Thousands of years ago, the restless crust of the Earth formed a fault, and the glaciers that followed filled it with crystal clear water. This is how the lake-sea was formed, the deepest lake in the world, up to two thousand meters deep and reaching 80 km at its widest point.
Baikal is considered the most ancient lake on the planet, and this is confirmed not only by its geological features: the ruggedness of the shores, the age of the rock formations, and depth. The antiquity of the lake is felt by the traveler in the special impression it makes: its calm and serene beauty, covering the horizon, the abundance of mysterious places, decorated with ethnic shamanic flavor.
Petroglyphs are preserved on the rocks near Lake Baikal - rock paintings of our distant ancestors; cult rocks rise in the waters of the lake, where magical rituals and ceremonies were and are carried out, incomprehensible to modern civilized people, but always interesting to him.
The waters of Lake Baikal are a separate mystery. The fact is that the age of the lake and its crystal purity are completely at odds with each other. Usually lakes silt up and turn into swamps within 10-15 thousand years, and Baikal not only does not become shallow, but also contains clean water that you can drink without fear.
In good weather, the bottom of Lake Baikal can be seen through a forty-meter layer of water! Diving enthusiasts take advantage of the transparency of the lake: they have a rare opportunity to see the endemic underwater world of the lake with their own eyes.
Swim in the lake without special equipment. Even in June and July, only seasoned people can wear a suit: the water temperature rarely rises above 16 degrees.
The changing colors of Baikal waters are known: from deep blue to emerald green, from cornflower blue to lilac.
Shaman rock on Olkhon island.Who is Baikal waiting for and where to go?
Around Baikal there are many opportunities to relax and gain impressions: you can go on a taiga hike, rafting down the Irkut River, relax on the sandy shores of the Siberian Riviera, conquer the highest point of Eastern Siberia - Mount Munku-Sardyk.
Walking along the shores and surrounding areas, you will get acquainted with the local flora and fauna: plump gophers run out from under your feet, flocks of birds take off as you approach, the heavy splash of a huge fish breaks the pristine silence...
For nature lovers, Baikal is not just a pearl and a diamond, it is an opportunity to be alone with this marvelous exhibit of the planet without excessive fuss and voices of civilization.
Cultural and historical tourism is keenly interested in the ethnic characteristics of the peoples inhabiting Baikal and, in particular, in the surviving echoes of shamanic culture.
Where can you have a cheap and varied holiday on Lake Baikal? These are the places:
- Listvyanka village;
- Olkhon Island;
- The villages of Kultuk and Utulik;
- Baykalsk;
- Warm lakes.
Road
The closest city to the described Baikal resorts is Irkutsk, a city with an airport and a railway station.
Airplane: Moscow – Irkutsk from 21,000 rub. there and back. The flight is 6 hours. There are no direct flights from St. Petersburg to Irkutsk, only transfers in Moscow. Ticket price with transfer from 21,000 rubles, travel time 9 – 13 hours
Train: Moscow - Irkutsk reserved seat, cost 3,800 rubles. one way. The drive is ~83 hours (more than 3 days). There are no direct trains from St. Petersburg either, you will have to change trains in Moscow, the price is the same.
Listvyanka village
The village recently became famous for the fact that it was here that the Olympic torch was immersed in the water of Lake Baikal. The place was not chosen by chance - Listvyanka has long and firmly occupied the top of the most visited places among tourists going on vacation with accommodation, not savages.
Inexpensive walking tours along the trails and rocks along the Baikal coast are organized here, but you can walk on your own without spending 300 rubles. for the guide's stories.
Here is the famous fish market, where you can buy Baikal omul and dried, hot and cold smoked, lightly salted grayling very cheaply (from 80 rubles per tail and from 150 rubles per kilogram).
Without the taste of this fish, Baikal is not Baikal!
You can actively bargain in the market and bring down the price.
There is a nerpinarium in the village - this is the habitat of Baikal seals, amazingly smart, cute and funny animals with which you can talk, say hello, shake flippers and even stroke them.
Ticket price to the nerpinarium: 250 rubles. per child, 350 per adult.
Excursions along the shore of Baikal and along Baikal itself on the water will cost from 800 rubles. (30 minutes boat ride along the shore) up to 2500 rub. (1.5 hours along the surface of Lake Baikal). During the excursion you will be shown the Shaman Stone and legends about it: from the legend about Baikal’s daughter Angara, who fell in love with the Yenisei, to the story of how the stone was used to test liars, sending them to spend the night on this pebble.
Housing in Listvyanka is not the cheapest on the coast, but you can find private guest houses where you can stay from 1000 rubles. per day, and even with a delicious homemade breakfast and, in some cases, dinner:
Guest house "Malina". Listvyanka village.
- Nikita Bencharov's estate;
- Demidov Estate;
- Fedorov Dvor;
- Daryan's estate;
- Chalet Listvyanka;
- Baikal Home.
A taxi from Irkutsk will cost about 2000 rubles.
Buses run regularly from the central market of Irkutsk and from the bus station. Price 120 rub.
In addition to the bus, you can get to Listvyanka by boat - it runs three times a day, from the Raketa pier at 8:45, 12:30, 14:45, cost 400 rubles, travel time is an hour.
