters in Soviet history.

BAM Road is one of the toughest adventure roads remaining on this planet, presenting a genuine test of physical and mental endurance. This old railway service track runs roughly alongside a railway track in extreme Siberia, Russia, featuring everything from rickety old bridges to waist-high water crossings and, at points, being miles from civilization.

Tucked away in Siberia, Russia, Vitim River Bridge is one of the most spectacular bridges in the world. It’s an old train bridge crossing the Vitim River, with its old metal structure covered with rotting wooden planks, which can be slippery due to frequent ice in the area.

Stretching almost 7,000 miles from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok, the Trans-Siberian Highway is a network of federal highways that spans the width of Russia from the Baltic Sea of the Atlantic Ocean to the Japan Sea of the Pacific Ocean. Running across some of the toughest environments and terrain around, it’s one of the longest roads in the world.

Located in Russia, Lake Karachay is considered one of the most polluted bodies of water on Earth, with its waters capable of killing a human within 30 minutes. It has served as a dumping ground for radioactive waste and other hazardous materials from nearby nuclear facilities since the mid-20th century.

Gara-Bashi station is a ski lift at an elevation of 3.883m (12,739ft) above the sea level, located in the highlands of Kabardino-Balkarian Republic of Russia. It's one of the highest roads of Europe.

Anabar Road is a true Russian adventure leading to Anabar Bay, on the Laptev Sea. At 72°49' North -higher north than the Nordkapp, Prudhoe Bay or Tuktoyatuk- it's one of the world's northernmost roads.

Pereval Katu-Yaryk is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 1.203m (3,946ft) above the sea level, located in Altai Republic, in Russia. The road to the summit is extreme. 4x4 vehicles only. With 19% gradient sections, gravel loose and lack of protections, it’s one of the scariest roads in the world.

Located in the south of the Russian region of Siberia, Lake Baikal is the world’s deepest non-oceanic body of water. When the ice conditions allow it, an ice road is constructed every year.

Roki Tunnel (Roksky Tunnel) is an international high mountain tunnel at an elevation of 2,130m (6,988ft) above the sea level, located on the border of North Ossetia–Alania Republic of Russia and Georgia.

Nestled in the heart of Sakhalin Island, Russia, the 64H-3 road is renowned as one of the world's most spectacular coastal drives.

Located in the Chegemsky District of the Kabardino-Balkar Republic in Russia, the renowned Chegem waterfalls are a regional highlight.

Tucked away above the Arctic Circle lies one of Earth's most challenging drives — the road from Dudinka to Norilsk, Russia. This 88.3 km (54.86 miles) stretch runs through the stark tundra, a subarctic expanse covered with resilient low-growing scrub. Though the road is fully paved, the rugged terrain and extreme conditions make it an endeavor only for the brave.

Klukhorskii Pass is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 2.851m (9,353ft) above the sea level, located in Abkhazia, an autonomous republic in Georgia. It's one of the highest roads of Europe.

Volgograd Bridge is 7,1km long. It’s located over the Volga River in the southern Russian city of Volgograd. The bridge is 1.260 meters long and 32 meters wide. Its surface can be seen snaking up and down during high winds. It’s one of the most spectacular bridges in the world.

The Lefortovo Tunnel in Moscow, part of the Third Ring Road, is located in Lefortovo, a suburb of the Russian capital, which is the largest city entirely on the European continent. The tunnel is the fifth longest in-city tunnel in Europe, measuring 3.2 km (2.0 mi) in length and featuring 7 lanes (3 lanes northbound and 4 lanes southbound). Fully paved, it was opened in 2003.

Located in the Far East region of Russia, on the Kamchatka peninsula -Russia's Land of Fire and Ice-, the road from Klyuchi to Petropavlovsk is one of the greatest adventures.

Explore the breathtaking landscapes of Sakhalin Island on the adventurous Road 64H-1. A journey filled with stunning views and the thrill of discovery awaits on this scenic drive in Russia.

64Н-3 is a short coastal road located in the Sakhalin Oblast of Russia.

M32 is one of the main highways of Kazakhstan. It crosses the country, running from the Russian border towards the border with Kyrgyzstan. It’s a good road for those who wish to undertake such a journey to the heart of the country.

Pereval Nevel’skiy is a mountain pass at an elevation of 437m (1,551ft) above the sea level, located on the boundary between Nevelsky and Anivsky districts, in the Sakhalin Oblast of Russia.

Oymyakon Road is said to be the World’s Coldest Winter Adventure Road Trip. Located In the Sakha Republic of Russia, Oymyakon is the the coldest village on Earth with a temperature recorded of -71.2C.

Vayda-Guba is a small town located in Pechengsky District, in the northwest of Murmansk Oblast in the northwestern part of Russia. It’s one of the northernmost points of Europe.

Located in the Republic of Sakha, in northeast Russia, the Lena River Ice Road connects the port city of Yakutsk, on the west side of the river, and Nizhny Bestyakh on the east bank. It’s said to be one of the most dangerous roads of the country.

The road from Korsakov to Novikovo is a very scenic coastal drive located in Sakhalin island, in the Far East part of Russia, situated north of Japan.

Federal Highway M18 is one of the great drives in the world. It’s a 1.340 km road linking Saint Petersburg and Murmansk, in Russia.

Located right at the Arctic Circle in central Siberia, Russia, crossing the bridge over the Nadym River (which is frozen for six months of the year) is a hair-raising drive across a waterlogged very rickety pontoon bridge for summer use only. It’s one of the most spectacular bridges in the world. 

Pereval Mamisonskiy is an international high mountain pass at an elevation of 2.836m (9,304ft) above the sea level, located on the border of Georgia and the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania of Russia. It's one of the highest roads of Europe.

Short ice road linking Heihe, a city of northern Heilongjiang province, in China and Blagoveshchensk, a city of Amur Oblast, in Russia. This seasonal road opens every winter in the frozen Amur River.

Located in the Itum-Kale district of the Republic of Chechnya, near the border between Russia and Georgia, Tsoi-Pede, is a medieval necropolis. It’s one of the largest medieval cemeteries in the Caucasus, included in the list of the seven most remote Russian attractions. 

P25 highway is a spectacular and lonely drive in the heart of the Komi Republic, in northwestern Russia.

The 86К-14 Road is a spectacular and lonely experience in the heart of the Republic of Karelia, in the northwest of Russia.

The Vilyui highway, part of the A-331 road, is a very exciting journey in the heart of the Sakha Republic, in Russia.

Terskol Ice base is a ruined military complex at an elevation of 3.675m (12,057ft) above the sea level, located in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay–Cherkessia of Russia, near the border with Georgia. It’s one of the highest roads of Europe. The route passes along a very steep road built in 1938. The average gradient is 12,68%. This road has humbled many egos.

Pereval Dyatlova is a mountain pass at an elevation of 831m (2,726ft) above the sea level, located in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia. The pass got its popularity after the dead in strange circumstances of 9 hikers. It’s a place shrouded in unsolved mystery since 1959.

Seminsky Pass is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 1.894m (6,213ft) above the sea level, located in the southwest part of the Seminsky ridge, the Central- Altai physico - geographical province of the Ongudaysky area, in Russia.