Sightseeing trip to Mineralnye Vody. What to watch. What cities of Elbrus region to visit. Where to go, what to eat, where to live. How much does a vacation in Minvody cost.

How much does it cost to go to the Caucasian Mineralnye Vody

Once I came across an air ticket Moscow – Mineralnye Vody and back for only 1800 R.

I knew about the Caucasian Mineral Waters only from the works of Lermontov. What I would do there, I had no idea. But I still bought a ticket, packed my things and went on a trip.

In nine days I spent 33,116 R

What are mineral waters

Caucasian Mineralnye Vody are seven resort towns in southern Russia. The most famous of them are Pyatigorsk, Kislovodsk, Essentuki and Mineralnye Vody. People come here to be treated in a sanatorium or just to relax.

Nearby there is Elbrus – it is loved by both climbers and tourists who are going to the mountain for a hike. And from the slopes of the Elbrus region you can ski or snowboard.

I hardly explored the area before the trip. I read a little about the region itself, about sanatoriums with mineral waters. As a result, I rented a hotel in Pyatigorsk, the largest of the cities of the Caucasian Mineral Waters, and already on the trip I chose what else to see.

My itinerary for 9 days:

• April 7-9 – Mineralnye Vody and Kislovodsk;
• April 9-15 – Pyatigorsk;
• April 11 – excursion to the Elbrus region.

Between Kislovodsk, Mineralnye Vody and Pyatigorsk, I traveled by train. From Pyatigorsk I went on an excursion to the Elbrus region.

Flight

From Moscow to Mineralnye Vody I traveled by flight for 1800 R round trip. Only hand luggage weighing up to 5 kg could be carried on the plane. My backpack weighed 4.5 kg.

On the way back, I took souvenirs, so I had to pack the extra weight in my pockets and take it in my hands. True, this did not save the Georgian jam, I ate it at the airport.

I spent 2949 R on the flight

Mineralnye Vody – a city where there is nothing special to see

Mineralnye Vody is a transshipment point at the Caucasian Mineral Waters. Tourists arrive here and go further – to the mountains or sanatoriums in Pyatigorsk, Kislovodsk and other resort towns.

The airport is located 7 km from the city center. During the day, minibuses run from it for 15 R. Local residents said that taking a private taxi at the airport is not worth it: they will raise the price.

from the airport to the center of Mineralnye Vody

Yandex-taxi operates in Minvody, you can drive through the whole city for about 150 R. I drove from the airport to my hotel for 126 R. There are other taxi services, but I did not use them.

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Where to live. There are no mineral springs in the mineral waters, despite the name. Hotels here are focused on passing through the city in transit. The average price per night in hotels is 2000 p. You can rent an apartment for 700 r per night. There are no hostels here so far.

I do not like to communicate with strangers, and the apartments at the Bucking seemed dirty to me, so I decided to live in a hotel. Two nights at the closest to the airport cost 3600 rubles.

There were two nights in the hotel closest to the airport

In the Ministry of Wools, they often pay in cash – for example, in my hotel they did not accept the card. It is better to withdraw money in advance, there are few ATMs here. I had to specifically go to the ATM in the city center to withdraw money to pay for the hotel.

The number looked brutal: fake crystals on chandeliers, a picture with girls in swimsuits, the head of the bed, gloomy curtains with a monogram, upholstered with artificial skin. In the morning from the window I saw that immediately behind the hotel, the city cemetery was starting.

Where there is. The Trypadwizer recommends the Müni beer restaurant with beer of its own preparation, the roadside cafe at Lamara on the highway along the way to Pyatigorsk and the restaurant “New Baku”.

I was lucky to drink coffee from the Turks in the cafe of my hotel, it cost 100 rubles. There was nobody in the room besides me, a series was on TV. For breakfast, fresh cheesecakes were given there. I also went to sushi cafe-I took Philadelphia for 263 p. Before leaving, I went into the coffee shop, where I bought Latte for 150 p.

Things to do. In mineral waters, you can take a walk along the main street, go to the park and look at the beautiful station building.

From a fellow traveler on an airplane, I learned that there was nothing to do in the Ministry of Wheel at night: everything is closing early. On the spot they told me that after sunset, music from every third car begins to play loudly here. In the afternoon – from every tenth, sometimes dogs bark and not at all very comfortable.

The only interesting place in the city was the station – a beautiful white Stalinist building.

When I realized that there was nothing to do in mineral waters, I decided to go by train to Kislovodsk. I stayed there for several hours and returned to spend the night to my gloomy hotel.

