It is generally accepted that traveling around Russia is an expensive activity and is primarily suitable for travelers who are not afraid of difficulties. This is only partly true.
We have compiled a selection of three interesting routes around our vast and chic homeland in its diversity, where tourism is well developed and offers vacations for almost every taste, budget and comfort preference.
Kola Peninsula: active recreation and northern beauty
An amazing region that attracts true lovers of adventure and northern nature. A kind of domestic Norway with cliffs and fjords, the Kola Peninsula is washed by the White and Barents seas. It is covered with tundra and rich in alpine lakes, the Sami still live here, wandering with herds of reindeer, and in the Khibiny ski slopes are open until the end of May.
How to get there
The classic route to the Kola Peninsula leads through Murmansk, the capital of the region. A round-trip air ticket from Moscow will cost at least 4,100 rubles*.
Where to stay
Murmansk will offer the whole range of accommodation: from network giants for 5,000 rubles to hostels for 500 rubles per night*. The choice in the ski resort of Kirovsk is a little more modest: hostels, apart-hotels and a few hotels (from 1000 to 5000 rubles per day)*. In other cities and towns you can stay at tourist centers and guest houses.
Kirovsk
The city is located at the foot of the Khibiny and offers appropriate activities. This is a ski holiday at two resorts (“Kukisvumchorr” and “Bolshoi Vudyavr”), Hiking trips of varying duration and difficulty (it is better to use the services of guides, who can be found by contacting the local tourist information center), excursions to the mountains on SUVs or GAZ-66 (“Shishiga”) cars. The Khibiny mountains are not high, but very old, the picture here changes from gorge to gorge: in one you will find a lake, in another a kurumnik, in the third, pink and watermelon-smelling snow does not melt even in summer (the culprit for this phenomenon is the single-celled algae Chlamydomonas nivalis). It’s easy to get to Kirovsk from both Apatity and Murmansk.
Teriberka
Almost “dead”, but revived again thanks to “Leviathan” by A. Zvyagintsev, the village attracts photographers and lovers of the northern lights.
You can come here either as part of a tourist group for one or two days, or on your own. All the most picturesque points are within walking distance from the village: a ship cemetery, “dinosaur eggs” (a beach with large round stones), Battery waterfall and, in fact, the battery. The oldest, no longer residential, wooden houses in the village are also picturesque. Some of the buildings (for example, a school) are open: books are scattered on the floor, and the remains of furniture that have not been removed are located near the walls.
You can get there from the Murmansk bus station (about 200 rubles) or by taxi for 3000 rubles one way*.
Rybachy Peninsula
The Sredny and Rybachy peninsulas and the Musta Tunturi pass lying on the way to them are, perhaps, almost the most picturesque places on the Kola Peninsula. You can only drive here in an SUV if you have the appropriate experience. So it’s better to experience the beauty of the landscapes as part of a group.
The cost of a classic tour for 3 days with accommodation at a camp site and field meals will be from 20,000 rubles per person*.
Sami village Sam-Syit
Photo: Igor Stomakhin/Shutterstock.com
In general, there are many opportunities to meet the Sami on the peninsula. But we should not forget that traditionally families with herds of deer migrate, and finding them is not always easy. Sam-Syyt is a stationary village, its residents welcome tourists and introduce them to national traditions and way of life. Here you can feed the deer, pet the husky, play traditional games, have a snack in a cafe, take a steam bath and spend the night in a guest house (from 2500 rubles).
You can get here by car (100 km from Murmansk) or with a tour group from Murmansk or Kirovsk.
Salt lake Baskunchak and Kalmyk steppes: exotics nearby
Another unobvious, and at the same time picturesque destination for the May holidays is the Astrakhan region, the salt lake Baskunchak and the Republic of Kalmykia with its steppes and khuruls. If you combine these points into one car route, you will get an intense trip, full of absolute exoticism for a resident of central Russia: salt formations, ground squirrels sitting along the road, Buddhist temples, herds camels, Astrakhan sturgeon and Kalmyk tea with butter and salt.
How to get there
You can fly to Volgograd, Astrakhan or Elista. Rent a car, for example, in Volgograd and go on a 1000-kilometer journey: Volgograd – Baskunchak – Sarai-Batu – Astrakhan – Elista – Volgograd.
Where to stay
There is not much variety in accommodation options along the way. In cities, choose your favorite hotels (from 1000 to 5000 rubles per night).
Lake Baskunchak and Mount Bogdo
At the same time a salt mine and a medical dispensary, Baskunchak is primarily a picturesque picture. A thin layer of water covers a six-meter layer of salt. Salt grows here on any object left in the water, be it wooden pillars of a platform, a teapot or a stick thrown by someone. Salt crystals resemble snow sparkling in the sun. Those who are especially persistent will be able to swim in the lake, although the water in May is still quite cool.
The nearest settlement is the village of Nizhny Baskunchak. The route from Volgograd will be 200 km through Akhtubinsk.
