The city of Mineralnye Vody: attractions, history of the city, photos, reviews and tips from tourists

• October 15, 2018
• Directions
• Daria Ivanova

The history of the city of Mineralnye Vody is described in great detail on Wikipedia, but this is not the most important thing that tourists would like to know about the resort city. Sights are what arouses the greatest interest. In our article you can find a complete description of the resort: where the city of Mineralnye Vody is located, where you should definitely go, what makes it remarkable, and also read tips for travelers.

It is recommended to come here in summer. By the way, many people are interested in what region is Mineralnye Vody located? The city is located on the territory of the Stavropol Territory and is part of the ecological resort region of Caucasian Mineral Waters. Here tourists can expect warm nights and hot days, when it is especially pleasant to walk among the greenery, hiding in the shade of the trees. The city is green, and this is another reason to call it a health resort. The trees are dressed in bright green clothes, under them the grass grows thickly, dotted with colorful lights of summer flowers. And above them butterflies circle and insects buzz, giving joy to all people. Mineralnye Vody is a summer city, which is ideal for taking a break from worries and gaining strength for new achievements.

Description

Mineralnye Vody is a city for healing. It is cozy and very warm. The resort is located in such an area that when you come here, you can enjoy beautiful scenery around the clock. They fascinate not only Russians, but also tourists from different countries.

The population of Mineralnye Vody is about 75 thousand people. Responsive and hospitable people live here, always ready to help tourists, as well as tell interesting stories from the life of the city.

Transport links are well developed; it is possible to get to any point in the city by public transport. Or travel comfortably by taxi. These services operate around the clock, so there is no need to worry if you have to stay late somewhere. But most tourists still prefer to travel by public transport. Nearby towns and villages can be reached by train, which runs from the railway station. By the way, it is also a landmark of the resort.

Through the city of Min. A federal highway passes through the water, leading a large flow of tourists to the sources of youth and health of the North Caucasus.

The climate is dry and is directly influenced by the foothills and steppes. Around May 15, the summer period and the holiday season begin, when the number of tourists in the city increases significantly.

The hottest and driest months fall in July and August. Autumn comes to the city in mid-October. The sun shines here often, and precipitation is quite rare. January is considered the coldest month, but already in February it becomes warmer. The snow gives way to rain, and strong winds begin to blow.

Most tourists come here to improve their health, or for preventive purposes. But there are also those who visit the resort to relax their souls.

In the area of ​​the city of Min. There are more than a hundred healing springs with medicinal water, which are very popular all over the world, especially in the countries of the former CIS.

Story

The city owes its birth to the construction of the Rostov-Vladikavkaz railway. The junction station was named Sultanovskaya, since it was located on lands that belonged to the Nogai Sultan Mengli-Girey and his descendants since 1826. The settlers petitioned the authorities to form a settlement here. In 1878 it was officially given the status of a village.

In 1906, the village was renamed - it began to be called Illarionovsky. Some time later, in October 1921, it was merged with the station. From that moment on, it began to be called the city of Mineralnye Vody.

In 1929-1930 A stone crushing plant and a mine appeared here. After the construction of the airport in 1925, the city became an important point in the country's airways.

In the post-war period, the resort of Min. Vody gradually recovered and developed, and very soon became one of the largest cities in the Stavropol Territory.

Mineral water

Video: Mineralnye Vody

Basic moments

It is curious that within the city limits with the eloquent name “Mineralnye Vody” there is in fact not a single source of mineral water. But it is here that there is a busy transport hub, including the Lermontov International Airport, a railway station and an intercity bus station, where holidaymakers heading to the health resorts of the North Caucasus arrive. Large health complexes are located in the nearby cities of Essentuki, Pyatigorsk, Kislovodsk, Zheleznovodsk, where many sources have been identified that bring deep waters to the surface, saturated with various minerals and metals, with a wide range of dissolved chemicals and compounds. There are about 120 sanatoriums in the region, which annually receive up to 700 thousand vacationers.

In Mineralnye Vody, a city through which the skating rink of war passed, few ancient buildings or monuments remain. And the architects here have not particularly made a mark with modern, noticeable structures; original architectural projects are being implemented in neighboring resorts. However, Minvody has several impressive objects and interesting museums. Local guides organize trips to the surrounding natural attractions, to the famous Terek stud farm, and sightseeing tours of the region.

The city has hospitably open doors to nice restaurants and cafes with Caucasian, Russian and European cuisine; some establishments are open almost until dawn and offer entertainment programs. Small local hotels and guest houses cannot be called fashionable, but most of them are quite comfortable and guarantee decent service.

History of Mineralnye Vody

In the 70s of the 19th century, the large southern cities of the Russian Empire - Rostov-on-Don and Vladikavkaz - were connected by a new railway line. One of the stops in 1878 was named “Sultanovsky” - it was located on lands that belonged to the noble Tatar family of Gireyev, whose representatives once held Sultanic titles and were the rulers of the Crimea and Nogai lands in the North Caucasus. At first, no more than 500 people lived at the stop, but Sultanovsky quickly grew into settlements of artisans, and trading shops, taverns, inns, car repair shops and other small enterprises appeared here. The influx of workers from the southern regions of the empire was ensured by a glass factory built here in 1898, where dishes and other household utensils were produced. In 1906, the spontaneous settlement of factory workers, track workers and railway workers, which grew up around the plant, railway station and locomotive depot, was renamed “Illarionovsky” - in honor of the emperor’s governor in the Caucasus, Count Illarion Vorontsov-Dontsov.