Conclusion. I spent two days in mineral waters. Usually they come here as a transshipment point and another city immediately departs. There is nothing to do here, so the next time I would immediately go to another city.

Spent in mineral waters – 4510 r

Kislovodsk: The dream of a Soviet tourist

It is convenient to move around the Caucasian mineral waters by train. The train to Kislovodsk goes from the railway station of mineral waters through Pyatigorsk and Essentuki.

Electric trains often go: with intervals of half an hour and an hour.There are polite conductors who explain that the ticket needs to be preserved to the end of the journey, because the final station are turnstiles. The only city where the train does not go is Zheleznovodsk. You need to go there by bus.

It cost an electric from mineral water to Kislovodsk

I reached Kislovodsk in an hour and a half and spent 271 p.

Where to live. Those who go to Kislovodsk improve their health are settled in sanatoriums, where there are doctors and salt baths. There are hotels for ordinary tourists. Prices at Buking at the sanatorium – from 2000 to 12,000 r per day. In hostel, you can spend the night for 400 r per day. There are also hotels of varying degrees of luxury.

I was in Kislovodsk, but the next time I think to arrange a luxurious vacation here in a sanatorium with medical baths.

Where there is. The most popular dish in cavalries is barbecue on the grill. There is a lot of cafes with Caucasian cuisine, where music plays loudly, and the decoration is organized on the principle of the richer, the better. There are also Georgian restaurants, which I have allocated for myself in a separate category – inside the muted light, beautiful wooden furniture and a variety of menu from Georgian and European cuisine.

On the Tripedwizer they write that one of the most beautiful places in Kislovodsk is the “Height 5642” cafe in the city center, next to the narcous gallery.

I went to the Aristocrat restaurant near the station. I ordered fish on the grill for 700 r, brought a rather large piece. There was nobody in the cafe, there were chairs in the “royal” style, heavy burgundy curtains hung, Alla Pugacheva’s songs came from the columns.

Things to do. Kislovodsk is a resort city. As in any resort city of Russia, it has the main street with loud music, dairy cocktails and sugar wool. There is also a house-museum “Chaliapin”, the North Caucasian State Philharmonic and many other beautiful buildings in the Art Nouveau style erected at the beginning of the 20th century. The main resort part of the city was built up in Soviet times.

There are many small sanatoriums and hotels in Kislovodsk. In places the city looks like a postcard that depicts a cute Soviet resort.

You can take a walk in the Kislovodsk park. They say that he was recently put in order. It's nice inside: the paths are clean, without garbage and dirt.

The city has a national gallery – a gallery with drinking sources. This is an indoor room where people are collecting therapeutic and dining water. Signs warn that the doctor should prescribe the medical water.

Local residents say that you can go to any sanatorium, sign up to the therapist and get an appointment for certain water for 500-800 R. I did not reach the doctor and tried everything, trying not to abuse. At the water there was a strange taste, but vacationers drank it with a look of gourmets and sentenced it: Nice water. Water glasses cost 2-5 r, you can still buy a bottle for 10 p. In all the sources where I was, the water itself was free.

Here you can also take baths from therapeutic water. They should also be prescribed by a doctor. Sanatoriums and some hotels have their own branches with baths.

In the evening I went back to mineral waters: there I had another night in the hotel.

Conclusion. I would go to Kislovodsk again to spend several measured days, go to a concert at the local conservatory, breathe fresh air in the park, drink mineral water and try therapeutic baths.

Spent in Kislovodsk – 1906 p

Pyatigorsk: Romantic ruins

Mineral waters can also be reached to Pyatigorsk by train. It goes 40 minutes and costs 70 p. A taxi will take for 300-400 p.

Where to live. You can rent housing in a hostel for 900 r, in a simple hotel for 1,500 r or in a sanatorium luxury with a spectrum of health services for 14,000 rubles. The apartment can be rented from 1000 p.

I arrived in Pyatigorsk for 6 days and paid 10,260 rubles for the hotel. She reminded me of the hostel in which I lived in a student. The room had two single beds, old curtains and towels, dirty carpet. I took the “Standard” number, but it differed from the “economy” only by the presence of a refrigerator and TV. Neither one nor the other was almost useful to me.

I paid for 6 days in a hotel in Pyatigorsk

To wash things, I paid 100 r and bought my washing powder. The woman who managed the washing machine offered to take the underwear dryer to the room. At the reception, they gave me a kettle in a cardboard box and asked when evicting it to return it. The balcony had rusty railing, but the Caucasian ridge and Elbrus were visible from it.

