Spring is a great time to travel with the whole family. By April it is already warmer, so you can spend more time outside and enjoy the fresh air and blossoming nature. We have selected several travel options that will appeal to both children and adults.
With kids: Sea of Azov
It’s still too early to swim in April, but if you decide to go on a trip at the end of May, you’ll be right at the beginning of the beach season. The Azov Sea is shallower than the Black Sea, and already in the middle of the last spring month the water there warms up to +18 °C, and by the beginning of summer, if there are enough sunny days, it will reach +22 °C.
At the same time, breathing salty air and walking along the beach is always useful, especially since the weather in mid-spring is already quite comfortable: during the day it reaches +20 °C, and the sun is increasingly appearing from behind the clouds. It is warmest in southern cities and towns, for example, in Temryuk, Peresyp and Achuevo.
In the more popular Yeisk it is cooler, but there are many more leisure options here, so we recommend going on holiday with kids here. The beaches here are pebble and shell, which means you can collect beautiful pebbles as a memory of your vacation. In addition, the city has many inexpensive cafes, where there are dishes suitable even for the youngest guests. The choice of entertainment is huge: an oceanarium, a dolphinarium, a children’s entertainment center and an amusement park.
Of the attractions, we recommend visiting Khanskoye Lake, the mud of which is considered healing, and the Long Spit – it’s nice to walk along the shore and admire nature. Find time for a trip to the Kubansky Khutor ethnographic center, where you will be introduced to the history and life of the Cossacks and will even be shown costume performances.
Where to stay
Hotel “Villa Vitalia” – from 2,500 rubles* per night.
Hotel Assol – from 3,000 rubles* per night.
How to get there
The nearest operating airport is in Stavropol. Ticket prices from Moscow in April and May start from 5,800 rubles* one way. To get to Yeysk, you need to rent a car; you will spend about five hours on the road.
With preschoolers: Pyatigorsk
This resort town, famous for its mineral springs, is perfect for recuperating after a long winter. Here you will find many sanatoriums with wellness programs, including for children.
In April, the temperature stays around +18 °C, becoming warmer every day. It’s nice to walk the streets, and you can also go on an excursion to the mountains or to Lermontov’s places.
Preschoolers will enjoy the local operetta theater, which puts on performances based on children’s fairy tales, such as “The Frog Princess” or “Treasure Island.” There is a zoo in the city park, and there is also an interesting insect museum, where you can see butterflies and colorful beetles up close.
In addition, it is convenient to travel from Pyatigorsk to neighboring resort towns – by car or public transport it is easy to get to Essentuki, Kislovodsk and Zheleznovodsk.
Where to stay
Hotel “Mashuk” – from 3,000 rubles* per night.
Spa Hotel “Bristol” – from 8,700 rubles* per night.
How to get there
The nearest airport is located in neighboring Mineralnye Vody, from where you can get to the city by taxi in half an hour or by public transport (minibus + train) in 40 minutes. An air ticket from Moscow to Mineralnye Vody will cost at least 4,000 rubles*.
With primary school students: Vladimir
With older children, from 7 to 10 years old, you can already go on sightseeing trips – study history and get acquainted with beautiful architecture. The Golden Ring of Russia, one of the most popular tourist routes, is ideal for this. However, it is important not to overload your children with impressions, so we advise you to focus on exploring just one city. And Vladimir is a great option, because there are several interesting museums here that offer fascinating master classes.
Of course, it’s also worth taking a walk around the historical center: see the cathedral square and the symbol of the city, the Holy Assumption Cathedral, which for a long time was the main temple of Rus’. Afterwards, go, for example, to the Gingerbread Museum – here you can see delicious exhibits and prepare a delicious souvenir yourself: master classes will teach you how to fashion, bake and even paint a confectionery product.
Next, take a look at the Vladimir Planetarium, the Spoon Museum, the Borodin Forge Museum, the Museum of Illusions and Sciences, as well as the amazing space called “Grandma-Yagusya,” dedicated to this fairy-tale character.
Where to stay
Hotel “Vladimir” – from 4,500 rubles per day*.
Hotel “Orion” — from 5,000 rubles per day*.
How to get there
By train from Moscow. In the spring months, one-way ticket prices start from 530 rubles*.
With teenagers: Kola Peninsula
Do you want to give your grown-up children a real adventure? Show them the harsh exoticism of the accessible Arctic! Moreover, getting to Murmansk is not difficult: the city has a large airport with regular direct flights from Moscow and St. Petersburg. And in April-May, the long-awaited spring is slowly arriving in the region, and you can count on +5 °C and sunshine.
The main May event of the region is the opportunity to observe real whales in the Barents Sea, near the village of Teriberka. Of course, the place itself is colorful: there is a beach with unusually shaped stones that resemble the eggs of fairy-tale lizards or dinosaurs, and also a cemetery for abandoned ships. We are sure that teenagers will be delighted. In addition, in recent years, the city’s tourism infrastructure has been rapidly developing: there are hotels and a good restaurant that serves local seafood delicacies.
And, of course, it’s worth booking a boat excursion that will take you out to the open sea to meet the world’s largest mammals. Whales rarely enter the Gulf of Teriberskaya Bay itself (although this does happen).
You can get to Teriberka from Murmansk either by public transport – a regular bus runs from the bus station every two days (the journey takes about four hours) – or by taxi.
Also leave a couple of days for Murmansk itself: children here will certainly be impressed by a visit to the real nuclear icebreaker “Lenin”. Here you can examine the cabins, the galley, the captain’s cabin (you are even allowed to touch the steering wheel) and the nuclear reactor itself. There is also a good aquarium in the city, which offers interesting excursions.
Where to stay
Hotel “Renaissance” – from 5,200 rubles* per night.
Azimut Hotel – from 6,500 rubles* per night.
How to get there
Airplanes fly to Murmansk daily from Moscow and St. Petersburg. Ticket prices in the spring season start from 4,000 rubles* and 3,000 rubles* respectively.
With adult children: Kamchatka
With children over 15 years old, you can already go to the far corners of Russia or go to places where it might be too difficult with kids. For example, to the other end of the country, to Kamchatka. The road itself to the region of volcanoes and geysers can be a challenge for young children: you will have to spend about nine hours on a plane from Moscow. But adult children can already do this.
And there is enough entertainment here that will not leave anyone indifferent. In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky itself, climb the Nikolskaya Sopka to take a beautiful panorama of Avacha Bay and admire the unusual forest of stone birches, which are older than the city itself. Get to the piers in Mokhovaya Bay, where there is a rookery for sea lions – cute animals, which, by the way, are listed in the Red Book. And be sure to book a boat trip – in May it will no longer be a severe test, but a completely pleasant experience, because the weather is improving every day. In the sea you will be shown the famous Three Brothers rocks, whales and killer whales.
Another highlight of the trip will be a trip to the Valley of Geysers, where several hundred bubbling springs and mud pots are located. The powerful fountains of hot water and steam gushing out from underground are truly impressive.
In addition, you can check out the black sand Khalaktyrsky beach (there are several surf spots here), drive an SUV to one of the volcanoes and swim in a hot spring.
Where to stay
Recreation center “Solnechnaya” – from 3,700 rubles* per night.
Hotel “Avacha” (rating 6.6 out of 10) – from 4,300 rubles* per night.
How to get there
By plane from Moscow, you will spend about nine hours on the way. Ticket prices start from 13,500 rubles* one way.
*Prices are current at the time of publication.
