A selection of the most interesting, inexpensive and beautiful places to stay in Russia. See where to go in summer 2021! My advice and personal experience.
Do you like to travel around Russia? I am very. Even being somewhere on a paradise Maldivian beach, I can mentally plan my next trip to Russia. I especially love to ride on our Immense in a car. Eh, where we have not been with the team in the last few years! Crimea, Krasnodar and Perm Territories, Karelia and the Kola Peninsula, Altai Mountains and the entire North Caucasus. And this is not counting our beloved St. Petersburg, Kazan, Moscow and other cities where we fly or travel by train. Here I will share my experience with you and tell you about the best places in Russia where you should go on vacation.
Holidays in Russia by the sea in the summer of 2021
Black Sea
We have rested on the Black Sea countless times. Even after the Philippines, Thailand, Spain, Italy and other countries with a high level of service and paradise beaches, we come to rest in the South of Russia almost every summer. For what? For the sake of nature, interesting sights and exotics (Crimea and Kuban is a journey into the past, back to the USSR). And you can find good beaches here - sandy and deserted.
Advice... I recommend relaxing on the Black Sea in early summer or already in September - at this time the prices are twice as low, and the number of people is five times less! Your vacation will be more enjoyable. Look: how much does a vacation in Crimea cost →
Where to go to rest:
- The most popular resorts with developed infrastructure: Sochi, Lazarevskoye, Anapa, Gelendzhik, Yalta, Sudak, Evpatoria.
- There are many Black Sea resorts where you can go for a relaxing vacation: the quiet village of Ashe near Sochi or the cozy towns of Krinitsa, Divnomorskoye, Kabardinka, Abrau-Dyurso, Khosta, Dagomys and so on. The ideal option is to relax on the sea in a camping. Better yet, go on vacation in the summer of 2021 to Crimea and completely immerse yourself in its leisurely pace of life. Read where it is better to have a rest in Crimea →.
What to see... Both Crimea and Krasnodar Territory boast beautiful nature, so if you suddenly get bored on vacation, just take a map and leave the village - shady paths in the mountains will definitely lead you to something interesting! Read our tips on what to see in Crimea.
Airfare in the summer from Moscow: to Sochi - from 6800 rubles, to Anapa - from 6600 rubles, to Krasnodar - from 7100 rubles, to Crimea - from 8000 rubles.
Housing prices on the Black Sea in the summer of 2021 the following: in Sochi a double room in a guest house costs from 1000 rubles per day, in a 3 * hotel - from 2000 rubles per day, you can rent an apartment from 1200 rubles per day. Sochi, Yalta are expensive resorts. Sudak, Anapa, Evpatoria are inexpensive. Look at our selection of housing in the resorts: Crimea, Sochi and Adler, Lazarevskoye, Gelendzhik, Anapa, Kabardinka.
Tours to Crimea, Sochi and Anapa cost from 24,000 rubles for two people with a flight from Moscow.
Azov sea
Where to rest... There are not so many resorts on the Azov Sea as on the Black Sea, but there is also a large selection here: Yeisk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Peresyp, Kuchugury, the villages of Golubitskaya and Dolzhanskaya, Shchelkino in the Crimea and others. Find out: where is the best place to relax on the Azov Sea.
Pros of rest on the Sea of Azov:
- Fewer people than in the Black Sea resorts.
- It's cheaper here. Housing by the sea in the summer of 2021 costs from 800 rubles. Find accommodation →
- The Sea of Azov is more suitable for families with small children: it is shallower and warms up faster, the beaches and the bottom are sandy.
But there are also disadvantages: poorly developed infrastructure, water is often cloudy.
Flights from Moscow to Rostov-on-Don in the summer of 2021 cost from 4500 rubles, to Krasnodar - from 7100 rubles. Search tickets →
Baltic Sea
You can also improve your health and enjoy the charm of the Baltic resorts in Russia - in the Kaliningrad region. Just what is the Curonian Spit alone with its wild sandy beaches, dunes, dancing forest and sea! Reviews about Kaliningrad →
Where to go... The Baltic Sea resorts are purely European - clean, well-groomed, a little toy, and certainly with old architecture. The German spirit is acutely felt in Zelenogradsk - the city was once a royal resort. It is famous for its wide sandy beach, but the Svetlogorsk beach is not so good, moreover, it washes away with water. But the city has a hilly relief and is surrounded by tall pine trees. You can also relax in Yantarny, Otradnoye and Pionersky.
