Where to go on vacation in the summer of 2024? Guide to places and prices

On vacation you want to get the maximum of positive emotions and relaxation, but at the same time not to leave too large sums. To do this, you need to think about your vacation in advance, choose a more profitable destination or time to travel. With our experts we will try to figure out how to optimize finances.

Head of press service of travel planning service OneTwoTrip

“You will gather in Sochi or Antalya without our advice, and we will tell you about not the most banal, but very cool destinations for summer vacation.”

What we will tell you about

• Where to go in Russia?

• Where to go abroad?

Where to go in Russia?

Travel costs to your destination can vary depending on the mode of travel you choose and the city you plan to travel from. The choice of vacation destination will also affect how much you will have to spend. You can stay in a hotel or rent accommodation.

Kavkazskie Mineralnye Vody: get healthy and take a walk in nature

This region will appeal to those who are not used to lying on the beach all day long. There is no sea here, but there are many parks and promenades, mountains and waterfalls, picturesque natural gorges and impressive man-made drinking galleries.

Do not think that you will have a “pensioner’s” vacation: young people go to Caucasian Mineralnye Vody more and more often, it is easy to find fashionable restaurants and luxury spa hotels here. And there is no shortage of excursions for every taste: if you want – explore Lermontov’s places, if you want – walk around Chaliapin’s dacha, and if you want, you can go to Dombai or North Ossetia.

There are several popular resort towns in the region, and all of them have their own peculiarities. For example, Essentuki is more suitable for a measured family vacation – tourists here leisurely stroll along the central park, and there are almost no mountains and hills, so it will be comfortable with a baby stroller.

If you want activity and drive, welcome to Pyatigorsk: there are a lot of restaurants and coffee shops, a wide choice of excursions and Mashuk Mountain, which can be seen from any point of the city. Kislovodsk is more relaxed, and it’s easy to find leisure activities for all members of the family. And in small Zheleznovodsk people go for solitude and communion with nature: the local park is perfect for hiking and short hikes. And mineral water is delicious everywhere.

How to get there and the cost of travel: the transport center of the region is located in Mineralnye Vody, prices for air tickets from Moscow and back in summer start from 20 000 rubles. Further to the chosen city can be reached by cab: you can get to Zheleznovodsk in 20 minutes, to Essentuki or Pyatigorsk – in 30-40, and to Kislovodsk – in an hour. A room in a three-star hotel with good guest ratings can be found from 3000 rubles per night.

Dagestan: eat delicious food, walk in the mountains and swim in the sea

Summer is a great time to travel to this republic. Yes, most likely, it will be hot, but no one prevents you from hiding from the heat in the mountains or spending your days on the beaches of the Caspian Sea. By the way, they are much less crowded than the Black Sea resorts, and it is getting easier to find cool locations every year.

You can swim in Makhachkala, Derbent, Kaspiysk och Izberbash. Pay attention to private beaches: at good hotels they are paid, but the infrastructure is better than at city beaches. Bonus – lower prices, because the resorts are not really promoted yet (but we are sure that it won’t last long!).

And, of course, Dagestan is mountains. We advise you to find a guide with a car in advance. Traveling around the region on your own is a below average pleasure, as there are too many serpentines and dangerous mountain roads, and the local driving style is unfamiliar to residents of big cities. So choose a reliable guide who can take you to the famous Sulak Canyon and mysterious ghost villages. And you can explore Derbent with its unusual Magals and majestic fortress Naryn-Kala on your own.

Do not neglect the local cuisine. It only seems that the menu is the same everywhere: the beauty of Dagestani cuisine is in the variety of recipes. Meat is cooked differently everywhere, and even the taste of chudu differs (though it seems to be simple flatbreads). Also taste kurze and understand how khinkal differs from khinkali (spoiler: to about everyone).

How to get there and the cost of the trip: it is most convenient to fly by air – there are direct flights to Makhachkala from many major cities. A ticket from Moscow and back in summer will cost from 20,000 rubles. A room in a three-star hotel can be found from 3000 rubles per night.

Kamchatka: go camping

Kamchatka is on the Wishlist of many travelers, and summer is the perfect time to finally fulfill this dream. In the warm season, tourists have access to a maximum of impressions, and after a week’s trip will be enough for a lifetime.

It seems that nowhere in Russia you will not find such a variety of landscapes, routes and activities. You can hike to hills and volcanoes, watch bears and killer whales, surf in the Pacific Ocean and sunbathe on an unusual beach. For example, on Khalaktyrsky beach the sand is black in color, and in Buyan Bay you will have a scattering of agates, opals, jasper and other semi-precious stones under your feet.

Multi-day hikes and trekking is also ideal to plan in summer, in July or August. Just take into account that independent traveling on the peninsula will not work: not everywhere you can go even by rented car, meetings with wild animals can be very dangerous, and the budget for such a trip is difficult to calculate.

Choose a tour, now there are many different – you can go hiking, and surf-camp, and just drive around the outskirts of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, it is for those who want to spend a vacation without extreme, well, maximum in the sea on the boat to go out. Sea trip to Russkaya Bay, by the way, is an important part of familiarization trip to Kamchatka, obligatory photographing of the rock “Three Brothers” is in every guidebook on the peninsula.