Where there is. On the first day, I decided to have breakfast at the hotel. In the dining room, I was asked the coupon. There was no coupon, I had to pay 200 rubles. On the Swedish table lay a sausage, sticking cheese, omelet and boiled beets with carrots. To the question about coffee, they answered me: There, in Badya. Coffee turned out to be soluble, with a taste of rust. I didn’t have breakfast more at the hotel.

The most pompous restaurant in Pyatigorsk is called Pechorin. On the tables are the volumes of Lermontov, there are candles, in the evenings they play the piano. The waiter was dressed better than me. On the Trypadwizer the restaurant is praised and written that the prices here are higher than the average for Pyatigorsk.

The guide with which I was traveling to Elbrusier advised several places where she herself drinks coffee.

In the first place was the coffee shop of Gukasov. So this place is popularly called, because it is located in the house where more than a hundred years ago, the confectioner Gukasov opened the coffee shop. Today there is a “right coffee” coffee shop. The menu has S sandbags of Gukasov with black bread. In addition to the usual Americano, the guide advised “coffee in the east”-strong coffee with pomegranate juice. The building itself is an architectural monument in the Art Nouveau style.

Another guide recommended me the Tet-A-Tet ​​coffee house. There they serve coffee in the sand, pastries, wine and cognac. Our wine and Abkhazian, you can ask for a choice of 100 or 200 ml. Such a price list seems charming and old -fashioned.

Things to do. Pyatigorsk is the largest city in cavalries. I was told that Caucasian youths come here, like in Las Vegas. Apparently, it was meant that they walk here in clubs and have fun.

The central part of the city is divided into two parts: historical and sanatorium. In historical – old buildings made of stone, theater, museums. Sanatorium is completely built up with sanatoriums and hotels in the style of Soviet resort, immediately almost all cafes and restaurants.

I was interested in walking in Pyatigorsk. Most houses in the old part of the city were erected at the beginning of the 20th century – these are southern buildings made of stone in Art Nouveau. Many buildings are abandoned, but despite this, they look romantic. Unlike Moscow or St. Petersburg, where closed houses are most often fenced, here you can sit on the steps of a huge building and admire the scenery.

The city stands under Mount Mashuk. Its height is 993 meters. If Muscovites go to rest in parks and forests, then the Pyatigorsk residents walk around this mountain or rise on it. In good weather, Mashuka opens a view of the Caucasian ridge. You can climb the mountain along a highway or a steep path. The cable car also works here, but during my trip it was on the reconstruction.

The height of Mount Mashuk

Pyatigorsk is famous for the fact that there they killed Lermontov, who was resting on the waters on a duel. The poet was in retired Major Martynov, he called Lermontov to a duel. On Mount Mashuk, a monument stands at the proposed place of duel. They take here on excursions of schoolchildren. In the city itself there is a Lermontov house-museum-a one-story building with wooden shutters.

Other places for visiting in Pyatigorsk: Lake failure, Lermontov flower garden and flower garden park, Aarf Eolova gazebo, Lermontov’s grotto. There is also a sculpture of an eagle, a symbol of Pyatigorsk, but I never reached it.

Failure is a lake in a mountain ledge. A dark corridor hollowed in a cave leads to it, and the lake itself is fenced with a bars. In the evening, it is highlighted alternately in red and purple, and an icon hangs on the wall. Lermontov’s flower garden and flower bed Park were closed for reconstruction.

During a walk, I went to the store where they sell a coat. The Italian coat with the Virgin Woul tag – high -quality wool – cost only 30,000 rubles. But I resisted. They go to Pyatigorsk in special “fur coat tours”. There are factories here, so you can buy a fur coat cheaper than in Moscow.

In Pyatigorsk there are also sources with medical water. There were two sources next to my hotel: “Mineral Source No. 1” and “The Bet of Source No. 7”.

Conclusion. In Pyatigorsk, it is interesting to walk and look at old houses. And there are also some good places where you can have lunch and drink coffee.But it is better not to settle in a hotel that resembles a Soviet hostel.

Spent in Pyatigorsk – 18 178 R

Elbrus region: majestic mountains

Elbrus is a mountain with a height of 5642 m. Tourists and climbers climb it, and lovers of skiing and snowboarding ride in the Elbrus region – this is the name of the slopes themselves and the territory adjacent to this mountain.

Directly from Pyatigorsk to the Elbrus region can not be reached. You can take a bus or minibus to Baksan, from there – to Terskol or Tyrnyauz. From Terskol to the Azau glade, the lowest point of the Elbrus region, you can walk, from Tyrnyauz you can take a taxi or a minibus.

