7 interesting routes for auto travel in Russia

Ekaterina Antonova

Director of Customer Experience, Travel Planning Service OneTwoTrip.

How about traveling by car in Russia? Now is a great time for this: such trips during a pandemic are safer than traveling by train or airplane, and besides, by car you can get to places where there are fewer tourists. It's also inexpensive, especially if you bring your friends with you.

1. Merchant ring

• Duration: 5 days.
• Length: about 640 km from Moscow and back.

Route plan: from Moscow go to Borovsk, then drive to Kaluga and stop for the night. Then Przemysl, then - Kozelsk and one more night. Then we pass Belyov, Odoev, Krapivna. Not far from these points, you can choose a country hotel. We arrive at Yasnaya Polyana, make a stop in Tula - and go back to the capital.

This is a wonderful route through small towns and picturesque villages of the Kaluga and Tula regions. On the way, you will admire not only old houses and beautiful churches, but also the landscapes of central Russia.

Separate advantages of the route are rather short journeys (no more than two hours on the way) and good quality of roads, especially in the Kaluga region. If you don't stay anywhere for a long time, all points can be bypassed over the weekend, but we still recommend extend the trip to five days and spend at least a few hours in the beautiful estate of Leo Tolstoy. There you can visit one of the excursions, where the guide will tell you about the life of the writer, walk in the park and taste the famous "Ankovsky" pie. The museum at the estate regularly hosts exhibitions and other interesting events - the schedule can be specified at the official website.

2. Karelia

• Duration: 12 days.
• Length: about 2,500 km from Moscow and back.

Karelia attracts a huge number of Russian tourists this summer - and it is not surprising that there really is something to see here. We recommend starting your acquaintance with the region from its capital, Petrozavodsk: spend at least a couple of days here. From here it is also convenient to get to the Kizhi island (2 hours by car to the village of Velikaya Guba, and from there by water taxi). After Petrozavodsk, head towards Kondopoga and see not only the city, but also its surroundings (Kivach waterfall and Onega lake). And then visit one of the main attractions of the region - the Ruskeala mountain park in a former marble quarry. From Kondopoga you can get here in 4 hours.

Spend the night in neighboring Sortavala, and then start your way home. If you are going to St. Petersburg to return your rented car, do it in three and a half hours. And you can go to Moscow through Velikiy Novgorod (7 hours) and stay in it for a day.

3. Volga region

• Duration: 14 days.
• Length: about 2,370 km from Moscow and back.

Route plan: leave Moscow and go to Vladimir (first stop), then to Nizhny Novgorod (stop for a day). Then, according to the plan, Kazan - here you can spend 1-2 days, depending on your desire. Further - Ulyanovsk and Samara. We suggest going back through Penza and Ryazan.

In terms of saturation with excursions and attractions, this route will give odds to the traditional Golden Ring: what are they worth? Nizhny Novgorod and beautiful Kazan! We advise you to stay in each city for at least one day in order to have time to leisurely explore all the most interesting and not get too tired of the road. On the way, you can also make small stops - for example, between Vladimir and Nizhny Novgorod, call in Kovrov, and on the way to Kazan, explore Cheboksary.

Travel between cities takes from 3 to 5 hours. The longest - from Penza to Ryazan, but the path from Nizhny Novgorod to Kazan is not a short one, so choose a pace that is comfortable for you. If you are not in a hurry, the trip will take about two weeks.

4. Krasnodar region

• Duration: 14 days.
• Length: about 3 300 km from Moscow and back.

Route plan: the road from Moscow to Krasnodar will take about 16 hours by car, so it is better to take your time and make a stop in Voronezh or Rostov-on-Don. And then a tour of the Azov and Black Seas resorts awaits you: the village of Golubitskaya, Taman, Anapa and Gelendzhik.

Let's go to the sea! If there are two drivers in the car, then even a long journey to Krasnodar will not seem difficult. Or, on the way, you can relax and get to know, for example, Voronezh - but keep in mind that you will probably want to stay in the city at least for a day. There will be 10 hours of travel to Krasnodar.