The village acquired city status already under Soviet rule, in 1921, at which time it was named Mineralnye Vody. The administration of the newly created Mineralovodsky district is located here. By that time, the population of Minvod was about 14 thousand people, many of the townspeople worked at local stone processing and ore enterprises. By 1925, an airfield was built in the suburbs, and Mineralnye Vody appeared on the map of the first air routes of the Soviet Union. In a region with a favorable climate and a mass of healing springs, the All-Union health resort grew, and recreation centers, sanatoriums, and tourist centers were built with funds from trade unions and large enterprises. Well-established transport links made it possible to conveniently get to the resorts of the Caucasian Mineral Waters from any corner of the country.

During the Great Patriotic War, the German command considered the city as a strategic object on the way to the oil resources of the Caucasus. In August 1942, the resistance of the defending units of the Red Army was broken, and the city was occupied by Wehrmacht troops. During fierce battles, the entire transport and urban infrastructure of the Ministry of Water Resources turned into ruins.

Soviet troops expelled the occupiers in January 1943. The tankers from Captain Petrov's battalion were the first to break into Minvody. In memory of the liberators, a T-34 tank was installed in the city. In the post-war years, the city developed as one of the recreation centers in the south of the country and a major transport hub in the North Caucasus direction. Since the beginning of the 21st century, local authorities have been actively developing tourism infrastructure, which is facilitated by the mild climate and close proximity to popular resorts.

Geography and climate

The city of Mineralnye Vody is located on the banks of the Kuma River, 170 kilometers southeast of Stavropol. Mineral Waters are considered the gateway to the vast North Caucasus region, rich in healing springs, which gave the region its own geographical name - Caucasian Mineral Waters. Resorts belonging to it occupy part of the Stavropol region, some of them are located within Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia. The famous resort towns of Pyatigorsk, Essentuki, Lermontov, and Kislovodsk are compactly located in the region. Only 12 km separates Minvody from the nearest large health center in Zheleznovodsk.

The city of Mineralnye Vody is surrounded by hilly steppe landscapes, with the foothills of the Caucasus visible on the horizon to the southwest. The peak closest to the city is called Zmeyka; it is covered with deciduous forest and rises almost a kilometer. The part of the mountain facing the city is devoid of vegetation, the slope is indented with terraces and quarries. Until recently, building stone and road crushed stone were mined here, but now the production is closed. A little lower than Zmeyka is Mount Sheludivaya (874 m), so mockingly nicknamed because of the numerous screes of flaking igneous rock formations. Volcanic rocks in the bowels of the earth have not yet completely cooled down. A sign of this activity are hot springs rising to the surface throughout the region.

The climate in the city is continental, summers are dry and hot, winters are mild. In January-February the air temperature is –5…–3 °C. Spring comes early, at the end of February - beginning of March, and in May it is already warm like summer: +15...+18 °C. But from this time, until about mid-June, it rains frequently in Minvody. The best time to come here on vacation is in the second half of summer. In July and August it is dry, sunny, the air temperature fluctuates between +25...+30 °C. In September, the weather is still comfortable for holidaymakers, the air warms up to +18…+22 °C. Cool but sunny autumn comes into its own by the beginning of October.

It should be noted that climatic conditions at the resorts of Caucasian Mineral Waters vary. For example, a special microclimate reigns in Kislovodsk, surrounded by high mountains, located just 50 kilometers from Mineralnye Vody.

Sights of Mineralnye Vody

Travelers arriving in Mineralnye Vody by train are greeted by the main man-made attraction of the city - the beautiful railway station building, erected in 1955 in the Stalinist Baroque style. This monumental building with snow-white colonnades and arcades is topped with a clock tower. The walls of the building are decorated with decorative moldings and frescoes depicting the sights of the resort region. At the facade facing the platforms there is a semicircular colonnade, in its center there is a fountain with an iconic sculpture of a mountain eagle grasping a snake in its claws. Local legend says that the eagle was cured of a poisonous bite by drinking water from a healing spring. This bronze sculptural composition is a recognizable “business card” of the Ministry of Water Resources. Nearby, at the locomotive depot, there is an old steam locomotive that came out of the gates of the Kolomna Machine-Building Plant in 1897.

Another architectural landmark of Mineralnye Vody is the beautiful cathedral in the name of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, built of red brick in 1992-1997. In its style one can discern the motifs of ancient Russian churches. This temple is widely known among believers in the Stavropol region. The relics of the locally revered Saint Theodosius of the Caucasus, the venerable patron of this region, are kept here. Many pilgrims come to admire the rich decoration of the cathedral and pray under its arches. Next to the cathedral there is a monument to Russian soldiers who died in modern military conflicts.

Another mournful monument stands at the intersection of Karl Marx Avenue and Stavropol Street, on the site of a brutal terrorist attack committed in March 2001. Then, from the explosion of a bomb planted in a car, 24 passers-by were killed and more than a hundred people were injured. A marble column with black birds of trouble on top reminds us of this senseless tragedy.

