The most beautiful capitals of the CIS
The Soviet Union was a unique state: citizens, mostly deprived of the opportunity to travel abroad, could visit almost all climatic zones within the same country. The neat streets of Riga replaced a walk in Paris or London, on the beaches of Sukhumi sunbathed those who could not even dream of the resorts of Sardinia, and skiers who did not know about the existence of Courchevel and Aspen rode in the mountains of Georgia.
In anticipation of the summer holiday season, I propose a new look at the countries of the former USSR. The most unusual leisure options in the post-Soviet republics are diving among flooded cities in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan, hunting in the Carpathian forests and sailing under the walls of a medieval castle in Lithuania - in this gallery.
Estonia
Why go: for the weekend at the spa
The Baltic country in recent years has become a popular destination for spa tours. The residents of the nearby Pskov region, who came here for the weekend, were the first to choose it, and St. Petersburg and Muscovites followed. And this is not surprising: what is now called the fashionable word spa, namely a complex of air baths with mud therapy, massage and body wraps, was used here back in the early 19th century.
Latvia
Why go: live in a knight's fortress
Many people know that in Riga, one of the most European cities of the USSR, they shot the nature of Victorian London for the Soviet series Sherlock Holmes. However, few people know that in this country you can immerse yourself not only in the world of the British capital of the late 19th century, but also in the strict atmosphere of Gothic castles, more reminiscent of the Baskervilles estate. The fact is that Latvia shares with neighboring Lithuania the glory of the land of knight's castles: they appeared in abundance here in the Middle Ages, when the Teutonic Order and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania reigned on these lands.
Lithuania
Why go: sail with a view of the Trakai Castle
Lithuania is a country of beautiful nature, which Lithuanians have been able to save to this day. They managed to fit the buildings into the surrounding landscape so harmoniously that it seems that these houses, castles and churches always stood in their place. An excellent example of this is Trakai Island Castle, 28 kilometers from Vilnius, one of the most beautiful castles in the Baltics. It is built in a picturesque place on an island on Lake Galvé, and is surrounded by water on all sides. Thanks to the good location, strong walls and a well-thought-out system of fortifications, the enemy never managed to capture the castle. In the past, the residence of the Lithuanian princes was in Trakai until the city lost its significance in the 15th century. The most spectacular view of the castle opens from the water: a boat trip will cost 70-150 rubles per person. The classic postcard views of Trakai necessarily include white sails of yachts on the water under its walls. Therefore, to complete the sensations, you should go on a small cruise on a yacht around the castle.
Belarus
Why go: nostalgic for the Soviet Union
Belarus is a country in which, in the best way, it was possible to preserve the features of Soviet life that are close to the heart of any person who has managed to live in the USSR: cleanliness, accuracy, a calm rhythm of life, low crime, lack of unemployment and low prices (especially in comparison with Moscow) on quality food and services.
Ukraine
Why go: staying at an agritourism farm
Nature gave Ukraine a warm climate, fertile soil and vast expanses, which created ideal conditions for agriculture. It is logical that one of the important areas of tourism in Ukraine was agritourism: rest in the countryside, during which guests lead a traditional lifestyle and get acquainted with local culture and customs. In addition, agritourism is distinguished by a family character: guests often share the same table with the owners of the hotel and spend all day with them side by side.
Moldova
Why go: go on a wine tour of the country
Winemaking in Moldova has an ancient history: according to archaeological excavations, people made wine here 2500-3000 BC. e. It is not surprising that you should go here on the “wine tours”.
Georgia
Why go: discover the avant-garde architecture of the country
Georgia is ideal for traveling at any time of the year: in summer it’s great to relax on the Black Sea beaches, in winter - skiing in the mountains. In spring and autumn, you can just wander around the country, enjoying the beautiful nature and local hospitality. For many, Georgia is associated with excellent cuisine and fantastic mountain scenery, for some - with the beaches of Batumi or the ski slopes of Gudauri. At the same time, few people know that over the past decade a lot of buildings have appeared in the country, built by Western architects, unique from both an aesthetic and engineering points of view. It is amazing how conservative government agencies coexist in such avant-garde houses: ministries, police stations, and even prosecutors.
Armenia
Why go: see some of the oldest Christian churches in the world
Armenia is one of the oldest Christian countries on the planet: the first believers appeared here already in the 1st century AD. e., and officially the country converted to the Christian faith in 301 by the decision of King Trdat III. It is believed that Armenia became the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as a state religion. Only here you can visit churches and monasteries, whose age exceeds a thousand years.
