Travel Notes

Caving for Dummies

A group of enthusiasts has transformed an abandoned tsarist marble mine into a tourist attraction and is now expanding the site.

Ruskeala – a network of tunnels and canyons near the eponymous village in Karelia – was the site of a mine that yielded marble of four different colors used in the building of St. Petersburg.

Marble was mined here until the collapse of the Soviet Union and was of particular value decorating metro stations. When the mine fell into disuse, part of it flooded, creating a picturesque underground lake.

The network of Karelian caves has long been a magnet for explorers and cavers. One enthusiast eventually took the initiative to clear the caves of debris and turn them into a tourist attraction. In December, they were set to launch a new one-kilometer-long underground trail.

ruskeala.info

 

Inking Tourists

Starting in 2017, Russia will subject all foreign visitors to fingerprinting. The measure was lobbied for by the Russian Interior Ministry as a way to prevent terrorists from entering the country.

Previously, only foreigners seeking to work in Russia were required to have their fingerprints taken.

Another factor behind the measure could be fears of fan violence during Russia’s hosting of the 2018 World Cup.

 

Lev’s Station

Fans of Lev Tolstoy can now visit the train station from which the writer embarked on the last journey of his life after fleeing the Yasnaya Polyana estate in October 1910.

The Yasnaya Polyana Museum, run by his descendants, has restored the Shchyokino train station and opened a new exhibit there. The station, also called Yasenki, has a turn-of-the-nineteenth century ticket booth and waiting room, as well as a period train car.

Sadly, the station is unlikely to be of any use to tourists arriving from Moscow by train, as the only trains that stop at Shchyokino (just a 20-minute ride from Tula) are the overnighters to Kursk. And they do so at around three a.m.

 

Red Machine

A museum dedicated to Russian hockey (and specifically the “Red Machine” squad of the Soviet era) has opened at Moscow’s new Legends Park, an ice and water sports mecca that is part of the refurbished Zil neighborhood.

Created with support from Russia’s hockey federation, the museum will include information about Soviet and Russian hockey legends and a permanent exhibit dedicated to the Soviet national squad through the years, displaying championship medals, pucks, jerseys and gatekeepers’ masks. The entrance fee will be R200.

parklegends.ru

 

Hotel Center

Three new hotels opened in central Moscow near Kiev Train Station. All three – Novotel, ibis and Adagio – are managed by the French group AccorHotels and share the same lobby.

Together, the three locations offer some 700 rooms and suites, all located atop a huge shopping center. Prices start at R3,160 per night in the three-star ibis hotel.

 

Ringing up Moscow

The Russian capital has launched a 24-hour call center for out-of-town and foreign visitors. Its purpose is to answer pressing questions about getting around and to help tourists in case of an emergency.

Operators speak Russian, English, German, French and Chinese and are accessible through the hotline numbers +7(800) 302-31-12; +7(800) 350-51-12 and +7(495) 587-71-12. The line is currently in test mode, according to City Hall’s Department of Ethnic Policy and Regional Liaisons.

 

Don’t Get Lost

Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport has launched a 36-page tourist guide to compensate for the absence of a tourist information center at the air hub. The guide is available in Russian, English, and Chinese.

The brochure includes a map, as well as a list of main sights, hotels and restaurants, plus an overview of transportation options from the airport and in the city, though some observers have noted that the options are not complete. The guide can be found in the baggage claim area, according to Travel.Ru.