You don’t have to travel to distant countries and experience jetlag to find amazing islands with deserted beaches, unusual museums and funny sculptures. We tell you about the “home” islands in Russia, which every traveler can easily get to. And there are enough interesting and pleasant things in these locations for more than one weekend or vacation!
Content
- Baltschug
- Hare
- Sviyazhsk
- Kizhi
- Solovki
- Valaam
- Olkhon
- Russian
- Koyonsaari
- Kronstadt
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Baltschug in Moscow
Moscow, like an oil state in the Persian Gulf, boasts an artificial island. Baltschug appeared in the second half of the XVIII century, when a drainage canal was laid in the city. Despite its proximity to the center, the place remains quite quiet: most tourists prefer to explore the Kremlin museums and wander around Red Square.
You can take postcard photos of the Kremlin from the Sofia Embankment, and admire the floating bridge of Zaryadye Park from Raushskaya. Iconic pages of our history are mixed up on the island: you can see the buildings of the former Einem confectionery factory, a huge monument to Peter I, familiar from Yuri Trifonov’s novel “House on the Embankment” and the famous Bolotnaya Square with the sculptural composition “Children are victims of adult vices”.
Not far from the square, the bright St. Nicholas Church in the style of Russian pattern is modestly arranged. It is also interesting to look into the museum apartment of Gleb Krzhizhanovsky and explore the interiors of a merchant’s apartment building. However, a walk around the island in itself is an excursion into Russian life and architectural styles of the last three centuries.
How to get there: go down from St. Basil’s Cathedral and cross the bridge.
Baltschug appeared in the second half of the XVIII century, when a drainage canal was laid in the city. Photo: Sergey Dzyuba/Shutterstock.com
Zayachy Island in St. Petersburg
is a landmark place from which the history of St. Petersburg began. Go on an excursion to hear the legend of hares and see the most popular monuments to the big-eared, and then explore the bastions and museums of the island on your own.
Here you will find the imperial tomb in the baroque Peter and Paul Cathedral and the memorial of the family of the murdered Emperor Nicholas II, the gloomy casemates of the Trubetskoy bastion and numerous museums. A single ticket is valid for three days, costs 450-550 rubles for beneficiaries and 1000 rubles for everyone else and includes a sightseeing tour — a great offer for curious guests.
Here you will find the imperial tomb in the baroque Peter and Paul Cathedral and the memorial of the family of the murdered Emperor Nicholas II Photo: Igor Dymov/Shutterstock.com
The exposition in the Commandant’s House, dedicated to the history of the city in 1830-1918, is especially interesting. Look into the windows of an almost two-meter mock-up of an apartment building of those times and get acquainted with trade, banking, transport and everyday life of a bygone era.
I recommend the museum of ceramics with the creations of the Meissen factory to fans of tiles, and the Glushko Museum to fans of cosmonautics. The classic program includes a walk along the outer walls of the bastions and admiring the “Nevsky Panorama”.
How to get there: by metro to Gorkovskaya station, by bus to Troitskaya Ploshchad or Kronverkskaya Embankment stop, by tram to Kronverksky Prospekt.
We recommend the Glushko Museum to space enthusiasts. Photo: Oksana_Shmatok/Shutterstock.com
In St. Petersburg… to walk!
This collection of unusual ideas will help you take a free and exciting walk around St. Petersburg: excursions, performances and exhibitions have been collected.
Sviyazhsk in Tatarstan
The Museum City, a kind of Buyan island from Pushkin’s fairy tale, is Sviyazhsk, whose history began almost five centuries ago, during the time of Tsar Ivan the Terrible.
The island with a population of less than three hundred people invites you to look into the most interesting museums of the history of Sviyazhsk, the civil war and the archaeological tree. The latter was built on the territory of the historical settlement of Sviyazhsk: wooden examples of urban development of the XVI–XVIII centuries are presented here.
