The closure of borders for a true traveler is not a tragedy, but an opportunity to explore their native expanses. We have compiled a list of places that are different from Russia: in case you miss traveling abroad, but are too lazy to apply for a visa when you can travel again.
Get out of Moscow for the day
Bykovo
What it’s like: English Victorian manor house with landscaped park and church, reminiscent of the architecture of Budapest and Prague.
How to get there: by train from Kazansky station to the Udelnaya platform, then by minibus No. 23 or 39 to the Temple stop; by bus No. 424 or 478 from the Vykhino metro station; by bus No. 441 or minibus No. 525 from the Kuzminki metro station; by personal transport.
A quaint neo-Gothic church and a manor house that looks like it was transported to the Moscow region from the movie “Atonement” is the ideal place to escape for a few hours from the boring daily routine. Both buildings are projects by the famous architect Vasily Bazhenov: he created his park in the image and likeness of the noble houses of England, and when building the church he simply gave free rein to his imagination. For almost three centuries of its existence, the estate was both a children’s colony and a tuberculosis sanatorium. Fortunately, this did not leave any dark imprint. Today Bykovo is abandoned, but this gives it a certain charm.
Konduki, or Romantsevskie Mountains
What it’s like: US national parks.
How to get there: by train from Moskovsky station or by bus from bus stations “Teply Stan”, “Krasnogvardeyskaya”, “Orekhovo” to Tula, then by bus to Bogoroditsk, from there by taxi. But it’s most convenient to use a personal car.
The most favorite location of Instagram influencers in the Tula region. A completely alien landscape: blue and green lakes, relief canyons. This landscape is the result of coal mining, deposits of which were once very close to the surface. The Romantsevskie Mountains are especially beautiful at sunset. In warm weather, it is better to come here with a tent and stay overnight: photogenic fog often appears at dawn, and you can swim and fish in the lakes. True, there is a chance of becoming an unwitting participant in a night rave – not everyone who comes observes silence at night.
Arkhangelskoye
What it’s like: Parc of Versailles.
How to get there: by buses No. 549 and 541 or minibus No. 151 from the Tushinskaya metro station to the Sanatorium stop.
The wonderful country estate, where Pushkin and Karamzin came to stay, is today open to visitors: it is a huge luxurious park with galleries, gardens, grottoes and sculptures. Also on the territory there are several palace buildings-museums, the interiors of which, of course, are slightly inferior to those of Versailles, but it is still interesting to walk through them. Arkhangelskoye is beautiful in absolutely any weather and season, and you can come here countless times – just relax your soul, wander along the shady alleys, ride in a sleigh and drink hot herbal tea with pies.
Pilgrim Porto Film Town
What it looks like:ancient Dutch settlement.
How to get there: from the Leningradsky train station by train to the Firsanovka station, from there – on foot, by taxi or bus No. 40 to the Sanatorium stop “Mtsyri.”
The film town is a set built for the filming of the series “Notes of the Forwarder of the Secret Chancellery” (and later repeatedly used in other film projects) and depicting a European port city of the 18th century. If wandering the fake streets and taking photographs at the pillory does not seem interesting enough to you, nearby there is the estate of Lermontov’s grandmother – Serednikovo. Enough entertainment for the whole day!
Spend the weekend
Vyborg (Leningrad region)
What it’s like: Scandinavia.
How to get there: from St. Petersburg by train or Lastochka train from the Finlyandsky station or by bus from the Parnas metro station.
The Leningrad region itself is similar to northern Europe, but Vyborg is especially similar. At different periods of its history, this city belonged not only to Russia, but also to Sweden and Finland: from those times, a castle-fortress, bastions, several colorful houses and streets lined with paving stones have been preserved. Even the main local delicacy, the Vyborg pretzel, is more reminiscent of a pretzel than a domestic kalach! By the way, around Vyborg there is beautiful northern nature with pine forests. A six-minute drive from the center on the shores of the Gulf of Finland is the peaceful (and almost always deserted) Mon Repos Park, created by an architect invited from Italy.
Where to stay:
- Apart-hotel “Sampo”. Per night for two from 2,000 rubles.
- Viking Hotel. Per night for two from 3,800 rubles.
- Victoria Hotel. Per night for two from 6,200 rubles.
Elista (Republic of Kalmykia)
Photo: kolt_duo/Shutterstock.com
What it’s like: Mongolia.
How to get there: from Volgograd by bus from the Central bus station .
Kalmykia is a unique region. Firstly, it’s like you’re transported back to the last century. In a good way: hospitable people who look at travelers with curiosity, conductors on minibuses, cozy small canteens instead of expensive restaurants. Secondly, the local nature is picturesque steppes without trees on the horizon, an unusual sight for the average Muscovite. And most importantly – amazing Buddhist khuruls, monasteries and pagodas, reminiscent of Mongolian temples. By the way, it is here, in the Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni, that the largest Buddha statue in Russia is located – nine meters in height. Local cuisine is a separate matter. Tourists remember horse meat, lamb entrails soup and tea with butter and salt for a long time. Oddly enough, with delight.
Where to stay:
- Hotel “Island”. Per night for two from 2,000 rubles.
- White Lotus Hotel. Per night for two from 3,500 rubles.
- Hotel Marco Polo. Per night for two from 6,000 rubles.
