light travels travel agency

Light Travels Inc

264 Jenkins rd, Saco, ME

About this vendor

• Veteran-owned Business
• Woman-owned Business
• Destination Wedding Packages
• Destination Wedding Planning
• Honeymoon Planning
• Top reviews
• Newest first
• Oldest first
• Highest rated
• Lowest rated

Meet the team

Wedding vendors in Saco

• 301 or more
• Messaging our verified vendors on The Knot is free, safe and secure.
• Conveniently track vendor messages and planning details all in one place.
• Our mobile apps make it easy to stay in touch with vendors while you're on‑the‑go.
• For personalized pricing and package details, sending the vendor a message is the fastest way to get info.
• Wedding Vendors /
• Travel Specialists /
• Maine Travel Specialists /
• Saco Travel Specialists /

• MarketersMEDIA Newsroom
• Travel & Leisure

Light Travels Inc. Voted as the Best Travel Agency in Maine

Light Travels Inc., a travel agency in Saco, Maine, simplifies travel planning with personalized services. Specializing in cruises, destination weddings, and vacation packages to locations like the Caribbean, Mexico, and Europe, they offer exclusive deals, 24/7 support, and a seamless travel experience.

Saco, Maine, United States - August 16, 2024 —

Getting away from the daily routine or planning a vacation on a Caribbean island sounds tempting, but planning everything within the budget, available time, and convenience can feel overwhelming when scrolling down websites looking for the best deal. Deciding where to go, when to travel, and how to get the best value can become an endless pursuit. Perhaps talking to an experienced travel agent can help save time and hassle. 

For instance, Light Travels Inc. voted as the best travel agent in Maine for 2023 , provides tailored experiences, exclusive deals, and round-the-clock support for Maine travelers. Specializing in personalized travel planning, the Saco-based agency offers comprehensive services, including cruises, destination weddings, and vacation packages to popular locations such as the Caribbean, Mexico, and Europe.

People searching online for vacation packages has become second nature for everyone. Still, digital alternatives can lack the human touch and expert guidance required for a tailored experience that meets their unique needs and preferences. "Our goal is to simplify the journey for travellers while maximizing the value of their investment," said Wade Light, an army veteran and co-owner of Light Travels Inc. "We understand that planning a trip can be overwhelming, especially for international destinations. Our travel agents in Maine handle all the details, from booking flights and accommodations to arranging activities and transportation."

For many customers, time and budget can be a constraint. Light Travels Inc. helps clients organize the trip to meet all the essential elements, such as flights, accommodations, transfers, and activities within their budgets and time. Through established relationships with vendors and suppliers, it secures special rates and amenities that are often unavailable to general websites. These exclusive offers can include room upgrades, onboard credits for cruises, or complimentary excursions. The agency's travel agents are constantly updated on travel conditions, entry requirements, and local attractions for various destinations. This knowledge ensures clients are well-prepared for their journeys and can maximize their time abroad. 

"First time going to Mexico and wade Light with Light Travels Inc. made it the best experience we have ever had!! Everything was done for us from airfare, transportation to and from the airport and resort!! He also called me a couple days before we left to tell us some details we would have never known!! Best experience ever! We're already planning next years trip!!" - Susan Law, Google Reviews.  

For Maine residents seeking a Caribbean cruise, a destination wedding in Mexico, or a cultural tour of Europe, this travel agency in Maine offers the expertise and personalized planning needed to turn travel dreams into reality. For more information about tour packages, visit light-travels.com.

About Us: Light Travels Inc. is a travel agency in Saco, Maine, owned by Joslynne Light and Wade Light. Specializing in personalized travel planning, they offer various tour packages, including cruises, destination weddings, and vacation packages to exotic locations such as the Caribbean, Mexico, and Europe.

Contact Info: Name: Wade Light Email: Send Email Organization: Light Travels Inc Address: 264 Jenkins Rd, Saco, ME 04072, United States Phone: +1 877 973 4777 Website: https://light-travels.com/

Release ID: 89138644

CALL OR TEXT TO TALK TRAVEL! (440)478-1181 

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK! 

- Vincent Van Gogh

Become a Star Traveler and receive our monthly Starlight Newsletter & travel inspiration!

Welcome to Starlight2Travel, where we will move the stars to give you the magical adventure of a lifetime. The sky’s the limit when it comes to your dreams! We specialize in custom itineraries to ensure you get the absolute best in exceptional travel. Your dreams might be hiking glaciers in the colorful glow of the northern lights, stargazing in a Hawaiian forest, or even discovering the birthplace of constellation namesakes in Greece and Rome. Travel as a couple, as a family, or in a large group. Any way you can dream it, your adventure will have the chance to shine bright because when you’re here, you’re our guest. Follow the stars to your own path, and let us lend you a hand getting there.

Romance Travel

All-inclusive vacations, luxury trips, tropical cruises  , family vacations, dream list cruises  .

Starlight2Travel is now a

Certified sandals specialist, looking for vacation inspiration, explore our top vacation package ideas.

Trusted Travel Suppliers

To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key.

Working with a Travel Advisor

Vacation your way .

No two people are alike, so why should our vacations be? Don’t simply click a premade vacation plan and go to checkout; travel your way with custom-created itineraries, curated with just you in mind, so you know you’ll know this experience will be just what you’re dreaming of. 

Reliable Resource 

It’s a big world out there; when it comes to travel arrangements, you could be juggling 10+ companies in an unfamiliar country. Leave the reservations to me! As your travel agent, I will take care of it all for you by becoming your single contact for worldwide arrangements. 

Valuable Investment 

It’s our mission to steer travelers clear of travel scams and timeshares, one person at a time. Instead, put your trust in the hands of real life travel agents whose biggest priority is making sure our clients get the adventure of a lifetime, no strings attached. 

Travel Confidently  

We all have our travel horror stories, because, let’s face it - no matter how much we plan, life is unpredictable. Feel confident and prepared going into your destination knowing that someone has your back just in case things don’t go as smoothly as planned.  

Starlight2Travel Reviews

Travel like a star blog.

Clarksville, TN 37042,   Serving all of your travel needs!

[email protected]

CALL US TODAY!

