Autumn is a good time to travel around Russia. There are fewer tourists, air ticket prices are falling, which means you can enjoy a relaxing holiday and save a lot. In addition, October is the peak of golden autumn, so all the natural beauty and even city attractions are transformed. We’ll tell you where to go in October!
Altai
How to get there
The most convenient way is to fly from Moscow to Gorno-Altaisk. The cost of the flight is from 5000 rubles* per person round trip.
Where to live
Hotel “IGMAN” in Gorno-Altaisk – from 2600 rubles* per night per person;
Estate “Three Bears” in Chemal – from 1200 rubles* per night per person;
Guest house Green House on Lake Teletskoye – from 2500 rubles* per night per person.
What to see
Autumn in Altai is a time of incredibly beautiful golden landscapes. To enjoy them to the fullest, you should take a ride along the Chuysky tract – this road is included in the top 10 most beautiful in the world.
The most convenient way to see Lake Teletskoe, edged with golden foliage, is the largest in the Altai Mountains, from a boat; along the way you will meet several waterfalls and the Island of Love. If you get to the Ulagansky district, be sure to visit the Geyser Lake of amazing turquoise color.
In the village of Askat masters you can learn to play ethnic instruments, and in the mountain center of Aktru you can live at an altitude of 2150 m, surrounded by ancient glaciers and centuries-old cedar trees.
Stavropol region
How to get there
It’s better to fly to Mineralnye Vody. A round-trip ticket from Moscow will cost 3,200 rubles*. Resort cities can be reached by bus, train or taxi.
Where to live
Hotel “Oblaka” in Mineralnye Vody – from 2400 rubles* per night per person;
Hotel “Beshtau” in Pyatigorsk – from 4700 rubles* per night per person;
Hotel “PAN” inter” in Kislovodsk – from 5500 rubles* per night per person.
What to see
In the Stavropol region you can combine a health and cultural program with trips to the mountains.
In Essentuki, visit the largest drinking gallery in Europe, where you can enjoy pure healing water completely free of charge. In Pyatigorsk, walk through the places of Lermontov, visit the famous Lake Proval and Diana’s Grotto, climb Mount Mashuk and swim in the Shameless Baths.
Mandatory places to visit in Kislovodsk are the Narzan Gallery, “Honey Falls”, a huge resort park with views of Elbrus. From Kislovodsk you can go on excursions to the mountains. One of the most picturesque routes is the Bermamyt plateau, its bizarre columns, asymmetrical slopes and gorges look like the scenery in a movie. And also in the Djily-Su tract with mineral springs and waterfalls, to which an incredibly picturesque mountain road leads.
Karelia
How to get there
The only airport is in Petrozavodsk. A round-trip flight from Moscow will cost 3,700 rubles* per person.
Where to live
Hotel “Severnaya” in Petrozavodsk – from 2550 rubles* per night per person;
Hotel “Welt” in Kalevala – from 2200 rubles* per night per person;
Hotel “Point on the Map” in Sortavala – from 5900 rubles* per night.
What to see
In the vicinity of the city of Sortavala there is the visiting card of Karelia – the Ruskeala marble canyon, which is especially picturesque surrounded by autumn Karelian forests.
On the way to it, you can look into the most beautiful village in Russia – Kinerma and see the flat waterfalls on the Tokhmajoki River, where part of the film “And the Dawns Here Are Quiet” was filmed. You can get from Ruskeala to Sortavala in an hour by retro train with exquisite interiors in the style of the 19th-20th centuries.
In Petrozavodsk it is worth visiting the Governor’s Park, the embankment of Lake Onega and the quarter with wooden houses of the 19th century. From the city you can sail to the islands of Kizhi and Valaam.
Lovers of wellness should visit the Marcial Waters resort with mud baths and healing springs.
Plyos
How to get there
The most convenient way to get to the city is by car. Renting a car in Moscow on OneTwoTrip will cost 2500 rubles* per day.
