“Vladivostok-2000”. Now this is not only a line from Ilya Lagutenko’s chorus, but also a bill known throughout the country. By the way, the bridge depicted on the banknote became the hallmark of the city almost as soon as it was built. After that, several more large objects entered the list of top places in Vladivostok – the campus of the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) and the Primorsky Oceanarium.
Spending a weekend in Vladivostok will be interesting for residents of Khabarovsk, Ussuriysk, Nakhodka and other nearby cities, the journey from which will not take much time.
Approximate travel budget for one person – from 4,050 rubles*.
- Round-trip train tickets (from Khabarovsk) from 1,582 rubles*. You can fly from Moscow to Vladivostok every day. Prices start from 13,200 rubles* one way. The flight lasts from 8 hours.
- 1 night in a hostel – from 320 rubles* or in a 3* hotel – from 2,513 rubles*;
- The average bill in a cafe is 400 rubles;
- Walks around the city, travel on public transport, souvenirs – 1000 rubles.
FEFU Embankment on Russian Island
Photo: Ovchinnikova Irina/Shutterstock.com
Entrance to the campus was opened to all citizens in the summer of 2014. Since then, at any time of the year, every weekend, the FEFU embankment resembles Nevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg: there is beauty all around and many tourists. And from July to September, when the water temperature in Ajax Bay rises to 20-25 degrees, local residents fill the entire beach area, a little more than one kilometer long.
The entire campus area is 800,000 square meters. These include educational buildings, exhibition complexes, and a walking area, which will be the most interesting for tourists. Since in Vladivostok there are no longer well-groomed massive parks with trees, ponds and a waterfall, it is worth going for a walk to the Russian Island.
You can get here only via a modern cable-stayed bridge – the second highest in the world (324 meters).
Where is: Russky Island, Ajax stop
Entrance to the territory: free
Primorsky Oceanarium
Photo: Ovchinnikova Irina/Shutterstock.com
Russian Island is an integral part of Vladivostok, with its own attractions around every turn. For example, the Primorsky Oceanarium with 500 species of marine species and river inhabitants. And also a show with Misha the walrus, dolphins, sea lions, seals and white whales.
The scientific and educational complex is divided into three exhibitions: the zone of the prehistoric period, the polar world and tropical forests. In addition to aquariums with fish, there are interactive areas and touch screens with information about a particular species, the animal’s habitat, etc. Excursions are organized for all visitors. By the way, if the ticket price seems high, you can take a walk in the open area of the aquarium for free. Admission is free.
Where is: Russky Island, Academician Kasyanov Street, 25
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 9:30-18:30, closed Monday**
Ticket cost: on weekdays – 700 rubles, on weekends and holidays – 900 rubles
Site: primocean.ru
View point “Eagle’s Nest”
Photo: Shutterstock.com
There is no need to talk long about the bridge across the Golden Horn Bay: just seeing it once is enough. The best view is from a bird’s eye view at the Eagle’s Nest observation deck (the monument to Cyril and Methodius is also located there). The bridge is especially beautiful at night, thanks to the illumination and headlights of passing cars.
Recently, the viewing platform has become famous for its graffiti: on one of the walls of a nearby building, a giant Far Eastern leopard is painted – the symbol and pride of the Primorsky Territory.
The image of the rarest big cat on the planet was created by South African graffiti artist Sonny as part of a worldwide campaign to protect endangered animals. Vladivostok became the first city in Russia where such work appeared.
Where is located: above the viaduct from the upper funicular station or above the Funicular bus stop
Svetlanskaya and Pushkinskaya
Photo: saiko3p/Shutterstock.com
Moscow for tourists begins with Red Square, and Vladivostok begins with Svetlanskaya, the first and main street of the city. Here: shopping centers, cafes, hostels, museums, cinemas, GUM and much more. It is on Svetlanskaya that there are many old houses of the late 19th – early 20th centuries.
Business and residential buildings from past centuries can also be found on Pushkinskaya Street. Of particular interest are mansions in the Gothic style, buildings similar to knight’s castles, and facades with patterned metal grilles, reminiscent of the era of “romantic modernism”.
Where is located: the starting point from Svetlanskaya to Pushkinskaya – the Ocean cinema or the Ussuri cinema
Cable car
Photo: Bayurov Alexander/Shutterstock.com
The funicular is a unique type of public transport. This type of rail tram operates only in Sochi and Vladivostok (not to be confused with cable cars, which are sometimes also called funiculars).
Primorsky funicular is just two cable-driven carriages that run up and down the slope of the Orlina hill, connecting Pushkinskaya and Sukhanov streets. The length of the route is 183 meters, which is 1.5 minutes on the road. Not long-lasting, cheap and effective.
Address: lower funicular station on the street. Pushkinskaya, 29
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 07:00-20:00, Sun 07:30-20:00**
Fare: 12 rubles
Old GUM courtyard
Photo: Ovchinnikova Irina/Shutterstock.com
It’s always crowded, noisy and European-cosy: music is playing, there are many coffee shops, workshops, a hairdresser, and there are several places with street art for selfies or full-fledged photo sessions.
The courtyard is located inside the old GUM building. The department store began its history back in 1884, when Vladivostok was only 24 years old.
