Unfortunately, the rhythm of modern city life does not always allow for proper rest. But you really want to escape from Moscow for a few days, unwind, change your surroundings and see something new.
Fortunately, to have a little adventure for yourself, you don’t have to have an extra bag of money; you can just buy a train ticket and go to an unknown destination. But if you want certainty in your travels, then we can tell you which cities are definitely worth visiting. For example, Volgograd.
If you take the train on Friday evening, the very next day you can enjoy the sunset in a cafe on the Volga embankment. The travel time will be about 20 hours, the ticket price usually starts from 1300 rubles.
I want to go to Volgograd!
There is a lot to see in Volgograd besides the wonderful sunsets. In particular, we recommend going to Mamayev Kurgan (on the map). This height became the site of bloody battles during the war. Now there are mass graves and the world-famous memorial ensemble “Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad”. His calling card is the monument “The Motherland is Calling!” At the time of its construction, it was the tallest statue in the world. She maintained leadership for 22 years before losing to the statue of the goddess Kannon in Japan. At the moment, the 85-meter “Motherland” ranks ninth in the world.
Entrance to Mamayev Kurgan is free. In addition to the memorial complex, on its territory there is a temple and a museum of Stalin, for a visit to which you will have to pay about 120 rubles.
Everyone without exception has heard about the “Motherland”, but few know about the giant monument to Lenin (on the map). And it is truly huge. The height of the sculpture together with the pedestal is 57 meters, which makes this monument the largest in the world among those erected in honor of real people.
For fans of military history, we recommend visiting the city defense museum and the panorama of the Battle of Stalingrad (on the map),
which is the largest artistic canvas in Russia. This masterpiece of war painting is located next to the destroyed steam mill building and the legendary Pavlov’s house, in which a small group of Soviet soldiers held off the attacks of German troops for 58 days.
The Volgograd Star House (on the map) deserves special attention from tourists. It is one of the eight best planetariums in the world. Since its construction in 1954, it has been visited, according to conservative estimates, by more than 32 million guests.
The duration of the interactive program for planetarium guests is 1 hour. The session consists of an excursion, an experiment with a Foucault pendulum and a program in the Star Hall. The price of an adult ticket is 270 rubles.
Please note that in the upper lobby of the planetarium fragments of two meteorites are on public display, and for an additional fee you can sign up at the local observatory to observe the starry sky through a telescope.
And for those who are looking for traces of pre-revolutionary architecture, Volgograd can offer several places at once. Among them is the remarkable building of the Tsaritsyn fire brigade (on the map),
which was built by 1897. By the way, the city’s first public library appeared here.
It is also worth paying attention to the Kazan Cathedral (on the map). This temple, built at the end of the 19th century, is the cathedral of the Volgograd and Kamyshin diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. It is made of red brick and decorated in the Old Russian style.
It is worth noting that the Kazan Cathedral was very badly damaged during the war. It took more than five years to restore it. In 1948, the temple was consecrated and since then has regularly received parishioners.
The historical and architectural complex “Old Sarepta” (on the map) is a carefully restored settlement of German Lutherans who lived on the banks of the Volga for several centuries. You will see unique architectural buildings, collections of old photographs and a real German organ. “Old Sarepta” often hosts musical evenings dedicated to classical music. The next one will take place on May 21 during the all-Russian event “Night of Museums”.
You can get to “Old Sarepta” directly from the station. Either by minibus or by train. The cost of the excursion is 200 rubles.
Before leaving, be sure to take a walk along the Volgograd embankment near the river port (on the map). Here you can grab an ice cream or drink a cup of coffee while watching the ships slowly sail along the river. The embankment is not very far from the station, so you will have time to say goodbye to the city and, slowly, head to the train that will take you home.
