6 Russian cities you can't reach by car (PHOTOS)
Each city is home to tens of thousands of people, but, due to the challenging landscape and harsh climate, they have no road connection with the "mainland".
1. Norilsk: An industrial giant in the Arctic
This is the world's second most populous Arctic city (after Murmansk). It’s home to over 175,000 people. Despite long, snowy winters, the polar night and permafrost, it’s a major industrial center for the mining and processing of nickel, copper, cobalt and palladium.
You can only get there by plane or by ferry from Krasnoyarsk, which takes more than three days along the Yenisei River!
2. Dudinka: A port on the Yenisei River
This city is located 90 km from Norilsk.
But, unlike Norilsk, which was founded in the Soviet years, Dudinka is several hundred years old. It’s home to a year-round port that’s crucial to the Northern Sea Route.
3. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky: A land of volcanoes
The Kamchatka Peninsula is a kingdom of volcanoes, geysers and thermal springs. The capital of Kamchatka Krai is home to over 160,000 people, while the entire peninsula has about 290,000 inhabitants. There are roads within the region, but, in order to reach the "mainland", you can only reach it by plane. Projects for highways and railways to the volcanic peninsula regularly appear, but, so far, none have been deemed viable.
4. Vorkuta: The easternmost city in Europe
This coal-mining center beyond the Arctic Circle is located in the foothills of the northern Urals. It’s connected to the "mainland" by a railway line that stretches all the way to Moscow. There’s also an airport, but planes do not fly every day.
However, people don't only go there to mine coal. Tourists are drawn to the "Architectural Gem of the Arctic" and the chance to see the Northern Lights.
5. Anadyr: Chukotka’s most colorful city
The capital of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug is the easternmost city in Russia. To somehow compensate for the gloomy and cold climate, many buildings are painted in bright colors and adorned with murals.
The only way to get there is by air travel. Planes and helicopters are also the primary means of transport between settlements in Chukotka, as there are few roads, due to permafrost and extreme cold.
6. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk: The island capital
Sakhalin is Russia's largest island, home to approximately 450,000 people, of whom more than 180,000 live in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Again, the only way to get to the island capital is by plane. However, it’s also possible to reach the island by car: but, in order to do this, you will need to use the ferry service that connects Sakhalin with Khabarovsk Krai.