Where to live
Guest house “Volga-Volga” – from 3200 rubles* per night per person;
Grand SovaPion Hotel – from 9500 rubles* per night per person.
What to see
A small town on the picturesque bank of the Volga in the Ivanovo region attracts fans of the artist Isaac Levitan. The city is decorated with colorful wooden houses, ancient bell towers and forests.
Here it is worth visiting the artist’s house-museum, the Provincial ART Gallery-M museum and following the Levitan path: climb the wooden steps to the hill from which you can see the view from the painting “Above Eternal Peace”, which made the city famous. You can also stroll along the embankment where “Cruel Romance” was filmed, climb the Sobornaya, Voskresenskaya, Pankratka and Levitan mountains, walk along the oldest shopping arcades on Kalashnaya Street and enjoy examples of merchant architecture on the Descent of the Freedom Mountain street.
A mandatory item is to eat smoked bream. This is the pride of the locals – almost every city resident has his own smokehouse.
Karachay-Cherkessia
How to get there
It is most convenient to fly to Mineralnye Vody. A round-trip air ticket from Moscow will cost 3,100 rubles* per person. You can get to Dombay and Arkhyz by bus or taxi.
Where to live
Hotel “Taulu” in Dombay – from 2000 rubles* per night per person;
Hotel Chalet ForREST in Arkhyz – from 4500 rubles* per night per person;
Hotel “Teberdinskaya Skazka” in Teberda – from 1800* rubles* per night per person.
What to see
In autumn, the Caucasus Mountains are buried in autumn colors, and the pleasant coolness is the ideal time for hiking and active trips to see crystal mountain rivers, alpine lakes and rushing waterfalls.
The main resorts of Karachay-Cherkessia are Dombay and Arkhyz. They are equipped with cable cars and offer a variety of scenic walking routes lasting from one to several days.
On the way to Dombay, stop at the fabulously beautiful Ullu-Murudzhu River. And in Nizhny Arkhyz, visit the most ancient Christian churches in Russia and visit astronomers. The observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences houses a reflecting radio-astrophysical telescope, which has been operating every night since 1976 in good weather. The second telescope is located 20 km from Nizhny Arkhyz on the outskirts of the village of Zelenchukskaya. Both telescopes can be visited as part of excursions.
Another interesting attraction is the lost City of the Sun, the little-studied Leso-Kyafar settlement with ancient dolmen tombs.
Adygea
How to get there
The nearest airport is in Krasnodar. A round-trip flight from Moscow will cost 2,800 rubles* per person. The populated areas of the republic can be reached by bus or car in about three hours. Renting a car in Krasnodar on OneTwoTrip will cost 3800 rubles* per day.
Where to live
Mini-hotel Inn Ivan Da Marya in Dakhovskaya – from 3000 rubles* per night per person;
Guest house “Park Hadzhokh” in Kamennomostsky – from 5200 rubles* per night per person.
What to see
Adygea is a paradise for lovers of active recreation. Here you can find jeeping, ATVs, rock climbing, cycling or horseback riding, and, of course, go hiking along one of the many mountain routes.
Once you are in Adygea, be sure to climb the Lagonaki plateau with stunning landscapes, relict forests in river valleys and caves.
If you are staying in the village of Kamennomostsky, from here it is most convenient to go to the Rufabgo waterfalls, Skvoznaya cave and Khadzhokhskaya Gorge, where the canyon of the Belaya River is located.
Lovers of esotericism will appreciate the Bogatyrskaya Glade, where several hundred dolmens are located, and in the Maykop region you can find several thermal springs: for example, “Aqua-Thermo” or “Water Riviera”.
Sochi
How to get there
The airport is located in Adler, 30 km from Sochi. A round trip flight from Moscow will cost an average of 3,700 rubles* per person.
Where to live
Hotel “Bridge Mountain Krasnaya Polyana” in Esto-Sadok – from 2900 rubles* per night per person;
Hotel Ski Inn Hotel Rosa Khutor on Rosa Khutor – from 1600 rubles* per night per person;
Tsvetnoy 5 Hotel in Sochi – from 3500 rubles* per night per person.
