If you have visited all the sights of the Golden Ring, we recommend taking a closer look at a small town in the Moscow region. Founded in the 12th century, Kolomna is a great option for a weekend or holiday trip.
In winter, you can explore the Kremlin here, stopping by to warm up in ancient churches. In the spring – walk around Posad and museums, in the summer – enjoy theatrical performances on open verandas, and in the fall – drink hot tea with marshmallows at the book festival.
We prepared a guide from local resident Nadezhda Doroshenko, which included popular tourist spots in Kolomna and unobvious leisure options at different times of the year.
How to get from Moscow
Kolomna is located 115 km from the capital. Depending on the transport, the journey takes from 1.5 to 3.5 hours. You can get there by train, bus or car (take into account traffic jams).
Electric train
They depart from the Kazansky station (Komsomolskaya metro station) every day from morning until evening.
- Regular train with all stops – the most budget-friendly, cost 390 rubles, travel time 2–2.5 hours.
- Express “Rex” – a luxury train, it is more expensive and a little faster than a regular one. In my opinion, this is the best option.
- Express “Ryazan” —the most expensive, with seats indicated and two service classes. Tickets cost from 550 rubles, the journey takes 1.5 hours.
At the ticket office, check which train you need a ticket for. There are two stations in Kolomna where electric trains stop – Kolomna and Golutvin. It’s better to get off at the first one: from it it’s 10 minutes to the old part of the city and attractions.
Bus
Regular buses No. 460 to Kolomna depart from the bus station at the Kotelniki metro station. You can buy a ticket online or at the station; the approximate travel time without traffic jams is two hours. The final stop of the bus is the Golutvin bus station, but it is better to get off at the Old Town station.
Car, taxi
If you are traveling with a group, rent a car. Or you can order a taxi, the cost starts from 2,500 rubles and goes to infinity.
Your own car is a convenient option if you are traveling for several days in the warm season. This way you can visit more places and enjoy nature in the vicinity of Kolomna.
Useful information
Two areas that are useful for tourists to know about are Staraya Kolomna (Old Town) and Golutvin. The first contains all cultural attractions, the second contains the bus and railway station and the large Rio shopping center.
You can move around the city by tram, bus, minibus and taxi. By the way, Kolomna is the only city in the Moscow region where trams run.
Old Town
This is the city’s tourist mecca, which preserves the legends, traditions and centuries-old history of Kolomna. Part of the Kremlin, built in the 16th century, Kolomensky Posad (the area adjacent to the Kremlin), cathedrals and temples have been preserved here. Admission is free.
The main merit of this part of the city is its atmosphere. Here you will not find high-rise buildings or new buildings; each building has retained its original appearance and charm. Just walking through the territory of the Kremlin and Posad, you will enjoy looking at ancient merchant estates and houses with carved wooden frames.
You can look at Old Kolomna from above by climbing the active bell tower of the Church of St. John the Evangelist. Entrance is 150 rubles, and the view of the city is priceless.
Where to stay
Hotel “40th Meridian Yacht Club” (rating 9.7) – from 4,000 rubles per night*.
Hotel “Grazhdanka” (rating 8.8) – from 4,200 rubles per night*.
Hotel “40th Meridian Arbat” (rating 9.9) – from 4,800 rubles per night*.
Cultural program
- Kolomenskaya pastila, st. Posadskaya, 13a.
The first marshmallow museum in Kolomna. Visits and theatrical excursions are possible by appointment. Without it, you can go into the lobby and buy marshmallows, and also look into the cozy garden, where tea is offered and performances are held in the warm season.
- Museum marshmallow factory, st. Polyanskaya, 4.
Another museum with the production of marshmallows using ancient technologies, its own theater, actor-guides, breakfast and dinner parties. All events must be pre-registered. Without a tour, you can visit a cafe, a pastry shop and a colonial goods store.
- Kalachnaya, st. Zaitseva, 14.
Kalachis are baked here using 14th-century technology. In the museum, in a theatrical form, they will tell you everything about the kalak fishery in Kolomna and treat you to tea and pastries. Admission only as part of a group tour. Without it, you can buy delicious rolls and bread at the “Kalachi to Go” shop.
- Artkommunalka, st. October Revolution, 205.
Here you will plunge into the Soviet Kolomna of the 60s and feel the spirit of the era of Khrushchev’s Thaw. All household items are real. The museum offers theatrical quests “On communication skills” and even a tour on a retro motorcycle to places in the city where buildings in the constructivist style have been preserved.
The Museum-Navigator near the Pyatnitsky Gate will help you decide on excursions and plan your route on the spot. And many more options can be found on OneTwoTrip:
- Holy springs of Kolomna
- Quest tour of the Kolomna Kremlin for children and adults
- Kolomna merchant and gastronomic town
- Creative Kolomna —literature, painting, music
- Kolomensky Posad —the charm of the Old Town
Literary heritage
The author of the first historical novels and contemporary of Pushkin was born in Kolomna I. I. Lazhechnikov. At the Lazhechnikov Merchants’ Estate they will tell you about the writer, his family and the Kolomna merchants. And the literary cafe “Lazhechnikov” will offer a menu based on his works.
In the center of the Kremlin, next to Cathedral Square, there is the house of my sister A. I. Kuprin, where the writer loved to visit. The building has been restored, but has retained its original appearance and is now used as a mini-hotel.
The writer spent about seven years in Kolomna Boris Pilnyak (Vogau). The house where he lived with his first wife is located at st. Arbatskaya, 7. There is no museum there. Nearby you can find the bench where Anna Akhmatova sat. In 1936, she came to the city and looked for the writer’s house. Pilnyak and Akhmatova had a warm relationship. Rumor has it that Boris proposed to the poetess more than once.
