The May holidays are just around the corner, and if you haven’t yet decided on your plans or direction for your trip, then a road trip is what you need. You can choose where to go even at the last moment, rent a car and make an unforgettable trip.
The main thing is to choose which route will be more comfortable: for a week or for several days. After all, if you take a few days of vacation between the May holidays or after, you will be able to rest much more than the allotted four days.
We offer you a selection of road trips from Moscow: for a week or for several days. If you don’t have a personal car, but want to go on a trip, we recommend renting one – from 3,500 rubles per day for a car with an automatic transmission.
Road trip for 2-3 days
Vladimir and Suzdal
In Vladimir, the route runs along the M7 highway and will take 3-4 hours, depending on traffic jams. From the city to Suzdal another 40 minutes by car. You can find good hotels in both locations. The cost of accommodation in three-star hotels for the May holidays in Vladimir starts from 2,000 rubles per day. If you want more peace and tranquility, stay in Suzdal – from 5,000 rubles per night.
In Vladimir, we recommend visiting the Holy Assumption Cathedral. It is considered the symbol of the city and its main church landmark. Here are preserved rare frescoes by Andrei Rublev. Also admire the white stone carvings of St. Demetrius Cathedral. Take a walk along the pedestrian Geogievskaya Street. On it, pay attention to historical buildings, urban sculptures, museums and cafes.
In Suzdal you will be impressed not only by the Kremlin, many churches and chapels, but also by the Museum of Wooden Architecture. Here you can see real peasant houses with a Russian stove, a merchant’s house, wooden churches, mill interiors and other interesting buildings.
Kaluga region
Only 4 hours on the road – and you are there. In the Kaluga region, legends and superstitions strangely coexist with science and progress. May is a great time to explore ancient cities and modern museums. The average price of a night in a three-star hotel for the May holidays is 3,000 rubles.
In Kaluga itself, we recommend stopping for the night, taking a walk along the banks of the Oka, walking past the Baroque Church of Cosmas and Damian, the House of Masters. Then look at the Gostiny Dvor for souvenirs, go through the Central Square to the Central Park, see the Stone Bridge and end near the Korobov Chambers museum and local history center. Be sure to take time to visit the State Museum of the History of Cosmonautics. K. E. Tsiolkovsky and Planetarium. And from the museum it’s very close to the house-museum of Konstantin Eduardovich. Just half an hour from the center of Kaluga is a former noble nest on the banks of the Oka. There is a park, ponds, a dilapidated Gothic house and a rotunda – you can walk through the atmospheric territory, feel the spirit of antiquity and take spectacular photos against the background of the ruins.
On a road trip around the Kaluga region, be sure to stop by the art park “Nikola-Lenivets”. This is a park of modern architectural forms that has no analogues in Russia. The works of artists and innovative architects immerse visitors in an interweaving of whimsical imaginations and simple materials. Searching for art objects made of wood and iron across a vast territory can turn into a journey to your own self. It will be very comfortable to walk here in early May.
Tver
If you travel from Moscow along the toll M-11, you will get there in just over 2 hours. Tver and the region are quite picturesque, so you can stay in the city itself (the average price of a night in a three-star hotel is 2,500 rubles), and in the suburbs to relax in nature.
In the ancient Russian city you will definitely have something to do: ancient streets, houses with painted shutters and arches, cathedrals and churches, unusual museums – there will be enough ideas for several days. First of all, it is worth visiting the Imperial Travel Palace, where members of the ruling dynasty rested on their way from St. Petersburg and Moscow, and the art gallery – it houses valuable collections of paintings. Among the unusual places are the Goat Museum (here you will see more than 3,000 figurines of these animals) or the Museum of Tver Life, where you can get acquainted with the way of life of different classes (the territory of this museum itself – a typical city estate of the 18th-19th centuries – also deserves attention). We recommend taking a walk in the Botanical Garden and on the Stepan Razin embankment. Afterwards, go to neighboring Torzhok, take a walk through this cozy ancient town. Also, in good weather, it is worth visiting the estate “Sudimir”, which offers tours of its own deer farm and sanctuary (advance registration required). If time permits and you have the energy, it’s definitely worth getting to the city of Kalyazin (the journey is a little over 160 km from Tver), to see with your own eyes the legendary flooded bell tower of St. Nicholas Cathedral.
