Sightseeing tourism: features, what applies to it, types and directions | Guide Club

Sightseeing tourism provides an opportunity to combine recreation with expanding horizons and gaining knowledge. Besides, it makes the vacation more interesting. You will probably remember every day of your trip better if you constantly see something new than if you spend all your time on the beach. That is why cultural, educational and sightseeing tourism is in demand in the world the most. In this article, we will look at what modern sightseeing tourism is, what it is like and which countries are most suitable for it. Reveal the content

Definition and types of sightseeing tourism

Cultural and sightseeing tourism is a short trip or a longer trip in order to see the best sights of a city or area. Tourists get acquainted with historical, cultural and natural attractions by traveling by buses, cars, boats, and sometimes on foot. In many countries, sightseeing tourism began to develop centuries ago, it is one of the most ancient types of recreation. For example, in Europe, it has long been the custom to send a student who has completed his studies abroad so that he can get acquainted with the best cultural achievements of other countries. Such a tradition was also widespread in Russia.

The rapid development of sightseeing tourism all over the world, including in Russia, occurred in the XX century. This is due to the emergence of modern transport: a developed network of railways, aviation, fast steamships and boats. Long-distance travel has become more affordable, and hotels with restaurants and other infrastructure in popular tourist destinations make your vacation more comfortable.

If we look at the rating of the main directions of sightseeing tourism in recent years, we will see that it covers the whole world. These are Paris, London, New York, Istanbul, Dubai, Bangkok, Tokyo. Sightseeing tourism is also developed in our country.

What kind of sightseeing and educational tourism can be

There are different classifications of sightseeing tourism. For example, tours are distinguished by duration: one-day, weekend and multi-day tours with a length of more than three days. A one-day tour is the easiest to organize, since you do not need to worry about overnight accommodation. For the same reason, the trip turns out to be inexpensive. It is convenient to combine it with beach and other holidays during the holidays. Weekend tours give you the opportunity to see more interesting places, it’s easy to find time for them. And multi-day tours can be designed for a week, two or more and include visits to different cities and countries.

The specifics of sightseeing tourism strongly depend on the number of participants. Individual tours are most comfortable when the guide offers services to one person or family. The program is built in maximum accordance with the preferences of vacationers, but services are more expensive. Tours designed for small groups of up to 15 people are considered the best in terms of price and quality. In this case, the costs are divided among many participants, but the organizer has the opportunity to pay attention to everyone. Groups of several dozen people are the most economical, but you should not count on individual service in them.

Excursion tourism programs depend on the estimated age of the participants. School tours are usually informative and do not involve any risk. These may include visits to amusement parks, zoos, and other children’s activities. Youth tours are likely to include visits to nightclubs, restaurants, and bars. Trips for two can include excursions to the most romantic places. Family tours, as well as programs for the elderly, are usually calm, with minimal physical training requirements.

Sightseeing tourism varies by type of transport. The most common are bus tours for large groups and car tours for small ones. In cities with many attractions concentrated on a small area, walking tours are convenient. Sometimes public transport is used, for example, trams. Combined tours are often found, in which visits to different monasteries and natural attractions are combined with trips on bicycles or horses. Excursions along the shores by water transport are popular, which can be a small rented yacht, a riverboat or a cruise liner.

There are also more exotic programs. For example, dog sledding in the snow or flying in a hot air balloon and seeing beautiful places from a bird’s eye view. The organizers are constantly trying to come up with something new, so every year it becomes more difficult to list everything related to sightseeing tourism.

Where can I go?

Cultural and sightseeing tourism differs geographically. According to the distance of the trip, it includes the following types:

• Suburban and local. It gives you the opportunity to see the sights in the city and at some distance from it — up to 150 km for suburban or up to 300 km for local tours. Trips are usually designed for one day or a weekend.
• Long-distance tourism involves moving over longer distances and requires more time. The destination is usually reached by plane or train. This is a good choice for an extended vacation.
• International tourism. Such trips are more difficult to organize, so they are almost always designed for a long vacation. But there are countries where you can travel from Russia without difficulties with visas or transport.

