At the end of March, most schoolchildren go on spring break – an excellent reason to go on vacation with the whole family for new experiences. There are many leisure options: visit the aquarium, scientific or entertainment center, master snowboarding or try snorkeling and rock climbing, or meet the characters of your favorite cartoons. We have selected interesting destinations abroad and in Russia.
Istanbul
The former capital of ancient Byzantium, Istanbul will be of interest not only to lovers of history and shopping with an oriental flavor, but also to little explorers of the world. The aquarium in Bakirkoy County is home to 17,000 species of animals – from clownfish, pygmy caimans and penguins to piranhas and lemon sharks. Here you can be transported to the Amazon rainforest, admire fish swimming overhead in a tunnel, or even scuba dive into a pool with sharks and stingrays. Allow a few hours for a leisurely exploration, and then take a promenade on the shores of the Sea of Marmara. If you want to see red pandas, pink flamingos and cute alpacas, head to Faruk Yalcin Zoo. The journey takes almost two hours, but the park is worth it: the place is well-groomed, there are a lot of animals.
Another place for families with children is located in the Beyoğlu region – Miniaturk Park. Here are smaller copies of iconic landmarks of Turkey and Istanbul: Hagia Sophia, Galata Tower, palaces and mosques, aqueducts and obelisks, the natural wonders of Pamukkale and fragments of the ancient Temple of Artemis of Ephesus. In the park there are also models of modern objects, for example, an airport, a stadium and a railway, a children’s playground with a green labyrinth and giant chess.
If your child is interested in technology, visit the Rahmi Koch Museum: the exhibition contains a collection of antique cars, bicycles, ships, steam locomotives and other mechanisms. It will be interesting to take your kids to the toy museum in the Kadikoy area: at the entrance, guests are greeted by tin soldiers taller than a man; inside there are almost 4,000 toys, including antique ones. Each room has its own theme, from space and Indian life to castles and doll houses, the details of the rooms can be viewed endlessly.
How to get there
By plane from Moscow and St. Petersburg. Round-trip tickets at the end of March cost from 27,000 rubles* and from 29,000 rubles* respectively.
Where to stay
Royal Bosphorus Hotel (rating 9) – from 5,300 rubles* per night.
Meroddi La Porta Hotel (rating 9) – from 6,300 rubles* per night.
Recital Hotel (rating 9) – from 8,500 rubles* per night.
Kazan
The city has entertainment for children of all ages. With kids, visit the “medieval castle” with turrets and weather vanes – the Ekiyat puppet theater. After the performance and exploring the children’s park nearby, go to the Tugan Avylym complex, stylized as a Tatar village. Meet bear cubs from all over the world at the soft toy museum “Mishkin House”, look into the underground “Den of Wish Fulfillment” or take part in a fun quest.
With older kids, go to the Museum of Natural History to admire the dinosaurs, and then go to Ak Bars Arena: the KidSpace entertainment center and the Soyuzmulpark multimedia center are located here. The first imitates a city in which teenagers, at stations from a farm and a pharmacy to a helicopter factory, learn various adult professions. In the second, guests will meet their favorite cartoon characters and master classes on different types of animation. For young experimenters, we recommend a house of entertaining science and technology, and the Zambezi River Zoo and the Chak-Chak Museum will appeal to visitors regardless of age and hobbies.
How to get there
By plane from Moscow from 4,000 rubles round trip* or from St. Petersburg – from 6,000 rubles in both directions*.
Where to stay
KM11 (rating 8.8) – from 3,000 rubles* per day.
“Kaganat” (rating 9.3) – from 5,400 rubles* per night.
Giuseppe Hotel (rating 9.3) – from 6,900 rubles* per night.
Yaroslavl
The recognized capital of the Golden Ring of Russia is an excellent place for an eventful vacation with children. In addition to the historical and architectural reserve within the walls of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery, visit the show model of the country’s main tourist route. This is a real miniature world in which the most recognizable objects and images of the Golden Ring are recreated on an area of 300 m², and more than five thousand inhabitants, including fairy-tale characters, act out hundreds of stories and scenes. The interactive detailed layout is interesting to look at: day turns into night, trains travel and hot air balloons fly, a noisy wedding emerges from a church, biathletes train on a snowy slope, and a hut on chicken legs is hidden in the middle of the forest.
We recommend continuing the interactive program at the Health Museum: children will be told in a playful way about the structure of the body, proper nutrition, immunity, germs and cleanliness, they will be asked to brush their huge teeth and test their reaction speed. Older kids will love the Einstein Museum of Entertaining Sciences: it houses more than 100 exhibits that clearly demonstrate the laws of physics and chemistry. And at the Aleshino Compound museum-theater, the hero Alyosha Popovich and the beautiful Lyubava will introduce guests to old Russian life, miracles, folklore and cartoon characters.
