There are a lot of interesting things in our country – it's time to explore! marshruty-f19c72e.jpg” alt=”7 unusual places for travelers who are fed up with familiar routes” />
Ekaterina Antonova Customer Experience Director of OneTwoTrip travel planning service.
1. Fishing Village, Kaliningrad
- How to get there: by plane. A ticket from Moscow and back costs from 8,000 to 11,000 rubles.
- Where to stay: The city has a variety of accommodation options, from hostels and guest houses to five-star hotels. The minimum price per night in a hostel is 560 rubles.
The fish village appeared on Oktyabrsky Island, not far from Kant Island, quite recently – the construction of the quarter was completed in 2010. However, this part of the city has already earned the love of tourists and citizens. Half-timbered houses repeat the architectural style of Königsberg.
It's nice to just walk around here, going into the souvenir shops on the first floors. And you should definitely climb the observation tower in the form of a lighthouse: from the fifth floor you can enjoy a wonderful view of the city, on the third floor you can look into a small glass museum, and on the second floor you can drink coffee in a nice restaurant.
2. Cave monasteries, Voronezh region -bec90ba.jpg” alt=”7 unusual places for travelers who are tired of familiar routes” />
- How to get there:to Voronezh by plane (ticket from Moscow and back – within 10,000 rubles) or by train (one-way ticket – from 1,800 rubles), then either by trains and buses, or by car.
- < strong>Where to stay: A room in a hostel in Voronezh with good reviews will cost from 500 rubles per night.
Unusual monasteries are located in the Voronezh region, some of the premises of which are carved directly into the rocks . Russian version of Turkish Cappadocia.
There are three monasteries here: Holy Dormition Divnogorsky, Belogorsky Resurrection and Spassky Cave in Kostomarovo. All of them are active, the first two are male, the last is female. Everyone can visit.
We should separately note the Divnogorie reserve, on the territory of which the cave church of the Sicilian Icon of the Blessed Mother of God is located. The reserve was named in honor of divas – unusual chalk pillars that are located in this area. In addition to the church and divas, you can see the canyon, the archaeological park and the Paleolithic site. Interesting excursions are conducted around the territory.
3. Arkaim, Chelyabinsk Region
- How to get there:fly to Magnitogorsk (round-trip ticket from Moscow – from 16,000 rubles), and then by taxi or regular bus (however, it leaves early in the morning, and it will take about an hour to walk to Arkaim itself). It takes about two hours to get to the ancient city.
- Where to stay: for the best immersion in the atmosphere, choose accommodation in Arkaim itself. For a fee, you can set up your own tent at the campsite. Or book a hotel in Magnitogorsk (from 900 rubles per night).
The ancient city, which is more than four thousand years old, was discovered by Arkaim and Sintashta: the history of discovery and archaeological reality/Anthropogenesis.ru in the Urals only in 1987, and since then archaeologists and scientists have not stopped excavations. The place is really unusual: the city was built according to a well-thought-out plan with fortifications and complex architecture. Its inhabitants were engaged in pottery and weaving, they knew about metallurgy.
Be sure to take one of the excursions: the guide will take you through the real dwellings of the Bronze Age, show you ancient estates and burial mounds.
By the way, a dozen more similar settlements were later found in the vicinity of Arkaim. The complex was called the Land of Cities, and if you wish, you can visit others – for example, Sintashta, which is located closest.
4. Petroglyphs of Kalbak-Tash, Altai marshruty-dc6a6e6.jpg” alt=”7 unusual places for travelers who are fed up with familiar routes” />
- How to get there:by plane to Gorno-Altaisk (ticket from Moscow and back – about 19,000 rubles), and then take a car and go on a trip along the most beautiful highway in Russia – the Chuisky tract. The Kalbak-Tai tract is located on the 723rd kilometer, between the villages of Inya and Iodro.
- Where to stay: The nearest hotels are located in Kosh-Agach (two hours on the way to the destination) . You can also choose one of the camp sites along the way.
The rock paintings in the Kalbak-Tash tract are the largest collection of ancient petroglyphs in Siberia. There are more than five thousand images here! The oldest were created back in the Neolithic era (IV-VI centuries BC).
It is very interesting to look at the drawings: scenes from everyday life, such as hunting, as well as fantastic animals and mythological images, are depicted here. Try to find images of unusual objects that some consider spaceships, or people in spacesuits.
5. Romantsev mountains, Tula region
- How to get there: the most convenient way is by car. In the navigator, enter the name of the village of Konduki (250 km from Moscow), from which the road to the former quarries begins. It is better to ride in dry and clear weather in order to drive almost to the very mountains.
- Where to stay:you can go and return in one day, but it is better to plan an overnight stay in neighboring towns (Bogoroditsk or Novomoskovsk).
The Romantsev mountains were created not by nature, but by man – in the 60s of the last century there was a quarry for the extraction of brown coal. It was finally closed in the 90s, and then rains and snows took over. As a result, today we see an almost alien landscape: black slopes, lakes with colorful water, trees twisted by the wind.
The distances here are considerable, and the best photos are taken at sunset and dawn, so it is ideal to stay overnight (if the weather allows, in a tent, or in one of the towns that we wrote about above).
6. Lake Baskunchak, Astrakhan region -49b13c3.jpg” alt=”7 unusual places for travelers who are tired of familiar routes” />
- How to get there:first by train to the village of Verkhniy Baskunchak (one-way ticket from Moscow – from 3,000 rubles, about a day on the way). Then you need to take a minibus or taxi to the village of Nizhny Baskunchak (it is 10 km away).
- Where to stay: in Nizhny Baskunchak you can find accommodation with local residents or stay in a sanatorium ( from 1,900 rubles per night).
Baskunchak is a huge salt lake in the Astrakhan region. This is an amazing creation of nature, formed millions of years ago, when the ancient sea either advanced on these territories or receded again. At the same time, salt deposits were formed, which over time became covered with silt and limestone. Later, underground sources began to bring salt to the surface, and the Russian Dead Sea turned out.
Today, there are several sanatoriums on the shore of the lake, which come to be treated from all over the country and even from abroad. Baskunchak's water is considered healing, and the air contains bromine and phytoncides.
Well, in the end, it's just very beautiful here, especially at sunset, when the water turns pink when the sun sets.
7. Nikola‑Lenivets, Kaluga Region
- How to get there: the most convenient way is by car from Moscow. The park is about 200 kilometers from the capital, but it should be borne in mind that the last 20 are on a bad road. So it's better to take a car with high traffic.
- Where to stay: There are several hotels and hostels in the park itself, including some in very unusual buildings (the cost is from 3,200 rubles for a single room). And if the weather allows, you can put up your tent. True, you will have to pay 600 rubles per day for a campsite.
An unusual art park in the Kaluga region has been popular for ten years. Here, on a vast territory in the open air, there is a collection of unique works of art and modern architecture. Some you can climb on, others you can go inside. And of course, you can just take pictures and think about what the author who created “Bobur” or “Universal Mind” wanted to say.
Nikola-Lenivets is good at any time of the year: in summer, when you can ride through the fields cycling and jumping on a huge trampoline path, and in winter – basking in a local cafe and walking through the snowy expanses. We advise you to visit the art park during one of the festivals or events that take place here regularly.