Kaliningrad on your own: my big trip review - 2021

Kaliningrad, judging by the reviews of tourists, in 2021 becomes one of the most popular destinations in Russia, along with Sochi. For several days I scouted the situation, went to cafes and sights, and now I am telling you how to go to Kaliningrad on your own - where is it better to live, what to watch, where to eat deliciously.

Brief and unobtrusive historical background.
Kaliningrad (aka Königsberg) is a city from 1255. Surprisingly, witness places of those times have been preserved here. For his seven hundred plus years, he managed to visit the capital of Prussia, part of Germany, and Russia withdrew together with the region only in 1945 after World War II. Hence - the historical heritage that we are used to seeing in Europe, and unlike any other city in our country.

My trip to Kaliningrad on my own

Everyone knows (or guesses) that Kaliningrad is in Europe - Lithuania is on the right, Poland is below, and the Baltic Sea is above. But you fully understand this fact when you come and see the age-old paving stones, old churches (approx. Catholic churches) and the prevailing European auto industry on the roads.

Since the borders to the outside world were still closed, we focused on exploring the most interesting places in Kaliningrad and nearby - fortunately, you can cross the entire region by car in a couple of hours.

The plan was roughly sketched: to explore Kaliningrad independently in 2 days and allocate one day to coastal towns and the Curonian Spit. For me, the best route for the weekend came out. Now convenient direct flights fly from the regions - morning flight there, back in the evening - and this should be used (on Aviasales).

Accommodation - where are the best places to stay? 3 cool spots

We lived in such equipped tents in Polyana Glamping inside the forest, below there will be photos inside. Even heated blankets are 🙂

Kaliningrad is a small city, there are only three districts. You can stay in the center, next to the Cathedral or the Upper Lake, and move on foot or by taxi. It is inexpensive, within 150 rubles between tourist points.

We didn't bother with the choice of housing, as we rented a car - we poked finger with the mouse in the first option that came across and did not lose (tips after the table). By the way, there are not so many hotels in Kaliningrad. If you monitor the search engine a month before the trip, then it will give out about 20-30 offers. But there are definitely enough apartments and apartments for daily rent for everyone.

Where to look, select and view a photo of your new place of residence for a few days:

• Booking.com - for hotels
• Sutochno.ru is a Russian analogue of Airbnb or the main search engine for apartments, rooms and houses for rent.

Housing prices in Kaliningrad
per night:

* prices for two in the summer season

The Curonian Spit stands apart - spending the night there in more or less normal conditions will cost at least 5,000 rubles. For that kind of money, I would have liked something more than a "guest house" with a sofa and a view, and we found a very, very cool place.

Time for recommendations! In Kaliningrad I advice:

• Hotel Mayak (3500 rubles per night) is the case when a cheap "three-ruble note" turns out to be a diamond. From the outside it looks like a dysfunctional apartment building, but inside it is a fresh, clean hotel with an excellent rating. The room does not differ at all from the network Ibis, where friends lived - but it costs 7,000 rubles per night. The only thing is to get to the Cathedral from the Lighthouse by taxi for about 10 minutes (or 130 rubles), and the Ibis is located right in the center.

The city has several definitely good and beautiful hotels - with a bathrobe and slippers in the closet, a spa on the ground floor and service. If the budget for housing is from 10,000 rubles per night, then they can be left in 4 * Mercure or Radisson Blu.

On the Curonian Spit we lived in glamping in the forest with wonderful guys - Polyana Glamping, I remember! And there is breakfast, and the beach is a minute from the tent, and marshmallows can be fried over the fire in the evening. The price per night is about 8000 rubles, depending on the day of the week and the season.

About the coast. I liked Kaliningrad, but next time I would stay by the sea - in Zelenogradsk or Svetlogorsk. In seaside towns, you can rent a nice apartment in a brand new residential complex (or take a closer look at hotels), and from there get out into the city.

They are half an hour away by car, but, you know, there is the sea! And sandy beaches with dunes. And coffee shops to bask in a cardboard cup, watching the sunset. It is interesting that people not only go on vacation to Kaliningrad, but also move. Now I really understand and share the Baltic direction as one of the leaders in the relocation trend. In Zelenogradsk, I noticed the incredibly beautiful boutique hotels Butik Hotel 12 and Paradox.

What to see in Kaliningrad and its surroundings?

Our route for 3 days: Curonian Spit - Zelenogradsk - Svetlogorsk - Kaliningrad

Perhaps later I will ripen for a separate article with the main sights of Kaliningrad, where I will describe each in detail ... but for now I will tell you briefly and with a lot of photos.

What to see in Kaliningrad on your own?

