In the Northwest of Arkhangelsk, on the Kola Peninsula, lies Murmansk, Russia's main port on its northern seas commercial route. The influence of the North Cape Gulf Stream also keeps the port opened year-round, even though it lies 124 miles north of the Arctic Circle. The main attraction of the city near the sea is the port. A part of it is accessible to visitors. You can see legendary icebreakers there in summer as well, during a 3-hour trip around Kola Bay up to the Sal'ny Island.

There are a lot of memorial places in the city since World War II. These are: the Monument to the Hero of the Soviet Union Anatoliy Bredov, the Monument to the Soldiers of the 6th Heroic Komsomol Battery (both in Lenin Prospect), the monument to the ships of the Northern convoys perished during World War II. Murmansk is a little bit strange city, because it is above the polar circle, so endures weeks of total darkness in the winter and weeks of 24-hour sunshine in the summer.

Attractions

• The Blagoveshchensk Cathedral,  Fine Art Museum;
• The Main Port;
• Mountains, lakes, thousands of rivers;
• Kandalakshska Preserve;
• Kanozero Petroglify  Lake;
• The Umbsky Labyrinth;