Irkutsk is situated on the shores of three rivers - Angara, Irkut and Ushakovka 66 km to the west from the lake Baikal. The climate here is severe but non-freezing Angara, winds from Zabaikalye and cyclones soften the winter colds. Irkutsk is one of a few Russian cities where an amount of the sunny days exceeds 200 a year. Meadows and pines, pine-larch, pine-birch forests and birch groves has spread out all around the city. Moreover, there are many planted places, forest nurseries and parks on the territory of the city.

It is not by chance that Irkutsk is so popular among Russian and foreign tourists. Their attention is attracted with the richest historical past and unique architectural heritage and amazing gorgeous environment of the city. Irkutsk city is a real museum. There are plenty of historical places that were kept in the city and numerous city's guests can enjoy them. There are monuments here that have value for Russia as well as for the whole world. Nowadays Irkutsk has 501 historical and cultural monuments that are under the state protection and 810 objects that have just been founded and are historically and culturally interesting. The wooden buildings of the XIX- the early XX centuries have the most special value in the city and are especially preserved by the Government.

A great amount of the monuments of stony and wooden architecture (XIX century) as well as theaters, museums and churches are concentrated in Irkutsk. Travelers that have been here at different time noted that Irkutsk had a very great concentration of cathedrals and on the other side no Siberian city had such an amount of the cultural buildings. Now there are Orthodox and Roman-Catholic Churches, Muslim and Judaic communities that are living in a peaceful neighborhood in the city.

Due to various architecture and abundance of monuments in 1970 Irkutsk has got on the list of 115 cities of Russia that are considered as historical. Afterwards, in the end of the nineties Irkutsk was selected in the list of top 100 Russian cities that are prior for the investments for restoration and reconstruction of the historical center according to results of the world-wide competition by the Foundation of Monuments' Preservation.

No Russian lake is as famous as Baikal. Thousands of tourists are coming over there annually. Nobody remains indifferent to the beauty of Baikal, its clean and transparent water, plenty of the beautiful bays, beaches and surrounding it picturesque landscape, boundless areas of forests and mountains. The fascinating winter rest also is possible here due to the presence of the downhill skiing complexes and certified courses of the downhill skiing.

The tourists are drawn by the plenty of the monuments on the lake shores that have their roots in the last centuries. One of them is the unique architectural monument - Round Baikal Railway, that is a globe transport miracle that doesn't have as complicated and expensive made railways as in all of Russia.

There are plenty of various monuments of nature on Baikal coast that are picturesque cliffs with drawings of ancient men on them, caves, cozy bays where relic species of plants exist, ancient rocks that come out on the surface and show us the geological past starting from the ancient times.

The unique natural region's complex is composed not only of Baikal lake but its coast and the most vigorous in the whole world Angara-Lensky artesian reservoir of the mineral water. More then thirty hot and big amount of cold springs are known at Baikal region that possess high and sometimes unique healing properties. All of this can be a base for developing a health-resort building, recreation and tourism zones and establishment of the national parks.