Baikal: a place where everyone should visit
How to get there: by plane to Irkutsk. A ticket from Moscow and back this summer will cost from 17,800 rubles, the journey takes 6 hours, the flight is direct*. You can take a taxi to Listvyanka from Irkutsk. It will cost about 2000 rubles, the ride is a little over an hour*.
Number one in all guidebooks, needs no introduction. You can go all year round, but in summer it is especially comfortable here: sometimes the air warms up to +30 °C, but a cool breeze blows from the lake, so it won’t be too hot.
It’s comfortable to stay in Listvyanka, there is all the infrastructure plus entertainment that will be of interest to children. For example, a nerpinarium, where seal shows are held daily, or the world’s largest lensed solar telescope – in the astrophysical laboratory where it is installed, interesting lectures are held for children from 6 years old, and, of course, you can come to look at the stars.
Make a separate point of visiting Peschanaya Bay, which is called the Siberian Riviera. This is a clean sandy beach, which can only be reached by water – a boat from Listvyanka takes about two hours. They say that this is the warmest place in Siberia with its own microclimate, and there are as many sunny days here as on the Black Sea. In addition, the water here is a little warmer, and swimming will be more pleasant. You can stay overnight in one of the guest bases on the bay territory (from 2000 rubles per night).
Seliger: accessible and most comfortable
How to get there: The best option is to travel by car from Moscow. The lake is located on the way to St. Petersburg; you can get there in 5 hours via Tver. If it is more convenient for you to travel by public transport, choose a bus to Ostashkov, the journey takes a little less than 7 hours, one-way ticket from 1100 rubles*.
Seliger has, perhaps, the best conditions for traveling with children – there are many mini-hotels, camp sites and guest houses designed specifically for family vacations. At the same time, getting to the lake is not difficult, especially if you are driving a personal car.
The season begins in mid-June and ends in September – at this time the weather on the lake is most comfortable, and you can safely go for a week. But still, put rubber boots, a fleece jacket, a windbreaker and a cotton hat in your suitcase – nature is still northern, harsh. Although in summer there are enough sunny days, so a swimsuit is also required. The water warms up to a maximum of +22 °C.
Please note that there are few entertainments usual for children on Seliger – no water parks or entertainment centers. Some hotels offer children’s rooms, but mostly children just keep company with adults – they go boating, fish, go to the forest to pick berries and mushrooms (there is no encephalitis in the region, and you don’t need to get vaccinated). Another option is to go on an excursion, for example, to the city of Torzhok. Visit the open-air ethnographic museum in the village of Vasilyevo or the Nilo-Stolobensk hermitage with a very beautiful monastery.
Lake Brosno: a mystical encounter with a dragon
How to get there: it is best to go by car (about 6 hours from Moscow) to one of the surrounding villages – Zhukovo, Benek (via Vypolzovo), Gushchina or Goritsa. Dirt roads lead to the shores of the lake; it is difficult to drive a car, but local residents usually offer to get there by SUV.
The deepest reservoir in the Tver region. The maximum depth reaches as much as 41 meters. This is not an ordinary lake: it is notable for its “volcanoes” – not real ones with lava, but natural formations that emit hydrogen sulfide. They do not interfere with swimming, but they served as the basis for local tales about a dragon living at the bottom. He is affectionately called Brosnya. People allegedly sometimes hear its roar and smell an unpleasant odor from its mouth (hydrogen sulfide really doesn’t smell very good). These tales should not be told to children, and a holiday with them here will not be very comfortable, but older children and teenagers will definitely appreciate it.
It is better to come here in July or August, when the water warms up to a comfortable temperature. Housing is available only in the private sector, for example, in the villages of Benek, Gushchino and Zhukovo. In general, people often come here with tents and live like savages – this can be an unforgettable experience for children. The forests around are dense and rich in berries and mushrooms, you can go hiking, take a steam bath in the villages and ride horses. The place is very calm and peaceful, despite the legends about the dragon.
Zavyalovskie lakes: interesting for both adults and children
How to get there: the lakes are located 250 km from Barnaul (a ticket there from Moscow and back costs about 14,200 rubles)*. Then you can take a bus from the city bus station to the village of Zavyalovo, and take a taxi to the lakes themselves. The most convenient way, of course, is to rent a car.
A unique complex of lakes located on the steppe plain of the Altai Territory. In total there are more than 300 reservoirs, but three stand out – Solenoye, or Gorkoye (salt concentration is almost like in the Dead Sea and blue clay deposits on the shore), Krivoe (fresh water, great for swimming with children) and Alkaline, or Champagne (mineral water, and gas bubbles rise from the bottom).
On the shores of the lakes there are camp sites, sanatoriums and boarding houses; the choice is not very large, but there is. Most vacation spots are located close to the water, between popular lakes. Some live in tents; there is an organized campsite that can accommodate up to 2 thousand tents and cars. It is equipped with canopies and tables with benches. There are grocery stores on the territory of the bases; in the summer there are also mini-fairs where they sell ice cream, honey, souvenirs and local products.
There are no amusement parks here, the main leisure activity is swimming in the lakes (the beaches are landscaped, with sun loungers and umbrellas). On Lake Krivoye the infrastructure is the best: there is a small water park, a trampoline, rental of SUP boards, ATVs, water skiing, banana boats and cheesecakes are organized.
White Lake: the opportunity to get into a fairy tale
How to get there: the lake is located 170 km from Vologda, it can be reached by train (one-way ticket from 800 rubles, journey from 7 hours)*. From Vologda you will have to travel by bus or car.
One of the largest lakes in the Russian north, has existed since the Ice Age. It is located in the north-west of the Vologda region, 100 kilometers from Cherepovets. The best place to stay is in the town of Belozersk on the southern shore of the lake – there are many options for staying with children and there is a beach. You can also find accommodation at one of the recreation centers – in Lipin Bor, the village of Gavrilovskaya or Bereg.
One of the most accessible entertainments is fishing; White Lake is especially famous for it. There are many berries and mushrooms in the coastal forests. Children will surely love the fairy-tale park “Golden Fish Possession”, located on the eastern shore of the lake in the village of Lipin Bor. There are many attractions, playgrounds, and animators dressed as fairy-tale characters entertain the little ones – but it’s interesting even for adults.
Lake Aslykul: a unique lake in Bashkiria
How to get there: first fly to Ufa (ticket from Moscow and back from 4800 rubles)*, and then it’s most convenient to take a car and drive first to Davlekanovo, and then to the village of Alga, from which the lake is clearly visible.
The largest and cleanest lake in the Republic of Bashkortostan. It’s not very well known among tourists, but locals love to relax here. You can stay at camp sites, of which there are quite a few, or with a wild tent (with children, of course, the first is preferable). For example, at the Aslykul base you can rent a cottage with a kitchen, there is a restaurant right there, there is a bathhouse and rental of sports equipment.
There are landscaped beaches on the shore, all of them are sandy, some with sun loungers, umbrellas and cabanas.
For entertainment – boating and, of course, swimming. Adults can go diving or kiting. Not far from the lake there is a very beautiful Charlama waterfall – if you rent a car, it will not be difficult to get there.
*Prices valid at time of publication
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