Azerbaijan
Why go: take a bath of healing oil
The country stood at the origins of not only Russian but also world oil production: here, “black gold” was so easily accessible that it oozed from the ground and gathered at the bottom of shallow wells. Marco Polo wrote about oil production on the Absheron Peninsula, and its roots go back centuries. Currently, Azerbaijan is in 19th place in terms of oil and gas reserves per capita, the active extraction of these priceless minerals in the country continues. A lot of things remind of oil here: from the beautiful facades of apartment buildings of the beginning of the last century, which belonged to well-known oil industrialists, to the avant-garde skyscraper of the country's main oil company SOCAR and the resort, where they treat with bathtubs of medicinal oil.
Kazakhstan
Why go: see the launch of the spacecraft and the skeletons of the ships on the dry sea
There are two objects in Kazakhstan that will be of interest to fans of industrial tourism. The first is, of course, Baikonur, the main space gate of the former USSR and now Russia and the CIS. The second is the city of Aralsk, previously located on the shores of the Aral Sea. The water level in the sea fell sharply due to human activities, the sea receded, and the city began to resemble a ghost: due to unemployment, local residents leave their homes, and in the former port of Aralsk there were only rusty skeletons of the ships.
Turkmenistan
Why go: immerse yourself in the unique atmosphere of one of the most closed countries in the world
Turkmenistan is one of those countries where it is very difficult to get to. The flow of tourists here is very small, which is associated with strict migration laws: in fact, it is impossible to enter the country on your own, you need an invitation from local residents or authorized organizations, and the percentage of visa refusals is very high. In addition, if you stay in the country for more than three days, registration is required, and this is followed very strictly.
Uzbekistan
Why go: to try real pilaf
Uzbekistan is a country of endless cotton fields of the Ferghana Valley and cities with sonorous names and a thousand-year history: Samarkand, Khiva, Bukhara. It is in Samarkand that the grave of the legendary conqueror Tamerlane is located, having opened which, historians, according to legend, brought to the USSR the horrors of the Great Patriotic War. The cities here are striking in their antiquity: from the time of the Middle Ages not individual buildings were preserved, but entire streets and quarters where people still live.
Kyrgyzstan
Why go: for diving on the mountain lake Issyk-Kul
Kyrgyzstan is justly proud of the beauty of its nature: mountains of seven thousandth height are adjacent to the smooth surface of Lake Issyk-Kul, which is one of the 25 largest lakes in the world and the seven deepest. It is here that tourists should go first of all, because they are waiting for unusually clear water (they say that it is second only to Baikal in purity) of bright blue color and sandy beaches, which offer a fantastic view of the lake, in the distance framed by snow-capped mountain peaks.
Tajikistan
Why go: to climb to the top of the seven thousandth
On the territory of the country is the highest mountain of the entire former Soviet Union - Ismoil Somoni Peak, formerly known as the Peak of Communism. Its height is 7495 meters, which is 1400 meters below Everest. In total, Tajikistan has three seven-thousandth mountains out of five, located throughout the former USSR. Those climbers who managed to conquer all five were awarded the official title “Conqueror of the Highest Mountains of the USSR”, and the title “Snow Leopard” was used in unofficial slang.
Moscow (indicator)
Share of Russians: 86,3%
Average salary:$1524
Numeral: unemployment rate in Moscow (from the economically active population); it is higher than in Minsk and Baku, but many times lower than in other cities.
Rental rates in Moscow are 7 times higher than in Donetsk, where the cheapest offices. The difference with Alma-Ata is 1.5 times.
50.7% - in terms of total tax burden, Moscow ranks 11th among rating cities.
The GRP per capita in Moscow with 12 million inhabitants in 2012 was the highest - $ 28,562. The difference with Tallinn, where 410,000 people live, was at that time less than $ 2,000, with Tashkent, where this indicator is the lowest, almost 17 times .
Population:1 920 000
Share of Russians: 10%
Average salary:$741
Numeral: casinos operate in Minsk, providing 0.2% of the country's tax revenue.
Fact: 73% of budget revenues come from private enterprises.
Business:Five of the ten largest taxpayers in Belarus are wholly or partially owned by Russians. These are Gazprom Transgaz Belarus, Lukoil-Belarus, Gazpromneft-Belnefteproduct, Slavneftekhim Mikhail Gutseriev and MTS.
Population:410 000
Share of Russians:36%
Average salary: $1129
Numeral:tax rate on reinvested or retained earnings in Estonia.
