In previous articles, I already wrote about New Year's holidays in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kazan. And in today’s review we will talk about several more Russian cities where you can go with your children on an unforgettable New Year’s trip.
These routes are for those who dream of being completely immersed in a real winter fairy tale with sorcerers, inhabitants of a fabulous winter forest and, of course, Grandfather Frost and Snow Maiden.
Veliky Ustyug
The main thing for which adults and little tourists flock to Veliky Ustyug in winter is the residence of Father Frost. Once on the territory of the Votchina, you immediately find yourself in a fairy tale, where miracles begin to happen.
Outside the gates, guests are greeted by Santa Claus' assistants dressed as fairy-tale characters, who offer to take part in a very interesting interactive program. And after meeting with Santa Claus, there is something to do: you can visit the zoo, ride cheesecakes and sleighs, ride in a reindeer sleigh, or take part in various events.
However, this cozy ancient city, through which caravans of ships passed from Rus' to Europe, is interesting not only for its winter fun and meeting with Santa Claus. In this ancient Russian city, ancient churches and cathedrals, houses of merchants of the 18th-19th centuries, temples and monasteries, most of which have never been closed, are perfectly preserved; there are numerous museums. And all this invariably attracts antique lovers here.
The architectural center of the city - the Cathedral Courtyard, designed in the same style, actually consists of several churches built in the 17th century: the Assumption Cathedral (a branch of the museum), the Cathedrals of St. Procopius the Righteous and John of Ustyug, the Epiphany and Alekseevskaya churches, and the Bishop's Courtyard.
In addition, tourists are attracted here by the Veliky Ustyug Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve, which consists of a museum of ethnography, a museum of antiquity, a museum of nature, and a museum of Christmas and New Year's toys.
In souvenir shops you can find locally produced products: jewelry, table niello, Vologda oil, ecological bed linen, birch bark products, handmade felt boots with painting, and a variety of drinks.
Where to eat
The city is small, but no one will go hungry for sure. Veliky Ustyug has many inexpensive cafes with delicious local pastries. For example, in the Gostiny Dvorik cafe at the Dvina Hotel you can have dinner for 400-600 rubles (without drinks). And the cost of lunch at the Izumrud restaurant and the Na Uspenskaya restaurant in the city center ranges from 300-400 rubles.
Where to stay
There are no large hotels in Veliky Ustyug. These are mainly 3* hotels: “Dvina”, “Veliky Ustyug”, “Gostiny Dvor”, “Sukhona”, “Prokopyevskaya”, “Iceberg”. Among them, the recreation center “Dacha Ded Moroz” stands out - these are comfortable houses, carved out of wood according to village traditions.
It is better to book hotels several months in advance, since during the New Year holidays Veliky Ustyug is filled with crowds of tourists.
How to get there
People get here mainly by car, bus and, most often, by rail. Travel from Moscow in a compartment costs from 3,735 rubles, in a reserved seat – from 2,000 rubles. But prices will rise closer to the New Year holidays.
To get to Veliky Ustyug, trains go to Kotlas, Vorkuta, Syktyvkar and stop in Kotlas. And from there you can take a taxi or bus (traffic interval - 1.5-2 hours) to Veliky Ustyug (from Kotlas station - 70-80 kilometers), the road to which in winter takes a little more than an hour.
During the holidays he organizes tourist trips for children to Veliky Ustyug from St. Petersburg, Moscow, Rostov-on-Don, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara and Perm.
There are no direct flights. But you can fly to Cherepovets, and from there to Ustyug.
Shopping
On Votchina you can buy products from the Northern Chern factory, linen and knitted products, felt boots, and various souvenirs.
Personally, I bought excellent goat down mittens there for only 400 rubles. The Votchina has its own cheese factory; good quality cheeses are sold in the Snezhinka cafe.
After 5 p.m., active life on the estate calms down. All attractions and shops close, employees leave. Guests can only admire the magically illuminated territory, ride the free slides or sit in a cafe. Cafe “On Votchina” is open until 20.00, “Veranda” – until 22.00. You can rent billiards or air hockey in the hotel building.
