If there were no winter in towns and villages, children would never know these days of fun! A fabulous and cozy time is approaching — a series of holidays, vacations, and making wishes. But no matter how much we adults love the New Year, the children are waiting for the winter holidays the most, anticipating the appearance of Santa Claus with the Snow Maiden and gifts under the Christmas tree. The island has prepared a list of places that will take your children into the atmosphere of a fairy tale.
Contents
- Veliky Ustyug: visiting Santa Claus
- Kostroma: to see the Snow Maiden’s native lands
- Kalyazin: meet Baba Yaga
- Karelia: to visit the winter beauty
- Winter holidays in Moscow
- New Year in St. Petersburg
- Ideas for outdoor activities on a festive day
Tours and excursions for children for the New Year
Making sure that children are not bored on excursions is not an easy task. They can be interested, for example, by visiting Santa Claus or his granddaughter Snow Maiden. We reveal all the secrets: where these fabulous characters live, how to get there, what to do.
Veliky Ustyug: visiting Santa Claus
How to get there: there is no direct train or plane from Moscow. You can get there with a transfer in Vologda. There are tourist trains of the Russian Railways “Moroz-Express” with visits to Yaroslavl and Vologda, the ticket includes excursions, meals and transfers. The cost of a compartment seat starts from 9,000 rubles.
We invite you to visit Santa Claus, the residence of the main wizard of the country. The estate is located 12 kilometers from Veliky Ustyug, surrounded by a pine forest. You will walk along the path of fairy tales, get acquainted with the life and home of your grandfather, and then with the owner of the patrimony himself.
Here is the post office of Santa Claus, where children from all over the country send letters with their cherished wishes. There is also a carpentry workshop and a blacksmith shop, a winter garden with tropical plants, a glacier with sculptures, a zoo with deer, a rope park. One of the unique and memorable entertainments is to ride on the very stove on which Emelya was lazy. You can come here for a walk for one day or stay overnight at the hotel, which is located on the territory of the possessions of the lord of cold and gifts.
We invite you to visit Santa Claus, the residence of the main wizard of the country. Photo: Elena Serebryakova/Shutterstock.com
In search of Santa Claus
Yes, there are many winter grandfathers in the vast expanses of Russia, and some of them are called very unusually: get ready to meet Kish Babai and Talviukko. You can get to know everyone with the help of our festive guide to the residences of Santa Claus.
Kostroma: to see the Snow Maiden’s native land
How to get there: by train from Moscow. Travel time is from 4.5 hours. The price in December starts from 1400 rubles per person.
The Snow Maiden does not live next to her grandfather in Veliky Ustyug, her house is in Kostroma. Visiting the tower of Santa Claus’s granddaughter, you can meet other fairy-tale characters: brownies and Bayun’s cat. On an interactive tour, guests are told about Berendeyev legends and traditions, and a puppet fairy tale is shown.
Another entertainment option is to visit the ice room with bizarre figures from local master carvers. Here you can take a beautiful and unusual photo with the whole family, and then try drinks from ice stacks: children are treated to a branded snow cocktail (non-alcoholic, of course). The most fun and active program is the game, where they lead round dances and arrange competitions. By the way, the events are suitable even for the youngest guests from three years old.
The sights of Kostroma and its surroundings are not limited to the residence of the Snow Maiden — all the most interesting things have been collected in a guide to the region.
On an interactive tour, guests are told about Berendeyev legends and traditions, and a puppet fairy tale is shown. Photo: Anton Brehov/Shutterstock.com
Kalyazin: meet Baba Yaga
How to get there: from Moscow, the most convenient way is by car or bus. It takes an average of 3 hours to drive in the direction of Kashin, Bezhetsk or Vesyegonsk, the fare will be from 910 rubles.
Another idea is to visit my grandmother, but not to a simple one, but to the real Baba Yaga — Yagusa Tverskaya. You can come to her as part of a bus tour for the whole day, many tour operators offer such a program. At first, a rich scenario awaits guests in Kalyazin: a sightseeing tour with a study of the architecture of the city, an interactive game on the banks of the Volga “Assuage my sorrows”, a master class in lace weaving.
And later in the house of Yagusia Tverskaya — immersion into the world of fairy tales: there is a hut on chicken legs, and the house of the Devil, and a mysterious well from where you can not drink, otherwise you can become a kid. No one leaves Grandma hungry for sure. She treats everyone with herbal tea from a samovar with pies, but not simple, but fortune-telling. There is a good prediction hidden in each of them for the coming year. You can’t do without games, dances, contests — a great mood is guaranteed! Santa Claus and Snow Maiden also come here and spend time with guests.
If you want to continue your trip to other attractions of the Tver region, we recommend our guide to the best places in the region.
You can’t do without games, dances, contests — a great mood is guaranteed! Photo: magput.ru
Karelia: to visit the winter beauty
How to get: by train from Moscow to Sortavala (about 14 hours)or to Petrozavodsk (10 hours). The ticket price starts from 2,400 rubles. You can get to the capital of Karelia by plane in an hour and a half from 7700 rubles.
