Vacations abroad: 5 authentic summer vacation spots with a national twist

President of Pro-Vision, author of the Vinogradov.story community

“Beach vacations are often called passive and not too interesting – and yet no one would refuse to spend a couple of weeks on the beach. Moreover, instead of the usual and tiresome Turkey and Egypt, you can go to more exotic locations – for example, the resorts of the CIS countries. The pluses are comfortable language environment, tempting price tag and national flavor. Minuses, however, there are also, but the advantages still outweigh. A few places for beach vacations in neighboring countries I will disclose below.

Cholpon-Ata on Lake Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan

Along the northern and southern shores of Issyk-Kul scattered with a dozen resort towns and villages, among which you can find a suitable for any budget and format of recreation. But the pearl of the coast is rightly considered Cholpon-Ata – a small resort with a couple of “big” sanatoriums and a hundred of cozy guest houses.

And also – mineral water, fresh mountain air and kilometers of sandy beaches. If you get tired of lying on the beach at some point, Cholpon-Ata will obligingly invite you to the mountains – five cable cars connect the city with the peaks that offer stunning views of Issyk-Kul.

Lake Issyk-Kul

Sea Breeze in Baku, Azerbaijan

Compared to its nearest neighbors, the Black and Azov Seas, the Caspian Sea is vastly underrated in terms of beach recreation. The same shallow waters suitable for resting with children, clean water and not bad “fresh” infrastructure – especially on the Azerbaijani side.

Sea Breeze in this sense is a successful attempt to bring beach recreation to a new level, comparable to foreign resorts in terms of content, list of services and quality of service. And 30-minute accessibility to the center of Baku allows you to dilute “sea” impressions with emotions from contact with ancient oriental culture and new architectural forms of the Azerbaijani capital.

Baku

Minsk Sea, Belarus

Having no access to the sea, enterprising Belarusians invented their own sea – the Minsk Sea. Its second name is Zaslavskoye Reservoir, and the water there is obviously fresh. Nevertheless, the Minsk Sea can be a worthy competitor to seaside resorts: there is infrastructure both for lazy beach vacation and for quite active one.

The reservoir even has its own islands, the most famous of which, Love Island, can be accessed only by prior arrangement with the administration of the nearest sanatorium. That is why it is easy to stay here for a while alone or in the company of the closest people, enjoying nature without fuss.

Minsk Sea

Lake Sevan, Armenia

High-mountain Lake Sevan is one of the most popular sights of Armenia, around which several interesting architectural complexes are concentrated. The main one is the ancient Sevanavank Monastery, built by hermit monks in the late 8th century with the support of Grigor the Illuminator and Princess Mariam of the Bagratuni royal family.

A marvelous lake panorama opens from the foot of the monastery, so for the first acquaintance with Sevan you should not look for a better place. And to continue “communication” you can stay for a couple of days in a cozy guest house on the shore of the lake to make a small pause in the race through the sights of Armenia and take a little breath.

Lake Sevan

Beaches of Batumi, Georgia

Georgia’s main Black Sea resort, Batumi combines Soviet heritage with national traditions and the latest recreational trends. A stone’s throw away from the Old Town is a modern promenade, laid out in 1881 and since then repeatedly renovated to meet the growing demands of tourists.

From the embankment to the sea descend wide clean beaches, where even in high season comfortably accommodate thousands of tourists. And at night Batumi turns into a huge open-air amusement park, gathering everything that can attract demanding vacationers – from noisy parties to modern art.

Batumi