The "most important" and "must-visit" in Kaliningrad can be dealt with in 1 day:

1. Kant Island and the Cathedral.
Central place for tourists, we also came here first thing.
The Cathedral - or Königsberg Cathedral - has stood in its place since the 14th century, but it was thoroughly restored recently, in the 90s. Outside, you can admire as much as you like, but you will have to pay for the entrance. Either for a concert with an organ (450–1000 rubles), or for a visit to the Kant Museum (250–400 rubles). Yes, Immanuel Kant is buried on the island, his grave is next to the cathedral, you can see it for free.

2. Fishing village.
We leave the island along the Honey Bridge, and we are in the Fish Village. To be honest, at first I didn't understand anything - well, interesting houses, like even European ones. Just too something new. Googling, I found out that these "German" houses were built in the 2000s, as a memory of cultural heritage. They have nothing to do with Konigsberg. I, of course, think that it is better to deal with the legacy that is already existing and really decaying, but in general it is pleasant to walk here, see the views - and take a boat trip.

3. Old gates of Konigsberg: Royal, Brandenburg, Frindland.
In past centuries, when Prussia roared throughout the world, the gates served as the main entrances to the capital. Seven gates have survived to this day, but many have already been restored, without a single original brick. The Brandenburg ones are the most famous, the Royal ones, in my opinion, the most interesting - there are sculptures of the three founders of Prussia at the gate.

4. Amalienau area with pre-war buildings.
My recommendation! The residential area of ​​Amalienau was conceived as the territory of rich German villas, one more pretentious than the other. From the 1900s to the Second World War, the idea was successfully implemented - in the form of the most interesting two-story houses, now they are the main attractions of Kaliningrad - but in the post-war period no one cares about the life of the successful and rich, and the villas were mixed with ordinary buildings.

It is ideal to walk around Amalienau on your own, look for houses, look at the signs. They are located on Kutuzov Street and the parallel Victory Avenue. You can spy on maps.me maps, where remarkable villas are labeled by name.

Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to prepare for Kaliningrad - to read, listen to about the city in advance. And many things have remained just a "beautiful place" for us. I would advise myself to take a walk with a guide - Kaliningrad is a VERY pedestrian and educational city. See how many options for excursions to: Tripster Sputnik The cost is super acceptable, from 700 rubles for the usual group tours and from 2500 rubles for individual ones - for a company of three to five people.

5. Amber Museum.

Oh, Kaliningrad is downright obsessed with amber: themed shops and kiosks rush to tourists every hundred meters. It is not surprising that there is such a museum here - about 95% of the world's amber reserves are located in the Kaliningrad region.

Entrance fee: 350 rubles. The museum itself is located in a fortress building from the 19th century, you can come and see at least from the outside. This is what I limited myself to, and my friends disappeared inside for an hour. According to them, "the exposition is interesting, but in the end it gets boring, because there is no history in such museums."

6. Museum of the World Ocean.
The main museum treasure of Kaliningrad - one name is already captivating. Here is the ocean itself with collections of marine life and the REAL KASHALOT SKELETON, and the ways to study it: from ships to a submarine, where you can go! In a word, very cool entertainment for 2-3 hours for any age. The ticket price is 600 rubles.

A few more points of attraction for tourists:

• Apartment Museum Altes Haus - if in the Amalienau area you can see how wealthy Germans lived at the beginning of the 20th century, from the outside, here - from the inside.
• Bridge Keeper's Cabin
• House of Soviets - Soviet unfinished (!) Monster, erected on the ruins of the Konigsberg castle. The building is going to be dismantled in 2021.
• Lower and Upper ponds - they are artificial, so I will say that these are the oldest "structures" in Kaliningrad (1200s!).
• Kaliningrad Zoo
• Church of the Holy Family - a relatively new Catholic church (1907), which is now a concert hall.

It seems that there are so many places, but without museums, you can manage in 1 day. Do not expect Kaliningrad to whirl you in a whirlwind of nightlife in the evening, no, after sunset it is boring here.

What is worth seeing in the vicinity of Kaliningrad?

There is no sea in Kaliningrad, you need to get to the coast for about half an hour.
But, in principle, I have not met any reviews of tourists about a trip to Kaliningrad without mentioning exits to the big water - it's worth it!

It is more convenient to see cities and sights in the vicinity by car (I will tell you about car rental below). It is even more comfortable to take an excursion by car with a driver :) But you can get there without problems by public transport. I will mark each of the ways under the directions.

1. Zelenogradsk.
From the name it is clear that the city is green, it is so. But it is also called the city of cats. They are everywhere, even on traffic light icons. What can I say, the main tower is given over to the cat museum and is called Murarium ...