Fact: Registration of a company in Estonia gives the right to obtain a residence permit for up to 5 years.
Business: Estonia is the only Baltic country that has not signed an agreement with Russia on the mutual protection of investments and the avoidance of double taxation. In February 2014, countries signed a border agreement, so there was hope that these agreements, which were so necessary for business, would not take long.
3. Vilnius
Population: 530 000
Share of Russians: 11,9%
Average salary: $930
Digit: million peoplelithuanian population now: every fifth resident has emigrated since the country gained independence in 1990.
Fact: The only IKEA shopping center in the Baltics is located in Vilnius.
Business: Vilnius is a convenient base for Russians to enter the European market thanks to the country's membership in the EU, transparent regulation and low-cost real estate. The rainbow picture is overshadowed by the shortage of qualified personnel (many have left in search of better earnings in Western and Northern Europe) and one of the highest rates in the European Union for payments to social funds.
4. Alma-Ata
Population:1 480 000
Share of Russians: 33,2%
Average salary: $880
Numeral:for 1 square. m on average was real estate in new buildings in March 2014.
Fact: The city’s GRP amounted to $ 32 billion in 2013, which is five times higher than the GDP of all of Tajikistan.
Business: The real estate market is completely controlled by Kazakh entrepreneurs, but the Metal Profile company located near Moscow (100th place in the list of 200 largest Russian Forbes companies in Russia in 2013) found a way to capitalize on its growth. In early 2014, she opened a plant in Almaty for the production of metal roofing and facade systems.
Population: 790 000
Share of Russians: 20%
Average salary:$925
Numeral:burger King restaurants operate in Astana, 10 - in Almaty.
Fact: The VAT rate in Kazakhstan is 12% (in Russia 18%).
Business:“Russian business entering the Kazakhstan market has great prospects,” said Detsky Mir Deputy General Director Teimuraz Shengelia in December 2011 at the opening of the first store in Kazakhstan in Astana. Now there are two chain stores in the city. Prospects were appreciated not only by Russians - Aldar Properties from the United Arab Emirates is building a multifunctional complex Abu Dhabi Plaza for $ 1.6 billion here.
Population: 640 000
Share of Russians:38,6%
Average salary: $1122
Numeral: 
the minimum value of real estate in Riga, the purchase of which is the basis for obtaining a residence permit in the country.
Fact: At the beginning of September 2013, there were Russian investments in the capital of 4492 Latvian companies.
Business: The founder of Unimilk, Andrei Beskhmelnitsky, together with partners in 2011 acquired controlling stakes in the Riga and Valmiera dairy plants and created Food Union on their basis, it was headed by Sergey Beskhmelnitsky's brother. He liked life in Latvia so much that a year later he moved the whole family to Riga. Having invested about € 30 million, investors expect € 200-300 million profit in the next five to eight years.
Population: 2 850 000
Share of Russians: 13,1%
Average salary:$618
Numeral:ukrainian small businesses - 75,000 legal entities - are registered in the capital.
Fact: The moratorium on inspections of small and medium-sized businesses, which switched to a simplified taxation system, was extended for 2014.
Business: The largest factory of the confectionery corporation Roshen of the presidential candidate of Ukraine, billionaire Petro Poroshenko (No. 1284 in the Forbes world ranking, $ 1.3 billion) is located in Kiev - 1742 people work here. But the Kiev cake and other sweets in Russia have been banned since July 2013. Earlier, Russia accounted for about 50% of the company's exports.
Population:1 130 000
Share of Russians:0,6%
Average salary: $415
Digit: billionthe volume of private transfers to Armenia in 2013 is comparable to the amount of foreign investment ($ 1.94 billion).
Fact: 24.3% of Armenia’s foreign trade turnover in 2013 was accounted for by Russia.
Business: The largest private foreign investor in 2013, Eduardo Ernekyan, an Argentine with Armenian roots, invested $ 76 million in Armenia. Ernekyan owns a new airport in Yerevan, the local Converse Bank, the Haypost postal system, and Karas wine producer. Armenia responds with thanks: the Foreign Ministry is preparing to move - the building of the ministry in the city center was bought by Ernekyan for a five-star hotel for $ 51 million.
9. Tbilisi
Population: 1 170 000
Share of Russians: 3% (data for the region)
Average salary: $430
Numeral:unemployment rate, the highest among cities ranking.
Fact: An online consultation on how to open a company can be obtained in Russian on the website of the House of Justice through Mibew messenger.