Venedikt Erofeevstudied at the Kolomna Pedagogical Institute and worked as a loader in the store building where Artkommunalka is now located. By the way, Artkommunalka is also the residence of contemporary writers and artists.
In September, the annual apple and book festival “Antonov Apples” takes place in Kolomna. The organizers invite contemporary authors, conduct lectures by historians and writers, and organize music concerts.
Art-quarter “Patefonka”
In the old part of the city, within walking distance from the Kremlin, there is the creative cluster “Patefonka”. Over the years, a silk spinning factory, gramophone and textile factories were located here.
Creative and yoga studios, galleries and workshops have now settled on the territory of the former production workshops. Residents of the art space regularly hold exhibitions and workshops on pottery, drawing and weaving. There is also a private meadery of Sergei Pupynin, where you can taste and buy old Russian intoxicating meads (mead).
The Art Quarter has a rich cultural life; fairs, festivals, concerts and city celebrations take place here. Check the program of events on the official website.
On the territory of the former factory there is a hostel and a campsite, as well as a coworking space for remote work. You can eat at “Patefonka” in the gastrobar “Ne Vinnaya Koza”, the cheese and wine bar “Malevich” or the cafe “Sosedka”.
Active leisure
Skates and more
In winter, several small open-air skating rinks can be found in the Old Town. One of them is located next to the Kolomna skating center. By the way, there is also a large indoor ice arena where professional athletes from all over Russia train and compete.
Across the bridge from the Skating Center there is another skating rink with skate rentals. In winter you can go tubing, banana and skiing there. There are also two cozy open-air skating rinks in the Patefonka art quarter.
Supes and wakes
In the Old Town, across the bridge from the Kremlin, there is a wake park. In the warm season, you can go SUP riding, wakeboarding, or just relax by the river.
The guys from Kolomnafornia offer surfing in the Bochmanovo area or a SUP trip outside the city.
Camping near the Kremlin
400 m from the Kremlin walls there is a campsite with sites for motorhomes, guest houses and places for tents. There is a rental of tourist equipment and all household amenities for living.
Skydiving
A 20-minute drive from the city center (the village of Korobcheevo) is one of the largest airfields in the Moscow region – Aerograd Kolomna. There you can jump with a parachute or take a test flight on an airplane with an instructor. Aerograd offers gift certificates for jumping with aerial video filming.
Where to stay
Hotel “Aerograd” (score 10) – from 3,100 rubles per night*.
Hotel “Kolomna” (rating 8.9) – from 4,200 rubles per night*.
Apart-hotel “My Year” (rating 9.1) – from 5,000 rubles per night*.
Flying an airplane
14 km from Kolomna there is a private airfield “Severka” with pleasure and sightseeing flights over Kolomna. The route runs over the Kremlin, the monasteries of the Old Town and the rivers Kolomenka, Oka and Moscow.
Balloon flight
Another option to see the city from above is to fly in a hot air balloon. A great option for a gift or surprise for a loved one.
Restaurants and cafes
Below is a place where you can warm up while walking, have a hearty dinner after excursions, or just have a snack.
Old Town
Most of the restaurants and cafes worthy of attention are concentrated in the tourist part of the city near the Kremlin. Be prepared for the fact that some of them may not have free tables, especially on holidays. I advise you to call and book in advance.
- House with a mezzanine. Russian cuisine restaurant, coffee shop and pastry shop. St. Lazhechnikova, 4.
- Gerberg 1st Number. Russian noble cuisine and 33 types of tinctures. St. Lazhechnikova, 10.
- Hints. Art cafe is a project of a Kolomna artist. St. Lazhechnikova, 5.
- Marfa Solomonova. Russian and Israeli cuisine. Homemade signature dishes. St. Pushkina, 2.
- Fair on Zhitnaya Square. Street cafes with takeaway food. St. Zaitseva, 34.
- Good cake. Family cafe and pastry shop, there are burgers. St. Zaitseva, 13.
- Viet Lotus. Small Vietnamese cafe with large portions of Pho Bo. St. Zaitseva, 17.
- Knuckles up. Beer bistro: knuckles, dumplings and more. St. Krasnogvardeyskaya, 3.
- Lovelace sea bass. Fish restaurant and wine bar. St. Yana Grunta, 24.
- Viva La Pretzel. European cafe and bakery, breakfasts from 8 am. St. October Revolution, 209.
- Restaurant in the house of the merchant Morozova. Roman pizza, pasta, hot dishes, wine cellar. St. October Revolution, 210.
Golutvin
If you were unable to find a free table in the Old Town, or you are close to the bus and train station in the Golutvin area, I suggest a few more places where you can eat.
- Handles up. English version. Pub with knuckles, steaks and burgers. St. October Revolution, 366/2.
- Lounge Сafe Pastila. European cuisine in original design. St. October Revolution, 301.
- Dedis pizza. Small pizzeria with a wood-burning oven, pasta and soups. St. October Revolution, 301.
- No pretentiousness. Cozy coffee shop with breakfast, waffles and bagels. St. October Revolution, 340.
Fast food and self-service
If you need a quick bite, here is a list of fast food cafes in different areas of Kolomna.
- Mix Point. St. Lenina, 80A.
- Dodo Pizza. Sovetskaya Square, 7.
- Food court with a variety of everything in the Rio shopping center. St. October Revolution, 362.
*Prices are current at the time of publication.