How to get there
On Lastochka from Moscow in three hours, tickets cost from 1,950 rubles* round trip.
Where to stay
Red House (rating 8.9) – from 2,400 rubles* per day.
“Kuptsov House” (rating 9.3) – from 3,400 rubles* per night.
“Ioann Vasilyevich” (rating 9) – from 5,200 rubles* per day.
Tobolsk
The white-stone Tobolsk Kremlin resembles a fairy-tale castle, behind the high walls of which are stored the treasures of the sovereign’s treasury and the memory of bygone times. The reserve unites a dozen museums: guests will enjoy fascinating excursions and master classes, for example, on creating a rag doll or a bast toy, painting the Kremlin architrave or carpet weaving. There are also interactive classes – a penmanship lesson, immersion in the everyday life of the newly founded Tobolsk or in the secrets of forgotten crafts. For younger schoolchildren, a literary and fairy-tale tour is conducted to the memorable places of Pyotr Ershov, the author of “The Little Humpbacked Horse,” and teenagers are invited to take part in quests.
Afterwards, take a walk along the observation decks, streets, vzvoz – this is what steep climbs up the mountain are called here – and the parks of Tobolsk: find sculptures of all the Angels and listen to their stories, find a monument to the Firebird and make a wish, admire the panoramas of the city, try Siberian kalachi and Tatar baursak .
How to get there
A plane ticket from Moscow will cost from 10,000 rubles one way with a transfer.
Where to stay
“Neftekhimik” (rating 8.8) – from 2,400 rubles* per day.
“Siberia” (rating 8.8) – from 4,700 rubles* per night.
“Georgievskaya” (rating 9.3) – from 5,100 rubles* per day.
Sheregesh
An option for those who want to have time to enjoy winter activities. The ski season here will last until the end of April. The resort is suitable not only for freeride lovers and experienced athletes, but also for beginners. You can start learning alpine skiing at the age of three, and snowboarding at the age of five or six. Ski-board school “Tevalyashka” in sector A teaches children and adults in groups and individually; there is also a ski nursery. In sector E there is a separate slope for beginners with a travelator, a snow tubing track, a children’s playground “Foxes” with creative activities and a winter club of the same name, where instructors teach kids from scratch. The children’s ski club “Belka” near the Gesh-fly cable car station conducts training programs for students from 3 to 13 years old. After classes and small competitions in the group, the child can relax in the game center: build Lego, climb in the maze, play air hockey or Xbox consoles, eat in a cafe or visit a salt cave.
Little guests of the resort can enjoy a fun ride through the forest on a sled of Siberian huskies – rides are organized at the Alpen Club hotel complex and in the husky park in Sector E. Here you can also take an excursion, chat with furry pets or go on a dog tracking. Next to the training slope there is the Kawabanga rope park with lines of five difficulty levels and a zip line.
How to get there
By plane to Novokuznetsk from Moscow from 15,000 rubles round trip* or from St. Petersburg from 17,000 rubles*, then by taxi or bus.
Where to stay
“Silver” (rating 9.1) – from 4,600 rubles* per day.
“Western” (rating 8) – from 5,500 rubles* per night.
Postoyalyy Dvor (rating 8.8) – from 5,800 rubles* per day.
Thailand
To bask in the sun after a long winter and recharge your batteries, head to Thailand. At the end of March, there is little rain in the region, but there is still no intense heat – during the day the air warms up to +30…32 ° C, and the water in the sea is only a few degrees cooler. In the province of Krabi, take a closer look at the Railay Peninsula – in between relaxing on the beach and swimming, you can go rock climbing under the guidance of local instructors. Bizarre limestone cliffs with interesting topography rise on the seashore, and there is a place in the shade throughout the day. If it gets really hot, explore the depths of the sea with fins and a mask, or rent a kayak or paddleboard.
More secluded holidays and amazing diving are available on islands such as Phi Phi. Snorkelers will love swimming among the corals with colorful fish, barracudas and even sharks. Reef and leopard sharks, which are safe for humans, can be found literally ten meters from the shore in the Long Beach area.
How to get there
By plane to Krabi island from 120,000 rubles round trip* or to Phuket from 80,000 rubles round trip*.
Where to stay
Aonang Inn (rating 8.9) – from 1,800 rubles* per night.
Railay Bay Resort & Spa (rating 8.2) – from 7,600 rubles* per night.
ChaoKoh Phi Phi Hotel & Resort (rating 8.4) – from 6,400 rubles* per night.
*Prices are current at the time of publication.