In winter, Karelia is so beautiful that you just want to believe in miracles: snow-covered fir trees, frozen waterfalls and lakes, an abundance of fluffy snow. If you want to see winter from a postcard, we recommend planning your vacation in this beautiful northern region. With children, you can go to the local Santa Claus — Talviukko. His patrimony is located in the village of Chalna near Petrozavodsk. On the territory there is a sled dog kennel, a Sami village, a deer farm, a cafe, a restaurant. There are various entertainment programs, including a snowmobile tour, dog sledding and a walk through the possessions of a fabulous grandfather.
It will be interesting to visit the famous Ruskeala Mountain Park with older children. Take a walk along the trails, see the Marble Canyon, go on an excursion to the dungeon through the labyrinths of the tunnels. It is interesting not only to spend time in the tourist complex itself, but also to get there from Sortavala by the Ruskeala Express retro train. Along the way, you can imagine yourself as the hero of a Harry Potter movie and believe in magic.
More activities for any mood in winter Karelia have been collected in this article.
It will be interesting to visit the famous Ruskeala Mountain Park with older children. Photo: Anna Krivitskaya/Shutterstock.com
Where else to go with a child in Russia
If this article helps plan a short outing for the New Year holidays for those who start from Moscow or St. Petersburg, then the overview of destinations for a winter vacation with the whole family covers a wider geography and is suitable for a long vacation, for a week and longer.
Family New Year in Moscow and St. Petersburg
You can celebrate the main winter holiday and immerse yourself in the atmosphere of celebration in one of the two capitals. Here are some ideas on what to do and how to entertain children if you want to meet the chimes in the city.
Winter holidays in Moscow
In Moscow, from December 26, 2024 to January 8, 2025, the legendary Kremlin Christmas tree, which has been held for 50 years, awaits children at the Kremlin Palace. The Nutcracker performance is planned to be shown in the Small Hall of the palace. It was this production that was specially adapted for young theatergoers. You will be able to get to the fairy tale from December 23 to January 8.
Other events in the capital include ice shows, street festivals, discos, quests, musicals, fairs. The city center is decorated with garlands, Christmas tree toys, bright and luminous installations. So even if the festive mood is lost somewhere, then during a walk along Arbat or Nikolskaya Street it will definitely appear.
As soon as you get tired of sitting in the city, rather go with the whole family to the Moscow region — skiing and snowboarding, dog sledding, ice skating and sledding.
The Nutcracker performance is planned to be shown in the Small Hall of the palace. Photo: Pavel L Photo and Video/Shutterstock.com
Hotels where you can celebrate the New Year
The New Year’s Eve selection of the Island includes 17 country hotels where you can experience all the delights of the Russian winter.
New Year in St. Petersburg
In St. Petersburg, a Christmas tree is being decorated for the New Year and a stage is being set up on Palace Square next to the Hermitage. The program includes performances, concerts, and a multimedia show. From here, children, and optionally adults, can send letters to Santa Claus. To do this, a special mailbox is installed here. As in Belokamennaya, fairs, bazaars, dances, meetings with fairy-tale characters are held on the streets of the city, the center is decorated with lights and garlands.
In St. Petersburg, a Christmas tree is being decorated for the New Year and a stage is being set up on Palace Square next to the Hermitage. Photo: FOTOGRIN/Shutterstock.com
Holiday Activity ideas
Ice skating and ice shows, fairs, cheesecakes, deer and huskies — we offer ideas on how to have fun if you are not sitting at home. Boys and girls, as well as their parents, will like it:
- Go to the ice rink. In Moscow, for example, on Red Square, and in St. Petersburg — on Konyushennaya.
- Go for a ride on cheesecakes: this can be done in Tsaritsyno in Moscow, and in the second capital — on the “Northern slope”.
- Visit the ice show: among the productions are “The Nutcracker”, “Aladdin’s Journey”, “Twelve Months”, “Swan Lake” by Tatiana Navka, “Fairy Tales” by Evgeny Plushenko.
- Watch the fabulous Koshchei water show at the Moskvarium.
- Take a walk in Gorky Park, where songs and dances are played, contests and games are held.
- Try the treats at the fair.
- Go to the Christmas Tree Toy Factory Museum, which is open only from November 23 to January 7 in St. Petersburg.
- Go on a visit to the deer farm: “Forest Hut”, “Wild Land” — Leningrad region, “Reindeer”, ZooOleni — in the Moscow region.
- Take a look at one of the performances at the Bolshoi Puppet Theater in St. Petersburg. By the way, there are performances for different ages here.
- Spend time at the Skazka amusement park in Moscow, where you can see huskies and alpacas.
New Year is a wonderful time, I want to believe that at this time all dreams really come true, and my plans come true. Wherever you plan a vacation with children, a cozy shelter in this harsh time can always be found on the Island. Happy New year!
Cover photo: Brendan Beale/unsplash.com