Karelia
If you have already been to Veliky Ustyug, you can visit other Santa Clauses. For example, go to Karelia. In this harsh land, Santa Claus lives not in a fairy-tale mansion, but in a real Great Sami Plague. He is, of course, younger than the main Father Frost from Veliky Ustyug, but he is also cheerful, perky, full of energy and loves guests, especially on New Year’s days.
This Santa Claus, whose name is Pakkaine (“Frost”), settled in his residence (30 kilometers from Petrozavodsk) among the beautiful Karelian forests. He welcomes guests with aromatic tea made from forest herbs and berries, delicious Karelian pies, treats them with stories about local customs, interesting legends and traditions of the Karelian land.
While visiting Santa Claus, you can test your strength, intelligence and courage in various competitions, ride like a breeze in a team of Siberian huskies, slide down ice and snow slides, and learn how to decorate New Year's gingerbread cookies with multi-colored icing. And in the Three Bears winter zoo you can even meet a real bear.
It will be fun and interesting. Most importantly, don’t forget to bring warm mittens, hats and a good mood.
For recreation, you can choose other cities of Karelia or settle outside the city, at a recreation center. In Petrozavodsk in winter you can visit museums, the old quarter, churches or have fun at the Gorka mini-resort with two ski slopes, an ice skating rink and lifts.
You can get to Petrozavodsk by train, bus, car and plane.
Cheap flights to Petrozavodsk
| Where | departure date | Return date | Find tickets |
| Moscow | January 31, 2022 | February 6, 2022 | Find from 4,098 |
| Kaliningrad | February 16, 2022 | February 20, 2022 | Find from 6,398 |
| Krasnodar | February 1, 2022 | February 7, 2022 | Find from 7 167 |
| Murmansk | January 23, 2022 | January 24, 2022 | Find from 7 278 |
| Mineral water | December 15, 2021 | December 18, 2021 | Find from 7 401 |
| Saint Petersburg | January 21, 2022 | January 24, 2022 | Find from 8 280 |
| Sochi | January 21, 2022 | January 26, 2022 | Find from 8 485 |
| Kazan | January 17, 2022 | January 19, 2022 | Find from 8 641 |
| Rostov-on-Don | January 25, 2022 | January 31, 2022 | Find from 9 049 |
| Ufa | January 30, 2022 | February 2, 2022 | Find from 9 196 |
Where to stay
There are hotels and guest houses in Veliky Ustyug and on the estate . I advise you to choose the second option, because you will not have to waste time and money traveling from the city to the residence. Accommodation can be booked at the Na Votchina hotel or the Druzhba guest complex. The guest complex offers affordable prices - from only 1000 rubles. per day. The rooms are quite acceptable, but the amenities are limited to several rooms. At the Na Votchina hotel, accommodation for two will cost from 3,300 rubles, while the price includes breakfast in a cafe at the rate of 300 rubles. per person. Please note that if you do not meet the amount, you will have to pay extra. In addition, there are 11 cottages equipped with kitchens to accommodate guests.
Kostroma
On New Year's Eve you can go not only to Father Frost, but also to visit his granddaughter Snegurochka in a fairy-tale mansion in her homeland in the Berendey kingdom in Kostroma. The fairy-tale beauty's tower, in which she receives her guests, is not as large as her grandfather's. But there is also a lot of entertainment here.
Fairy-tale characters will guide guests through the palace, tell them about it and lead them to the Snow Maiden, who will tell guests about her life, show her outfits, teach handicrafts and introduce her to her assistants.
There is an Ice Room in the tower, in which everything is made of ice, even an openwork sleigh and a snow blanket. In addition, the winter sorceress herself will treat the children to real ice cocktails. And in the Room of Wonders with gifts, amazing Christmas tree decorations and a Magic Mirror, you can make your most cherished wish.
Tours run every hour. One day is enough to visit Terem.
Kostroma is one of the oldest cities in Russia with a rich history (the Romanov dynasty came from here), with a preserved layout and architecture, with many interesting museums. With children you can visit the Kostroma Ethnographic Museum “Kostromskaya Sloboda”, the Ipatiev Monastery, the Kostroma Kremlin, the exhibition “The Far Away Kingdom”, the Museum of Flax and Birch Bark, the Museum of Theatrical Costume and the Museum of Nature.
