Everybody loves shopping; almost every tourist who travels to Russia wants to bring at least one thing back home as a memorial to their trip to Russia. There are loads of things you can buy as a souvenir, though some of them are more famous than others, such as the Matryoshka Doll.
Matryoshka Doll
Matryoshka dolls are the most well-known and popular souvenir you can buy in Russia, and they’re wooden painted dolls of decreasing sizes hidden inside others. These dolls traditional painted in Russian dress, but nowadays you can find them painted as pop-stars or other celebrities of the world as well. These dolls can be used as children's toys, or as a well-designed decoration for the house.
Amber
Amber is fossilized tree resin and is well-appreciated among gem-makers because of its unique color and beauty. You can find loads of artisan jewels made from amber; even one of the most famous tourist attractions of Tsarskoye Selo in St. Petersburg, is the amber room inside the Catherine Palace. You can buy pieces of jewelry or decorative items made out of amber at different prices in Russian shopping centers to bring back home as relics.
Khokhloma
Khokhloma is another type of handicraft that is popular in Russia. It’s the style of painting on wooden objects, mostly Russian fairy tales and nature. These wooden handicrafts are featuring red and green ornaments on a golden background, which makes it looks like to have a metal surface.
Gzhel
Gzhel is Russian pottery art, which originally comes from a village near Moscow. This artifact features a blue ornament on white-colored background ceramics. There are lots of various types of Gzhel in Russia, but the most popular among tourists are the Gzhel’s tea and coffee services.
Valenki
Valenki is the traditional Russian felted boots that were popular in the past, but nowadays, luxury brands took their place among youngsters. You can still find them regularly used in small cities in Russia, but currently, their hugest fans are tourists and travelers. Valenki is a great souvenir, but it is also considerably practical because it has been made to be used in the cold winters of Russia, so they are genuinely warm and comfortable.
Soviet Souvenirs
The Soviet-era is an integral part of Russian history, the Russians, of course, have no interest in forgetting this historical period and have always tried to keep their history alive, either from the Soviet times or farther from the Tsarism era. One of the ways to remember the past is to make memorial objects, one thing that you will find in the souvenirs shop in Russia is the Soviet Memorabilia, which is quite popular and tourist-favorite as well.
Ushanka
If you like hats and also live in a cold place, you should buy an Ushanka while you visit Russia. Ushanka is an internationally famous Russian hat that can protect your ears and neck as well as your head from the cold weather. This fur-made hat is popular in the former USSR countries, and after loads of advertisements, it finds its way into western fashion as well.
Faberge Eggs
Faberge eggs are pretty remarkable pieces; you should check them at the Faberge Museum in St. Petersburg to witness the actual beauty of them. One thing that tourists should keep in mind that they can buy Faberge Eggs as souvenirs; well not a genuine Faberge egg, but a replica that didn’t make out of pure gold and gemstones because original Faberge Eggs prices are considerably high, their prices start from somewhere between 10 to 15 million us dollars.
Samovar
Samovar is a metal container that used to boil water in traditional tea ceremonies. The samovar is still very popular in some parts of Russia and middle-eastern countries such as Iran. The word samovar translates as a “self-boiler” in English. Samovar is another bizarre souvenir that you can buy in Russia.
As you can see, there are loads of other things than Matryoshka Doll that you can buy as a souvenir in Russia. We at the Star Travel Group have gathered lots of information about this matter, and other things as well such as the top traditional dishes in Russian cuisine, or additional useful facts and tips about traveling to Russia in our weblog, which is entirely free for everyone to read and explore.
