Kaliningrad: A Russian port hidden in the EU

Mention you are off to Russia these days and colleagues are hardly likely to give it another thought, with images of Cold War spies and material deprivations now replaces with those of flash downtown bars in Moscow (officially the most expensive city in the world) and tour groups packing the streets of St Petersburg.

Only really a trip to Kaliningrad, the Russian enclave in the middle of the European Union, can make you feel like some sort of James Bond figure and give the more adventurous visitor the experience of seeing the 'real Russia' and the bragging rights that this entails.

Indeed, the name of the province itself shows just how detached Kaliningrad is from the major cities of the west of Russia.

While Leningrad reverted to St Petersburg in line with political realities, the enclave has remained named after Mikhail Kalinin, one of the original revolutionary Bolsheviks, despite numerous revisionist campaign over recent years.

Just as the situation for residents changed fundamentally with the fall of the collapse of Communism, so too have political changes benefited foreign travellers.

Being the only Baltic port owned by the Soviet Union, and then Russia, Kaliningrad was understandably of strategic importance and therefore off-limits as a tourist destination.

Only in 1991 did the first train arrive from the West, bringing visitors into the enclave and, given the images associated with the old Communist-bloc, they and tourists ever since have no doubt been surprised by what they find.

The parts of old town Kaliningrad that remain could very well be mistaken for a picturesque German city, with the walls, gates and bridges bringing to mind the famous town of Lubeck as well as its larger neighbour Hamburg.

Such observations would be entirely accurate, as Kaliningrad was, many years ago, one of the most important ports and trading towns of East Prussia and home to Immanuel Kant, with this legacy still evident in the stunning 14th century Konigsberg Cathedral and the nearby castle, neither of which would look out of place on a postcard from the far more affluent region of Bavaria.

However, the appeal of Kaliningrad lies not in such pleasant similarities, but rather in its 'otherness'.

Many travellers who have become frustrated by the lack of exoticism and adventure of exploring Europe, with a single currency and no passport control between countries, will no doubt be thrilled that a special visa is required to enter the port from any one of the surrounding EU member states, while US dollars continue to be the currency of choice amongst shopkeepers and bartenders.

Kaliningrad's ties to and dependence on Moscow have been consistently strained since the Soviets first took over the port decades ago, with the local economy being one of the biggest victims.

Though the upside is that consumer goods and the boisterous nightlife of the port come cheaply, on the downside, many of the older buildings are in dire need of repair and the signs of unemployment and poverty are everywhere, with all the problems they bring.

Given the increasing generic state of Europe, Kaliningrad stands out as the perfect chance to get away from the tourist crowds and global retail chains and enjoy the sense of danger that comes with travelling off the beaten-track.

Considering that Prague was seen as an exotic unknown even ten years ago, it would be wise to head there soon before the region decides it would be better off changing its name and joining its Baltic neighbours and enjoying their successes, as it almost inevitably will.