The island with a population of less than three hundred people invites you to look into the most interesting museums. Photo: Bulat.Iskhakov/Shutterstock.com
A walk around the island can easily turn into a journey through time: whose shadows are flickering behind fences, whose steps are remembered by narrow alleys, for whom the bells of the ancient Assumption Cathedral ring? In Stalin’s time, a colony was established in Sviyazhsk. A monument to the victims of political repression at the site of mass graves reminds of these times: a hand stretched out from behind bars releases a pigeon.
Climb the fire tower for beautiful views. Another option to enjoy the open spaces is to walk along the embankment of the Sviyagi River.
How to get there: by plane or train to Kazan, then by taxi, bus, train or boat to the island.
A walk around the island can easily turn into a journey through time: whose shadows flicker behind fences, whose steps are remembered by narrow alleys, for whom the bells of the ancient Assumption Cathedral ring. Photo: high fliers/Shutterstock.com
Kazan took…
We hope you have a couple of days to walk around Kazan? Catch our detailed guide around the city: here the unchanging Kremlin adjoins modern art, the temple of all religions, chak-chak and baursaks.
Kizhi in Karelia
A wooden fairy tale, miraculously preserved to this day, a piece of protected Russia, meadows, open spaces and strict silhouettes of temples — that’s what the Kizhi museum island is.
According to the legend, which is necessarily told to all tourists coming to the island, the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord was built without a single nail back in 1714. Be sure to climb the bell tower and admire the views of the island with the tops of the churches and the Onega spreading around.
According to the legend, which is necessarily told to all tourists coming to the island, the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord was built without a single nail back in 1714. Photo: Tatiana Popova/Shutterstock.com
Also on the island, you will find a painted ceiling in the chapel of the Archangel Michael, traditional kizhanka boats, a windmill and cute fence fences. Don’t forget to buy wooden toys that local craftsman Dmitry Moskin creates based on the patterns of past centuries.
Kizhi are especially good in summer and in the golden autumn — it’s not a sin to go a couple of times to have time to see, feel and capture everything!
How to get there: from Petrozavodsk by Meteor (in summer), and in winter by hovercraft.
The painted ceiling in the chapel of the Archangel Michael is waiting for you on the island. Photo: KVN1777/Shutterstock.com
Petrozavodsk Travel Guide
It is also pleasant in Petrozavodsk itself: we recommend walking along the embankment, trying ice cream with cloudberries, local trout and Finnish fish soup with cream. You will find the details in our guide, just don’t read it hungry!
Solovki in the White Sea
Bolshoy Solovetsky is the largest and most visited island in the archipelago. The main point of attraction here is the Solovetsky Monastery, founded in the first half of the XV century.
On the island, stories come to life about the confrontation of monks with secular authorities, the so-called Solovetsky seat, and about the very first correctional labor camp in the USSR. The best way to get acquainted with all the vicissitudes of the monastery is to take a sightseeing tour lasting almost three hours, its cost is 800 rubles.
The main point of attraction here is the Solovetsky Monastery, founded in the first half of the XV century. Photo: Borisb17/Shutterstock.com
The monastery itself is beautiful in a northern way: squat towers and walls, paved paths, black cannons, white domes of the Transfiguration and Trinity cathedrals, wooden boats and bells floating over the White Sea.
There is also a soulful Maritime Museum and a terrible exhibition-a reminder of the “Solovetsky camps”. After it, it is good to walk along the shore, exposing your head to the wind.
How to get there: by plane or ship from Arkhangelsk, Kemi or Belomorsk.
The monastery itself is beautiful in a northern way: squat towers and walls, paved paths, black cannons. Photo: Baturina Yuliya/Shutterstock.com
Valaam in Lake Ladoga
On a day trip, you can have time to explore Mount Tabor and the Transfiguration Cathedral with conspicuous blue domes and bell tower, monastery gardens, the St. Nicholas Island hermitage with picturesque cliffs. Valaam is also the beauty of Karelian nature: skerries, pines, rocks and the expanses of these places are extremely good, so take time to admire the views and take pictures.
How to get there: by Meteor from Sortavala or Priozersk.
Valaam Monastery is often called the Northern Athos and the place of power. Photo: Alvov/Shutterstock.com
The most beautiful places of the Russian North
More northern beauties have been collected in this collection: temples, monasteries, national parks and skerries here.