Business: Russian businessman Yegor Kryukov opened a restaurant of Uzbek cuisine “Fergana” in Tbilisi in 2011, was about to build a chain. “In 5-10 years, your country will be Singapore in the region,” he then told Business Georgia. A year later, Kryukov closed the restaurant “due to many errors,” as he explained to Forbes. Now gives consultations on personnel and hotel management. According to him, Russians are becoming more and more in Tbilisi: car rental agencies, restaurants, and hostels are being opened.
Population:2 100 000
Share of Russians:5,3%
Average salary: $754
Numeral:all loans issued in Azerbaijan are in Baku.
Fact: Here, the lowest crime rate in the CIS is 4.5 crimes per 1000 inhabitants registered in 2013.
Business: Of the Russians, the billionaire Aras Agalarov, whose son Emin is married to the president’s daughter, invests most in Baku. He built the Olympic Village - in 2015, the first European Olympics, a five-star resort on the Absheron Peninsula and the premium-class Sea Breeze village on the Caspian Sea will be held in Baku. It is more difficult to invest with businessmen who have no ties with the presidential family: Baku entrepreneurs interviewed by Forbes claim that without small bribes and ties it is impossible to develop even a small business.
11. Kharkov
Population: 1 450 000
Share of Russians:25.6% (data for the region)
Average salary: $594
Numeral:kharkiv residents consider Russian as their native language, so in the summer of 2012 it received the status of a regional one.
Fact: Every seventh turbine for nuclear power plants in the world is supplied by Kharkov Turboatom.
Business: In May 2013, the Russian holding “Pharmstandard” increased its share in the Biolek-Pharmstandard Kharkov company, producing vaccines, to 97%, valuing the whole enterprise at about $ 30 million. A few months later, the company announced its readiness to transfer the production of some of the drugs to other sites, if Ukraine signs an association agreement with the European Union, and Russia responds by canceling the free trade regime.
12. Bishkek
Population: 890 000
Share of Russians:19,6%
Average salary:$289
Numeral:
Numeral: population - 15 092 people - registered as individual entrepreneurs.
Fact: The Ministry of Finance of Kyrgyzstan plans to increase the fee for a voluntary patent - for clothing sellers, for example, it can grow five times.
Business: Askar Salymbekov, the local entrepreneur, the head of the Dordoi Association, owns the largest clothing market in Central Asia. Bazaar "Dordoi" occupies 100 hectares, about 60,000 people work here. Local merchants are the main opponents of the entry of Kyrgyzstan into the Customs Union, which will inevitably lead to an increase in duties on Chinese goods.
13. Odessa
Population: 1 020 000
Share of Russians: 20.7% (data for the region)
Average salary:$611
Numeral:loans issued to Ukraine to business accounts for Odessa.
Fact: The first monument to Steve Jobs in the CIS was opened in Odessa in October 2012 - it is made of gears, bolts and other parts.
Business: Odessa refinery is the largest in Ukraine. In March 2013, Lukoil sold the enterprise to the VETEK group, controlled by Sergey Kurchenko, close to the family of Viktor Yanukovych. Kurchenko secured a $ 370 million loan from VTB on bail of the plant. When power changed in Ukraine, the oligarch was accused of damaging the budget of $ 100 million and he fled. Ukraine intends to nationalize the plant, which VTB considers its own.
14. Donetsk
Population:970 000
Share of Russians: 38.2% (data for the region)
Average salary: $579
Numeral:the unemployment rate is highest in Ukrainian cities included in the rating.
Fact: € 6000 - the cost of a night in the presidential suite Donbass Palace, which is one of the three most expensive rooms in Ukraine.
Business:Donetsk is the patrimony of the richest Ukrainian Rinat Akhmetov, whose fortune is estimated at $ 12.5 billion (88th place in the Forbes world ranking). Its SCM holding unites more than 100 companies in the metallurgical, mining, energy, engineering, financial and other sectors.
15. Dnepropetrovsk
Population:1 000 000
Share of Russians: 17.6% (data for the region)
Average salary: $560
Numeral:according to the results of 2013, residents of the Dnipropetrovsk region by mid-April declared incomes exceeding 1 million hryvnias.
Fact: For each resident of the region there are $ 2700 of foreign investments, which is twice the average for Ukraine.
Business:Huge cast-iron rings - tubing for the Moscow subway - are produced by Dneprotechservice of former rocket designer Alexei Zinoviev. It is the largest supplier of equipment for the construction of mines and tunnels in the CIS. Zinoviev also earns in space - supplies nodes for launch complexes of Cyclone-4 and Antares rocket launchers, taking off from cosmodromes in Brazil and the USA.