In 2008, a monument to Tsarist General Alexei Ermolov, commander of Russian troops in the first decades of the Caucasian War, was erected in Nadezhda Square. This commander left a bright mark on the history of the conquest and development of the region. He conquered Chechnya and Dagestan, subordinating them to the Russian crown, built the Georgian Military Road, and erected a whole chain of fortresses and Cossack villages. At the foot of the bronze monument lie piles of cannonballs and cast iron cannons from the early 19th century.

Several pre-revolutionary buildings have been preserved in Mineralnye Vody. On Lenin Street, 41, stands the house of Sultan Dzhanbek-Girey, the former owner of these fertile lands. The building was built at the beginning of the last century. On the same street at number 27-A there is a real school building, built with funds from the Vladikavkaz Railway in 1913.

The city museum of local history is located on Proletarskaya Street, 137. The exhibition presents the history of the development of the region, it contains works of local painters, archaeological artifacts, paleontological and geological collections. The exhibition of weapons from the 19th century attracts attention. In a spacious house with a cozy veranda, where the museum is located today, the proletarian writer Alexei Bibik (1878-1976), who began his career in the railway workshops of Kharkov at the end of the nineteenth century, spent the last years of his life. In his youth, he joined the ranks of revolutionaries and was arrested and exiled to Perm for promoting socialist ideas. Bibik published his first stories about workers’ struggle for their rights in 1901; his last publications in literary magazines were published in the 60s. The writer, who took part in the revolutions of 1905 and 1917, lived for 98 years and left interesting memories of that turbulent era. The museum has a memorial room with personal belongings and a library of the writer, and one of the streets in Mineralnye Vody bears his name.

The local history museum is open from 09:00 to 18:00, lunch break – 13:00-14:00. Weekends – Saturday, Sunday. The entrance ticket costs 25 rubles. You can get here by minibuses No. 2, 3-A, 6, 16, 17. You need to get off at the “Dentist Clinic” stop.

Not far from the airport, on the territory of the aircraft repair plant (Knyshevskogo Street, 9), you can see the exhibition-museum of restored domestic and foreign aircraft. Airplanes and rotorcraft from different years of production are displayed on neatly trimmed lawns. The Po-2 biplane, designed at the Polikarpov design bureau in 1927, has the most venerable age. Such “heavenly slow-moving vehicles” with a simple and reliable design were used during the Great Patriotic War as night bombers. Standing nearby is another war veteran, a twin-engine Li-2. The production of these aircraft began in 1942 in Tashkent; the base model of the project was the American Douglas DC-3 transport aircraft; the Allies supplied these aircraft to the USSR under Lend-Lease. After the war, the unpretentious and trouble-free Li-2 served for a long time in Soviet polar aviation in the Far North.

The An-2 Kukuruznik, created at the Antonov Design Bureau in Kiev, takes pride of place in the Guinness Book of Records. It took off in 1947 and has been in production for over 70 years. We have not produced it for a long time, but such aircraft are still being built under license in China.

The exhibition is gradually expanding. Behind the hangars stands the Tu-154 medium-haul airliner, decommissioned from the air fleet, nicknamed the “Big Carcass” by the pilots. After the restoration work is completed, the aircraft will join the open-air exhibition.

The museum has a selection of rare photographs and documents illustrating the history of the development of aviation in our country. The entrance fee to this museum is symbolic - 35 rubles. The guides conduct fascinating excursions, because each flying machine presented here has its own interesting history.

Entertainment

Karl Marx Avenue will take you to the city park. Here you can relax in the shade of the trees with a cup of coffee, and have fun in the amusement town, looking at Mineralnye Vody from the height of the Ferris wheel. The cost of using the attractions is 50-100 rubles.

Take your playful kids to the Wake Up trampoline park, located in the Vershina shopping center on XXII Party Congress Avenue, 102, where your energetic kids will jump to their heart's content and have fun in a huge pile of multi-colored plastic balls and cubes. The park is open from 10:00 to 22:00.

For adult tourists, the hookah lounge bar “5'nizza” on Sovetskaya Street, 51 offers some fun after midnight. Parties with DJs are held here. The bar is open from 12:00 to 02:00. The average bill per person is 1000 rubles. Another attractive place in Minvod is the Kardan beer restaurant-bar, located on the 2nd floor of the Nebo shopping center, on Internatsionalnaya Street, 37. There is a spacious dance floor and a summer terrace. A glass of beer here costs 200 rubles, cocktails – 500 rubles. The establishment is open daily from 12:00 to 01:00, on Fridays and Saturdays – an hour longer.

To visit the Soprano night karaoke club (Lenina Street, 26), you need an appropriate evening dress code. There is face control here, the age of visitors is 18+. The club is open seven days a week from 10:00 to 03:00.

Country excursions

For tourists who have not decided on the choice of resort or want to explore the surrounding attractions, one-day sightseeing group bus excursions to the cities of the region are organized from Mineralnye Vody. Private guides also specialize in individual study tours in cars for families or groups of 3-4 people.

