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Chelyabinsk residents call their city the capital of the Southern Urals, which is incorrect from a geographical point of view, but reflects the essence of the city. This is a large metropolis south of Yekaterinburg and east of the Ural Mountains, famous for its powerful metallurgical plants, space disasters and the all-Russian meme – “tough men”. The latter, however, is a myth: very hospitable people live here, who know a lot about entertainment of all kinds.
Spending a weekend in Chelyabinsk will be interesting for residents of Yekaterinburg, Ufa, Tyumen, Perm and other nearby cities, the journey from which will not take much time.
The approximate travel budget for one person is from 4,000 rubles.*
- Round-trip train tickets 1,270 rubles;
Planes fly from Moscow to Chelyabinsk every day. The cheapest ticket costs 2,199 rubles, and the flight lasts 2.5 hours. - 1 night in a hostel – from 350 rubles* or in a 3* hotel – from 500 rubles;
- The average bill in a cafe is 400 rubles;
- Walks around the city, travel on public transport, souvenirs – 800 rubles.
1. Yuzhnouralskaya Arbat
You should start exploring the city from Kirovka, a pedestrian street in the very center of the city. The symbolic gate of Kirovka overlooks the main square of Chelyabinsk, it is not long, but there is something to see here: it is on the Chelyabinsk “Arbat” that you can see a combination of ancient merchant buildings and modern high-rise office centers, rare for megacities, take a photo next to the sculptures of a policeman, a beggar, a fashionable coquette or a guitarist painfully reminiscent of Alexander Rosenbaum. Don’t ignore Lefty with his metal flea and the cast iron camels that must have escaped from the city’s coat of arms.
Here, on Kirovka, you can listen to street musicians, watch performances by artists, take part in regularly occurring flash mobs on a variety of topics, and visit boutiques. And if you are tired and hungry, then numerous cafes and bars are always happy to open their doors. In the Irish pub Fox & Goose, for example, at one time the presidents of Russia and Kazakhstan, Vladimir Putin and Nursultan Nazarbayev, did not disdain to treat themselves to beer. And in the late afternoon, it’s worth visiting the MeetPoint chain with its dance floor – there are not only excellent steaks and barbecue, but also mind-blowing themed parties.
Operating Hours Fox & Goose: 11-00–24-00.**
Social network page.
MeetPoint opening hours: 11-00 – 05-00.**
Social network page.
2. Local history museum with the remains of the famous meteorite
Having completed your tour of Kirovka, don’t be lazy to walk just a couple hundred meters more: on the banks of the Miass River, the main and only, albeit fairly overgrown, water artery of Chelyabinsk, there is a regional museum of local lore. Prices are reasonable, guides are friendly. Here you can admire the tusks of prehistoric South Ural mammoths and the sabers of quite historical Bashkirs and Tatars, who lived in the South Urals from time immemorial. And from recent history – a hefty piece of the Chelyabinsk meteorite that rushed over the city on February 15, 2013. The space guest fell into Lake Chebarkul, 80 kilometers from Chelyabinsk, but even flying past, he managed to do a lot of things: the area of windows knocked out by the sound wave can be measured in square kilometers, and how many Chelyabinsk residents spent nerves trying to get through to their relatives and friends and convince them that this a meteorite, and not the third world war – not a single medical institute can count.
By the way, you can also buy souvenirs in the museum. At one time, both here and at flea markets in different parts of the city, perfumes “with the smell of a meteorite” and even pieces of melted metal—supposedly that same heavenly iron—sold with a bang.
Opening hours of the local history museum:
Tue-Fri: 10-00 — 19-00.**
Sun: 11-00 —19-00.**
Closed: Monday.
Website: chelmuseum.ru
3. Park of Culture and Leisure named after Gagarin
It is not for nothing that the Southern Urals are called the “second Switzerland”: here, like in the Alps, there are old low mountains and endless forests. There is a piece of this nature in industrial Chelyabinsk. The Gagarin Culture and Leisure Park smoothly merges into the city forest, stretching many kilometers to the west of the city center. But those looking for entertainment do not need to delve into the labyrinth of old paths, on which Chelyabinsk residents themselves sometimes get lost. There are no mountains or rocks in PKiO, but here you can feel like a real Tarzan: the cable cars of the “Forest Extreme” attraction are stretched over a large part of the “civilized” territory of the city forest. Put on your climbing harness and off you go to the trees! Fans of active recreation will certainly appreciate the opportunity to zip over the heads of passers-by or over the surface of an old pond, then climb up a rope network even higher, where the next obstacles (but surmountable even without special training) and adventures (which are sure to end well) will await you.
