The most beautiful time has come – golden autumn. Don’t waste sunny bright days in the city – go for a walk and admire the beauty! We have selected several places around the city where you can have a great time.
Visit an interesting museum and take a walk
Muranovo Estate
Photo: A. Koturanov
50 km from Moscow along the Yaroslavl railway
A rare example of a perfectly preserved Russian noble estate of the 19th century. Built according to the drawings of the poet Evgeny Baratynsky, the house looks modest, but at the same time very cozy and homely. It seems that the owners went out for a while and will return soon. Coming here is precisely for this feeling of family warmth and peace.
And, of course, take a walk: there is a small park around the estate. It has no flower beds or decorations, but is beautiful in its own right thanks to the hills and spruce forest. And Gogol and Aksakov once fished in the local pond. Walk along the pink and linden alleys, look at the perfectly preserved outbuildings, admire the ponds and breathe in the fresh autumn air. Great reboot for the weekend!
Ticket prices
Entrance ticket to the territory: 50 rubles
Entrance ticket to the museum: 100 rubles
Amateur photography in the museum: 100 rubles
Sightseeing tour of the territory (45 minutes): 1000 rubles
How to get there
You need to go by train from the Yaroslavsky station to the Sofrino or Ashukinskaya station, then by bus No. 34 to the Muranovo Museum stop.
By car, take the Yaroslavskoye Highway to the Small Moscow Ring (about 30 km). You need to drive around the ring for about 5 km, after crossing the railway, turn right to Sofrino. Then drive along the main road until the sign “Muranovo Estate”. The entire journey takes a little over an hour.
Where to eat
You can try pies, pancakes and pastries at the Buffet in the Barn cafe: it is located on the estate next to the house church. For lunch, depending on the season, borscht and okroshka are served. Grab the local Muranovo waffles and meringues.
If you want to eat well, go to the Lesnaya Skazka cafe, located on the territory of the cottage village of the same name, a kilometer from the estate. You can have a hearty lunch here: the menu includes pizza, salads, and meat dishes.
Melikhovo Museum-Reserve
Photo: @moscowmix/@chekhovmuseum/Instagram.com
80 km towards Serpukhov
If you love the work of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, you should definitely come here. However, if you are indifferent to the writer’s plays and stories, this is also no reason to leave Melikhovo aside: both the estate itself and the garden around it are perfect for a weekend trip.
Chekhov lived in Melikhovo for seven years, built several schools, worked as a doctor and, of course, wrote. A small outbuilding has been preserved on the territory, where “The Seagull” is written – this is evidenced by a sign hung by Anton Pavlovich himself. In general, he loved to make the garden and house unusual: look for a three-room birdhouse called the “Pete House,” visit the “South of France” (as Chekhov called the vegetable garden) and admire the “Aquarium” pond. And on the “Alley of Love,” they say, romantic wishes come true.
And if the weather is not cooperating, take a walk around the house, where the environment in which the writer lived has been preserved, and look into the school in the village – in it you can see a classroom and apartment of a rural teacher typical of the late 19th century.
Ticket prices
Entrance ticket with museum tour: 260 rubles
Sightseeing tour: 350 rubles for 1 hour. The duration depends on the choice of objects visited.
How to get there
By bus: from the Yuzhnaya metro station, take bus No. 365 to the Chekhov station, then transfer to bus/minibus No. 25 to the Selo Melikhovo stop
By train: from the Kursk station by train to the Chekhov station, then transfer to bus/minibus No. 25 to the stop “Selo Melikhovo”
By car, drive about 60 km along the Simferopol highway (M2), then turn towards Melikhovo.
Where to eat
You can have a snack on the territory of the museum: there is a cafe with a veranda, which is open in the summer, and an indoor hall, which is open in the fall and winter.
If you want to eat thoroughly, it is better to get to Chekhov (about 11 km from the museum). There you can choose, for example, the chain “Chaikhona No. 1” or “Shokoladnitsa” or a local establishment – “Kuznitsa A&C” (traditional cuisine) or “2tone Bar” (burgers and fries).
M.M. Prishvin House-Museum in Dunin
Photo: @miss__elize/@zanv/Instagram.com
30 km from Moscow, near Zvenigorod
The house that Mikhail Mikhailovich purchased in 1946 is located in a very picturesque place, and from the veranda (which the writer himself called a terrace) there is a beautiful view of the river. It’s worth coming here to see the writer’s life: the furnishings from his lifetime, Prishvin’s library and even his car have been preserved here.
