Until early 1990s Russians had to have an exit visa to leave the country, but today they embraced the ability to travel. Instagram had been full of beautiful photos posted by Russian girls and guys, touring the world.

Now among lockdowns, all they can do is to look at these pretty pictures and dream of times when the world opens up again. Real travel is once again, like during the times of the USSR, is replaced by watching travellers’ diaries and documentaries.

The results of a recent online survey among Russian respondents about the most photogenic country are quite surprising. You may not even believe they picked this destination as the most stunning.

Is this the most photogenic country? According to Russians, yes!

Tutu.ru is an online booking service to purchase train and airplane tickets, as well as book hotels. This is why the opinions of their users reflect ideas of Russian travellers well.

When asked about the most photogenic country, Tutu users picked just 3 destinations that scored above 10%. Can you guess which countries are on the list?

Top-3 destinations and the rest

The #1 destination that Russian users gave their votes to was… Russia! 31% of respondents picked it as their choice for the most amazing photo shots.

From one hand, it’s not surprising, since Russia is a giant country that stretches over 9 time zones (in fact, it covers 11 time zones, but recently the number was cut to 9 by the Russian government, to make it easier to manage such a geographically vast land).

From the other hand, most Russians would prefer a trip overseas if they were given a choice.

But wait, #2 destination will make you gasp even more! 21% of respondents, or 1 in 5, consider Norway the most breathtaking place to take amazing pictures! Obviously, it is the land of stunning displays during the Northern Lights season. But would you pick it as your choice of a photogenic location? Probably, not.

Italy scored 16%, which is high, but for the majority of travellers it would be a more expected leader of the rating.

France, on the other hand, didn’t even make it pass 1% to get into the rating!

How did other countries fared?

Here is the complete list of beautiful destinations, according to survey respondents:

1. Russia: 31%
2. Norway: 21%
3. Italy: 16%
4. Uzbekistan: 5%
5. Thailand: 4%
6. Greece: 4%
7. Cuba: 3%
8. North Korea: 3%
9. Kazakhstan: 2%
10. Philippines: 2%
11. Brazil: 2%
12. Mongolia: 2%
13. Chile: 1%
14. Venezuela: 1%

Uzbekistan with #4 is another surprise. Do you even know where it is? It’s a country in Central Asia, which used to be one of the republics of the former Soviet Union. The same with Kazakhstan, which scored 2% in the rating (you may have heard about this country if you’ve seen the movie “Borat”).

North Korea as a photogenic destination might surprise you the most. But for many citizens of Russia it’s an exciting place to visit, since they are able to see this land that most other foreigners cannot or too scared to access.

Thailand at #5 is also an expected choice, since it’s always in the top-3 destinations for tourists from Russia to take a tropical vacation. It also has wonderful hotels and islands to see and enjoy.

Read also:

• The most annoying vacation photos, according to Russians
• St. Petersburg, Russia, is #14 most popular destination in the world
• How can I get a girlfriend from Russia?
• Top-31 qualities that Russian women value in men