The weather usually stays the same, cold and clear. The snow is scarce and in some years may not fall at all. Thus the winter is typical for Manchuria: cold, clear and very windy. Vladivostok is located at the same latitude with Russian subtropical sea resort of Sochi, but its average annual temperature is nearly 10 degrees lower due to the Siberian High that brings cold winds from Yakutia for much of the winter. Since 2014 Vladivostok has been experiencing a drastic increase in visits by South Korean and Chinese tourists, receiving 780 thousands foreign tourists in 2018 (a 25% increase versus 2017). A few lotus lakes are attraction for campers and forest lodgers when the flowers are blossoming in August. The beautiful oak woods are surrounding the city which along with Nakhodka could be a starting point for weekend bus-tours to the winter ski-slopes or water-falls in summer. Further out, on the steep hills overlooking the bay, similarly decaying Soviet blocks dotted with new high-rise buildings provide accommodations for most of the city's residents. The city centre, at the edge of the water, has sweeping boulevards of ornate, century-old buildings magnificent, decaying, and in dire need of a scrub. During 35 years of the Soviet era (from 1958 to 1992) Vladivostok was off-limits to foreigners and finally was re-opened for tourism. The October revolution brought Japanese, American, French and Czechoslovak armies sided with the Whites. From its foundation in 1860 as a military post the city recieved the status of porto-franco that boosted international commerce and development. The city is separated from its souternmost part, the Russkiy island by Eastern Bosphorous strait and comprises a couple of smaller sparsely populated islands - Reineke and Popov. Surrounded by Amursky Gulf from the west, Ussuriysky Gulf from the east and Golden Horn Bay along the south Vladivostok is the home of the Russian Pacific Fleet. Still the shadow of San Francisco is hovering over the city's hilly streets. The words were catchy but not historically new since they had already been said in the 1930s. Later on these hills enticed Soviet leader Nikita Khrustchov to call for making Vladivostok San-Francisco. Although there is no Vesuvius the city has a beautiful harbor and islands'. Center of Vladivostok and Golden Horn BayДЇritiof Nansen, the Arctic explorer described the city: 'It reminds me of Naples by its location on terraces.

Primorsky oceanarium