Vladivostok is the end of the line — 9,300 kilometres from Moscow by rail, the final stop on the Trans-Siberian Railway, and Russia's main Pacific port. The city sprawls across hills and peninsulas overlooking the Golden Horn Bay, and on a clear day you can see across to the mountains of China and North Korea.
Founded in 1860 as a military outpost and closed to foreigners throughout the Soviet era, Vladivostok has opened up considerably since the 1990s. The enormous cable-stayed Russky Bridge (completed 2012) connecting the mainland to Russky Island is the city's modern landmark, while the old town centre retains handsome 19th-century buildings from its merchant and naval past.
The city feels closer to Seoul, Tokyo, and the rest of East Asia than to European Russia — Korean restaurants, Japanese cars, and Pacific seafood define the street-level experience. The Eagle's Nest viewpoint (Orlinoye Gnezdo) offers panoramic views over the city, the bay, and the Pacific. The Arseniev Museum and the waterfront S-56 submarine are the best indoor attractions. Winters are cold but bright; summers are warm and humid with fog rolling in from the sea.