Flights to Kaliningrad with a flight from Moscow cost from 4600 rubles. Search tickets →
Housing prices on the Baltic Sea in the summer of 2021: in Zelenogradsk, at the beginning of the season, a double room in a hotel costs from 1000 rubles per day, at the height of summer - from 2500 rubles, you can rent an apartment from 1300 rubles. Check out our selection of cheap places to stay.
You can relax in Russia in summer not only on the Black, Azov and Baltic seas. Read also about the rest on the Caspian Sea.
Active holidays in Russia in the summer of 2021
South of Russia and the Caucasus
Where to go for an active vacation in the summer of 2021? Definitely to the south of Russia - this is where the lovers can warm up well on vacation!
Rest in the Sochi region... Go to the Khmelevskie Lakes, which are at an altitude of 1800 meters, and admire the gorgeous views. Visit Plesetskaya Shchel and take a trekking walk through a yew and boxwood grove in the village of Khosta. Go to Krasnaya Polyana to breathe in the mountain air and enjoy the beautiful views.
Caucasus... A great way to test your endurance and at the same time enjoy the beauty of the Caucasus - trekking on the Lago-Naki plateau or climbing Elbrus. For those who want to see the Caucasus Mountains in all their glory, we advise you to go to Arkhyz and Dombay - these are our favorite places! There are stunning landscapes and many interesting routes for one-day hikes - everyone can do it.
Sport... For those interested in water sports, we recommend going to Anapa (the village of Blagoveshchenskaya) - there are ideal conditions for kitesurfing. In the village of Golubitskaya on the Sea of Azov, you can go paragliding and windsurfing.
Crimea
In Crimea, there are more than enough opportunities for outdoor activities in summer!
Diving come to Cape Tarkhankut, to the village of Olenevka - the purest water and beautiful coral reefs are guaranteed to you. We highly recommend taking a boat trip in Olenevka! We got a lot of impressions: we rode with the breeze, looked at the grottoes and rocks of Tarkhankut, met dolphins.
Get busy paragliding and hang gliding you can go to Koktebel - it was there, on Klement'ev Mountain, where Soviet hang gliding was born in the 1930s. From above, stunning views of the Kara-Dag volcanic massif and the Uzun-Syrt ridge open up, and in bad weather you can always take a sea excursion, visit the reserve, go to neighboring towns and villages or just sunbathe on the beach.
Hiking... Well, what about the Crimea without mountains? Choose any and start climbing! We went on hikes to the Valley of Ghosts, to Cape Meganom, Mount Ai-Georgy, along the Golitsyn trail in Novy Svet. You can also climb the famous Ai-Petri on foot along the Taraktash trail. There are many picturesque hiking trails in Crimea for every taste.
Tickets to Crimea from Moscow for the summer of 2021 cost from 8,000 rubles. Find tickets →
Altai
Altai is a combination of romance, mysticism, Spartan conditions and incomparable landscapes. You can visit Altai on your own: then it is best to have a tent, sleeping bags and an SUV in order to easily get into the hard-to-reach and secluded places of the Altai Mountains. Don't have your own car? Not a problem - seek help from travel companies that offer a lot of different types of outdoor activities: rafting, horseback riding, bike, auto and hiking tours. Read more about rest in Altai.
Remember: The most beautiful Altai begins behind the Seminsky pass, only a few tourists get there. Those who rest only in Chemal or in the Altai Territory lose a lot. Don't make this mistake! Check out our list of the 25 most beautiful places in Altai.
Lodging... Resting in Altai in the summer is quite inexpensive: recreation centers and hotel rooms cost from 400 rubles per person, accommodation in a camping - from 100 rubles. Read our tips about camp sites and rest for savages in Altai.
How to get there... The cheapest way is to fly from Moscow to Novosibirsk (from 11,200 rubles), and from there you can get to the Altai Mountains by train, bus or car. A flight to Gorno-Altaysk costs from 20,000 rubles. Read a detailed overview of all the ways to get to Altai.
I liked Karelia - the nature there is beautiful and calm, and I am ready to forgive her even the clouds of mosquitoes. The wonderful land of 27 thousand rivers, mirror lakes and harsh Finnish nature attracts both romantic-minded tourists who dream of solitude and escape from civilization, and fans of outdoor activities. In summer, here you can kayak down the rivers, go boating on the Ladoga skerries, go diving in the White Sea (be careful, it's cold!), Climb the mystical Vottovaara mountain and much, much more. Read our tips for a vacation in Karelia.
Lodging... You can rent a house at a camp site from 1,500 rubles for two. Check out our list of the best recreation centers in Karelia.