Not far from Kostroma, in the ancient town of Nerekhta, there is another interesting place - this is the magical factory of Father Frost, where a huge number of New Year's wooden toys are produced. Here you can meet Santa Claus, send a letter to your friends from his mail and try to make an unusual toy for the Christmas tree yourself.
In the Village of Jewelers in the village of Krasnoe (32 kilometers from Kostroma), jewelry from the best craftsmen of the Kostroma region is presented. The exhibition will be equally interesting for both children and adults. You can also visit the Sumarokovskaya moose farm, where you can feed and pet moose calves, and also try real moose milk.
Where to stay
There are more than 30 hotels, apartments and mini-hotels in the city, among them:
- Hotel Snegurochka is a cozy and comfortable hotel (located in the city center, 50 meters from the House of the Snow Maiden);
- Azimuth is a small cozy hotel on the outskirts of the city (6.5 kilometers from the city center);
- Hotel Golden Ring;
- Ipatievskaya Sloboda;
- Shelestoff.
What to visit when visiting Santa Claus
The most convenient way is to arrive at the estate in the morning and, leaving your things at the hotel (this option is available regardless of check-in time), immediately go to the tower of Father Frost . On the first excursion there were still few tourists (there were only 6 of us), and the owner of the residence took a photo with each child and presented gifts. The following groups consisted of 25 people. When purchasing a ticket to the tower, you can pay for a sweet gift and a credentials letter as a souvenir of your visit to the New Year's wizard. The cost of gifts will cost approximately 700 rubles.
Tower of Father Frost in Veliky Ustyug
In addition to the tower, at the residence of Father Frost in Veliky Ustyug you will find:
- The trail of fairy tales , where you will meet famous heroes of folk works. Entrance ticket price – 150 rubles. per person.
- Santa Claus's mail , where you will find out how many letters and how they arrive to the winter wizard, as well as the history of the New Year's card. The cost of the excursion is from 50 to 100 rubles.
- Master classes (making New Year's toys, blacksmithing, preparing lunch in Santa Claus's kitchen, etc.). The cost of the master class is 150 to 250 rubles. per person.
- The winter garden is a world of exotic plants. Ticket price – 100 rubles, for children from 3 to 6 years – 50 rubles.
- Zoo , which contains several hundred animals and birds, some of which are listed in the Red Book. Ticket price for adults is 500 rubles, for children from 7 to 17 years old – 250 rubles.
- Santa Claus glacier with ice sculptures. The cost of visiting is from 80 to 130 rubles.
- Tea party with Santa Claus . Please note that there are quite a lot of people interested in this event, so I recommend signing up in advance (by phone or on the website). Within an hour, you will learn how to drink tea correctly, try pine cone jam, and be able to ask Santa Claus any questions and take a photo with him. Cost – 1000 rub. per person.
- In addition, you will enjoy a ride on the “Miracle Stove” and the “Merry Little Engine” , as well as a ride on the “Big Hill” . The cost of one attraction is 100 rubles. per person. Reindeer and dog riding will cost from 200 to 300 rubles.
| Popular excursions in Veliky Ustyug: Veliky Ustyug - a journey into the depths of centuries City tour with a visit to the Museum and a master class on painting a ball Sightseeing walking tour of Veliky Ustyug |
Residence of Father Frost
Nizhny Novgorod
A trip to Kostroma can be supplemented with a visit to other cities of the Golden Ring. For example, go to Nizhny Novgorod - an ancient merchant city located at the confluence of the Volga and Oka. The rich heritage of the city will allow you to better learn the history of your country and immerse yourself in the cultural and historical past. Merchants' chambers, temples and churches, unique architectural structures, museums - all this is in Nizhny Novgorod and is perceived completely differently than in the summer.
It is impossible not to visit the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin with the St. Michael the Archangel Cathedral and the obelisk to Minin and Pozharsky located on its territory, and walk along the ancient pedestrian streets, which can be viewed as a fascinating museum exhibition, but only in the open air. With children you can go to the skating rink or visit the planetarium, circus, “House of Christmas Tree Toys,” Aviation Museum, and the “Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors” museum.
And of course, the main place you need to visit these days is the residence of Father Frost in the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin in the Conception Tower. According to legend, it was here, under the Conception Tower, that many years ago a magic book was hidden, which brought to life the magic staff of Santa Claus on New Year's Eve.