Rope park opening hours: 11-00 – 21-00.**
Website of the rope park: les-extrem.ru.
4. Theaters of Chelyabinsk
For lovers of cultural leisure arriving in Chelyabinsk, it is certainly recommended to visit the Drama Theater named after Naum Orlov. The oldest temple of muses in the Southern Urals (it’s 96!) still delights connoisseurs of drama, comedy and tragedy. The theater’s repertoire includes productions for every taste – from the classic “Hamlet” to the modern “Lady for a Day” from the popular director Dmitry Astrakhan, and famous federal troupes perform here on tour.
Connoisseurs of informal art will find something to their taste at the Railwaymen’s Palace of Culture – the theater-studio “At the Locomotive” has been operating here for many years, and local amateur actors regularly perform amazing plays. In front of a small hall with only fifty seats, the “locomotive workers” present daring, young works – “The Last Woman of Señor Juan”, “Salute to the Dinosaurs”, “We Are Different”. And although formally the status of the studio is amateur, the intensity of passions on the local scene is no lower than that of honored professionals.
Drama website. Theater named after N. Orlov: cheldrama.ru.
Page on the social network of the theater-studio “At the Locomotive”.
5. Jurassic Culture Park
Remember, we talked about mammoth tusks in the local history museum? Visitors to the Gagarin Park and Culture Park can immerse themselves in the Earth’s past even deeper than fans of quiet historical exhibitions. Having finished with the “Forest Extreme”, those who wish can get into the Mesozoic era on the territory of the “Lost World” dino park. Yes, the dinosaurs here aren’t exactly real. But nevertheless, thrills are guaranteed even for the brave: few beginners are able to maintain their composure when, at the turn of the path, they are greeted with a jagged grin by a two-meter oviraptor, eerily similar to a smaller copy of the famous tyrannosaurus, which made itself a punk “Iroquois”. And this raptor is screaming from speakers disguised in the grass… And how he clicks his teeth! But don’t be alarmed, it’s just that this fossil protects its future cubs – there they are, eggs, in the grass under its clawed paws.
However, there are plenty of peaceful monsters in The Lost World. For example, the ducks in the local pond have long been accustomed to being next to a plesiosaur (yes, that same Loch Ness monster!),
and are not shy about picking up bread crumbs from the water right under the flippers of an ancient reptile.
Dinopark opening hours: 11-00 – 20-00.**
Site: chelzoo.ru.
6. Cafe “Tomato”
In Chelyabinsk, of course, there are fast foods of federal and international brands – from McDonald’s to Subway, but local residents often prefer almost home-made food to them. For example, from Pomodor pizzerias, which can be found in every corner of the city. Cheerful young guys and girls will quickly and deliciously eat any of the two dozen signature pizzas here, prepare pasta and other masterpieces of Italian cuisine, willingly serve a glass of limoncella or tomato drink as an aperitif, and after the meal – tea or coffee with dessert, and if there is a desire – so is beer from a home brewery. Here they are deservedly proud of the repeatedly won “Golden Fork” – a city culinary award, the winners of which are determined annually. But “Pomodor” also pleases with its relatively low price tag: for 250-500 rubles per person you can arrange a real feast here, and you can find pizzerias at the beginning of Kirovka in the historical center of the city, and in the area of the vast recreation park, and in Kalininsky or Traktorozavodsky areas – if someone wants to look at the power of the former Tankograd.
Pomodoro opening hours: 12-00 – 00-00.**
Network website: hce.ru
7. Relaxation on the lake
The Chelyabinsk region is called “the land of a thousand lakes,” but the city itself is unlucky in this regard: there are reservoirs, but you can swim in them only if you have a serious degree of Chelyabinsk “severity.” They say that even the elephants from the Warsaw Zoo, after splashing in Lake Smolino, were not very happy.
However, there is a way out for beach lovers. Minibus taxis from the center will easily take those who wish to the sun, air and water – for example, to Lake Kremenkul.
Formally, this reservoir is located outside the city and private cottages have long grown on its banks. Here, official and “wild” beaches, numerous cafes, parking lots, barbecue areas and other gifts of civilization in the lap of nature are at the service of the suffering. The main thing is to guess the changeable Chelyabinsk weather, because the arid calm in a matter of hours can give way to a biblical flood. Which, however, has its own charm.
* 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.
Text author: Kirill Babushkin
When planning a trip, make your hotel reservations in advance. OneTwoTrip offers more than two million accommodation properties worldwide.
