I arrived in Tallinn, Estonia at noon. By 3pm I had seen everything.

The old town, is picturesque and very small. Eventually the time came for me to catch my overnight coach to Saint Petersburg.

Morning came quickly and so did 'Piter'- as Russians call their most beautiful city. This affectionate shortening conveys the tenderness with which locals describe Petersburg, the jewel in Peter the Great's weighty crown. The only question that arises is whether it is more beautiful in winter – frosted in snow - or summer- when the canals flow and the public gardens are all in bloom.

When it comes to culture in St P, a trip to the Church of the Spilt Blood is top of the list due to its stunning exterior and entirely tiled interior.

Other sights include the Hermitage, which really is a must. Dostoevsky's apartment (Vladimirskaya) - sparse and small but worth a visit for literature fans. A chance find was Nabokov's house (Ulitsa Bolshaya Morskaya), which was actually my favourite due to the in-depth look it takes into his subversively brilliant mind.

The one sight that spooked me out was the KunstKamera, an overpriced freak show housing Peter the Great's collection of deformed babies and children, preserved in jars for the education of the masses.

Saint Petersburg nights boasts many bars and clubs that would have felt at home in Camden. One of these was a small venue called 'Manhattan' (Naborevzhnaya Fontanki Ulitsa) at which I watched a great punk-folk gig. Two bars stood out: Dacha and Belgrad (Dumskaya Ulitsa), placed next to each other. Both are cheap, full of life and retro '60s tunes.

Whilst I was sad to leave 'Piter', the moment I got on the night train I began my own version of the typical 'drinking-vodka-with-the-Russians' travel story, involving four snowboarding fanatics called Vlad 1, Vlad 2, Pasha and Kasha. After drunkenly passing through Moscow and heading to a town only 5 hours outside of it, my volunteering stint began in the pretty setting of Yaroslavl.

Despite being part of Russia's historic 'Golden Ring', I would recommend visiting Yaroslavl for a maximum of three days as the old town, riverside avenues and cobbled streets do not really merit a longer visit. The nights in Yaroslavl were somewhat long as, despite it being a student town, nightlife there requires a substantial amount of energy and logistics. One brilliant evening, however, was spent at the archetypal Russian banya. Imagine being packed into a burning room until you can't stand it any longer, having ice scraped on your back, before branches are shaken all over you, then concluded by covering yourself in honey and salt which feels like burning oil. With snacks and alcohol interspersed throughout. Great fun and a truly traditional experience.

Back on the train and back to the capital. Moscow really is a fantastic city; a wonderful mix of dirty grey decrepit blocks and beautiful monuments, churches and views of the river. At times totally bizarre and illogical, my first day here involved a St Patrick's day parade that had almost nothing to do with Ireland and everything to do with corporate advertising (unless Pepsi and DHL are Irish-owned...) Particularly memorable places in the city have to include the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, as well as the Church of Christ the Saviour. Stalin razed this gigantic structure with the unsuccessful aim of building a monument to that unsung hero Lenin. Thankfully, in 2003 the Church was reconstructed and it truly is awe inspiring. The nightlife in Moscow is phenomenal. Krizis Zhanra (Pokrovka Ulitsa) is well known by all young expats thanks to its cheap beer and great music, but a newer hotspot is Masterskaya (Lubyanka), which takes the Russian love of retro-chic to a whole new level.

If you fancy seeing a bit more of Russia then these are a couple of worthwhile stops on the Trans-Siberian.

Tomsk is a lively student town, with a fair amount to see and do for a couple of days. Tomsk is best known for its preserved traditional wooden houses which are indeed very pretty, however I found that just walking around the actual town itself was far better than just going to see the houses.

Irkutsk’s best features include the great park in the main square and the lovely walk along the riverbank. The overwhelming feeling here is of a very active, very young city; whether it’s kayaking in the river or joggers in the park, Irkutsk looks like an advert for healthy living. The messages of love scrawled along the embankment testify to this joie de vivre.

The main town by Lake Baikal is Listviyanka, which is an hour away by minibus (100ru pp about £2) from Irkutsk and stunning enough for a day trip. If you fancy a longer and more hands-on trip to the largest freshwater lake in the world, then Olkhon Island is apparently a glorious spot for hiking and appreciating the lake's full beauty.

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