We all know which world resorts are best prepared for babies, which Turkish hotels have the most interesting animation for children and which international camp you can send a teenager to for new acquaintances and the first experience of independence. We decided that closed borders are not a reason to stay at home during the holidays and have prepared excellent options for traveling with children around Russia.
Kids
Visit the mountainous Caucasian republics
Little ones are unlikely to remember their first vacation for the rest of their lives, and there is certainly little that can really interest them, so you should choose a location that is healthy: with good ecology, without extreme temperatures, excessive humidity or dryness, or scorching sun. The ideal option in this case is to head to Kabardino-Balkaria, Ossetia or Karachay-Cherkessia: stunning mountains and excellent food await you everywhere. The clean, healing air of the foothills of the Caucasus, fresh vegetables and fruits, farm products, good-natured locals – what both mothers and children need. In addition, the climate here is not characterized by high humidity (as, for example, in the Caucasus Mountains in the vicinity of Sochi, where both adults and children often suffer from acclimatization), and along the foothills there are many fairly simple hiking routes that even new parents with a baby in a sling can handle.
Rent a house in Karelia
Crystal air, beautiful lakes and forests ideal for walking. In order not to change the usual daily routine of mother and baby, rent a house with all the amenities in a beautiful location. For example, in the Ladoga Skerries National Park. Of course, a baby is unlikely to appreciate the splendor of the surrounding nature, but he should definitely like the peace and tranquility. But it wouldn’t hurt for parents to have a good break from the bustle of the city, polluted streets and constant stress at work! Karelia is easy to get to by train or car for families living in the Leningrad region, but from Moscow the easiest way is to fly to Petrozavodsk. By the way, flying with babies is not at all as scary as it seems: if you time the flight at nap time, most likely your child will sleep from takeoff to landing.
Preschoolers
Drive along the Golden Ring of Russia
Golden domes, multi-colored turrets, carved shutters – the Golden Ring of Russia looks like a fairy tale, however, even during the peak season there are not such crowds of tourists as in Disneyland. Here children can begin to get acquainted with the history of Russia in a playful way and get used to visiting museums, because along the way they will meet a great many – with animation, tastings of sweets and interesting toys. For example, what are the Borodins’ forge and the Chocolate Workshop in Vladimir, the N.D. Bartram Art and Pedagogical Toy Museum in Sergiev Posad or the “Tsar’s Sheep” museum in Tutaev worth? All cities of the Golden Ring are within relative reach of Moscow, so in the event of a force majeure situation it will be easy to return home.
Visit Santa Claus in Veliky Ustyug
Another fairy tale come to life is the tiny town of Veliky Ustyug in the Vologda region. Here is the patrimony of Santa Claus, so preschool children who still believe in this white-bearded good fellow will be delighted. You can meet Grandfather here all year round, but the best time to come to Ustyug is in winter: ride in a sleigh drawn by three horses, ride down a hill on a cheesecake, dance in the streets with mummers. However, do not forget that the frost at this time can drop to -40 degrees: you need to stock up on warm down jackets, under which you can fit a couple of sweaters, in advance. And we warn you: getting to Veliky Ustyug is not easy, there are few hotels in the city, so the best solution would be to buy an organized tour (at the same time you can meet other families with children along the way).
Elementary school
Take a tour along the Volga by boat
A cruise on a motor ship on the Volga River is an interesting experience in itself: new acquaintances with fellow travelers, interesting themed evenings, walking through new cities every day and observing the beautiful Volga nature around. It will be interesting and educational for children: in every city short excursions are organized for tourists; they do not have time to tire them out, but they do a good job of broadening their horizons. We advise you to sail from Moscow to Astrakhan (from there you can return by plane), visiting Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Cheboksary, Ulyanovsk, Samara, Saratov, Volgograd and other cities of the Volga region.
Live in a village in the Middle Zone
Few children will refuse to tinker with animals and run through fields all day long: for them this is not hard work, but an exciting game. Eco-villages in the Middle Zone are an option for those who do not have a grandmother in the village. We don’t know whether your offspring will need the ability to plow a garden or milk a cow in the future, but agroecotourism is an activity that completely recharges both children and adults. Fresh berries from the bush, real honey from the nearest apiary and cheese from local goats are often a bonus. Companies specializing in such leisure activities, for example, “VGlubinku”, “Glukhoman GO” or Altourism, can help with the selection of a tour; if you definitely want to organize a vacation on your own, take a closer look at the Yaroslavl, Kostroma and Smolensk regions, as well as the republics of Tatarstan and Mari El.
Teenagers
Understand the culture and subculture in St. Petersburg
There is probably not a teenager in the world who would not dream of getting to St. Petersburg (except perhaps those who already live there). For almost any Russian teenager, St. Petersburg is an idealized center of subcultural movements, freedom, rock music and parties. This is on the one hand, and on the other hand, this city is the key to understanding many of the programmatic works of Russian classics. Try to find that balance between high and fashionable, and you will get a non-trivial introduction of a young rebel to cultural life: during the day you can go on a tour of the Crime and Punishment locations, look into the apartments of Pushkin and Akhmatova, and in the evening listen to street musicians on Nevsky, have a blast on Rubinstein or eat a vegetarian burger near the Lensovet Theater. By the way, about theatres: BDT, Mariinsky, Comedian’s Shelter, MDT – Theater of Europe, Komissarzhevskaya Theater, the same Lensovet Theater – places with very interesting posters, where you will definitely find something interesting even for the younger generation – according to the classics or contemporaries .
Ride Altai on horseback
The horseback riding tour to Altai does not require any extraordinary physical training from the participants: even a teenager can do it. However, such vacations will definitely be remembered for the rest of your life: around you there is simply crazy beauty of nature, under you there is a huge but obedient animal, and at night you can look at the endless stars from your tent. By the way, on such a tour, a teenager will have to learn really useful camping wisdom: for example, assembling and disassembling a tent, lighting a fire and cooking on it. And then – who knows, maybe the romance of hiking will give rise to a new, truly serious hobby for the rest of my life…
Text author: Margarita Paimakova