Saray-Batu
Photo: GetmanecInna/Shutterstock.com
Once a set for the movie “The Horde,” it is now a tourist center. Stroll through the streets of the ancient capital of the Golden Horde Khanate, at the same time examining the decorations, have a snack in a cafe, take part in a master class, buy souvenirs, ride a camel or visit the torture chamber (as a guest). Entrance ticket – 400 rubles, excursion – from 800 rubles.
There is nowhere to spend the night here, but Astrakhan is only an hour away by car. The route with a stop in Sarai-Batu will be 300 km.
Astrakhan
In May, it is not yet hot in Astrakhan, and walking around the city will not be painful. The heart of the city is the Astrakhan Kremlin with the Assumption and Trinity Cathedrals. From here, through the Bratsky Garden, you can go to Kirova Street, the local pedestrian Arbat, and then return again under the Kremlin walls to Lenin Square, immediately behind which is Swan Lake and the renovated Volga embankment: from the monument to Peter I to the Lady with a Dog. Nikolskaya Street, Krasnaya Embankment and 1 May Embankment are also good. This is merchant Astrakhan, with ancient, but often dilapidated mansions. For fish, head to Selenskie Isady, a market with a 150-year history.
Elista
Kalmykia is a separate world. It has its own nature (spacious desert steppes), own kitchen (lots of meat), their temples are Buddhist khuruls (the main one is the Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni). Here, in the squares, elderly Kalmyks play chess drawn on the asphalt, and all the people are endlessly smiling. Road to Astrakhan – 320 km.
Altai: eastern distances and the flowering of maral grass
The Altai Mountains are included in the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List. In May, pink and purple maral bushes bloom here, snow caps melt, and waterfalls fall from the mountains with all their might. This is an excellent time for trekking through one of the most picturesque and yet quite accessible regions of Russia. The program options can be very different: horseback riding, radial trips to the mountains light, trips on off-road vehicles (both in the All-Inclusive tour format and as separate elements of an independent trip) are popular here.
How to get there
Tickets from Moscow to Novosibirsk and back – from 9,000 rubles. You can also get to Barnaul (tickets from Moscow from 15,000 rubles) and Gorno-Altaisk (from 7,000 rubles).
It is optimal to travel between the main points on the route in your own or rented car: starting in Novosibirsk and going all the way to the border with Mongolia, the Chuisky tract is a modern highway with excellent asphalt surface. But going into the wilderness is preferable with off-road vehicles.
Where to stay
Altai is a destination beloved by hikers who set off on a multi-day journey with a tent in their backpack. Fortunately, recently more and more excellent tourist centers have appeared here, providing the opportunity to combine contemplation of pristine nature with overnight stays in comfortable conditions. However, don’t expect luxury lodges. As well as chic restaurants. Room rates vary across the region from 1000 to 6000 rubles per night, guest houses are found along the entire Chuysky Tract.
Tourist zone “Turquoise Katun”
Designated as a special economic zone, Turquoise Katun is the most convenient location for moderately active tourists. You can get here without a car (by regular buses from Barnaul (5-6 hours) or Novosibirsk (8.5 hours) and spend several days walking around the surrounding attractions and booking one-day radial trips. Guest houses and hotels are presented in large numbers and of good quality On the territory, in addition to nature, air and the Katun River, there is a water park based on an artificial lake, Tavdinsky caves, excursions to a local apiary, a deer breeding farm, and the Siberian Coin gambling zone.
Chuysky tract
This is not just a road. This is a landmark. Horses graze along the roadsides, the Chike-Taman and Kosh-Agach passes are pampered with opening panoramas, the Katun rushes past first, why Chuya (be sure to stop for a photo at the confluence of the rivers), and also the Kalbak-Tash petroglyphs, the Maiden’s Tears waterfalls, the Tydtugemsky and on the Boka River, the Kurai steppe and the Martian landscapes of Chagan-Uzun. And all the way around there are such different mountains. To fully enjoy the surroundings, it is better to travel with stops, in your own car or a car ordered for the family.
Island of Patmos
On a rock in the middle of the stormy spring Katun, a convent and the Church of St. John the Evangelist nestle. But still, Patmos is not only a religious object, but also a picturesque one. Access to the island is via a narrow pedestrian suspension bridge, swaying in the wind at a height of 15 meters above the river. It is also worth walking along the Katun to its confluence with the Chemal River and the Chemal Hydroelectric Power Station. The Chemalsky tract, which departs from Chuysky in the village of Ust-Sema, is also a very picturesque road. In addition to your own car, you can get to the neighboring village of Chemal from Gorno-Altaisk and Barnaul by regular buses.
Teletskoye Lake
The most famous in Altai, the long and narrow lake is framed by steep cliffs. The most comfortable way to admire its bays, bays and waterfalls is from the boat, and you can approach the shore only at two points: from the north to Artybash there is a road in the usual sense of the word, there are many tourist centers in the village, there is a bus from Gorno-Altaisk (4 hours). And from the south to the village of Balykcha it is preferable to travel by all-wheel drive, but this is where the Akkurum tract and “stone mushrooms” in the valley of the Chulyshman River are located.
*Prices valid at time of publication