GUM address: Svetlanskaya street, 35
Sports Embankment
Photo: Sergey Berg
Another place where you can feel the spirit of the city and have a great time. This place received this name thanks to the Dynamo stadium, built here in the 50s of the last century.
There are many cafes along the embankment, and there is a children’s park with attractions and a Ferris wheel. In warm weather, you can lie on the beach here (swimming is prohibited),
order your portrait from a street artist, ride a Ferris wheel, rent a bicycle or Segway.
One of the embankment’s attractions is the Vladivostok Fortress Museum. The protective structure was built back in the 19th century. Now, in addition to the stone walls, there are many examples of weapons from different times on display here. From the museum grounds there is an excellent view of the Sports Embankment and the Amur Bay.
Where it is: next to the Central Square of the city
Ship Embankment
Photo: saiko3p/Shutterstock.com
Korabelnaya Embankment is located in the very center of Vladivostok on the shore of Zolotoy Rog Bay.
Here they see off and greet sailors, and at noon the cannon roars. This is where the history of the city begins: it was on the northern shore of the bay that, by order of Governor General Nikolai Muravyov-Amursky, the military post of Vladivostok was founded in the summer of 1860, which 20 years later received the status of a city.
From Korabelnaya Embankment there is a road to the young Tsesarevich Embankment, built not far from the supports of the Golden Bridge in 2012. Parents with children, cyclists and rollerbladers especially like to come here.
Where it is: down 30 meters from the Tsarevich Arch or the city museum to Peter the Great Street, 6
The main building of the museum named after. V. K. Arsenyeva
Photo: vk.com/arsenievstatemuseum
The Vladimir Klavdievich Arsenyev Museum in Vladivostok operates under the motto: “Man. Space. Time”. This is the first local history museum in the Far East since 1884. The halls have been expanding their collections for 130 years with the participation of Far Eastern researchers, patrons and donors. Today, the complete collection consists of more than 400,000 originals. For example, the history of the city during the Civil War is stored here – in the form of photographs, notes and uniforms; artifacts of the Bohai era found in Primorye; letters from Mrs. Eleanor Prey from Vladivostok to America and much more.
The main building of the museum on Svetlanskaya is equipped for blind and hard of hearing visitors; master classes and classes for schoolchildren are held here. There are permanent and temporary exhibitions on three floors.
Address: Svetlanskaya street, 20
Operating hours: daily 10:00-19:00**
Ticket prices need to be confirmed with the administrator
Site: arseniev.org
Tokarevsky Mayak
Photo: Alexander Khitrov/Shutterstock.com
A port city is unthinkable without a lighthouse; it is located on the Egerschöld cape. The Tokarevskaya cat lighthouse has been helping ships in Peter the Great Bay since 1910.
The tower stands on the tip of Tokarevsky’s cat. Koshka is a narrow rocky spit about 750 meters long. Now it is artificially raised and looks like a dam. The depths in the immediate vicinity of the cat are shallow, and tidal currents are fast, this greatly complicates the passage of ships between the cat and Cape Bezymyanny in the Eastern Bosphorus Strait. The lighthouse shows where the cat ends. The range of the beacon’s fire is 12 miles.
By the way, next to the lighthouse, depending on the time of year, either townspeople or spotted seals swim in the sea. The water here is quite clean.
Where is: Mayak final stop, further along the main road 1.5 kilometers towards the sea (on the map)
Safari Park
Photo: Frida Bredesen/Unsplash.com
Tourists from all over the world come to Primorsky Safari Park. Including journalists from the National Geographic Channel for filming the next episodes of the program. There are practically no cages in the park; animals move freely around the territory. This is about 300 birds and animals on 9 hectares.
The Safari Park gained particular popularity and “likes” on social networks when the story of the friendship between the tiger Amur and the goat Timur thundered throughout the country.
Where is located: 39 kilometers from the Vladivostok-Nakhodka state highway, Shkotovo village
Working hours: from 9:00 to 17:00 seven days a week**
Visit cost: 300-450 rubles depending on the excursion
Park website: safaripark25.ru
Photo: Shutterstock.com
Supra
Supra is a Georgian restaurant with very affordable prices, a colorful atmosphere, a rich and tasty assortment and a long queue. The downside of the establishment is that it does not provide “reservations”. It doesn’t matter if two guests want to have dinner, or fifteen people come for lunch.
All you need to do is contact the administrator at the entrance and find out if there are free seats. There is no table – take a ticket for the queue and wait. Waiting time: from 10 minutes to 1.5 hours, depending on how busy the restaurant is.
According to many visitors (even those who waited several hours on Friday or Saturday evening),
the result is worth the wait. As a rule, people fall in love with Supra after the first khinkali and Adjarian-style khachapuri.
Average check: 700 rubles
Opening hours: 12:00-24:00**
Site: supravl.ru
* Prices for travel and accommodation are indicated at the time of writing. The cost indicated in the material and the final price may vary depending on the season and time for which tickets are purchased.
**Operating hours of organizations are indicated at the time of publication of the text. Opening hours may vary depending on the time of year.
Convenient site for booking hotels around the world — OneTwoTrip.
Text author: Valeria Belous
Preview photo: Kamilla Blashchuk/Shutterstock.com