To relax abroad, you can choose a tour operator who organizes transportation and accommodation. Another option is to get to your destination on your own, and then use the services of a local Russian—speaking guide. There are many such offers on our website. Let’s list a few countries where you can go for sightseeing and educational tourism.

Turkey

This is one of the best places to go for sightseeing tourism. The territory of this country, washed by four seas, has been inhabited since ancient times, so many ancient buildings and cultural monuments have been preserved here. The ruins of the legendary Troy, the temples of the Byzantine Empire, the palaces of the Ottoman sultans, beautiful parks and embankments capture the imagination. Sightseeing in Turkey is convenient to combine with different types of recreation. You can sunbathe on the beach, go hiking along one of the ecological trails, take time to local delicacies, rent a yacht or fly in a hot air balloon.

India

Another good destination for cultural tourism and sightseeing activities. There are so many interesting places in India that you will only be able to see a small part of them during one trip. In 1-2 days you can get acquainted with the main sights of one city. For example, Agra with the legendary Taj Mahal. If you have 4-5 days, you can explore several cities already. The Golden Triangle is considered a classic: Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. If you plan to spend 10-15 days in India, then it is worth combining a city tour with a trip to nature. The marvelous Andaman Islands, the backwaters of Kerala or Little Tibet with Buddhist monasteries — choose what you like.

Jordan

A trip to Jordan will be remembered for a long time, because it is a land of sunshine, antiquities and exotic landscapes. The legendary city of Petra, carved into the rocks, attracts people from all over the world. Few places have preserved ancient temples, palaces and tombs so well. The trip gives you the opportunity to relax on the shores of the Dead Sea and see the impressive landscapes of the rocky desert. We recommend that you plan your trip for at least a week.

Abkhazia

If you want to travel abroad with minimal hassle, Abkhazia is better than most other destinations. There are no problems with documents or language barrier. Even the time with Moscow is the same. Abkhazia is famous for its natural attractions: waterfalls, canyons, caves, and the most beautiful lake Ritsa. There are also man—made monuments, the most famous of which are the New Athos Monastery, the Anakopian Fortress, the Castle of the Prince of Oldenburg. The excursion programs are varied: you can choose a one-day or two-day tour, and devote the rest of the time to beach holidays. To get to know Abkhazia better, go on a 10- or 14-day tour.

Georgia

This country is famous for its extraordinarily beautiful nature with mountain valleys, glaciers, ancient fortresses and Orthodox monasteries. Georgia is no less famous for its excellent cuisine and wines, which are appreciated all over the world. Therefore, sightseeing tours to Georgia are often combined with a gastronomic program. It is impossible to visit here and not try khachapuri, khinkali, chakhokhbili, kharcho and other famous dishes. The hospitality of the locals will make the trip even more enjoyable.

Armenia

Those who love mountains and history should visit Armenia. In addition to exploring Yerevan, tours in this country include trips to the most beautiful places in the mountains, gorges, lakes, caves and medieval monasteries. The world’s longest cable car “Wings of Tatev”, listed in the Guinness Book of Records, deserves special mention. She will provide you with a dizzying experience. The guides include guided tours to wineries and cheese factories with tastings. Since the distances between the attractions are considerable, it is most convenient to travel in small groups in comfortable jeeps.

Azerbaijan

There are many sights in Azerbaijan. It is a country with a distinctive culture and history going back centuries. Numerous museums, of which there are more than a hundred, ancient temples, mosques and mausoleums help to get an idea about it. All this is combined with the bright southern nature, the sun, ripe fruits, oriental sweets. You can choose a tour of Baku and the surrounding area, visit the Silk Road routes, relax at a ski resort or on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Guides usually offer programs for 2-5 days, although there are longer options.