(931) 218-0486

MAKE YOUR VACATION DREAMS COME TRUE!

EXPERIENCED TRAVEL AGENCY

Let us make a reality out of your vacation planning dreams! Everything from honeymoons to destination weddings, Moonlight Travel Agency offers a wide variety of vacation packages to fit your schedule, taste, and budget. For over 5 years, we have satisfied clients and have exceeded their expectations. You are the explorer who wants to see the world, and it is our job to be the best possible exploration partner.

I continually immerse myself in learning about destinations, villas, resorts and everything travel. I am able to consult on destinations, excursions and logistics of your trip.  My Goal is to have you return from your vacation refreshed and raving about your most amazing vacation experience.

With nearly 20 years experience as a Registered Nurse, I combined my Passion of Travel,my Passion for Helping Others and organizational skills and  I’m Devoted to working with you to designing Your Dream Vacation.

Why Chose Moonlight Travel Agency?

Moonlight Travel Agency is locally owned and operated by Valerie Powell. Our agency is very friendly and knowledgeable. We take pride in helping our clients make the most out of their vacation time. We understand how stressful daily life activities can be, so vacation should only mean relaxation and enjoyment.

About Valerie Powell

Moonlight Travel Agency is the backbone of anyone's travel management. I offer cruise planners, honeymoon planning, hotel booking, flight booking, and much more. I set the bar for customer service, attention to detail, and knowledge of the industry. As a travel agent, I am well trained, experienced, and pride myself on getting to know each customer and their vacation planning needs. Let me help you coordinate your trip with my services for family travel, group travel, business travel, honeymoon packages, custom travels, and more. If you would like to learn more about my travel resort services or cruises, please feel free to reach me at Moonlight Travel Agency today.

Book Your Vacation With Us

Contact information

Phone:   (931) 218-0486 Email:   [email protected] Address: Clarksville, TN 37042

Serving all of your travel needs! Hours of Operation:

Browse Our Website

All Rights Reserved | Moonlight Travel Agency

Top Payment Gateway Options for Travel Agencies and How to Integrate Them

Introduction: why payment gateway integration is critical for travel agencies.

Top Payment Gateway Options for Travel Agencies. In today’s fast-paced digital world, offering seamless and secure payment options is a must for travel agencies. Customers expect to book flights, hotels, tours, and car rentals with ease, and having multiple payment methods ensures higher conversion rates and better customer satisfaction.

For travel agencies, payment gateway integration is not just about accepting payments—it’s about providing a safe, fast, and localized experience. With the rise of global travelers, offering diverse payment options like credit cards, digital wallets, and even cryptocurrency is now a necessity.

In this article, we’ll explore the top payment gateway options for travel agencies and how you can integrate them into your booking system efficiently, ensuring a smooth payment experience for your customers.

1. What is a Payment Gateway and Why Does Your Travel Agency Need One?

A payment gateway is a service that processes credit card payments for online and offline businesses. In travel, a payment gateway acts as a bridge between your website and financial institutions, enabling you to securely collect payments from customers across the globe.

Key Benefits of Integrating a Payment Gateway:

• Global Reach : Accept payments from different countries and currencies.
• Secure Transactions : Protect customer data with encrypted and PCI-compliant gateways.
• Increased Conversion : Offer multiple payment methods to avoid cart abandonment.
• Faster Payments : Real-time processing ensures quick bookings and reservations.

2. Top Payment Gateways for Travel Agencies

When choosing the right payment gateway, you need to consider factors such as transaction fees, supported currencies, security features, and ease of integration . Below is a list of some of the best payment gateways that work well for travel agencies:

3. How to Choose the Best Payment Gateway for Your Travel Agency

Choosing the right payment gateway depends on a variety of factors. Consider the following before making your decision:

• Supported Currencies : If you cater to international travelers, ensure the gateway supports multiple currencies.
• Fees : Look out for transaction fees, setup costs, and any monthly fees.
• Payment Methods : Modern travelers often prefer digital wallets like Apple Pay , Google Pay , or even cryptocurrency . Offering diverse options is key.
• Security : Opt for gateways with advanced fraud detection and compliance with PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard).
• Integration Complexity : Make sure the payment gateway easily integrates into your website and booking system, preferably with API support .

4. Technical Aspects of Payment Gateway Integration

Now that you know the top payment gateways, the next step is integrating them with your website. Most travel agencies today prefer a seamless booking experience , where payments are processed within the website, without redirecting customers to third-party pages.

Payment Gateway Integration Methods:

• API Integration : Most advanced and customizable method, allowing you to manage the transaction process entirely on your platform.
• Hosted Payment Pages : The gateway handles the payment, taking the user to an external page for checkout (e.g., PayPal).
• Plugins : Many CMS platforms, such as WordPress (used by PHPTRAVELS), offer ready-made plugins for popular gateways like Stripe, Authorize.Net, and PayPal.

5. Step-by-Step Guide to Payment Gateway Integration Using PHPTRAVELS

At PHPTRAVELS, we offer comprehensive solutions for integrating payment gateways into your travel agency’s website. Here’s how you can integrate them with ease:

Step 1: Choose Your Payment Gateway

Decide which payment gateway is best suited for your business based on your target market, payment methods, and security needs.

Step 2: Set Up Your Account

Create a business account with the selected payment gateway (e.g., Stripe, PayPal). You will need to provide business details, bank account information, and verification documents.

Step 3: Get API Credentials

Once your account is set up, the payment gateway will provide you with API keys or credentials. These are essential for linking the payment gateway to your website.

Step 4: Use PHPTRAVELS for Seamless Integration

At PHPTRAVELS, we simplify the integration process. Our software is fully compatible with major payment gateways and includes built-in plugins for easy installation. Here’s a quick overview:

• Go to Admin Panel : Log in to your PHPTRAVELS admin dashboard.
• Select Payment Gateway Settings : Navigate to the payment settings and select the gateway you want to integrate.
• Insert API Credentials : Input the API keys provided by your payment gateway provider.
• Test the Gateway : Ensure the payment gateway is working correctly by running test transactions.
• Go Live : Once you’ve successfully tested the gateway, go live and start accepting payments!