Such tours include walks through arboretums, familiarization with the medical profiles of sanatoriums, and swimming in thermal springs. Guides will take tourists to memorable locations where celebrities have been. Among them are the site of Mikhail Lermontov’s duel, a walk along the picturesque slopes of Mount Mashuk, Pushkin Baths, Chaliapin’s dacha, and memorial house-museums. Along the way, tourists explore the iconic Proval, where the bronze Ostap Bender stands, grottoes, caves, waterfalls, lakes and other attractions created by nature in the foothills of the Caucasus.

One-day trip to Essentuki with a visit to the balneological sanatorium named after. Semashko will cost 3,000 rubles. The cost of an introductory visit to the health resorts of Zheleznovodsk is approximately the same. The approximate price of tours to Pyatigorsk is 3,500 rubles, this resort town is located only 22 km from Mineralnye Vody, the bus goes there in half an hour. For excursions to Kislovodsk, travel agents ask about 7,000 rubles. A trip to the foot of Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe, will cost about 10 thousand rubles. The peak of Elbrus (5642 m) is visible from any point of Minvod, it is 91 kilometers away in a straight line from here, but you will have to drive about 250 km along serpentine mountain roads to the foot of the peak.

Very close to Mineralnye Vody, in the village of Novotersky, at the foot of Mount Zmeyka, is the famous Tersky stud farm. This enterprise was founded by Count Stroganov in 1889. Purebred Arabian horses were brought here, and over time a special breed of Terek horses was developed. They were highly valued both in the cavalry of the tsarist army and in Budyonny’s cavalry. Riding a white Terek stallion named Idol, Marshal Georgy Zhukov took part in the Victory Parade in 1945.

Today the Terek breeding plant is known all over the world; abroad its pets are called “Russian Arabs”. International exhibitions, competitions, and auctions take place here. The record amount paid for the Terek stallion exceeded $2 million.

Equestrian shows are held in extensive riding arenas for tourists, and exciting races are held at the hippodrome. You can take pictures with the handsome horses. Popular selfie partners include the graceful ash-pearl stallion, given to Vladimir Putin in the United Arab Emirates, and the world racing champion bay stallion Nobby. Tourists ride horses on horseback or in light carts. The cost of this pleasure is 100 rubles per lap around the arena. Horses are allowed to be fed. Their favorite treats are apples, carrots, and bread.

The entrance ticket to the territory of the breeding plant costs 200 rubles. For the right to take photos and videos, you need to pay an additional 100 rubles. Minibus No. 101 runs here from Mineralnye Vody. A bus excursion to the stud farm as part of a group will cost 500-600 rubles per person.

Active recreation in Minvody

On a fine summer morning, have breakfast at your hotel, grab sandwiches and drinks, and go for a walk along the slopes of Snake Mountain. The mountain is just a stone's throw from the city center, you can walk in 30-40 minutes, you can get there by bike in a quarter of an hour, and a taxi will take you to the foot of the Zmeyka in less than 10 minutes; you will spend no more than 100 rubles on the trip. Here is the Beshtaugorsky forest, spread over an area of ​​6 thousand hectares. This nature reserve is a wonderful place for family walks and picnics. In winter, you can go skiing and snowboarding on the slopes of the surrounding hills. But such winter fun is enjoyed only by local residents. Tourists arriving in Mineralnye Vody at this time usually go from here to the ski resorts of the Caucasus.

In the vicinity of Minvod there are several lakes where you can swim in the summer heat. Two reservoirs are located on the territory of the Mineralnye Vody sanatorium in the village of Novotersky. At the foot of the mountain there is Zmeyskoye Lake, but the swimming places here are “wild”. You will find the nearest well-equipped beaches to the southeast of neighboring Pyatigorsk, on the shores of Lake Tambukan, filled with brackish mineral water. You can get to Pyatigorsk from Mineralnye Vody in half an hour by minibus No. 223, they depart at intervals of 15 minutes from Station Square, a ticket costs 58 rubles. Both cities are connected by rail. The train to Pyatigorsk takes 40 minutes, the ticket costs 70 rubles.

12 km from Mineralnye Vody, in the village of Inozemtsevo, a huge water park “City of the Sun” was recently built with nine pools, twelve slides and other attractions. The length of the descent on the spiral slide “Tobogan” is 78 meters, there are two super-slides 100 meters long and small slides for kids. The park has cafes and restaurants, Roman baths with Jacuzzis, a spa complex, a bowling alley, and its own 4* hotel. Minibus No. 107 goes here, buses No. 133 stop in Inozemtsevo, heading from the Minvod bus station to Essentuki. The water park is open daily from 09:00 to 20:00, an adult ticket costs 1200 rubles, for a child under 12 years old you need to pay 800 rubles.

Souvenirs and shopping

A popular souvenir from Mineralnye Vody is a tabletop copy of the eagle sculpture that greets guests at the railway station. A beautiful mug with a logo for drinking healing water and “Essentuki” will remind you of your stay at the resort. The local market sells homemade adjika, spicy Svan salt, and sets of aromatic Caucasian spices. You can't go wrong with the use of spices: the labels on the packages indicate what dishes they are intended for.