In the city by the Baltic Sea, they built a wonderful embankment, opened cool coffee shops with sea views (see the food section for more on this), turned the century-old water tower into an observation deck (150 rubles), almost the only one in the entire region, and preserved the local sandy beaches. It is an extremely nice and pleasant little town to walk.

How to get from Kaliningrad?

• By car - the road will take 40 minutes.
• By bus - number 141 or 140 from the bus station (99 rubles, 1 hour on the way).
• By train - from the railway station (57–75 rubles, 25–30 minutes on the way).
• Excursion - can be combined with the Curonian Spit or other cities (from 1200 rubles).

2. Svetlogorsk.

Almost the twin brother of Zelenogradsk in 30 minutes by car. Believe it or not, there is also a century-old water tower here! True, it is more interesting in terms of architectural solutions :) Both the embankment and the beaches ... The funny yellow cabins of the cable car act as a "highlight" - to climb from the beach to the city (50 rubles, queue - horror!).

How to get from Kaliningrad?

• By car - the road will take 40 minutes.
• By bus - number 118 from the bus station (115 rubles, 1 hour and 10 minutes on the way).
• By train - from the railway station (90-105 rubles, 1 hour on the way).

3. Curonian Spit.

A national park, a narrow strip of land passing through the water to Lithuania, the harsh Baltic Sea and sand dunes, postcard landscapes and nature - all this is the Curonian Spit. Entry / entrance fee: 150 rubles for a car and 300 rubles for each person. In the morning there are traffic jams at the checkpoint.

Someone goes with an overnight stay (as we stayed at Polyana Glamping), someone one day. In the second case, you can visit points such as Müller's Height, Dancing Forest, Efa Height. Famous thanks to Instagram, the Nordic Spa complex is not located on the spit, but in the village of Yantarny (but the views are the same). We thought and thought and decided not to go: firstly, the vats were also in our glamping, and secondly, in my opinion, reality and reviews about the spa do not coincide with the picture in the profile.

How to get from Kaliningrad?

• By car - the road will take 1.5 hours.
• A trip to YandexTaxi from Kaliningrad, from Zelenogradsk - more than 1000 rubles.
• By bus to the stop Morskoe or Dyuny - number 593 from the bus station (151-233 rubles, 2 hours on the way).
• Or excursion - from 1200 rubles ↓

4. Locks.
With them in the region, of course, trouble, many are ruined and not restored. We managed to catch a glimpse on the way to the airport Nesselbeck Castle (now a hotel and restaurant with a museum - an awkward feeling from a building that only remotely resembles a castle) and Schaaken. If you are by car, you can call in, but I would not go here on purpose.

You can also see the city Baltiysk, which we did not reach, this is the westernmost point of Russia and a former military port.

Transport

As I said above, we spent the whole trip in a rented car, took a taxi several times. But in the city (Kaliningrad) there are buses, trams, and even trolleybuses.

Rent a Car.
Until the last moment we planned to take a taxi, but, as always happens, we changed our minds upon arrival and began to run around the rental offices at the airport. Almost all the cars were dismantled, and we got an old, like ponds in Kaliningrad, Hyundai Solaris.

• Therefore, it is definitely better to book a car 2-3 weeks before the trip, and from myself I would recommend the Myrentacar website - they have good service and proven cars, they cooperate with local distributors.

The average rental price on the service is 2,000 rubles per day for a pen and 2,500 for a machine; the longer the term, the cheaper. It is most profitable to take from 4-5 days. We took at the airport for 2 days for 7500 rubles - the difference is "obvious". It took 1000 rubles for gasoline.

Taxi.
YandexTaxi operates in cities and regions, which is convenient. A trip of 15 minutes costs about 150 rubles - after Moscow it is downright inexpensive, especially for a company. A taxi from the airport to the city costs 500-700 rubles.

Buses.
Regular red buses, old trams and trolleybuses run around Kaliningrad. Personally, I did not travel by public transport, so I cannot share my review.
As you can see from the previous section, there are intercity buses, and even to the Curonian Spit.

Scooters.
If you haven't tried them yet, download the Urent app. In Kaliningrad, prices are lower than in Moscow - in 40 minutes we paid a little more than 300 rubles. But driving on local roads is not very comfortable: bumps, paving stones ...

The best excursions in Kaliningrad

I think that excursions are always good and help a tourist. Especially in conditions of limited time on site, and even more so if you do not have time to prepare and go to the airport directly from work. The “aunt, a megaphone and 50 people” format has been replaced by a modern one - walks with local residents.

Here are the best excursions in Kaliningrad according to tourists:

Tips - where to eat in Kaliningrad?