Kyrgyzstan

The main reason to go to Kyrgyzstan is to get acquainted with the untouched nature and the way of life of the nomads, which has not changed for many centuries. Lovers of natural beauty have a lot to see here: numerous routes run through mountain meadows and groves, along picturesque gorges, transparent lakes, silvery rivers. The most famous sights:

• Lake Issyk-Kul,
• Ala-Archa gorge near the capital,
• Jety-Oguz Gorge with Martian-like landscapes,
• The Burana Tower, built a millennium ago
• even more ancient petroglyphs.

Sightseeing tours in Russia

You can see a lot of sights in Russia, but you don’t have to go to other countries for this. Sightseeing tourism in our country is developing and attracting more and more supporters. And there are so many destinations to go to that you can choose a new region year after year and always see something unknown. Let’s list the main tourist destinations in Russia:

• Krasnodarskiy kray. In addition to the beaches of the Black Sea and ski resorts, the Krasnodar Territory offers guests a wide range of sightseeing programs. You can get acquainted with the sights of Krasnodar and the seaside cities of Sochi, Anapa, Novorossiysk. Nature lovers should see the Parus Rock in the vicinity of Gelendzhik, Cypress Lake near Anapa, Lake Abrau and Mount Akhun, which has more than 30 caves.
• The Russian North. Karelia, the Arkhangelsk region and the Kola Peninsula are extremely beautiful. In addition to the extraordinary landscapes and elements of local culture, you can see the northern Lights. Most often, this natural phenomenon occurs during the winter months at night. Many organizers offer tours where everything is provided for comfortable observation of the sky.
• Caucasus. There are many attractions in the Caucasus associated with the beauty of these places and the memory of the people who lived here. During the tour, you can see Orthodox churches, monasteries and other architectural monuments, mountain peaks, picturesque gorges, caves, waterfalls, mineral springs. It is convenient to combine acquaintance with them with active recreation — trekking, skiing, rafting, horse riding, mountaineering.
• Altai. This is a destination where you definitely need to go at least once in your life. There are so many beautiful and famous places here that it is impossible to list them all. Belukha Mountain, Teletskoye Lake, Katun River, Shavlin and Multin lakes, Ukok Plateau, Denisova Cave are especially famous. You can go to Altai at any time of the year — you will definitely find something to do to have a great rest in the mountains.
• The Urals. The Ural Mountains are not the highest, but they are extremely beautiful and original. The scenery here is unlike any other. Many territories have received the status of nature reserves or national parks. Since the Urals is a vast territory, you can go to the Orenburg Region, Bashkortostan, Komi Republic, Chelyabinsk Region, Perm Krai, Sverdlovsk Region or Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug to explore it.
• Baikal. There are many interesting things around the world’s largest lake and its islands. The main attractions are waiting for you in the village of Listvyanka, on the island of Olkhon and on the east coast, where nature is especially beautiful. If there is an opportunity to go to Lake Baikal, be sure to use it! You will see breathtaking landscapes with coves, lagoons and rocks, Buddhist stupas, rare animals and birds.
• Kamchatka. A unique region that attracts the interest of nature lovers from all over the world. Here you can see extraordinary landscapes untouched by man. Especially interesting and unusual are the traces of seismic activity: active and extinct volcanoes, geysers, beaches with black sand. There are many bears, red fish, rare birds and other animals in Kamchatka. It’s not easy to get here, but such a trip is definitely worth the time!
• Moscow and St. Petersburg. It is in these cities that the main cultural and architectural attractions of our country are concentrated. If you haven’t visited any of the capitals yet, you definitely need to fix it. It will take at least a few days to see all the iconic places. Then you will probably want to repeat the trip.

The concept of sightseeing tourism is constantly being enriched. Many guides offer unique programs with visits to attractions and additional activities that are not covered by mass tours. This can be rafting, trekking, fishing, participating in festivals, wine tastings or organizing photo shoots. Such tours require considerable experience and qualifications, but our website offers travel experts of the highest level. Choose a suitable tour on the website of the Guide Club, arrange it online and go on an unforgettable journey!

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