6. Top Considerations for Travel Agencies When Integrating Payment Gateways

A) mobile optimization.

Ensure that the payment gateway supports mobile-friendly checkouts. With over 70% of travel bookings happening on mobile devices, an optimized checkout process is crucial.

b) Localized Payment Methods

For travel agencies catering to international clients, offering localized payment methods such as Alipay , WeChat Pay , or UPI (for India) can increase bookings from specific regions.

c) Compliance with Local Regulations

Different countries have unique rules and regulations regarding online payments. Make sure your payment gateway complies with all relevant laws, such as GDPR in Europe or PSD2 (Payment Services Directive 2) for additional security.

7. Maximizing the Benefits of Payment Gateway Integration

The ultimate goal of integrating a payment gateway is to offer a smooth, hassle-free booking experience. Here’s how you can maximize its benefits:

• Enable One-Click Payments : For returning customers, use tokenization to store payment details securely for faster checkouts.
• Offer Multi-Currency Support : Automatically display prices in the customer’s local currency to increase trust and conversions.
• Monitor Transaction Data : Use your payment gateway’s dashboard to track customer behavior, top-selling services, and seasonal trends.
• Optimize for Speed : Ensure your gateway doesn’t slow down your website. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to check performance.

8. Why Choose PHPTRAVELS for Payment Gateway Integration?

PHPTRAVELS offers a complete travel booking solution that makes it incredibly easy to integrate various payment gateways into your website. Here’s why we stand out:

• Multi-Gateway Support : We support all major gateways, including Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.Net, and more.
• Secure Transactions : Built-in security features like PCI compliance and SSL encryption to ensure safe transactions.
• Customization : Full access to the code allows you to customize the payment experience as per your business needs.
• Affordable and Scalable : Whether you’re a startup or an enterprise, PHPTRAVELS offers pricing plans that fit your business size and requirements.

Conclusion: The Future of Payment Gateways in Travel

As the travel industry becomes increasingly digital, the importance of integrating a reliable, secure, and flexible payment gateway cannot be overstated. Whether you’re a small travel agency or a large enterprise, offering multiple payment options is key to capturing more bookings and increasing customer trust.

At PHPTRAVELS, we make the process of integrating and managing payment gateways seamless. Get in touch with us today to learn how we can help your travel agency grow by simplifying payment solutions.

By following these guidelines and integrating the right payment gateway, your travel agency can provide an exceptional booking experience that keeps customers coming back for more!

Share with friends

You might also like.

5 Best Hosting Companies for Online Travel Agencies

Comprehensive Guide to Flights API Integration

Which one is better Amadeus Sabre or Travelport

10 Trends in the Travel Industry by 2030

How to Increase Travel Business in 2024

The Top Five Hotel APIs in 2024

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

What is B2B in travel industry and how it works

Why Should Travel Companies Become SOC 2 Compliant

How To Create A Travel Blog

Tiqets Tours Booking New Module

PHPTRAVELS Version 9.1 Released

Stand with Palestine Because Humanity Matters

• Places - European, Western and Northern Russia

YEKATERINBURG: FACTORIES, URAL SIGHTS, YELTSIN AND THE WHERE NICHOLAS II WAS KILLED

Sverdlovsk oblast.

Sverdlovsk Oblast is the largest region in the Urals; it lies in the foothills of mountains and contains a monument indicating the border between Europe and Asia. The region covers 194,800 square kilometers (75,200 square miles), is home to about 4.3 million people and has a population density of 22 people per square kilometer. About 83 percent of the population live in urban areas. Yekaterinburg is the capital and largest city, with 1.5 million people. For Russians, the Ural Mountains are closely associated with Pavel Bazhov's tales and known for folk crafts such as Kasli iron sculpture, Tagil painting, and copper embossing. Yekaterinburg is the birthplace of Russia’s iron and steel industry, taking advantage of the large iron deposits in the Ural mountains. The popular Silver Ring of the Urals tourist route starts here.

In the summer you can follow in the tracks of Yermak, climb relatively low Ural mountain peaks and look for boulders seemingly with human faces on them. You can head to the Gemstone Belt of the Ural mountains, which used to house emerald, amethyst and topaz mines. In the winter you can go ice fishing, ski and cross-country ski.

Sverdlovsk Oblast and Yekaterinburg are located near the center of Russia, at the crossroads between Europe and Asia and also the southern and northern parts of Russia. Winters are longer and colder than in western section of European Russia. Snowfalls can be heavy. Winter temperatures occasionally drop as low as - 40 degrees C (-40 degrees F) and the first snow usually falls in October. A heavy winter coat, long underwear and good boots are essential. Snow and ice make the sidewalks very slippery, so footwear with a good grip is important. Since the climate is very dry during the winter months, skin moisturizer plus lip balm are recommended. Be alert for mud on street surfaces when snow cover is melting (April-May). Patches of mud create slippery road conditions.

Yekaterinburg

Yekaterinburg (kilometer 1818 on the Trans-Siberian Railway) is the fourth largest city in Russia, with of 1.5 million and growth rate of about 12 percent, high for Russia. Located in the southern Ural mountains, it was founded by Peter the Great and named after his wife Catherine, it was used by the tsars as a summer retreat and is where tsar Nicholas II and his family were executed and President Boris Yeltsin lived most of his life and began his political career. The city is near the border between Europe and Asia.

Yekaterinburg (also spelled Ekaterinburg) is located on the eastern slope of the Ural Mountains in the headwaters of the Iset and Pyshma Rivers. The Iset runs through the city center. Three ponds — Verkh-Isetsky, Gorodskoy and Nizhne-Isetsky — were created on it. Yekaterinburg has traditionally been a city of mining and was once the center of the mining industry of the Urals and Siberia. Yekaterinburg remains a major center of the Russian armaments industry and is sometimes called the "Pittsburgh of Russia.". A few ornate, pastel mansions and wide boulevards are reminders of the tsarist era. The city is large enough that it has its own Metro system but is characterized mostly by blocky Soviet-era apartment buildings. The city has advanced under President Vladimir Putin and is now one of the fastest growing places in Russia, a country otherwise characterized by population declines

Yekaterinburg is technically an Asian city as it lies 32 kilometers east of the continental divide between Europe and Asia. The unofficial capital of the Urals, a key region in the Russian heartland, it is second only to Moscow in terms of industrial production and capital of Sverdlovsk oblast. Among the important industries are ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, machine building and metalworking, chemical and petrochemicals, construction materials and medical, light and food industries. On top of being home of numerous heavy industries and mining concerns, Yekaterinburg is also a major center for industrial research and development and power engineering as well as home to numerous institutes of higher education, technical training, and scientific research. In addition, Yekaterinburg is the largest railway junction in Russia: the Trans-Siberian Railway passes through it, the southern, northern, western and eastern routes merge in the city.