Gourmets buy Praskovey cognac in gift packaging, produced in the region. There are 11 types of this aromatic amber drink available: from standard “three stars” to a delightful collection of cognac, aged in oak barrels for more than 20 years. Accordingly, its cost also varies - from 550 to 6000 rubles per 0.5 liter bottle. Five-year-old Dombay cognac can be bought for 800-1000 rubles. In the average price category of 2500-4500 rubles, vintage Praskovey cognacs - KV "Stavropol", KS "Kislovodsk".

The healing Tambukan mud is in demand. They are used to treat skin diseases and are used in cosmetology. Packages of mud are sold in Minvod pharmacies; pharmacists will also recommend cosmetics based on them. Tambukan Lake is not so far away, just 30 kilometers from Mineralnye Vody, minibuses go there. So, if you wish, you can go to the reservoir and stock up on mud for free, and at the same time take a swim in the healing water.

Several shopping centers with a good selection of clothing and other goods are open in Minvody, but shopping lovers are better off going to Pyatigorsk. There are large shopping centers and fashion boutiques there. In the southern suburbs of Pyatigorsk there is a specialized market for leather and fur products, where clothing and accessories are offered inexpensively. The market is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 06:30 to 13:00.

Cafes and restaurants

Tourists who come to Minvody are usually in the mood for tasting Caucasian dishes and drinks. This understandable desire is fully realized by the chefs of the Caucasian Kitchen restaurant, located on Sovetskaya Street, 112, at the entrance to the city. The portions here are generous; we recommend ordering one hefty lamb shish kebab and quite large salads for two. The meat is served with Ossetian pies, Armenian lavash, fresh vegetables, and bunches of aromatic herbs. You will find many other tempting dishes on the menu. For starters, for example, order the famous Georgian kharcho soup, thickened with crushed walnuts, and for dessert - churchkhela, gozinaki, pelamushi. In season, there are fresh fruits, grapes, and nuts on the table. A full meal without alcohol will cost about 1200-1400 rubles here. The establishment is open from 08:00 to 22:00.

Not far from the station, on XXII Party Congress Avenue, 32, the iron body of a tram, which appeared here from God knows where, is built right into a residential building. This bistro is called “Old Tram”. At the counter, visitors are offered shawarma, Caucasian pies, sauces, soft drinks, tea, coffee. The hostess shows imagination in preparing desserts. Here you can have a hearty meal for about 200-250 rubles.

Nearby, on Pushkin Street, 33, there is one of the best restaurants in Mineralnye Vody - “Firebird”. According to reviews from travelers, there is excellent cuisine, a beautiful interior, and always friendly waiters and administrators. Tables are located in the hall and on the covered summer area. Customers are served here from 11:00 to 23:00. The cost of main courses is from 250 rubles.

Two blocks west of the railway station building, on XXII Party Congress Street, 8-A, a two-story Gothic manor with turrets, pointed arches of windows and a stone plinth attracts attention. The chic German restaurant Holburg is located here. The menu includes hearty German dishes and 6-8 types of imported beer. The signature hot dish is meat solyanka with olives, delicious pork ribs baked in dark beer, with a side dish of boiled potatoes and sauerkraut. You can dine here for two for 2400-2600 rubles. The restaurant is open from 11:00 to 23:45.

On the menu of the Munich restaurant on Stavropolskaya Street, 51, you will find an interesting combination of German and Caucasian dishes. Here they brew their own beer, bake buns that melt in your mouth, and bring pastries piping hot. Spicy Bavarian sausages and garlic croutons, juicy lamb or mutton kebabs are served with beer. Visitors praise German desserts, especially cherry strudels. Georgian sweets from the confectioner are also good. While waiting for lunch, you can play table tennis here and watch sports matches on a large plasma screen. The establishment is open from 16:00 to 01:00. The average bill per person at Munich will be approximately 1,200 rubles (including drinks).

Russian and Caucasian cuisine is presented in the atmospheric restaurant “Stanitsa” (Moskovskaya street, 19/2). Here guests are received in cozy log houses, there are gazebos in the courtyard, and the wheel of a water mill creaks. Try spicy homemade sausages, rich Kuban borscht, stuffed pike with vegetables. Appetizers include smoked lard, pickled mushrooms, barrel cucumbers and tomatoes, and sauerkraut. Ice-cold vodka infused with pepper and horseradish is served in steamed damasks. The check for lunch with drinks will be up to 1,750 rubles. The doors of “Stanitsa” are open from 10:00 to 02:00.

You can get a quick, tasty and inexpensive snack for 150-200 rubles at the Pizza Land pizzeria. They also serve excellent coffee and freshly squeezed juices. The establishment is located 100 meters from the station; it’s worth stopping by while waiting for the train. Here you can order packaged food for the road. For example, a box with a large pizza stuffed with chicken fillet, shallots, cheese and tomatoes with white sauce will cost 370 rubles. The menu also includes signature hot dishes for a complete lunch. The chefs cook excellent lamb in wine and berry sauce. The cost of a generous portion is 600 rubles. A decent vegetarian menu is also offered, which is very rare in Mineralnye Vody.

Where to stay

More than three dozen hotels, guest houses and hostels are open in Mineralnye Vody. Local hotels are not endowed with special luxury; the best hotels await travelers in resort centers.

