Thanks to the “Kudablin” project, I, Daria Borisova (@travel2you.ru), was able to visit the westernmost city in the country. I am sharing my impressions of my trip to Kaliningrad. This is a place with an amazing history, where human destinies are hidden behind ancient German buildings. If you have been to Germany, you will 100% like Kaliningrad. There are cobblestone streets here, and German sewer manholes still remain. To get a feel for the city and its surroundings, I recommend coming for at least a week: living in Kaliningrad itself for a few days, and then taking a trip along the coast. Stay in the center – many locations will be within walking distance.
Examine the top locations where homlins have settled – little gnomes and symbols of Kaliningrad. The one who finds all five will have good luck and success. That’s why my subscribers came up with a task for me to participate in the Kudablin project – to find all the homlins!
1. Start your inspection at Victory Square, walk past the FSB building, see the Kaliningrad Drama Theater, go to the zoo – here you will find your first homlin – granddaughter Ulya is sitting near the ticket office.
2. Take a taxi and go to House of Soviets – a long-term construction project that began to be built 40 years ago, but was never put into operation. The only thing left from the castle that once stood in its place are the cellars and part of the wall. You have a chance to see this and photograph this symbol of the city.
Photo: Alexandr Medvedkov/shutterstock.com
3. Next — to Brandenburg Gate, here is the Marzipan Museum. Here you can listen to an interesting lecture about the history of the creation of the delicacy and buy a delicacy produced according to local and German recipes.
Photo: Gl0ck/shutterstock.com
4. Fish Village – this is a remake of 2005, a cute analogue of a German town, a must-see. Gingerbread houses and a magnificent view of the Cathedral. It’s a good place to walk along the embankment, drink coffee and, of course, take a boat ride. After that, go along the Honey Bridge to Kant Island. There you will find the second homlin – Grandfather Karl. You definitely won’t miss it! There’s always a full house nearby.
Photo: E. O./shutterstock.com
5. Walk around the island, see the philosopher’s tomb, visit the museum, and, as icing on the cake, attend an organ concert in the cathedral. Tickets for the museum and concert can be purchased on the website. Believe me, it’s worth it: the main organ is decorated with angels that move to the music. Children and even adults are delighted.
6. On the other side of the park – Museum of the World Ocean. Highly recommend for visiting with children. Warships, equipment, a lot of sites. Prices for each object are different, it is better to look at them on the website. And here you will meet the third homlin – the sailor Vitka. He sits on the embankment opposite the ticket office.
Photo: kurbanov/shutterstock.com
7. On the other side of the Pregolya River there is Regional Museum of Fine Arts – the former building of the German stock exchange. The fifth homlin lives here – Leo’s dad. He sits opposite the museum on the parapet of the trestle bridge. And at Amber Museum you will find Grandma Martha.
I spent the whole day searching for homlins, exploring the beauty of Kaliningrad, and the next day I rented a car and went to the coast. The first city I went to was Baltiysk, the westernmost point of Russia.
Photo: Kittyfly/shutterstock.com
More recently, it was closed to tourists, as there are military bases here. See the ships, feed the swans, hang out on a wild beach, eat delicious paninis, find amber on the beach, take a ferry to Baltic Spit.
I also managed to visit Yantarny. About 95% of the world’s amber reserves are concentrated in the area of the village.
The quarry was previously closed to the public, but now you can visit it, make a wish in the amber pyramid and find the stones yourself. There is also a beach here, which is also called the “Baltic Maldives”.
My favorite is beautiful and green Svetlogorsk. KVN, festivals and concerts are held here. An absolutely magical city. You can get here by Lastochka from Kaliningrad in 30 minutes.
Photo: Gvozdovskaya Anna/shutterstock.com
Zelenogradsk —a city of cats. They are everywhere here, there is even a traffic light with the image of these pets. In addition, Zelenogradsk is actively being built up and is very popular due to the fact that the Curonian Spit and excellent beaches are nearby.
For Curonian Spit buy tickets in advance on the website. Get ready to get stuck in traffic! If you take a group excursion, there is a chance to skip the traffic jams. During the high season, traffic jams can last for several hours, so I recommend arriving early. The best hotel is Mayakovsky (from 7500 rubles* per night per person).
Be sure to visit the Ornithological Park, Dancing Forest and Dunes. For lunch, stop by the “On the Hook” cafe.
It’s impossible to see everything in Kaliningrad in a few days. I want to discover its beauty more and more. Autumn is a great time to travel: you can drink mulled wine during leisurely walks around Kant Island. And for the New Year, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the Christmas markets.
Definitely, Kaliningrad is beautiful at any time of the year! And the proximity of the sea is an additional bonus.
*Prices valid at time of publication