Accommodation: There are two good and affordable hotels — the 3-star Emerald and Parus hotels — located close to the city's most popular landmarks and main transport interchanges in the center of Yekaterinburg. Room prices start at RUB 1,800 per night.

History of Yekaterinburg

Yekaterinburg was founded in 1723 by Peter the Great and named after his wife Catherine I. It was used by the tsars as a summer retreat but was mainly developed as metalworking and manufacturing center to take advantage of the large deposits of iron and other minerals in the Ural mountains. It is best known to Americans as the place where the last Tsar and his family were murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1918 and near where American U-2 spy plane, piloted by Gary Powers, was shot down in 1960.

Peter the Great recognized the importance of the iron and copper-rich Urals region for Imperial Russia's industrial and military development. In November 1723, he ordered the construction of a fortress factory and an ironworks in the Iset River Valley, which required a dam for its operation. In its early years Yekaterinburg grew rich from gold and other minerals and later coal. The Yekaterinburg gold rush of 1745 created such a huge amount of wealth that one rich baron of that time hosted a wedding party that lasted a year. By the mid-18th century, metallurgical plants had sprung up across the Urals to cast cannons, swords, guns and other weapons to arm Russia’s expansionist ambitions. The Yekaterinburg mint produced most of Russia's coins. Explorations of the Trans-Baikal and Altai regions began here in the 18th century.

Iron, cast iron and copper were the main products. Even though Iron from the region went into the Eiffel Tower, the main plant in Yekaterinburg itself was shut down in 1808. The city still kept going through a mountain factory control system of the Urals. The first railway in the Urals was built here: in 1878, the Yekaterinburg-Perm railway branch connected the province's capital with the factories of the Middle Urals.

In the Soviet era the city was called Sverdlovsk (named after Yakov Sverdlov, the man who organized Nicholas II's execution). During the first five-year plans the city became industrial — old plants were reconstructed, new ones were built. The center of Yekaterinburg was formed to conform to the historical general plan of 1829 but was the layout was adjusted around plants and factories. In the Stalin era the city was a major gulag transhipment center. In World War II, many defense-related industries were moved here. It and the surrounding area were a center of the Soviet Union's military industrial complex. Soviet tanks, missiles and aircraft engines were made in the Urals. During the Cold War era, Yekaterinburg was a center of weapons-grade uranium enrichment and processing, warhead assembly and dismantlement. In 1979, 64 people died when anthrax leaked from a biological weapons facility. Yekaterinburg was a “Closed City” for 40 years during the Cold Soviet era and was not open to foreigners until 1991

In the early post-Soviet era, much like Pittsburgh in the 1970s, Yekaterinburg had a hard struggle d to cope with dramatic economic changes that have made its heavy industries uncompetitive on the world market. Huge defense plants struggled to survive and the city was notorious as an organized crime center in the 1990s, when its hometown boy Boris Yeltsin was President of Russia. By the 2000s, Yekaterinburg’s retail and service was taking off, the defense industry was reviving and it was attracting tech industries and investments related to the Urals’ natural resources. By the 2010s it was vying to host a world exhibition in 2020 (it lost, Dubai won) and it had McDonald’s, Subway, sushi restaurants, and Gucci, Chanel and Armani. There were Bentley and Ferrari dealerships but they closed down

Transportation in Yekaterinburg

Getting There: By Plane: Yekaterinburg is a three-hour flight from Moscow with prices starting at RUB 8,000, or a 3-hour flight from Saint Petersburg starting from RUB 9,422 (direct round-trip flight tickets for one adult passenger). There are also flights from Frankfurt, Istanbul, China and major cities in the former Soviet Union.

By Train: Yekaterinburg is a major stop on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Daily train service is available to Moscow and many other Russian cities.Yekaterinburg is a 32-hour train ride from Moscow (tickets RUB 8,380 and above) or a 36-hour train ride from Saint Petersburg (RUB 10,300 and above). The ticket prices are round trip for a berth in a sleeper compartment for one adult passenger). By Car: a car trip from Moscow to Yekateringburg is 1,787 kilometers long and takes about 18 hours. The road from Saint Petersburg is 2,294 kilometers and takes about 28 hours.

Regional Transport: The region's public transport includes buses and suburban electric trains. Regional trains provide transport to larger cities in the Ural region. Buses depart from Yekaterinburg’s two bus stations: the Southern Bus Station and the Northern Bus Station.

Regional Transport: According the to Association for Safe International Road Travel (ASIRT): “Public transportation is well developed. Overcrowding is common. Fares are low. Service is efficient. Buses are the main form of public transport. Tram network is extensive. Fares are reasonable; service is regular. Trams are heavily used by residents, overcrowding is common. Purchase ticket after boarding. Metro runs from city center to Uralmash, an industrial area south of the city. Metro ends near the main railway station. Fares are inexpensive.

“Traffic is congested in city center. Getting around by car can be difficult. Route taxis (minivans) provide the fastest transport. They generally run on specific routes, but do not have specific stops. Drivers stop where passengers request. Route taxis can be hailed. Travel by bus or trolleybuses may be slow in rush hour. Trams are less affected by traffic jams. Trolley buses (electric buses) cannot run when temperatures drop below freezing.”