So that no one could ever command magic, Koschey the Immortal hid the book in the tower and destroyed it. But he was unlucky. The tower has been restored. Now the book will be revealed to everyone who wins the battle with the evil wizard. In addition, for winning from Santa Claus you can receive a reward from a magic chest.
Cheap flights to Nizhny Novgorod
| Where | departure date | Return date | Find tickets |
| Permian | February 5, 2022 | February 8, 2022 | Find from 1,776 |
| Volgograd | January 28, 2022 | January 31, 2022 | Find from 2,560 |
| Saratov | January 16, 2022 | January 20, 2022 | Find from 2,760 |
| Mineral water | May 13, 2022 | May 16, 2022 | Find from 2,860 |
| Rostov-on-Don | March 21, 2022 | March 26, 2022 | Find from 2,960 |
| Moscow | December 23, 2021 | December 24, 2021 | Find from 3,034 |
| Saint Petersburg | October 8, 2022 | October 10, 2022 | Find from 3 740 |
| Voronezh | March 25, 2022 | March 28, 2022 | Find from 4,098 |
| Ufa | December 18, 2021 | December 20, 2021 | Find from 4 345 |
| Krasnodar | April 5, 2022 | April 9, 2022 | Find from 4 760 |
Where to eat
There will be no problems with food. On the territory of Father Frost's residence there is the Snezhinka restaurant, which serves lunch and dinner on a self-service basis from 12:00–20:00. Lunch for four cost us 800 rubles. At the Veranda cafe you can try dishes cooked over an open fire. I advise you to book a table in advance.
Tower of Father Frost in Veliky Ustyug
Kaluga region
You can celebrate the New Year in Kaluga, an ancient merchant city on the banks of the Oka River and the New Year's capital of 2021. Trips to nearby towns in the region will add emotions: the oldest in the region Borovsk, heroic Kozelsk, Maloyaroslavets, charming Tarusa.
You can get from Moscow to Kaluga by bus or car in 2.5 hours along the federal highways M3 "Ukraine" and Moscow-Warsaw (A130). By train from St. Petersburg, Bryansk, Smolensk, Tula. By plane from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Krasnodar, Kaliningrad, Rostov-on-Don, Simferopol, Anapa, Sochi, Kazan, Mineralnye Vody.
Kaliningrad
New Year's Kaliningrad can be a great alternative to a trip to Christmas Europe. Although the weather in the winter months is changeable and often cloudy.
The city's past is reflected in the architecture of old German houses, which can often be found on the streets of the city. Particularly interesting are the Amalienau quarters, a former suburb with expensive villas and Maraunenhof with country private mansions.
Two or three days are enough to explore the sights of this cozy city. At the same time, you should definitely visit Kant Island (or Kneiphof) in the center of Kaliningrad. Once upon a time there was a real city here, destroyed during the war. Now it is a park where townspeople like to relax.
There are many churches, cathedrals and 7 city gates in Kaliningrad. The most interesting of them are the Royal Gate and the Brandenburg (or Berlin) Gate.
The Cathedral is the main church of the city with Orthodox and Evangelical chapels and an organ hall. The cathedral was also destroyed in 1944, but was restored in the 90s. Next to the cathedral there is Kant’s grave-mausoleum (the philosopher lived in this city all his life).
The ruins of the Königsberg Castle are impressive, which you can see by visiting the branch of the Kaliningrad Historical and Art Museum - the museum “Open exhibition “Ruins of the Royal Castle””.
The Museum of the World Ocean is a place that children will certainly enjoy. You can also go to the Friedland Gate museum, the Fish Village (ethnographic and craft center). And where else if not here can you learn everything about amber by visiting the village of Yantarny, where this sunstone is mined, or at the Amber Museum.
The most convenient way to get to Kaliningrad is by plane. You can also travel by train, but you will need a foreign passport and a Lithuanian transit visa.