Road trip for 5-7 days
St. Petersburg
Perhaps this is one of the most popular destinations for residents of the capital: people fly and travel to St. Petersburg more often than to any other city. If you have more than three holiday days, we recommend going to the Northern capital by car. You will spend from 8 to 12 hours on the road; travel along the M-11 toll highway is very comfortable.
Upon arrival in St. Petersburg, we would recommend staying for a couple of nights in the city itself; the cost of accommodation during the May holidays is about 4,000 rubles per night for two in a three-star hotel. In addition, you can devote several days to exploring the surrounding area: get to Vyborg, visit the Mon Repos Park museum-reserve, take a walk near Lake Ladoga, staying in one of the comfortable hotels or glampings, and also visit Karelia, in particular, the mountain Ruskeala Park, and take a ride on a retro train. You will definitely remember such a busy weekend, and traveling by car will allow you to plan the route as convenient for you.
Veliky Novgorod
The journey by car from the capital will take 6-8 hours. Spring is a great time to visit the city. In warm and sunny weather, which, according to weather forecasters, will arrive in Veliky Novgorod at the beginning of May, it is very pleasant to walk. Some city streets are called open-air museums.
When exploring the city, you should, of course, visit the Kremlin, which has nine ancient towers, the Hagia Sophia Cathedral, dating from the 11th century, and the Sofia Belfry with bells from the 16th-17th centuries. In addition, we recommend paying attention to the Yaroslav’s courtyard with St. Nicholas Cathedral and churches, where you can admire ancient frescoes and icons. The cost of accommodation during the May holidays is about 6,000 rubles per night for two in a four-star hotel.
From Veliky Novgorod, go explore the surrounding area. For example, go to Valdai. This is a very picturesque and peaceful place. The city itself is quite small, and a few hours will be enough for you to visit the most interesting places. The pearl of the location is the Valdai Iversky Bogoroditsky Svyatoozersky Monastery on Selvetsky Island. In addition, eco-trails have been laid in the vicinity of Valdai: the most interesting route, 60 km long, is the “Great Valdai Trail”, passing through the national park.
You can also go to a large lake Ilmen, which may well become a competitor to the sea, because, standing on one of its shores, you will not see the end of the water surface you’ll see. Stay here for one night to enjoy nature and peace to the fullest.
Voronezh
The journey from Moscow will take you about 8 hours. At the beginning of May, it will be almost summer in Voronezh – the temperature is unlikely to drop below +20 ℃. It will be very comfortable to walk here and get to know the city, which will definitely surprise you. There are many places in Voronezh that you will hardly be able to explore in one or two days, because you will want to linger in each of them. The average cost of living during the May holidays is 3,000 rubles per night for two in a three-star hotel.
So, we recommend checking out the three-room apartment in the city center “Give Five,” which is an art space. There is an artists’ studio, a gallery, a film club, a lecture hall and a concert venue here at the same time, in a word, you can easily spend several hours here. In the evening, take a walk along the Northern Bridge, which connects the right and left banks of the Voronezh Reservoir, or go to the Agricultural Institute microdistrict – there is a huge arboretum there. In addition, the city has many “delicious” places and street art, which is a pleasure to enjoy. If you are not superstitious, go on a tour of the cemeteries: Yuri Klinskikh (leader of the Gas Sector group) is buried in Levoberezhny, and the European-style Thorn Cemetery is where officers killed in World War I are buried.
An hour’s drive from Voronezh is located Oldenburg Palace. This is an elegant castle built for the Russian branch of an aristocratic German family that will take you back in time. We strongly advise you not to miss the opportunity and go to Museum-Reserve “Divnogorye”. Here are the ruins of a medieval fortress, a cave temple of the 17th century, underground cities and complexes carved into the chalk rocks background of picturesque canyons. Extremely exotic and picturesque.
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