The museum itself is wonderful: very soulful, atmospheric and cozy. It is best to take a tour: the guides here are of the old school: in love with their work and with the life of the writer, they help you get to know him not only as the author of stories about nature. But even if you are not too interested in the life and work of Prishvin, come here to see what summer cottages were like in the middle of the last century; the atmosphere and spirit of the place have been preserved and conveyed very accurately.
Ticket prices
Entrance ticket: 200 rubles
Tour of the house: 200 rubles
On the last Friday of every month you can visit the museum for free, although you will have to pay for the tour (but you can do without it).
How to get there
By minibus: from the Molodezhnaya metro station, take minibus No. 121 to the final stop “Lesnye Dali”, then walk 20 minutes to the village of Dunino following the signs. Travel time is about an hour and a half.
By car, drive along Rublevo-Uspenskoye Highway (A106) to the end, then follow the signs. Enter “Dunino” in your navigator.
Where to eat
You’ll have to go for food. A little over three kilometers away, in the village of Sinkovo, there is a cozy Burgers cafe that serves delicious burgers. You can also get to Zvenigorod (5 km) and choose one of the local restaurants – the stylish Atelier, the atmospheric Chekhov Was Here, or the simpler and more family-friendly Brother Rabbit.
Walk through beautiful places
Romantsevskie Mountains
Photo: @xandr.o/Instagram.com
250 km from Moscow, Tula region
Did you know that just a few hours from Moscow there are practically real mountains? Okay, not exactly mountains – abandoned coal mines, but this place is considered one of the most beautiful in the Tula region. The Romantsevsky Mountains – they are also called the Ushakovsky quarries or Konduks, after the name of the village located nearby – were formed in the 60s of the last century thanks to the mining of brown coal. Production was suspended in the 80s and completely closed in the 90s. Then the rain and snow took over, and here is the result – mountains, lakes with colorful water and other beauty just a few hours drive from Moscow.
This is an ideal place for an unusual photo shoot: black “mountains” (the height of the largest is about 200 meters),
blue lakes, twisted trees. The view from the highest ledge is incredible. For the trip, it is better to choose dry, clear weather: this way you can drive almost to the quarries themselves. Otherwise, you will have to walk for about 20 minutes. Please note that the distances in the mountains themselves are considerable, and it is better to spend the whole day exploring.
Ticket prices
Free
How to get there
By bus: from the Krasnogvardeyskaya bus station by bus to the city of Bogoroditsk, from there by bus to the village of Konduki and then on foot for about a kilometer.
By train: train from Paveletsky station to Zhdanka station, from there to Bogoroditsk bus station and then by bus to the village of Konduki.
By car you need to go there along the M4 highway, the journey will take 3-4 hours depending on traffic jams. There will be two toll road sections along the way. Enter the coordinates 53.849196, 38.359896 into your navigator – you can get to this point by any car. After that, walk through the field for 10-15 minutes, you will see a small mountain to the right.
Where to eat
There are no cafes or restaurants nearby, so stock up on a thermos with tea and containers with sandwiches. The nearest public catering establishment is in the town of Uzlovaya, 30 km away by car.
Sychevsky sand dunes
Photo: @pavellagun/@_natali_karelina_/Instagram.com
100 km along Novorizhskoe highway
Another exotic place for our latitudes is the sand dunes located near the village of Sychevo, Volokolamsk district, Moscow region. Of course, the best time here is in the summer, when you can swim in the lakes and sandboard on the slopes of one of the dunes. But even in the fall it’s worth looking at such an unusual phenomenon.
These dunes are not natural, but man-made: they were created by sand and gravel mining that began in the 1960s and continues to this day. The sand here, by the way, is of excellent quality: it was used, for example, in the construction of the Moscow Ring Road and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
Lakes with blue and green water formed in the mined out part of the quarries. The shores are covered with the purest sand. The beaches here are wild and unequipped. The lakes are home to small fish – bream, crucian carp, perch and roach. And in the dunes you can see dwarf plants, unusual for central Russia.
Don’t forget to also stop by the village of Sychevo to look at the Pallas’s cat and other animals: here is the Moscow Zoo’s nursery, where rare animals are bred. Actually, it is closed to visitors, but they say that if you ask, they will let you in and even give you a tour.
How to get there
By bus: bus No. 307 runs from Tushinskaya metro station to Volokolamsk. It passes through Sychevo, most importantly, ask the driver to inform you about the stop.
By train: from Rizhsky station take the train to Volokolamsk, then transfer to bus No. 24 and get to the final stop “Sychevo”.
By car: along the Novorizhskoe highway (M9) approximately 80 km to the turn to Sychevo and another 5 km to the quarries themselves.