What to see
The Velvet season is ideal to take a walk around the outskirts of Sochi: climb Mount Akhun, walk along the Yew-Boxwood Grove and see the Devil’s Gate canyon. In the Olympic Park you can ride a bicycle, go karting, and see the famous singing fountains.
You can fully enjoy the golden autumn in the Krasnaya Polyana mountains. There is an extreme sky park and resorts with cable cars that will take you to the very peak. Active tourists can stroll along hiking trails, visit the Mendelikha Waterfalls Park, and ride a zipline.
Lovers of architecture and history will enjoy the ethno-complex “My Russia”, on the territory of which there are 11 thematic buildings illustrating the history, life and entertainment of different peoples of the country.
Kola Peninsula
How to get there
From Moscow it is most convenient to fly to Murmansk airport. A round-trip flight will cost 3,300 rubles* per person.
Where to live
Hotel “Tundra” in Murmansk – from 1800 rubles* per night per person;
Hotel “Gornaya Dolina” in Kirovsk – from 2300 rubles* per night per person;Ametist Hotel in Apatity – from 1400 rubles* per night per person.
What to see
Travelers will find the endless expanses of the north, the icy breath of the Arctic, colorful tundra, rocks, clear lakes and fast rivers. If you’re lucky, you can already catch the northern lights.
The most popular autumn route is a few days on the Rybachy Peninsula. Here you can see the Musta-Tunturi mountain range, a waterfall on the Titovka River, defense lines from the Great Patriotic War, the “Garden of Red Stones”, an ancient Sami temple, picturesque capes and bays.
In the village of Teriberka, tourists will find the scenery of the film “Leviathan”, waterfalls and a ship graveyard. There is also an unusual beach with huge perfectly round boulders, which the locals dubbed “dinosaur eggs.”
Another must-see place is Seydozero – the most famous lake of the peninsula; it is believed that the ancient mythical civilization of Hyperborea hid under its waters.
Kamchatka
How to get there
A flight from Moscow to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and back will cost 22,000 rubles* per person.
Where to live
Hotel “Avacha” in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky – from 4300 rubles* per night per person;
Recreation center “Solnechnaya” in Paratunka – from 3700 rubles* per night per person.
What to see
In autumn, tickets to Kamchatka are cheaper than in summer, and the choice of activities is still huge: visiting volcanoes, geysers, healing lakes and thermal springs, surfing in the ocean.
You can go hiking on the volcano on the Avachinskaya Sopka – the ascent does not require special preparation, along the way you will meet local gophers – Eurasians. You can see the ocean and unusual black volcanic sand on Khalaktyrsky Beach. In the village of Paratunka there are natural and artificial thermal pools.
You can take a boat trip on a yacht and enjoy seafood delicacies on the way to Starichkov Island and Russkaya Bay; if you’re lucky, you’ll meet whales and killer whales.
Vladivostok
How to get there
The fastest way to get to Vladivostok from Moscow is by plane. A round-trip flight from the capital will cost 22,100 rubles* per person.
Where to live
Lido Central hotel – from 4400 rubles* per night per person;
Eagle House Inn – from 2600 rubles* per night per person.
What to see
October pleases with sunny, warm weather. It’s time to go to the islands and protected areas of Primorye, visit art quarters and a gallery of modern art.
The most important attractions of the city are the Golden and Russian Bridge, the oldest Tokarevsky lighthouse, the Eagle’s Nest hill with a cable car and an observation deck, the tourist area of Millionka.
There is also something to do in the vicinity of Vladivostok. Head to the seaside safari park, to the islands of Russky, Popova and Ricorda. Call of the Tiger National Park features carved cliffs and ledges, mighty trees over 400 years old, and crystalline rivers, often called the “Yellowstone of the seaside.”
*Prices valid at time of publication