Entertainment, Sports and Recreation in Yekaterinburg

The performing arts in Yekaterinburg are first rate. The city has an excellent symphony orchestra, opera and ballet theater, and many other performing arts venues. Tickets are inexpensive. The Yekaterinburg Opera and Ballet Theater is lavishly designed and richly decorated building in the city center of Yekaterinburg. The theater was established in 1912 and building was designed by architect Vladimir Semyonov and inspired by the Vienna Opera House and the Theater of Opera and Ballet in Odessa.

Vaynera Street is a pedestrian only shopping street in city center with restaurants, cafes and some bars. But otherwise Yekaterinburg's nightlife options are limited. There are a handful of expensive Western-style restaurants and bars, none of them that great. Nightclubs serve the city's nouveau riche clientele. Its casinos have closed down. Some of them had links with organized crime. New dance clubs have sprung up that are popular with Yekaterinburg's more affluent youth.

Yekaterinburg's most popular spectator sports are hockey, basketball, and soccer. There are stadiums and arenas that host all three that have fairly cheap tickets. There is an indoor water park and lots of parks and green spaces. The Urals have many lakes, forests and mountains are great for hiking, boating, berry and mushroom hunting, swimming and fishing. Winter sports include cross-country skiing and ice skating. Winter lasts about six months and there’s usually plenty of snow. The nearby Ural Mountains however are not very high and the downhill skiing opportunities are limited..

Sights in Yekaterinburg

Sights in Yekaterinburg include the Museum of City Architecture and Ural Industry, with an old water tower and mineral collection with emeralds. malachite, tourmaline, jasper and other precious stone; Geological Alley, a small park with labeled samples of minerals found in the Urals region; the Ural Geology Museum, which houses an extensive collection of stones, gold and gems from the Urals; a monument marking the border between Europe and Asia; a memorial for gulag victims; and a graveyard with outlandish memorials for slain mafia members.

The Military History Museum houses the remains of the U-2 spy plane shot down in 1960 and locally made tanks and rocket launchers. The fine arts museum contains paintings by some of Russia's 19th-century masters. Also worth a look are the History an Local Studies Museum; the Political History and Youth Museum; and the University and Arboretum. Old wooden houses can be seen around Zatoutstovsya ulitsa and ulitsa Belinskogo. Around the city are wooded parks, lakes and quarries used to harvest a variety of minerals. Weiner Street is the main street of Yekaterinburg. Along it are lovely sculptures and 19th century architecture. Take a walk around the unique Literary Quarter

Plotinka is a local meeting spot, where you will often find street musicians performing. Plotinka can be described as the center of the city's center. This is where Yekaterinburg holds its biggest events: festivals, seasonal fairs, regional holiday celebrations, carnivals and musical fountain shows. There are many museums and open-air exhibitions on Plotinka. Plotinka is named after an actual dam of the city pond located nearby (“plotinka” means “a small dam” in Russian).In November 1723, Peter the Great ordered the construction of an ironworks in the Iset River Valley, which required a dam for its operation. “Iset” can be translated from Finnish as “abundant with fish”. This name was given to the river by the Mansi — the Finno-Ugric people dwelling on the eastern slope of the Northern Urals.

Vysotsky and Iset are skyscrapers that are 188.3 meters and 209 meters high, respectively. Fifty-story-high Iset has been described by locals as the world’s northernmost skyscraper. Before the construction of Iset, Vysotsky was the tallest building of Yekaterinburg and Russia (excluding Moscow). A popular vote has decided to name the skyscraper after the famous Soviet songwriter, singer and actor Vladimir Vysotsky. and the building was opened on November 25, 2011. There is a lookout at the top of the building, and the Vysotsky museum on its second floor. The annual “Vysotsky climb” (1137 steps) is held there, with a prize of RUB 100,000. While Vysotsky serves as an office building, Iset, owned by the Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company, houses 225 premium residential apartments ranging from 80 to 490 square meters in size.

Boris Yeltsin Presidential Center

The Boris Yeltsin Presidential Center (in the city center: ul. Yeltsina, 3) is a non-governmental organization named after the first president of the Russian Federation. The Museum of the First President of Russia as well as his archives are located in the Center. There is also a library, educational and children's centers, and exposition halls. Yeltsin lived most of his life and began his political career in Yekaterinburg. He was born in Butka about 200 kilometers east of Yekaterinburg.

The core of the Center is the Museum. Modern multimedia technologies help animate the documents, photos from the archives, and artifacts. The Yeltsin Museum holds collections of: propaganda posters, leaflets, and photos of the first years of the Soviet regime; portraits and portrait sculptures of members of Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of various years; U.S.S.R. government bonds and other items of the Soviet era; a copy of “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich” by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, published in the “Novy Mir” magazine (#11, 1962); perestroika-era editions of books by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Vasily Grossman, and other authors; theater, concert, and cinema posters, programs, and tickets — in short, all of the artifacts of the perestroika era.

The Yeltsin Center opened in 2012. Inside you will also find an art gallery, a bookstore, a gift shop, a food court, concert stages and a theater. There are regular screenings of unique films that you will not find anywhere else. Also operating inside the center, is a scientific exploritorium for children. The center was designed by Boris Bernaskoni. Almost from the its very opening, the Yeltsin Center has been accused by members of different political entities of various ideological crimes. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00am to 9:00pm.

Where Nicholas II was Executed

On July, 17, 1918, during this reign of terror of the Russian Civil War, former-tsar Nicholas II, his wife, five children (the 13-year-old Alexis, 22-year-old Olga, 19-year-old Maria and 17-year-old Anastasia)the family physician, the cook, maid, and valet were shot to death by a Red Army firing squad in the cellar of the house they were staying at in Yekaterinburg.

Ipatiev House (near Church on the Blood, Ulitsa Libknekhta) was a merchant's house where Nicholas II and his family were executed. The house was demolished in 1977, on the orders of an up and coming communist politician named Boris Yeltsin. Yeltsin later said that the destruction of the house was an "act of barbarism" and he had no choice because he had been ordered to do it by the Politburo,

The site is marked with s cross with the photos of the family members and cross bearing their names. A small wooden church was built at the site. It contains paintings of the family. For a while there were seven traditional wooden churches. Mass is given ay noon everyday in an open-air museum. The Church on the Blood — constructed to honor Nicholas II and his family — was built on the part of the site in 1991 and is now a major place of pilgrimage.