16. Chisinau
Population: 670 000
Share of Russians: 14%
Average salary: $394
Digit: MLNmoldovan citizens work outside the country, their remittances to their homeland account for a quarter of the country's GDP.
Fact:Moldova does not recognize the results of privatization in Transnistria, where most large enterprises are controlled by Russian investors.
Business:In 2012-2013, a scandal erupted due to the pressure of the tax and customs services on the business of foreign investors. The claims of the fiscal authorities in the court were disputed by the manufacturers of auto parts - the German Draexlmaier and the American Lear Corporation, as well as the Australian developer Shan Lian International.
17. Dushanbe
Population: 760 000
Share of Russians:2,6%
Average salary: $271
Numeral:the population is employed in industrial production.
Fact: According to local rules, a non-resident can only buy a house, commercial property or rent land by registering a company in Tajikistan.
Business: In April 2014, the court confiscated the Guliston garment factory, 95% of which belonged to the Ukrainian billionaire Dmitry Firtash. The factory produced jeans and cotton clothes under the Winguardia brand and worked mainly for export. The financial control agency believes that the country's laws were violated during the privatization of the enterprise.
18. Tashkent
Population:2 340 000
Share of Russians: 20% (data for the region)
Average salary: $290
Numeral:is the average aggregate tax rate on a business (PwC data).
Fact: According to the Bank of Russia, $ 6.7 billion was sent to Uzbekistan by individuals in 2013.
Business: In 2013, Russia accounted for 27.5% of the total turnover of the republic (China is half as much - 13%). However, there are many difficulties. One of them is a chronic delay in payments for delivered products, 6–9 months. There are problems with customs. So, Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Rus, having delivered 110 cars in the summer of 2011, achieved customs clearance only a year later. Entering the Uzbek market is “complicated by the need to obtain political support,” the RF CCI notes.
19. Ashgabat
Population:about 590,000
Share of Russians: 3.5% (data for the region)
Average salary: $330
Numeral:it takes a month to register a company, this is the longest period in the CIS.
Fact: Alps & Chase, an intermediary company, honestly warns that as an unspoken rule of business turnover, the authorized capital of a company should be at least $ 100,000, although only 5,000 manat ($ 12.5) is enshrined in the law.
Business: In April, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov met with the leadership of LG, Hyundai Engineering (Korea) and TOYO Engineering (Japan), admitted to the construction of a large gas-chemical complex in the village of Kyanly together with the state concern Turkmengaz. The project cost is $ 3.4 billion. Businessmen have confirmed their readiness to provide the country with advanced developments, experience and technologies.
A guide to the most beautiful and unusual cities.
They are close, they are beautiful there and speak Russian: 10 best cities for tourism in the countries of the former CIS:
- Astana and Almaty, Kazakhstan
- Jurmala, Latvia
However, it is worth going to Jurmala not for a beach vacation, but rather for walks in Jomas, coastal forests and "canary sand ground in wheat". And half an hour drive is Riga, where you can spend hours walking around the Old Town and eating sprats and sanctioned cheese.
- Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan
The “Kyrgyz coast” Lake Issyk-Kul is visited mainly for sanatorium purposes. But call it a retro spa and enjoy. In addition to a beach holiday, there are salt caves, mineral springs and mountains.
- Bukhara, Uzbekistan
Bukhara is the capital of Central Asian shopping. There are more and more tourists there every year, so visit the country until it has lost its authenticity. In 4 hours you can drive to Samarkand.
- Baku, Azerbaijan
Baku has been incredibly rebuilt in recent years, and it is also very clean. But there is also a beautiful old city where they shot the “Diamond Arm”. 20 minutes from Baku there are beaches with all the entertainment. We recommend taking a funicular to the Nagorny Park and visiting the Baku Venice.
- "Belovezhskaya Pushcha", Belarus
For lovers of forests and ecotourism, the best option is to live in a real reserve. 1.5 hours drive - Brest with its famous fortress
- Kazbegi, Georgia
It is divinely beautiful there, but if this is not enough for you, you can ride horses, go mountain climbing, rafting or hang gliding, and visit ancient churches. Well, or just drink wine and enjoy the views. If you get tired - Tbilisi is just 160 km away.
- Kishinev, Moldova
Another place for wine lovers. You can even go to sommelier courses. And also eat mamalygu. If you are a connoisseur of gypsy culture, you will also like it in Moldova - there is the city of Soroki, famous for its unusual gypsies.