In terms of food, there will be no “wow! I'm ready to come back just for this! " I will give at once the entire list that I created during the trip - I definitely recommend all the places (but read the description, suddenly you do not like bowls. Or borscht).

• Port-o-Coffee (throughout the region) - first of all, delicious coffee, good cuisine. Dessert in the form of a huge Belgian waffle with ice cream and shakshuka - 580 rubles. Zelenogradsk has a particularly instagramable and pleasant location!
• Amalienau - a modern coffee shop in the historical district of Kaliningrad. Coffee class, as well as breakfasts. Dessert + sandwich for 670 rubles.
• Branch & Bowl - there are poke and bowls, the price tag is on average 500 rubles.
• Borsch and Salo - if your gaze has not lingered on bowls, can it stop at Ukrainian cuisine? Borscht and dumplings - 500 rubles.
• TastyLab - juices, salads, sandwiches, pastries and other food. There are 30% discounts on many ready-made meals and drinks, we got just such an evening.
• Laundry and Coffee House # 3 - if you are a connoisseur of coffee outside of Starbucks, then you can also try here.

I haven't been, but I heard a lot and really wanted to go to: Trip Neobistro and the Sol gastrobar - institutions in the manner of a Technical School in Moscow; and the glorious and beloved Croissant cafe chain.

There are several large shopping centers in Kaliningrad - Clover Citycenter, Europe shopping center and Kaliningrad shopping center, located next to Victory Square. Of the supermarkets, I will definitely single out Spar or EuroSpar - they are here on every corner, I saw Pyaterochka only once. The prices, in my opinion, are ordinary, cheaper than in Moscow, about the same as in Kazan.

Attention, bonus!
I propose to arrange a mutually beneficial exchange - write any comment on this article below. Well, for example, when you are driving, what do you expect from the trip. Or maybe you know / have heard about places that I did not mention in the text? And in return, I will send you by mail the name of the Kaliningrad bar with excellent author's cocktails - there is a queue behind them, and in order not to increase it a hundredfold, such places are handed over personally in hand by mail :)

Reviews of tourists - the pros and cons

At the end of the trip, I had no choice but to confirm the tourists' reviews about Kaliningrad - I liked it! Friends said that 1) it is necessary to return here, and 2) it is cool to live here in retirement.

Greenery, sea, beaches, old buildings, Kaliningrad is almost Europe with Russian prices. I didn’t like only one moment: the “Adler” buildings in some places and the incongruity of styles, neglect of the architectural heritage. I don’t understand why the city authorities allow to construct annexes in the very center near the old buildings.

What are the comments of tourists about Kaliningrad for 2021:

+ a lot of greenery, sooo much, it's nice to walk around the city
+ proximity to Europe if borders are open
+ the presence of a beach and the Baltic Sea, where you can even swim in summer
+ immersion in the atmosphere of Konigsberg, interesting architecture
+ no barkers, tourist stalls like in Adler (I hope there won't be)
+ inexpensive prices

- boring if you are here for more than 5 days
- almost everything is closed in the evening
- architecture, old buildings are mixed with new "Adler"

Weather in Kaliningrad by months

Where I stand - there is not even a hint of rain, but in Zelenogradsk it is raining!

I will convey my opinion about the weather in Kaliningrad through the word ... "strange". Trusting her is not always worth it. For example, according to the forecast it was raining all the days, but in fact it fell for about 30 minutes and very locally. Therefore, whenever you visit the local area, take with you comfortable waterproof clothing that is easy to take off. I always wear sneakers with Gore-Tex technology on my feet - super shoes for such "incomprehensible" regions.

Our independent trip to Kaliningrad fell on May. During the day, the temperature rose to + 20 ° C degrees, at night it dropped to + 8 ° C ... + 10 ° C. In summer, it seems warmer, but in June-July, the air temperature still barely creeps up to + 23 ° C. At the same time, the sea is + 20 ° С, which is a stretch for swimming and the start of the beach season.

Average air temperature in the Kaliningrad region, ° С:

How to get to Kaliningrad?

Most of the flights arrive at the Khrabrovo airport, which is located 30 minutes from the city (32 km). The airport is fresh but small. There is even a business lounge inside.

How to get there?

- Bus 244E: the ticket price is 100 rubles, the final one is the Yuzhny bus station, but there are also stops in other parts of the city. You can leave from 7:00 to 22:00. Runs every 40–45 minutes.
- Taxi: the average price of a Yandex taxi is 500-700 rubles, it takes 30 minutes.

Is it worth going to Kaliningrad? Definitely yes. It seems that I listed and told about everything I wanted and threw in notes on my phone. If you have any questions, ask them in the comments to the article!