Nicholas and his family where killed during the Russian civil war. It is thought the Bolsheviks figured that Nicholas and his family gave the Whites figureheads to rally around and they were better of dead. Even though the death orders were signed Yakov Sverdlov, the assassination was personally ordered by Lenin, who wanted to get them out of sight and out of mind. Trotsky suggested a trial. Lenin nixed the idea, deciding something had to be done about the Romanovs before White troops approached Yekaterinburg. Trotsky later wrote: "The decision was not only expedient but necessary. The severity of he punishment showed everyone that we would continue to fight on mercilessly, stopping at nothing."

Ian Frazier wrote in The New Yorker: “Having read a lot about the end of Tsar Nicholas II and his family and servants, I wanted to see the place in Yekaterinburg where that event occurred. The gloomy quality of this quest depressed Sergei’s spirits, but he drove all over Yekaterinburg searching for the site nonetheless. Whenever he stopped and asked a pedestrian how to get to the house where Nicholas II was murdered, the reaction was a wince. Several people simply walked away. But eventually, after a lot of asking, Sergei found the location. It was on a low ridge near the edge of town, above railroad tracks and the Iset River. The house, known as the Ipatiev House, was no longer standing, and the basement where the actual killings happened had been filled in. I found the blankness of the place sinister and dizzying. It reminded me of an erasure done so determinedly that it had worn a hole through the page. [Source: Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, August 3, 2009, Frazier is author of “Travels in Siberia” (2010)]

“The street next to the site is called Karl Liebknecht Street. A building near where the house used to be had a large green advertisement that said, in English, “LG—Digitally Yours.” On an adjoining lot, a small chapel kept the memory of the Tsar and his family; beneath a pedestal holding an Orthodox cross, peonies and pansies grew. The inscription on the pedestal read, “We go down on our knees, Russia, at the foot of the tsarist cross.”

Books: The Romanovs: The Final Chapter by Robert K. Massie (Random House, 1995); The Fall of the Romanovs by Mark D. Steinberg and Vladimir Khrustalëv (Yale, 1995);

See Separate Article END OF NICHOLAS II factsanddetails.com

Execution of Nicholas II

According to Robert Massie K. Massie, author of Nicholas and Alexandra, Nicholas II and his family were awakened from their bedrooms around midnight and taken to the basement. They were told they were to going to take some photographs of them and were told to stand behind a row of chairs.

Suddenly, a group of 11 Russians and Latvians, each with a revolver, burst into the room with orders to kill a specific person. Yakob Yurovsky, a member of the Soviet executive committee, reportedly shouted "your relatives are continuing to attack the Soviet Union.” After firing, bullets bouncing off gemstones hidden in the corsets of Alexandra and her daughters ricocheted around the room like "a shower of hail," the soldiers said. Those that were still breathing were killed with point black shots to the head.

The three sisters and the maid survived the first round thanks to their gems. They were pressed up against a wall and killed with a second round of bullets. The maid was the only one that survived. She was pursued by the executioners who stabbed her more than 30 times with their bayonets. The still writhing body of Alexis was made still by a kick to the head and two bullets in the ear delivered by Yurovsky himself.

Yurovsky wrote: "When the party entered I told the Romanovs that in view of the fact their relatives continued their offensive against Soviet Russia, the Executive Committee of the Urals Soviet had decided to shoot them. Nicholas turned his back to the detachment and faced his family. Then, as if collecting himself, he turned around, asking, 'What? What?'"

"[I] ordered the detachment to prepare. Its members had been previously instructed whom to shoot and to am directly at the heart to avoid much blood and to end more quickly. Nicholas said no more. he turned again to his family. The others shouted some incoherent exclamations. All this lasted a few seconds. Then commenced the shooting, which went on for two or three minutes. [I] killed Nicholas on the spot."

Nicholas II’s Initial Burial Site in Yekaterinburg

Ganina Yama Monastery (near the village of Koptyaki, 15 kilometers northwest of Yekaterinburg) stands near the three-meter-deep pit where some the remains of Nicholas II and his family were initially buried. The second burial site — where most of the remains were — is in a field known as Porosyonkov (56.9113628°N 60.4954326°E), seven kilometers from Ganina Yama.

On visiting Ganina Yama Monastery, one person posted in Trip Advisor: “We visited this set of churches in a pretty park with Konstantin from Ekaterinburg Guide Centre. He really brought it to life with his extensive knowledge of the history of the events surrounding their terrible end. The story is so moving so unless you speak Russian, it is best to come here with a guide or else you will have no idea of what is what.”

In 1991, the acid-burned remains of Nicholas II and his family were exhumed from a shallow roadside mass grave in a swampy area 12 miles northwest of Yekaterinburg. The remains had been found in 1979 by geologist and amateur archeologist Alexander Avdonin, who kept the location secret out of fear that they would be destroyed by Soviet authorities. The location was disclosed to a magazine by one his fellow discovers.

The original plan was to throw the Romanovs down a mine shaft and disposes of their remains with acid. They were thrown in a mine with some grenades but the mine didn't collapse. They were then carried by horse cart. The vats of acid fell off and broke. When the carriage carrying the bodies broke down it was decided the bury the bodies then and there. The remaining acid was poured on the bones, but most of it was soaked up the ground and the bones largely survived.

After this their pulses were then checked, their faces were crushed to make them unrecognizable and the bodies were wrapped in bed sheets loaded onto a truck. The "whole procedure," Yurovsky said took 20 minutes. One soldiers later bragged than he could "die in peace because he had squeezed the Empress's -------."

The bodies were taken to a forest and stripped, burned with acid and gasoline, and thrown into abandoned mine shafts and buried under railroad ties near a country road near the village of Koptyaki. "The bodies were put in the hole," Yurovsky wrote, "and the faces and all the bodies, generally doused with sulfuric acid, both so they couldn't be recognized and prevent a stink from them rotting...We scattered it with branches and lime, put boards on top and drove over it several times—no traces of the hole remained.