Azau can also be reached by sightseeing bus. In Pyatigorsk, there are stands on every corner where you can buy a tour. I bought a ticket for 1200 R. I had to pay another 2050 R for the lifts. In addition, the bureau sells excursions to other cities of the Caucasian Mineralnye Vody, to Dagestan and Ossetia.

Where to live. I stopped in the Elbrus region with a half-day excursion, so I didn’t spend the night there.

They ride here from two mountains, the resorts are called Cheget and Elbrus-Azau. Under the tracks are the so-called glades. The Azau glade is located at an altitude of 2300 m above sea level, and the Cheget glade is at an altitude of 2100 m. There are cafes, hotels and the lowest point of the ski lifts. People also come here to make a trip to Elbrus. Stop before hiking in hotels nearby.

Hotel prices – from 2000 to 14 000 R per night.

Where there is. You can eat in a cafe on the glades of Azau and Cheget. We had lunch at the Three Sisters cafe in the Azau glade. They serve Kabardian lagman – a cross between noodles with meat and ordinary soup – and khychin – the national dish of the Balkars and Karachais, such a flatbread with cottage cheese, cheese, meat or greens.

At some stations where mountain lifts go, there are also cafes. There is even a cafe at the Mir station on Elbrus. I recommend trying Khychin and drinking sea buckthorn tea at an altitude of 3500 m.

Things to do. In the Elbrus region, people usually ski and snowboard or prepare to climb Elbrus. Less obvious entertainment is walking, riding lifts, breathing mountain air and admiring the views.

Before the tour, I was warned that there was snow in the mountains, so I put on all the clothes that I had. April is a real winter in the Elbrus region. I put on tights under jeans, and on the way I bought a sweater for 800 R. The driver laughed at me: they say, the sweater is made of synthetics, I had to bargain. I also had a hat.

The sun shines strongly in the mountains, so you need to smear all exposed areas of the body with sunscreen. Even better, wear gloves and cover your face with goggles and a scarf. Tour guides usually scare that everyone in the previous group got burned. We were lucky because the sun did not come out from behind the clouds. But even in cloudy weather it is better to follow all the rules.

The tour started at seven in the morning.First, we were brought to Mount Cheget. This is a small mountain that has two ski lifts. The second lift reaches a height of 3000 m. We never saw Elbrus because of cloudy weather. The lifts there are open, at first it was scary, then I got used to it. There were several skiers and snowboarders on the mountain.

After driving for another 10 minutes, we ended up in the Azau clearing. We bought a ticket for the lift and also went upstairs. There were much more skiers, and the lifts were closed cabins, there were three in total. The latter reaches a height of 3847 m, but I didn’t go there, because already at the second Mir station at an altitude of 3455 m I felt unwell: my ears were ringing and I wanted to laugh nervously. They say it's normal to climb that high in one day and feel that way.

Then we drove to the Valley of the Narzans – a place where water spouts from the ground like a fountain. We tried it and listened to a story about how good it would be to build a plant here and monetize this water, “otherwise it flows just like that.”

On the way back, the guide stopped talking and we listened to the chanson for three hours. I bought Kabardian apples advertised by the guide – 50 R for seven pieces.

Conclusion. If you are not going to ski, but want to see the mountains, such an excursion is a convenient option.

Spent on an excursion to the Elbrus region – 5100 R

findings

For me, this trip was a sightseeing trip. Now I know roughly what you can do in Pyatigorsk, Kislovodsk and why go to the Elbrus region.

Local recreation and treatment on the waters are not inferior to foreign ones either in the quality of water or the beauty of nature. Only the level of service remained as in the 90s of the last century. Of course, I have not been to all the places, but the general feeling I have is just that.

Very little was said about Kislovodsk Park, but it is huge, there are many interesting routes. You can walk for several days and not repeat yourself.

The most thrill is to climb the Small Saddle at dawn, this is the top in the park at an altitude of 1300 m, from there a stunning view of Elbrus. During the day it is crowded, but in the morning there is nobody and the views are amazing. From the Small Saddle you can climb even higher, to the Big Saddle, from there the entire Caucasus Range is in full view.

In Kislovodsk, you should also go to the Berezovsky Gorge – there are huge beautiful rocks where climbers train, and below you can just walk along the winding river past birch trees and fruit trees. In summer you can swim and sunbathe, however, the river is shallow. The place is popular with the locals, on weekends everything is covered in barbecues and smells of barbecue, but only at the very beginning of the gorge – if you go further, there are a minimum of people.

You should have stayed in Kislovodsk)) Minvody is not a resort town at all, there is nothing to see there, and it is a long way to go to the resorts.