How to get there and the cost of the trip: there are direct flights to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky from Moscow and from a number of major cities. A round-trip ticket from the capital in summer will cost from 29,000 rubles. Housing is a little more complicated, there are not so many good options. In a hostel you can find a place for 3000 rubles, and if you are interested in a hotel, count on a minimum of 5000 rubles per day.

Where to go abroad?

If the purpose of your vacation is outside of Russia, to optimize costs should pay attention to the price of flights, and the hotel and city will be able to choose under your budget in the second place.

Batumi: swim in the Black Sea and eat khachapuri

Tbilisi is no surprise to anyone, so make a move and go to the sea capital of Georgia. Moreover, in summer you still want to swim and sunbathe, and where to do it but on the Black Sea. Batumi has several well-equipped municipal beaches with sun beds, umbrellas, cabins and obligatory cafes.

You can swim from the end of May, by mid-summer the water warms up to +25°C. Water activities such as “bananas” and parasailing are also present, so that the mandatory summer program is easy to fulfill. And if you want more privacy and to see more beautiful landscapes, you can go to the suburbs , to the beaches of Gonio, Kvariati och Sarpi. Keep in mind that everywhere is pebble, sand can be found only in Ureki village (but it is black there).

In general, Batumi is a very comfortable resort town. Here you will find the Botanical Garden for leisurely walks along shady alleys and cozy picnics, and Batumi Boulevard along the sea, where you can ride a scooter or bicycle, and a beautiful old town with restored buildings, and the observation deck, which can be climbed by cable car. It is also here that you can enjoy the most delicious Adjara-style khachapuri – those boats with egg and cheese, not for nothing Batumi is the capital of the Adjara region.

How to get there and the cost of travel: a ticket from Moscow to Batumi and back in summer can be found for 32,000 rubles, flights are direct. Entry for Russian tourists is carried out without problems, you only need a passport, and without a visa in Georgia is allowed to stay up to one year. A room in a three-star hotel with good reviews is easy to find from 4000 rubles per day.

Seoul: explore a new culture

This is an amazing city: palaces of ancient dynasties and beautiful colored pagodas are juxtaposed with ultra-modern skyscrapers. And from the bustling business district you can walk to a quiet green park in 10 minutes – there are an incredible number of them in Seoul, and in summer it is very useful, because it can be hot here. In general, to start exploring South Korea from the capital is a great option.

Many tourists are attracted by traditional villages – so called neighborhoods with authentic Korean houses, which are located right within Seoul. We recommend visiting Namsangol or Bukchon – and for a while you will wonder where exactly you are, so amazing are these places. Bukchon is also where some Korean doramas have been filmed – if you’re a fan, you’ll love it.

Next, explore the palaces: wander among the colorful pavilions of the Gyeongbokgung complex, relax in the Secret Garden of Changdeokgung, and admire the pagodas of Changgyeonggung. Tired of unfamiliar names? Then head to the Gangnam district, wandering among the tricked-out skyscrapers. You’ve definitely heard the name – you’ll remember it when you see the huge sculpture in the form of crossed arms.

And also in Seoul in summer you can sunbathe and swim in the Yellow Sea. To do this, go to the airport – there is a beach near Yirvanni. Keep in mind that it’s crowded on weekends, and don’t be surprised that most locals don’t go far from the shore or bob on the waves in inflatable circles – many Koreans can’t swim.

How to get there and the cost of travel: there are no direct flights from Moscow to Seoul, but you can fly with one or two connections. In summer, a one-way ticket can be found for 30,000 rubles. Russians will only need a passport for traveling, you can stay in the country without a visa for up to 60 consecutive days. 72 hours before arrival, you will need to fill out an electronic application and receive an entry permit. A room in a three-star hotel with good reviews can be found from 5000 rubles per night.

Kusadasi: get acquainted with unusual Turkey

A small town on the Aegean coast, with sandy and pebble beaches, ancient fortresses and ancient ruins in the vicinity, where respectable Europeans like to vacation. It is as if it is not about Turkey. Kusadasi is really not too similar to more familiar to Russians Antalya or Istanbul (although the boulevard Ataturk here, of course, there is, where without it).

But the hotels working on the system “All Inclusive”, yes that with animation and a large closed territory, much less than on the Mediterranean Sea. And it is good: the town wants to explore, it is pleasant to walk along the long promenade, admire cruise ships at the pier and see off the sun at sunset, having settled down on one of the benches. Excursion program is quite rich: you can explore the castle on the island or go to Ephesus in half an hour’s drive – there are well-preserved ancient Greek ruins.

Beach vacations, of course, are also available. The best locations are Ladies’ Beach och Love Beach, which have all the infrastructure from sun loungers and umbrellas to cafes. For more privacy go to the beaches of Dilek Park, there are four of them (only one of them is sandy). The sea in this place is a stunning turquoise color, and the very shore is lined with pine trees.

How to get there and the cost of travel: it is most convenient to fly to Izmir, there are direct flights from Moscow, the prices for one-way tickets start from 23 000 rubles, and then get to the hotel by cab or shuttle bus (from the airport about 100 km). Entry of Russians to Turkey is maximally simplified, you only need a passport. A hotel room in Kusadasi can be found from 5000 rubles per day.

No matter what your budget is, the vacation can be wonderful in any case. For this, you just need to find the right conditions and do not forget to take your loved ones with you, leaving your worries aside.