Shortly afterwards, the government in Moscow announced that Nicholas II had been shot because of "a counterrevolutionary conspiracy." There was no immediate word on the other members of the family which gave rise to rumors that other members of the family had escaped. Yekaterinburg was renamed Sverdlov in honor of the man who signed the death orders.

For seven years the remains of Nicholas II, Alexandra, three of their daughters and four servants were stored in polyethylene bags on shelves in the old criminal morgue in Yekaterunburg. On July 17, 1998, Nicholas II and his family and servants who were murdered with him were buried Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg along with the other Romanov tsars, who have been buried there starting with Peter the Great. Nicholas II had a side chapel built for himself at the fortress in 1913 but was buried in a new crypt.

Near Yekaterinburg

Factory-Museum of Iron and Steel Metallurgy (in Niznhy Tagil 80 kilometers north of Yekaterinburg) a museum with old mining equipment made at the site of huge abandoned iron and steel factory. Officially known as the Factory-Museum of the History of the Development of Iron and Steel Metallurgy, it covers an area of 30 hectares and contains a factory founded by the Demidov family in 1725 that specialized mainly in the production of high-quality cast iron and steel. Later, the foundry was renamed after Valerian Kuybyshev, a prominent figure of the Communist Party.

The first Russian factory museum, the unusual museum demonstrates all stages of metallurgy and metal working. There is even a blast furnace and an open-hearth furnace. The display of factory equipment includes bridge crane from 1892) and rolling stock equipment from the 19th-20th centuries. In Niznhy Tagil contains some huge blocks of malachite and

Nizhnyaya Sinyachikha (180 kilometers east-northeast of Yekaterinburg) has an open air architecture museum with log buildings, a stone church and other pre-revolutionary architecture. The village is the creation of Ivan Samoilov, a local activist who loved his village so much he dedicated 40 years of his life to recreating it as the open-air museum of wooden architecture.

The stone Savior Church, a good example of Siberian baroque architecture. The interior and exterior of the church are exhibition spaces of design. The houses are very colorful. In tsarist times, rich villagers hired serfs to paint the walls of their wooden izbas (houses) bright colors. Old neglected buildings from the 17th to 19th centuries have been brought to Nizhnyaya Sinyachikha from all over the Urals. You will see the interior design of the houses and hear stories about traditions and customs of the Ural farmers.

Verkhoturye (330 kilometers road from Yekaterinburg) is the home a 400-year-old monastery that served as 16th century capital of the Urals. Verkhoturye is a small town on the Tura River knows as the Jerusalem of the Urals for its many holy places, churches and monasteries. The town's main landmark is its Kremlin — the smallest in Russia. Pilgrims visit the St. Nicholas Monastery to see the remains of St. Simeon of Verkhoturye, the patron saint of fishermen.

Ural Mountains

Ural Mountains are the traditional dividing line between Europe and Asia and have been a crossroads of Russian history. Stretching from Kazakhstan to the fringes of the Arctic Kara Sea, the Urals lie almost exactly along the 60 degree meridian of longitude and extend for about 2,000 kilometers (1,300 miles) from north to south and varies in width from about 50 kilometers (30 miles) in the north and 160 kilometers (100 miles) the south. At kilometers 1777 on the Trans-Siberian Railway there is white obelisk with "Europe" carved in Russian on one side and "Asia" carved on the other.

The eastern side of the Urals contains a lot of granite and igneous rock. The western side is primarily sandstone and limestones. A number of precious stones can be found in the southern part of the Urals, including emeralds. malachite, tourmaline, jasper and aquamarines. The highest peaks are in the north. Mount Narodnaya is the highest of all but is only 1884 meters (6,184 feet) high. The northern Urals are covered in thick forests and home to relatively few people.

Like the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States, the Urals are very old mountains — with rocks and sediments that are hundreds of millions years old — that were one much taller than they are now and have been steadily eroded down over millions of years by weather and other natural processes to their current size. According to Encyclopedia Britannica: “The rock composition helps shape the topography: the high ranges and low, broad-topped ridges consist of quartzites, schists, and gabbro, all weather-resistant. Buttes are frequent, and there are north–south troughs of limestone, nearly all containing river valleys. Karst topography is highly developed on the western slopes of the Urals, with many caves, basins, and underground streams. The eastern slopes, on the other hand, have fewer karst formations; instead, rocky outliers rise above the flattened surfaces. Broad foothills, reduced to peneplain, adjoin the Central and Southern Urals on the east.

“The Urals date from the structural upheavals of the Hercynian orogeny (about 250 million years ago). About 280 million years ago there arose a high mountainous region, which was eroded to a peneplain. Alpine folding resulted in new mountains, the most marked upheaval being that of the Nether-Polar Urals...The western slope of the Urals is composed of middle Paleozoic sedimentary rocks (sandstones and limestones) that are about 350 million years old. In many places it descends in terraces to the Cis-Ural depression (west of the Urals), to which much of the eroded matter was carried during the late Paleozoic (about 300 million years ago). Found there are widespread karst (a starkly eroded limestone region) and gypsum, with large caverns and subterranean streams. On the eastern slope, volcanic layers alternate with sedimentary strata, all dating from middle Paleozoic times.”

Southern Urals

The southern Urals are characterized by grassy slopes and fertile valleys. The middle Urals are a rolling platform that barely rises above 300 meters (1,000 feet). This region is rich in minerals and has been heavily industrialized. This is where you can find Yekaterinburg (formally Sverdlovsk), the largest city in the Urals.

Most of the Southern Urals are is covered with forests, with 50 percent of that pine-woods, 44 percent birch woods, and the rest are deciduous aspen and alder forests. In the north, typical taiga forests are the norm. There are patches of herbal-poaceous steppes, northem sphagnous marshes and bushy steppes, light birch forests and shady riparian forests, tall-grass mountainous meadows, lowland ling marshes and stony placers with lichen stains. In some places there are no large areas of homogeneous forests, rather they are forests with numerous glades and meadows of different size.

In the Ilmensky Mountains Reserve in the Southern Urals, scientists counted 927 vascular plants (50 relicts, 23 endemic species), about 140 moss species, 483 algae species and 566 mushroom species. Among the species included into the Red Book of Russia are feather grass, downy-leaved feather grass, Zalessky feather grass, moccasin flower, ladies'-slipper, neottianthe cucullata, Baltic orchis, fen orchis, helmeted orchis, dark-winged orchis, Gelma sandwart, Krasheninnikov sandwart, Clare astragalus.