Of the resort towns, I really like Zheleznovodsk. It is green and cozy, good for those who like to walk a lot.On one side of the city, a huge park, on the other, is a path to Mount Beshtau. That is, at least for at least two days you can linger there, or at least go one day – minibuses and rare trains go there from Pyatigorsk and Kislovodsk.

There are also mountains-lamecolites. They are scattered throughout the region and there are good paths for almost everything, and the views from each peak are bombic. The highest and most famous mountain – Beshtau, has already been told about it here, but there are other, less popular, but also with interesting views. For example, a husk in Lermontov, a bull and a camel near Zheleznovodsk, a snake in the Ministry of Wheel.

In fact, the cavalries have amazing nature. I have been visiting here regularly for 10 years and every time I find something new.

Nadezhda, even near Zheleznovodsk there is a cave of permafrost. Very fascinating !!

Hope, Nadezhda, I lived all the days in the Ministry of Walls, traveled 6 out of 7 cities of the CMB and there were never difficulties, to ride everywhere very close.

Between Pyatigorsk and Kislovodsk is a beautiful city of KMV Essentuki. If you like a calm, peaceful rest, you want to directly drink the healing water of Essentuki 4 and 17, you definitely need to come to this wonderful city.
Almost all the main attractions of Essentukov are concentrated in one place – in the resort (medical park). At the central entrance to the park there is a theatrical square on which there is a huge fountain. By the way, it is considered the largest in the North Caucasus. But it opens only in May. In many cities there is a “zero kilometer”, but in Essentuki there is a “zero kilometer of love”! “This is a cast -iron stella, decorated with a ornate pattern, on the top of which the puffy amorous cupboard is sweetly naughty, and at its foot – a symbol of love in the form of two metal hearts in a granite frame. Zero kilometer of love fulfills all the dreams of lovers! Go through the resort park, enjoy clean air, dream on a bench by the fountain, go through tennis alleys, stairs, admire luxurious flower beds, cool grottoes, original gazebos. Nearby is a gazebo, decorated with intricate ornaments. Despite the fact that a gazebo made of cast iron has been created, it looks airy, as if weightless – the pattern is so thin that it seems a lace, woven by a skilled craftswoman. They call her “Rococo” or musical, the first name she was awarded precisely for her magnificent decoration, and she was called musical because she had once passed concerts in the open air for a long time-the shape of the arbor arch allowed for unique acoustic effects. Immediately, next to the theater park is the oldest building of Essentukov and the beautiful gallery of Caucasian mineral waters-the Gallery of Source No. 17. She was erected in 1858 according to the project invited by Count Vorontsov, the famous architect Samuel Uppon.That is why in architecture the English Gothic and Moorish motifs so beloved by the author were reflected. A cast -iron gazebo with a beautiful pattern was installed nearby, which served as a summer bave on the source, where special employees served resting glasses with mineral water. In the park is the sculpture of an eagle, which has become a symbol of all cities of Caucasian mineral waters. According to legend, the eagle stung the poisonous snake, while healing the bird was brought by life -giving mineral water. Nearby is another grotto, like what we have already seen, only much more plentiful, and it is called “ladies' tears”-the analogy here is simple and understood, the first where the water oozes slightly, called “male tears”. In the depths of the cave, you can even see the very sobbing lady – a stone block, from where the water streams, decorated in the form of a female head with long loose hair, from which “tears” flow from the eyes.
In the center of the park is a beautiful gazebo with a romantic name – “Random meetings”. There is also a flower calendar – a magnificent creation of landscapers. Every day the date changes. The flower composition leaves no one indifferent. This is one of the many places in the city where you will take wonderful photos.
Right at the entrance to the park, the guests are met by a luxurious fountain and a magnificent building in the style of classicism with huge arched windows, in its appearance it is most reminiscent of the theater, and in its name this word sounds, it is called the Park Theater. Its construction was associated with a large influx of vacationers – the drinking gallery located here did not accommodate everyone, and therefore another building was erected nearby, which served as a walking platform in inclement weather, and in the evenings turned into a theater or concert hall – these walls heard the voices of such great Singers like Sobinov and Chaliapin. On the last Saturday of August, the city is solemnly celebrated by the City Day. A large number of residents and guests of the city are walking on the square, listening to arriving artists who perform on a beautiful stage, right in front of the entrance to the park. You will have a great time in various places in the park. Around the area is a large number of cafes, summer sites. The city has a very larger number of hotels – from budget, but very good, to pathos, such as Pontos Plaza, where all performing artists, politicians, and foreigners stop. There is a wonderful hotel near the river, which includes not only a good breakfast, but also the pools, including with the water of the Dead Sea.
Residents of the city are very friendly. Come and see for yourself.