Olkhon on Lake Baikal
The sacred whale of Baikal tourism, Olkhon Island, cannot complain about the lack of attention from tourists. A short traveler’s checklist includes visiting Shamanka Rock at Cape Burkhan and making wishes at the sacred pillars of Serge, doing nothing on Sarai beach and admiring Lake Baikal from Cape Khoboy.
Those who need more can sign up for a boat trip, for example, to the island of seagulls, fishing, an excursion to the holy springs, horseback riding, water or bicycle trips, as well as a meeting with a real shaman. Read more about summer holidays on Lake Baikal in this article.
How to get:by plane to Irkutsk, then by bus or taxi to the village of Sakhyurt, from where a ferry goes to the island.
The traveler’s short checklist includes a visit to Shamanka Rock at Cape Burkhan and making wishes at the sacred pillars of Serge. Photo: Viktorya Telminova/Shutterstock.com
Russian Island near Vladivostok
People come to the island for the rocky headlands and breathtaking views, and cool waves for surfing.
Explore the Novosiltsevskaya battery and admire the cable-stayed Russian Bridge, venture down into the tunnels of Fort Pospelov, take a walk along the University Embankment, look into the beautiful aquarium, and then swim in the ocean.
People come to the island for the rocky headlands and breathtaking views. Photo: Vitaliy Kaplin/Shutterstock.com
Tasks with an asterisk: conquer a wave in a surf lesson, find a piano and play with a view of the endless expanse of water, and also get to the lighthouse of the Sheet and the real edge of the earth, beyond which there is only water and sky.
Good things do not become obsolete — catch our time-tested guide to Vladivostok!
How to get:by plane to Vladivostok, then by bus or car to the island.
Task with an asterisk: get to the lighthouse of the Sheet and the real edge of the earth, beyond which there is only water and sky. Photo: Tish Natalia/Shutterstock.com
Koyonsaari in Karelia
Some of the best sandy beaches of Ladoga are located right here, and there is no all-inclusive and noisy discos (well, almost), only tents, fine light sand and stunning views. And blooming heather from lilac and pink to white, huge mushrooms, thickets of berries, splashing waves and sun—warmed pines – the smell of happiness, no other way.
The most picturesque view of the almost Turkish beaches opens from Leshego Mountain: you will have to climb the rocks a little, but it’s worth it. At the top, you can meditate and try to draw beauty — it’s not for nothing that famous painters loved Karelia.
If you want to explore the surroundings, rent a kayak or glider and go to the neighboring uninhabited islands and into the tangle of skerries — a great option for a date, photo shoot, fishing or a whole water hike.
How to get: by “Swallow” from St. Petersburg to Priozersk, then by taxi to the village of Vyatikkya.
Some of the best sandy beaches of Ladoga are located here. Photo: Sergei Afanasev/Shutterstock.com
Kronstadt
Completes the selection of the museum island, which is closely connected with the Russian navy and, more broadly, with the history of the country. At the same time, it will be interesting not only for fans of the military past: there are many unusual museums in the city.
For example, in the lamp museum “House of Lighthouses” you can immerse yourself in the everyday life of the caretakers and find out how the lighthouse is arranged, and in the “Dutch kitchen” you can get acquainted with the catering of sailors in Peter’s time. People come to Fortov Island to walk among art objects, swing on swings and enjoy great views.
The heart of Kronstadt is the Anchor Square with the majestic St. Nicholas Cathedral, which is more often called simply the Sea. There are fish and anchors on the front door, mosaics with marine life and sailboats in the interiors, and even a mock—up of a submarine. A cast—iron pavement has been preserved next to the cathedral, anchors are all around, and it seems that hundreds of years have not happened.
How to get: from St. Petersburg by buses No. 101, 101E and 207, auto or Meteor.
People come to Fortov Island to walk among art objects, swing on swings and enjoy great views. Photo: Lena.Sh/Shutterstock.com
Summer is a great opportunity to enjoy carefree days and try on island life. Choose a location to your liking and go explore the near and far pieces of land!
Cover photo: Evgeniia Primavera /Shutterstock.com