Near the station, on Karl Marx Avenue, 53, there is the 3* Kavkaz Hotel. The cost of living is from 1980 rubles per day. A stone's throw from the railway station, on XXII Party Congress Street, there is a good 3* City and Business hotel. Guests can enjoy tastefully decorated rooms with plasma TVs and minibars, and lunches are served in the cozy restaurant. The minimum room rate is 1600 rubles. On the same street, on the third floor in building No. 22, apartments with an equipped kitchen are available for rent for 2,000 rubles per day. The apartment is equipped with new furniture and plumbing, a standard set of household electronics, the bedroom has a balcony overlooking the city. Nearby are the Razgulay restaurant, the Veranda cafe-bar, and the Magnit supermarket.

In the center of Mineralnye Vody, near the city recreation park, there is the guest house “Gostiny Dvor” (Stavropolskaya Street, 19-A). A light breakfast is served in your room each morning. The café-bar offers full lunches. The cost of daily accommodation in a double room is from 1800 rubles.

You can stay even cheaper at the Christina mini-hotel, located on Moskovskaya Street, 110. A room here will cost 1,500 rubles. True, it is not close to the city center. On the outskirts of Minvod there is the Teply Stan hotel (Engelsa Street, 115). There is a restaurant, a bar, and a Russian bathhouse. Rooms are rented for 1200 rubles per day. In local hostels the average price per night is 500 rubles. One of them operates at the railway station.

Not far from the city, in the village of Novotersky, there is the nearest sanatorium "Mineralnye Vody", its buildings were erected in the park area of ​​the Beshtaugorsky reserve. Doctors specialize in the treatment of diseases of the endocrine system, digestive and respiratory organs, and gynecological ailments. The health resort’s pump rooms are supplied with water from spring No. 72, known under the brand “Novoterskaya Healing”. The source originates in the depths of Mount Snake. Resort guests have access to a sauna, gym, solarium, swimming pool, and winter garden. In the dormitory building there is a cinema hall, an Internet cafe, a transport service and booking of train and plane tickets. There is a grocery store and sports equipment rental on site. A three-kilometer health path leads to the resorts of the city of Zheleznovodsk.

To stay in a health resort, you need a sanatorium-resort card, which should be obtained from your local doctor at your place of residence. However, the card can be issued for an additional fee at the sanatorium. The procedure for examinations by specialists and tests takes two days. A health insurance policy and passport are also required.

Accommodation in a single room will cost 2,500 rubles, in a double room – 4,400 rubles per day. For wealthy patients, there are two-room suites, their cost is 6,000 rubles; for the installation of an additional bed you need to pay an additional 3,000 rubles daily. The price includes three meals a day and treatment as prescribed by doctors.

Minibus No. 101 goes to the Mineralnye Vody sanatorium from the railway station, travel time is 20 minutes.

The minimum cost of a holiday in the sanatoriums of the Caucasian Mineralnye Vody resort region is 1,300 rubles per day.

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Transport

Passenger transportation in Minvody is carried out by buses and minibuses. Ticket price is 16 rubles. Local residents and tourists are served by minibuses of private carriers, connecting the city with surrounding resorts in three dozen destinations. Electric trains depart from the railway station platforms to the resorts. Minibuses No. 11 run between the railway station and the airport from 06:00 to 19:30 at intervals of about 40 minutes. Travel time is a quarter of an hour.

After 20:00, public transport in Mineralnye Vody disappears from the streets, but taxis are available around the clock. Traveling around the city costs 100 rubles, a taxi will take you to the airport for 200 rubles, and to neighboring Pyatigorsk for 400 rubles. By the way, taxi drivers on duty at the airport charge up to 300 rubles for travel to Mineralnye Vody, and up to 700 rubles during the holiday season. It is better to order a transfer at the taxi dispatcher counter in the arrivals area. Many sanatoriums from neighboring cities and towns send their own buses to the airport and train station.

The cost of car rental in Minvody starts from 1,500 rubles per day. You can rent a car at the airport and return it in another resort town of Caucasian Mineralnye Vody. This service is available to clients of Urentcar and Autorent-KMV. The roads here are good and the traffic is calm.

How to get there

There is an international airport in Mineralnye Vody, one of the largest in southern Russia. It is located just 4 km west of the city and receives more than two million passengers annually. In May 2019, this air harbor was named after Mikhail Lermontov. Several flights depart daily from Moscow to Minvody. The flight lasts 2 hours 15 minutes. Airlines also fly to Minvody from St. Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don, Sochi, Chelyabinsk, Tyumen, Surgut, Yekaterinburg and other cities.

You can get from the country's capital to Mineralnye Vody by train on several routes. Fast train No. 004M “Moscow – Kislovodsk” departs from the Kazansky station, the train goes to Minvod in 21 hours 56 minutes. Train No. 382Ya “Moscow – Grozny” departs from the platform of the same station; it delivers passengers to Mineralnye Vody in 32 hours 15 minutes. You will spend 31 hours 07 minutes in the Moscow-Nalchik train No. 062Ch. By train No. 034С “Moscow – Vladikavkaz” the travel time to Mineralnye Vody will be 30 hours 11 minutes.

At the Kursk station of the capital you can take the passing train No. 049A “St. Petersburg - Kislovodsk” or No. 121A “St. Petersburg - Vladikavkaz”. Trains take just over 33 hours to reach the station in Minvody.

