Where to travel by car from Moscow? 5 ideas for traveling for two or three days

Pro-Visioni president, Vinogradov.story kogukonna autor

When a full-fledged vacation is still a long way off, and mood and energy fluctuate dangerously close to zero, a proven remedy helps – a short two- or three-day road trip. Distance – up to 350 km, travel time – no more than five hours, impressions – a million. Where to go, I advise you below.

Rybinsk

Approximate travel time: 5 hours one way

Modern Rybinsk consciously opposes everything modern – at least as far as the historical appearance of the city is concerned. A few years ago, the city mayor’s office approved a unified design code for commercial facilities, urging retailers to return to the “original” pre-revolutionary names and signs.

Together with “yeres” and “yatys” the city was filled with tourists. However, the noise and bustle did traditionally merchant Rybinsk only good: it revitalized the center and attracted investors. Now you can spend a few days there in an interesting and comfortable way. You can walk along the Volga embankment, take a boat to the Rybinsk hydroelectric power station, dine in inns and taste the products of the legendary brewery.

Tula and Yasnaya Polyana

Approximate travel time: 3 hours one way

Tula is experiencing an urban renaissance: year after year it becomes more comfortable, interesting and friendly to travelers. New public spaces and creative clusters in renovated industrial areas give it a special charm. The recognized favorites are Octava and Iskra. They are accompanied by the pleasant Kazanskaya embankment along the old river Upa – the place where the gentrification of Tula began.

In contrast to the renovated urban neighborhoods is Tolstoy’s Yasnaya Polyana, where they tried to preserve the atmosphere of the XIX century – even filming in the museum halls is forbidden. The estate is worthy of a separate day: here you want not just to run around with a guided tour, but to wander thoughtfully and leisurely between expositions and natural sights, reproducing quotes from the classics in your memory.

Yaroslavl and Karabikha

Approximate travel time: 5 hours one way

An alternative to Tula and Yasnaya Polyana is Yaroslavl and Nekrasov’s Karabikha. Similar in form (city plus country estate), this route differs significantly in content. Yaroslavl is one of the centers of the Golden Ring, and it would be wrong to bypass at least one of the masterpieces of temple architecture – the Church of Elijah the Prophet of the XVII century or the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery, where “The Word about Igor’s Campaign” was found.

And then – to wander, without a clear plan, through the historic center of the city, marked by UNESCO. Go to the Strelka, count the bridges over the Volga, spontaneously run into cozy private museums or a luxurious planetarium. And to finish your acquaintance with the province in Nekrasov’s estate Karabikha – modest but incredibly cozy.

Kostroma and Astashovo

Approximate travel time: 5 hours one way

Traveling through Kostroma is the epitome of hedonism: you should not deny yourself tasting local cheeses, caviar and mushrooms. There is no need to skimp on jewelry, produced both at Kostroma manufactories and exclusively by craftsmen – in a single copy and strictly to order. There is no need to limit yourself in buying clothes and home textiles made of natural linen: you will rarely find such a variety.

And what you should do is to stay at least for one night in the Forest Terem in Astashovo to feel like a wealthy nobleman spending the summer in the village. Flip through old books, listen to records, look at the surroundings through skillfully made stained-glass windows – and then sleep to your heart’s content, breathing in the fresh forest air of Kostroma province.

Smolensk

Approximate travel time: 5 hours one way

Everyone who drives up to Smolensk gets a view of the magnificent emerald Uspensky Cathedral, which survived two world wars and defended the right to be called the symbol of the city. Even the majestic fortress wall looks too modest against its background. However, with its fortification function the fortress coped quite well – even now behind the wall you can find several structures, the age of which is approaching or has passed over 300 years. Smolensk is a city with a unique sense of humor: where else would a fortress tower be called “Veselukha” and an invitation to sign “at Edik’s”? I won’t tell you how and why these folk toponyms appeared: let there be as many reasons for a short trip as possible.