Cheap flights to Kaliningrad
| Where | departure date | Return date | Find tickets |
| Kaluga | February 14, 2022 | February 18, 2022 | Find from 1,776 |
| Moscow | January 20, 2022 | January 26, 2022 | Find from 2 470 |
| Rostov-on-Don | January 31, 2022 | February 4, 2022 | Find from 2,870 |
| Saint Petersburg | February 16, 2022 | February 19, 2022 | Find from 3 960 |
| Voronezh | February 12, 2022 | February 18, 2022 | Find from 4 272 |
| Krasnodar | February 1, 2022 | February 2, 2022 | Find from 5 240 |
| Ufa | January 18, 2022 | January 24, 2022 | Find from 5 264 |
| Mineral water | December 18, 2021 | December 20, 2021 | Find from 5 587 |
| Saransk | July 12, 2022 | July 14, 2022 | Find from 5 700 |
| Volgograd | February 27, 2022 | March 5, 2022 | Find from 5 930 |
Rostov-on-Don
On winter weekends, tourists in Rostov-on-Don can expect a fair on Christmas Eve, Christmas festivities, exhibitions, family historical quests, active recreation in country hotels, a hospitable reception in ancient Cossack villages with complete immersion in traditions and everyday life and tasting of local dishes.
The flight from Moscow to Rostov-on-Don is 2 hours, from St. Petersburg – 2 hours 45 minutes, from Yekaterinburg – 3 hours.
Arhangelsk region
To get to know the Arctic, you don’t have to go to Novaya Zemlya or the North Pole. The Arctic territories begin on the coast of the White Sea in the north-west of the country, where the Arkhangelsk region is located.
What can you see in a land with endless taiga, dazzling white snow, ancient merchant cities, wooden temples, ice crossings, winter roads and polar lights? These are colorful northern museum towns, the Solovetsky Monastery, the first seaport of Russia - Arkhangelsk, original villages of Pomors, nature reserves and national parks “Onega Pomorie”, “Russian Arctic”, Kenozersky, karst caves of Pinega. And of course, here you can go skiing and dog sledding, get to know the life of nomadic reindeer herders and reindeer.
Cheap flights to Arkhangelsk
| Where | departure date | Return date | Find tickets |
| Saint Petersburg | January 12, 2022 | January 16, 2022 | Find from 3 960 |
| Moscow | February 26, 2022 | February 28, 2022 | Find from 5 280 |
| Kotlas | January 17, 2022 | January 19, 2022 | Find from 6,744 |
| Kazan | January 27, 2022 | February 1, 2022 | Find from 7,000 |
| Krasnodar | February 8, 2022 | February 14, 2022 | Find from 8,000 |
| Kaliningrad | February 10, 2022 | February 14, 2022 | Find from 8 260 |
| Murmansk | January 18, 2022 | January 19, 2022 | Find from 8 720 |
| Sochi | January 14, 2022 | January 17, 2022 | Find from 8 776 |
| Ufa | January 21, 2022 | January 23, 2022 | Find from 8 940 |
| Chelyabinsk | January 24, 2022 | January 29, 2022 | Find from 9 040 |
Khanty-Mansiysk
If you want to get into a real Siberian winter fairy tale, you need to go to Ugra. In Khanty-Mansiysk you can visit the “Yelki Residence” (there are no such places anywhere else in the country), live in a tent on Chumovaya Street, ride reindeer and dog sleds, ski, skate, snowmobile, take a photo with a mammoth, meet Ishki-Iki - the local Santa Claus.
The flight from Moscow to Khanty-Mansiysk is only three hours.
We recommend reading where else you can go for the New Year with children.
Happy holidays and interesting holidays to everyone on New Year's days!
Hotels on the Estate of Father Frost
By booking one of the hotels on the Estate of Father Frost, you find yourself right in the thick of magical events! After all, from the very first minute you will find yourself in the cozy hotel of Santa Claus in the middle of a fantastic pine forest.
Here you will be surrounded on all sides by fabulous attractions, the possessions of Father Frost, souvenir shops, colorful cafes and restaurants, and much more. And most importantly - right in front of you - the Central Square and the tower of Father Frost!
The patrimony of Father Frost includes hotels from simple ones (with block rooms) to quite comfortable 3* hotels and cottages for every taste.
| Hotel on the Estate of Father Frost | ||
| View tours | |
| GC "Druzhba" on the Estate of Father Frost | ||
| 7/10 | View tours | |
| TB "Ear" on the Estate of Father Frost | ||
| 8/10 | View tours | |
| Hotel "Ustyuggaz" | ||
| 8/10 | View tours | |