Detailed train schedules and ticket prices can be found on the Tutu.ru website.

In the summer season, buses to Mineralnye Vody depart daily from Moscow's largest bus station, "Tsentralnaya" at Shchelkovskoye Shosse, 75. Buses await passengers at the transport overpass near the intersection of Uralskaya and 9th Parkovaya streets. It’s convenient to get here by metro; you need to get off at the Shchelkovskaya station.

You will find bus routes from Moscow to Minvody in the schedule of the Krasnogvardeyskaya bus station, located a two-minute walk from the metro station of the same name, and Novoyasenevskaya, which is near the metro station of the same name. Buses reach Mineralnye Vody in 19-20 hours.

A car trip from Moscow to Minvody will take about a day, including rest. You need to take the M4 highway leading south. The path lies through Voronezh, Rostov-on-Don, Armavir. The distance along the highway is 1550 km. The federal highway “Caucasus” (P217) runs through the city of Mineralnye Vody. In the area of ​​the airport it is crossed by the A157 highway leading to Kislovodsk. It is more convenient to get from St. Petersburg to Mineralnye Vody by car through Moscow. The total distance will be 2275 km.

Calendar of low prices for air tickets

Tersky stud farm

The most famous place, founded in the early 90s of the 20th century by the promising and young naturalist S. A. Stroganov. After a long search, he brought Arabian horses to the city. They decided to open a factory and settle horses in the suburbs of Mineralnye Vody, because the local microclimate was excellent for animals.

After some time, Stroganov left the country forever for permanent residence in France. His place was taken by S. M. Budyonny. He became the organizer of horse sales at auctions.

Today, in the areas adjacent to the plant, various excursion activities are organized for tourists. There is also the opportunity to test yourself as a rider, accompanied by an instructor who will control and teach basic riding skills.

Plant location: Stavropol Territory, Mineralnye Vody, Novotersky village, st. School, building 2.

Modern city

Today, Mineralnye Vody is still the largest city in the Stavropol region and an important transport hub. It covers an area of ​​51.6 sq. km. The population grew to 76 thousand inhabitants. Telephone code: +7 87922, index of Mineralnye Vody of the Stavropol Territory - 357200.

This is a large industrial center with an excellent investment climate. About a thousand enterprises of various profiles operate successfully in the city - instrument making, food, light, woodworking, chemical and construction industries. Two thousand entrepreneurs work. The well-known and popular mineral water “Novoterskaya Healing” is produced here, which is extracted at the Zmeykinskoye deposit, at a depth of about 1.5 thousand m. All vacancies of Mineral Waters of the Stavropol Territory are collected in the city Employment Center. The most in demand are blue-collar jobs; service and trade workers are required.

Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary

This incredibly beautiful architectural creation is one of the most popular places in the city. Its construction lasted for five years.

The cathedral complex is crowned with steel domes. The building itself is made of red brick. In front of the temple there is a small area on which pilgrims’ cells, rooms for living and prayer of cathedral workers, as well as administrative premises are built. The square is decorated with beautiful flower beds of various shapes, where many flowers grow. The building is not only an architectural creation, but also a memorial of the Christian Orthodox faith.

Location: Mineralnye Vody, st. Pyatigorskaya.

Monuments

• Mass grave for the Red partisans who died in the civil war of 1918-1920.

• Monument to V.I. Lenin - the intersection of Karl Marx and XXII Party Congress avenues. It was installed on November 5, 1960.
• Monument-memorial “Fire of Eternal Glory” to soldiers who died during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Opened May 9, 1976
• Monument to General Ermolov.
• Monument to tank crews on the Dzhemukha River.
• Monument to St. Sergius of Radonezh, erected in December 2014.
• Monument to Peter and Fevronia at the entrance to the local registry office, erected on July 9, 2013.

Mount Sheludivaya

The mountain is located in the south of the city of Lermontov, not far from Mineralnye Vody. It has a high altitude for this area - 874 meters. Such an interesting name was formed from colloquial nicknames, which were based on the quirks of appearance: a lot of chips and stone blocks. Residents of the city say that once upon a time the mountain resembled a pyramid in shape.

At the moment, the slope is heavily cut because stones suitable for construction were mined in this area. While climbing the mountain you can admire the beauty of Mineralnye Vody and picturesque nature. Therefore, you will definitely want to return here.

Fire of Eternal Glory

The grand opening of this memorial complex took place in 1976. Processions, rallies, and city celebrations are held in this place every year. The monument is a composition of figures that seem to rise above the surface and stone columns.

At the base of the pylons there is a recess lined with marble with stones and a star. Eternal flame bursts out of the star. On the territory of the memorial complex there is a beautiful square, on both sides of which trees and flowers are planted.

City Museum of Local Lore

The museum has existed since the 1990s. The exhibitions include about 20 thousand different paintings, archaeological finds, coins, ethnographic elements, as well as knowledge of geology and history. Significant periods and events of the country and the world as a whole are separately noted.

Data, documents and materials are also stored here, which very accurately reflect the development of cultural values ​​and the educational environment. Tourists can get acquainted with the personal belongings of the famous writer A.P. Bibik, who lived in this city for many years. These are notebooks for keeping notes with valuable knowledge, books that were published at different times, personal photos of the family, ordinary but beautiful furniture made with one’s own hands, as well as ink utensils and paintings.