- Vilnius, Lithuania
Vilnius is one of the most beautiful Baltic cities. Be sure to visit the Old Town and the Uzhupis district, where free artists live, proclaiming themselves a separate state. By the way, there is a secret life hack how to get to Vilnius cheaply.
- Yerevan, Armenia
Hospitality and delicious food. In Yerevan, you can climb the Grand Cascade, go around the halls of the Parajanov Museum, go to the Geghardavank Monastery and see Ararat from the observation deck of Khor Virap.
According to Travel.ru, a family of three in a resort in the Commonwealth states will cost an average of 3.5 thousand rubles per day, which is comparable to the cost of a summer vacation in Russian resorts.
Caspian Sea - Baku
The main beach resorts on the coast of the Caspian Sea in Azerbaijan are Baku, Khudat, Khachmaz, Astara, Khudat, Siyazan, and the black sand beaches of volcanic origin in Lankaran have no analogues in the post-Soviet space due to pollution.
Coast of the Caspian Sea - Baku, Azerbaijan
The top five most popular resorts among Russian tourists in the CIS countries includelake Sevan (Armenia), Lake Issyk-Kul (Kyrgyzstan) ), Borovoye resort (Kazakhstan), Lake Naroch (Belarus ) and closes the top five most beautiful tourist centers in the polluted and dangerous Caspian Sea (Baku, Azerbaijan ).
Lake Sevan ()
The largest of the Caucasus lakes, surrounded by mountain ranges, Lake Sevan is located at an altitude of 1900 meters above sea level, just an hour fromYerevan . Russian tourists like boat trips on the lake, mountain landscapes and crayfish kebab. The most famous historical monument here is Sevanavank Monastery, located on a peninsula near the city of Sevan.
Sevan is an alpine lake in Armenia, one of the largest lakes in the Caucasus, as if adjacent to the sky, as it is located in a mountain bowl at an altitude of almost two kilometers above sea level. According to legend, the pure water of this lake in ancient times could only drink the gods and stars. Today, Sevan and its environs are a famous landmark of Armenia, which is worth seeing for all fans of the Caucasus and its beauties.
According to legend, only gods and stars could drink pure water of Lake Sevan in ancient times.
The human version of the appearance of the lake is known. Once upon a time fertile gardens bloomed in its place, irrigated with spring water. The key was small, but the pressure of the water was strong, so the hole from where the water flowed was covered with a large stone. But once a frivolous beauty took a jug of water and forgot to close the spring, going home to sleep. All night, the water was beating from the key with a powerful stream, flooding the surroundings and flooding the houses. Finally, one of the elderly cried out: “Let the one who did it turn into stone!” The girl jumped to the threshold of her house and was immediately petrified. And the arrived water formed a lake with a stone island towering above Sevan, like the head of that careless beauty. The scientists’s version of the appearance of the lake is more prosaic: most likely, the lake appeared several millennia ago as a result of volcanic processes that occurred in the Geghama mountains surrounding Sevan.
Climate of Sevan
Since the lake is located high in the mountains, no matter what the heat in the valley, near Lake Sevan it is always cool and good even at an air temperature of about 30 degrees Celsius. At the same time, the lake water warms up in the summer to +18 ... 20 degrees, which is already becoming quite tolerable for swimming. Throughout July and August, the coast of Sevan is filled with vacationers - both local residents fleeing from the heat and guests of Armenia. In winter, the climate of Sevan is so severe (by local standards) that in January the lake may completely freeze.
How to get there
Lake Sevan is most often reached through Yerevan. From Moscow to the capital of Armenia 10 flights a day are made - from Vnukovo, Domodedovo or Sheremetyevo. Aeroflot, Armavia, S7 companies fly to Yerevan. Yerevan Airport is located 12 km from the city. From the Yerevan bus station, which is located at the Yeritasardakan metro station, you can get to Lake Sevan both by taxi (to Sevanavank Monastery) and by minibus coming to Dilijan. In the latter case, you will have to go out on the road and walk along the spit to the monastery for about 500 meters. You can also get to Yerevan by bus - it will cost you less, but the journey will take about two days only one way!
A flight from Moscow to Yerevan and back will cost about 7-8 thousand Russian rubles there and back. You can also take advantage of promotions and special offers to save, as a rule, either very close to the date, or - more likely - ahead of time. The fare for the bus from Moscow to Yerevan will be about 6,000 rubles round trip, so it’s hardly possible to talk about big savings.