The fauna of the vertebrate animals in the Reserve includes 19 fish, 5 amphibian and 5 reptile. Among the 48 mammal species are elks, roe deer, boars, foxes, wolves, lynxes, badgers, common weasels, least weasels, forest ferrets, Siberian striped weasel, common marten, American mink. Squirrels, beavers, muskrats, hares, dibblers, moles, hedgehogs, voles are quite common, as well as chiropterans: pond bat, water bat, Brandt's bat, whiskered bat, northern bat, long-eared bat, parti-coloured bat, Nathusius' pipistrelle. The 174 bird bird species include white-tailed eagles, honey hawks, boreal owls, gnome owls, hawk owls, tawny owls, common scoters, cuckoos, wookcocks, common grouses, wood grouses, hazel grouses, common partridges, shrikes, goldenmountain thrushes, black- throated loons and others.

Activities and Places in the Ural Mountains

The Urals possess beautiful natural scenery that can be accessed from Yekaterinburg with a rent-a-car, hired taxi and tour. Travel agencies arrange rafting, kayaking and hiking trips. Hikes are available in the taiga forest and the Urals. Trips often include walks through the taiga to small lakes and hikes into the mountains and excursions to collect mushrooms and berries and climb in underground caves. Mellow rafting is offered in a relatively calm six kilometer section of the River Serga. In the winter visitor can enjoy cross-mountains skiing, downhill skiing, ice fishing, dog sledding, snow-shoeing and winter hiking through the forest to a cave covered with ice crystals.

Lake Shartash (10 kilometers from Yekaterinburg) is where the first Ural gold was found, setting in motion the Yekaterinburg gold rush of 1745, which created so much wealth one rich baron of that time hosted a wedding party that lasted a year. The area around Shartash Lake is a favorite picnic and barbecue spot of the locals. Getting There: by bus route No. 50, 054 or 54, with a transfer to suburban commuter bus route No. 112, 120 or 121 (the whole trip takes about an hour), or by car (10 kilometers drive from the city center, 40 minutes).

Revun Rapids (90 kilometers road from Yekaterinburg near Beklenishcheva village) is a popular white water rafting places On the nearby cliffs you can see the remains of a mysterious petroglyph from the Paleolithic period. Along the steep banks, you may notice the dark entrance of Smolinskaya Cave. There are legends of a sorceress who lived in there. The rocks at the riverside are suited for competitive rock climbers and beginners. Climbing hooks and rings are hammered into rocks. The most fun rafting is generally in May and June.

Olenii Ruchii National Park (100 kilometers west of Yekaterinburg) is the most popular nature park in Sverdlovsk Oblast and popular weekend getaway for Yekaterinburg residents. Visitors are attracted by the beautiful forests, the crystal clear Serga River and picturesque rocks caves. There are some easy hiking routes: the six-kilometer Lesser Ring and the 15-kilometer Greater Ring. Another route extends for 18 km and passes by the Mitkinsky Mine, which operated in the 18th-19th centuries. It's a kind of an open-air museum — you can still view mining an enrichment equipment here. There is also a genuine beaver dam nearby.

Among the other attractions at Olenii Ruchii are Druzhba (Friendship) Cave, with passages that extend for about 500 meters; Dyrovaty Kamen (Holed Stone), created over time by water of Serga River eroding rock; and Utoplennik (Drowned Man), where you can see “The Angel of Sole Hope”., created by the Swedish artist Lehna Edwall, who has placed seven angels figures in different parts of the world to “embrace the planet, protecting it from fear, despair, and disasters.”

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: Federal Agency for Tourism of the Russian Federation (official Russia tourism website russiatourism.ru ), Russian government websites, UNESCO, Wikipedia, Lonely Planet guides, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, National Geographic, The New Yorker, Bloomberg, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Yomiuri Shimbun and various books and other publications.

Updated in September 2020

•  Facebook
•  Twitter
•  Google+
•  e-mail

 Page Top

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is made available in an effort to advance understanding of country or topic discussed in the article. This constitutes 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. If you are the copyright owner and would like this content removed from factsanddetails.com, please contact me.

• Call 1-877-973-4777

Caribbean & Mexico

Caribbean or mexico vacation packages.

A rejuvenating escape can be found in the Caribbean and Mexico for those who seek a relaxing getaway. Discover stunning coastlines with pristine white sand beaches and crystal-clear waters that invite resort indulgence or outdoor activities such as snorkeling, scuba diving, jet skiing, boat tours, and fishing expeditions. Other packages include Caribbean or Mexico Cruises, destination weddings , traveling Europe, or government travel packages. Meanwhile, Mexico presents itself as a diverse country with bustling metropolises like Mexico City and Cancun that blend modernity and ancient roots seamlessly. Its stunning natural landscapes and colonial towns such as Guanajuato beckon visitors to witness Mexico’s captivating heritage.

Even in the age of online booking, travel agents are a great source of information and discounts. A travel agent in Saco, Maine can make sure that your trip is tailored to you, assist you in case of unexpected problems, and help you anticipate potential issues in advance. Travel agents also provide a one-on-one personalized experience with direct access to a real person 24/7. Travel to Mexico, the Caribbean islands , or Europe for a life-changing experience – we’ve got you covered! You can book these destinations while looking for a travel agent in Maine. Get started organizing your upcoming adventure by contacting us at 1-877-973-4777.

International Travel Agency in Saco, Maine

• 1-877-973-4777
• Email Us Today
• 264 Jenkins Rd Saco, Maine 04072

Caribbean, Mexico & Europe Vacation Packages Near Maine

Portland, ME   |   Windham, ME   |   Scarborough, ME   |   Kennebunkport, ME   |   Wells, ME   |   Ogunquit, ME   |   York, ME   |   Freeport, ME   |   Brunswick, ME   |   Phippsburg, ME   |   Lewiston, ME   |   Damariscotta, ME

Privacy Policy | Website Designed by JPG Designs