Where to eat
There is no cafe in Sychev itself, so stock up on food with you or go for lunch towards Volokolamsk (26 km). There you can find both McDonald’s and non-chain establishments.
Waterfall Gremyachiy Klyuch
Photo: Alex/mytravelbook.org
107 km along Yaroslavl highway. 17 km from Sergiev Posad
A very beautiful place in the Sergiev Posad region. The waterfall is located near the Vondiga River next to the wooden chapel of St. Sergius of Radonezh. According to legend, it was through his prayer that the source appeared. In warmer weather, you can swim in the spring (it is considered healing) and plunge into the font, but in the fall it is too cold for this: the water in the waterfall is icy, +6 degrees. The river is also not suitable for swimming: in this place the current is very stormy and noisy, a kind of corner of the mountains in the Moscow region.
The area around the waterfall is landscaped: wooden stairs and bridges, there is a gazebo for relaxation. But the road to the place from nearby villages, unfortunately, is not very good: you will have to leave the car (unless you have an SUV) and walk.
How to get there
By public transport: go from Yaroslavsky station to Sergiev Posad by train, then transfer to a bus. No. 37 stops in the village of Shiltsy, from where it is about 5 km on foot to the waterfall through the village of Lyapino. You can also take bus No. 120 and get off at the Malinniki stop, and then walk about 4 km through the village of Vzglyadnevo.
Where to eat
The closest place with a cafe is Sergiev Posad. There are a huge number of different cafes and restaurants, from pizzerias (“Mario Pizza”, “Dodo Pizza”) and family cafes (“Guest Hut”, “Stoves-Bench”) to coffee shops (“Popeye’s Coffee House”, “Montana Coffee”).
Look at unusual places
Ethnomir in Borovsk
Photo: @ethnomir.ru/Instagram.com
90 km from Moscow along the Kyiv or Minsk highway
An amazing and unique place, where it’s worth coming for a few days – fortunately, Ethnomir has several good hotels. A small model of the human planet is being created on the vast territory of the cultural and educational center. The USSR Museum, the Museum of Nomadic Peoples, the Museum of Belarus, museums of samovars and irons and many other exhibitions that will be of interest not only to adults, but also to children have already been opened. And on weekends the planetarium opens.
You can go on one of 50 excursions or attend a master class, or you can simply walk around the territory, viewing exhibits and going into ethnoyards – recreated islands of culture of certain nationalities with houses and workshops. Hotels, by the way, are also part of ethnic courtyards, so you can stay in a hut, hut, yurt or Indian palace.
Ticket prices
On weekends, holidays and festivals: 600 rubles. On weekdays 500 rubles. Children under 5 years old are free. Introductory sightseeing tour (2 hours): 400 rubles.
How to get there
By train from Kievsky station to Balabanovo station, then by bus to Borovsk (departs every 20-30 minutes), then change to the bus to Ethnomir.
By car, take the M3 highway until the sign for Balabanovo, Borovsk, Ruza. Turn right, continue to the big fork, keep to the right, and continue straight on Highway 108 for 11 km. Then follow the sign “Ethnoworld”.
Pilgrim Porto Film City
Photo: @julia_studenova/Instagram.com
15 km from Moscow
Another amazing place for a walk is a naturalistic town that imitates an 18th-century European town. This is the scenery left over from the filming of the series “Notes of the Forwarder of the Secret Chancery.” Today you can come here to walk along the narrow crooked streets, look at the ancient residential buildings, the market square and the city hall. Later, as a tribute to fashion, they added the sailing ship of Captain Jack Sparrow, which was built according to sketches of real ships.
Before your trip, check the film city website to make sure it is open on the right day: sometimes it is completely closed for corporate events or filming.
The beautiful Serednikovo estate is located nearby, so you can visit two places at once.
Ticket prices
Entrance ticket: 150 rubles
Ticket with photography rights: 1000 rubles
How to get there
By car, go along the Leningradskoye Shosse, then at the 34th kilometer turn left towards Firsanovka. Get to the Serednikovo estate, the film city is located nearby.
By public transport: take the train from Leningradsky station to Firsanovka station, transfer to bus No. 40 to the Mtsyri sanatorium.
Where to eat
The nearest cafes are in Khimki – the Skhodnya district is 15 minutes from the film city by car. There you can find quite a lot of catering establishments of different quality and prices – the ubiquitous McDonald’s, several pizzerias (Ti amo, Osteria Mario), and even a gastrobar (Nekrasov).
To rent a hotel room, use the travel planning service OneTwoTrip.