And then you can choose resorts to your taste. We recommend starting with a tour of the Sea of ​​Azov - first get to the village of Golubitskaya, from there go to Kuchugury and Taman. From Taman it is convenient to get to Anapa.

Do not forget to stop at Vityazevo on the way - the town is considered one of the most picturesque on the Black Sea. There you can also relax for a couple of days, sunbathe and swim - there are a lot of tourists in Anapa and Gelendzhik this year. IN Krasnodar you can return through Adygeisk. Take a couple of days to take a break from such an active vacation and gain strength before going home - and back to Moscow.

5. Altai, Chuisky tract

• Duration: 6-7 days.
• Length: about 1 800 km from Novosibirsk and back.

Route plan: to get to Novosibirsk by plane: a ticket from Moscow and back costs from 8 300 rubles. Rent a car right at Tolmachevo airport (from 3,000 rubles per day) and go on a trip to the picturesque places of the region, starting from Gorno-Altaysk.

Chuisky tract is considered one of the most picturesque highways in Russia - besides, it is quite comfortable even for novice drivers. Good asphalt, markings, stopovers and bump stops are waiting for you almost throughout. However, in order to see all the attractions, many of which are located in the surrounding mountains, it is worth renting an SUV or crossover.

Start your journey with a long drive to Gorno-Altaysk (6 hours). Then all the most interesting awaits you: not far from the city are the Tavdinsky caves, the Seminsky pass, the Devil's finger mountain and other local beauties. Be sure to take some time to see the famous petroglyphs - some are located right next to the road. Admire the rivers and mountain landscapes If you wish, you can drive to the very border with Mongolia. Relaxing sightseeing will take about three days.

On the way back, relax a bit in the mountain resort of Manzherok near Gorno-Altaysk - there is something to do there both in winter and in summer. And then return to Novosibirsk. If six hours on the way does not appeal to you, make a stop in Novoaltaisk.

6. Baikal

• Duration: 7 days.
• Length: about 800 km from Irkutsk and back.

Route plan: first you need to fly to Irkutsk - a ticket from Moscow and back costs about 10,000 rubles. There you can rent a car (from 4,000 rubles a day) and go to Listvyanka and Olkhon.

August and early September are a great time to travel to Lake Baikal: at this time it is warmest here, and there is still a little rain. If you wish, you can hit the road straight from Moscow, but then get ready to spend at least three days on the road one way. We offer a faster option - with a flight to Irkutsk. It is best to rent an SUV because the roads around the lake are not very good.

Spend the first couple of days on vacation in the Listvyanka village on the shore of Lake Baikal - there is everything for the comfort of tourists. And then go through Irkutsk to the local pearl - Olkhon Island. In the summer there is a ferry. Since the place is quite popular, there may be a queue at the crossing, so plan on the road for about 6 hours.

On Olkhon, you will probably want to stay longer - take this into account when buying air tickets. Three or four days will be enough to go around all the main beauty of the island - capes, lakes, rocks. We recommend stopping in the village of Khuzhir or Kharantsy.

7. Kalmykia

• Duration: 8 days.
• Length: about 1,050 km from Volgograd and back.

Kalmykia is an exotic corner of Russia, and getting there from Moscow is not so difficult: only 2 hours by plane to Volgograd and 4 hours by car to Elista. We advise you to spend the first day in the hero city - to relax and see the main attractions. And already on the second day, go along the P221 highway to the capital of Kalmykia.

Spend at least two days in Elista. In the city, be sure to visit the Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni with a museum of the history of Buddhism and the older Buddhist temple Syakusn-Sume. The Seven Days Pagoda and Golden Gate are also worthy of your Instagram page. If you do not geotag, no one will guess that you have not left Russia.

Go back to Volgograd via Astrakhanto extend the journey and see the natural sights of Kalmykia: along the way there will be dunes, dunes and lakes. Formally, the road from Elista to Astrakhan takes about 4 hours, but plan a whole day for the trip so that you can safely stop along the way - take a walk and take a photo. The city itself on the Volga also deserves attention and stops for at least one day. It is 6 hours to Volgograd airport from here.