Location: Mineralnye Vody, Proletarskaya street, 137.

Airport

A huge flow of tourists passes through the Mineralnye Vody airport every day. Its turnover and daily number of flights can easily compete with those in Moscow.

Not only those people who purposefully flew to Minsk end up at the airport. Water, but also tourists who need to make a transfer. But often, if time between flights allows, people walk around the city, see the sights and even have time to taste the healing mineral water.

Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

The historical Orthodox site ranks second in popularity, after the cathedral. This is a small but very cozy temple. It embodies a place that combines spiritual and architectural values. The church is located in the city center, near the Park of Culture and Recreation, which makes it a place of relaxation for soul and body.

Location: Mineralnye Vody, st. Freedom.

Medicine

The question is not easy. There are two hospitals, a city and a railway, a good maternity hospital, a antenatal clinic, as well as several paid specialized medical centers and laboratories for taking tests. Analyzes from all laboratories fly to Moscow and are performed only there... However, Biotest seems to do them in Pyatigorsk. It is quite difficult to get a free voucher to see a specialist, but it is quite possible to make an appointment with the same therapist on the Internet; moreover, you can also make an appointment with other doctors in the CMS region. But the flow of patients is large, and my relatives prefer to go to paid doctors without waiting in line. And a railway hospital is, in fact, the same paid medical center, in which only Russian Railways pensioners and active employees, as well as members of their families, have the right to free treatment.

Chegem Gorge

This most interesting and entertaining place is located 90 kilometers from the city. It received its name from the mountain river on which it is located. These regions are famous for their beautiful waterfalls, indescribable beauty of flora and fauna. Some flow down in drops and resemble rain, and there are fast and powerful waterfalls that spew water with incredible force.

The maiden braid is the most famous representative of these places. All tourists coming to the city must visit this place. The beauty and power of the waterfall, which has such a soft name, is impressive. It makes you look differently at the girl’s soul and the true strength of the female soul.

In winter, interesting phenomena form in the gorge: ice columns that have an unknown origin, but look very enchanting, as they independently line up in an even line. This extraordinary, mesmerizing spectacle is worth coming here not only in summer. The resort town is opening up from a new side.

All tourists really enjoy visiting the open-air museum-zoo in the summer, observing the interesting habits of the animals; some are allowed to be fed. For children, this is generally something unforgettable and incredibly fun.

Reminder for tourists

City Min. The population of our country loves water very much. But for a successful trip, listen to these tips:

• visit as many attractions as possible;
• you can come not only in summer, but also in winter;
• to observe the beauty of places and look at many cities of the North Caucasus, you need to climb the mountains - it’s unforgettable and beautiful;
• You can get there by car, train or plane, but don’t forget that an eagle is waiting for you at the station square;
• all cellular operators operate at the same tariffs;
• hotels and sanatoriums are equipped with everything necessary, there is Internet everywhere;
• as souvenirs you can bring water, a variety of dishes with symbols and landscapes of the city, attractions, magnets and even healing perfumes;
• If you climb mountains, it is recommended to take anti-nausea pills with you.

conclusions

Summer is a great time when you especially want to go somewhere by train, travel for a long time, meet other people and new places. You can learn a lot of interesting and educational things from such trips. For creative people and inventors, traveling is a unique opportunity to be inspired by new ideas, find strength and interest in something new and interesting.

The population of Mineral Waters is growing every year, and more and more tourists are coming from our and neighboring countries. Therefore, there are many reviews and opinions about holidays at this Russian resort. It is almost always characterized on the positive side, since Russians have been accustomed to vacationing on the CMS since the days of the USSR.

It was and became

Previously, in Soviet times, the city performed a great practical function for the resort towns of the KMS - people flew here and came on vacation from all the places in the USSR where there were airports. The sanatoriums were literally working hard all year round; the concepts of “high season” and “low season” did not apply to this region.

Since such a huge country was behind the Iron Curtain, the choice of holiday destinations was not particularly diverse: Crimea, the Black Sea coast, Kavminvody were key points of relaxation, the “gold standard” where you could get a ticket or come on your own to find accommodation on the spot.

However, the daily rental of real estate was not thriving then, to put it mildly, so people flew to the CMV, as a rule, with ready-made vouchers from trade unions. This means that the vacation was organized, cultural, under the supervision of various comrades who controlled the “shape of morality”)) Not without excesses, dramas and adultery, but all this happened behind the walls of medical institutions, and therefore did not affect the local residents in any way. There is no comparison with Adler, Sochi, Tuapse, Anapa, where the streets are full of life 24 hours a day)))

Photo by zdubii

Discotheques with pioneer leaders, as on the Black Sea coast, and various other drinking chacha were not observed here, and this is still the case. Unless some kind of showdown will happen between our dear closest neighbors from the southern republics, whose blood always boils, and indignation demands immediate revenge, but this is already a rarity.

In terms of nature and air purity, Kavminvody is really no worse than Switzerland, it is just necessary to invest sufficient funds in them and modernize them. And, I must say, the region is slowly moving in this direction.

But let’s return to Mineralnye Vody - the point of departure to this sanatorium paradise - and the problems that tourists and migrants may encounter.