Yoshkar-Ola (Mari-El Republic)
What it’s like: reminiscent of Belgium in places, although the city is more suited to the “crazy eclectic” description.
How to get there: from Moscow by train.
About fifteen years ago Yoshkar-Ola was a completely unremarkable provincial town. But everything changed when the former governor decided to give the Mari capital an appearance that would be attractive to tourists. The embankment of the Kokshagi River is now called the Bruges Embankment: travelers describe it as “something between Europe and a fairyland.” There are a lot of interesting things in the city – strange monuments to historical figures and literary characters, many churches. And behind all this is an interesting history of a people who still practice paganism.
Where to stay:
- Virginia Hotel. Per night for two from 1,900 rubles.
- Hotel “Eureka”. Per night for two from 2,800 rubles.
- Hotel “REVIZOR”. Per night for two from 3,000 rubles.
Bolgar (Republic of Tatarstan)
What it looks like: Sheikh Zayed Mosque in the UAE or the Indian Taj Mahal.
How to get there: from Kazan by bus from the Yuzhny bus station.
Many people will be interested in visiting Tatarstan: Kazan has become a must-visit destination in the last few years. But not everyone gets to Bolgar. This is an ancient city-museum, which was once the capital of the medieval state of Volga Bulgaria. Here you can learn the history of this region, look at the preserved Muslim buildings and take gorgeous photos against the backdrop of the White Mosque: if you don’t put a geotag, no one will guess that you never left Russia.
Go on vacation
Lake Baskunchak (Astrakhan region)
What it looks like: Dead Sea.
How to get there: by train Moscow – Astrakhan (get off at Verkhniy Baskunchak station), then by taxi.
Lake Baskunchak is called the “All-Russian salt shaker”, because it is here that 80% of domestic salt is mined. Of course, you can explore Baskunchak in a few hours, but the best time to come here is in the summer, for a week or two: stay in a sanatorium, come every morning to a huge snow-white “beach”, where instead of sand there is a crust of salt, dangle on the water like a float, then cover yourself with healing clay from head to toe. In your free time from procedures, you can go hiking – climb Mount Bolshoye Bogdo, sacred to neighbors – Kalmyk Buddhists, and find the “singing rocks”. Or taste Kazakh cuisine and drink kumiss in a few tent restaurants.
Where to stay:
- AZIMUT Hotel Astrakhan. Per night for two from 2,300 rubles.
- Hotel “Astrakhanskaya”. Per night for two from 4,000 rubles.
- Hotel “Novomoskovskaya”. Per night for two from 4,900 rubles.
Kunashir Island (Kuril Islands)
What it’s like: Ireland.
How to get there: by plane to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, from there by boat.
When Kunashir is covered with greenery, it can easily be confused with Ireland. The Kuril Islands have their own “Giant’s Causeway”, which is almost no different in appearance from the one in Northern Ireland. This place is called Cape Stolbchaty, like its Irish “relative”, it consists of rows of multifaceted basalt columns. Summer in the Kuril Islands is usually cool and foggy, but autumn is long and warm – ideal for a visit.
Where to stay:
- Hotel “Lotus”. Per night for two from 4,100 rubles.
- Hotel “Belka”. Per night for two from 6,100 rubles.
- Mega Palace Hotel. Per night for two from 6,300 rubles.
Rosa Khutor (Sochi, Krasnodar region)
Photo : Photo: ansharphoto/Shutterstock.com
What it’s like: Andorra.
How to get there: by plane from Moscow to Sochi, from there the Sky Bus or the high-speed train “Lastochka” runs to the resort.
Rosa Khutor resembles the Principality of Andorra: colorful houses built on both sides of a fast-flowing river, majestic mountains around, balneological resorts. In summer – hiking through the green hills, in winter – alpine skiing, snowboarding, spa and mulled wine with fondue. True, Andorra is considered one of the cheapest winter resorts in Western Europe, and Rosa Khutor, on the contrary, is called the most expensive in the Krasnodar Territory. But everyone here speaks Russian!
Where to stay:
- AZIMUT FREESTYLE Hotel Rosa Khutor. Per night for two from 2,100 rubles.
- Novotel Resort Krasnaya Polyana Sochi. Per night for two from 3,800 rubles.
- Medical Spa hotel Rosa Springs. Per night for two from 7,900 rubles.
Lena River basin in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)
What is it like: China or France.
How to get there: by plane from Moscow to Yakutsk.
Yakutia is a harsh land. In winter, temperatures here can drop below -40 degrees. Local residents rely on reindeer herding, eat frozen raw meat, and make sausage from horse blood. And also it is beautiful here! On the banks of the Lena River, for example, rise the Lena Pillars – practically a double of the Chinese “floating rocks” in Zhangjiajie Park, from the views of which James Cameron drew inspiration when creating an alien landscape for the film “Avatar”. By the way, in the Lena basin there is another interesting location – the Tuculana sand dunes, very similar to the Pyla Dune in the south of France.
Where to stay:
- Hotel “Constellation”. Per night for two from 5,000 rubles.
- Hotel “Renabo”. Per night for two from 5,500 rubles.
- Hotel “Tygyn Darkhan”. Per night for two from 6,800 rubles.
Text author: Margarita Paimakova