Olkhon Island
The best place for a trip among the savages. Take a tent and everything you need - your vacation will be unforgettable. This is the largest island of Baikal, where the Buryats now live, and the first settlers appeared on the island in the Paleolithic, leaving behind rock paintings, ancient sites, burial grounds and religious buildings - in total there are about 150 archaeological and historical sites on the island.
Olkhon Island is flat on one end and mountainous on the other. Coniferous forests alternate with plains and rocky hills, and all around, as far as the eye can see, the sacred surface of the lake stretches.
Botanical and geological monuments are represented by:
- White marble cape Sagan-Khushun;
- Shamansky Cape;
- Cape Mare's Head;
- The relict spruce forest of Mount Zhima.
The Baikal seal used to bask in the sun on the shores of the island, but now its population has sharply declined, as has the population of the famous bald eagles. But there are still other birds and animals, a total of three hundred different species that can be found in the wild nature of the island. None of them are dangerous to humans - feel free to set up a parking lot!
Natural arch at Cape Khoboy
If you like comfort and coziness, then you should stay at tourist centers and campsites, where rooms cost from 900 rubles. per day:
- Tourist base "Solnechnaya";
- Recreation center "Olkhon";
- Recreation center "Lada";
- Yurt camping “Melody of Olkhon” (from 400 rubles per day in summer).
How to get to the island:
- bus Irkutsk - Khuzhir, which departs from the bus station at 8:00 am, cost 600 rubles. the journey takes 6.5 hours. (Plus ferry);
- private taxis – 800 – 900 rubles. (Plus ferry);
- The Barguzin steamboat, which runs to Khuzhir on Mondays (also on Wednesdays in the summer), takes 9 hours. Cost 3,800 rubles;
- boat "Kometa", goes to Zagli Bay (near the ferry crossing). You will have to travel extra to get to the village of Khuzhir. transport. Runs on Fridays (in summer also on Tuesdays). The journey takes 5.5 hours, cost 3200 rubles.
Villages of Kultuk and Utulik
Kultuk and Utulik are picturesque villages on the southern shore of Lake Baikal. It is quiet, very beautiful, there are many hospitable tourist centers here that entertain tourists in different ways: they offer boating and catamaran rides; fishing.
After traveling to the village of Kultuk along the mountain serpentine road, you have the opportunity to spend the night at a disco and have a drink in a bar.
From a distance, the villages look unprepossessing, but their location allows tourists to uninterruptedly admire the landscapes of Lake Baikal (Shamansky Cape is visible from Kultuk), relax in nature, and spend time communicating with the silent spirits of the lake.
Thanks to its southern location, at the end of summer the water in the area of the villages warms up to 16-19 degrees, and you can swim. If not, just sunbathe on the banks.
Kultuk
Many excursions are offered: walking, water and horseback. Typically, these offers can be found in the territories of tourist centers and recreation centers, where you can stay cheaply, paying only 700 rubles. per day.
- Guest house "Baikal Bears";
- Recreation center "Baikal";
- Guest house "Fedorov Dvor";
- Tourist base "Strawberry".
Relaxation in them: these include juniper steam baths and wild rosemary steam, smoked omul by the fire, night fishing, sports entertainment and plenty of opportunities to communicate with the wildlife of Lake Baikal.
How to get to the village of Kultuk:
- by train, which runs from Irkutsk three times a day at 9:28, 17:36 and 18:46, on weekends at 10:10, the journey takes 3 hours, the cost is ~150 rubles. Go to the stop "Devil's Mountain" or "Pervomaiskaya";
- by bus, route Irkutsk - Slyudyanka No. 543. Price 130 rub.
Road to the village of Utulik:
- by bus from the Irkutsk bus station (Irkutsk – Baikalsk 150 rubles);
- by train or bus from Baikalsk.
Baikalsk: ski resort
This is the center of winter recreation on Lake Baikal, a city located right on the shore of the lake. In winter, skiers and snowboarders come here. They are attracted by Sobolinaya Mountain, where there is a thick snow cover during the relatively warm Baikal winters.
The mountain has acquired special significance among ski resorts. The long winter season with an abundance of sunny days and amazingly beautiful landscapes puts people in a particularly friendly mood. Here everyone quickly gets to know each other, communicates and spends time getting together in large groups.
The mountain trails are suitable for extreme skiing and for children and beginners.
There are few attractions in Baikalsk itself, so the whole life of tourists is focused on Sobolina Mountain. But even in summer there is something to see here - a summer cable car operates, sending travelers to admire Baikal and the mountains from a height of almost a kilometer.
Try the famous Baikal strawberries: in the summer, markets are filled with this sweet, fragrant berry, which costs very little, starting from 100 rubles. per kilogram. In winter, you have the opportunity to hear the crack of ice breaking on Lake Baikal: the roar is comparable to the roar of an exploding shell.
Accommodation prices are affordable and varied: from 600 rubles. per day in the private sector and from 1000 rubles. in hotels:
- Hotel "Home";
- Hotel "Priboy".
Recommendation: a large company or a family with children can stay in the wooden town “Rus”, where a cottage house costs from 6,000 rubles. per day. It offers a delightful Russian bath and Finnish sauna.
How to get there:
by train from Irkutsk, runs once a day at 17:36, travel time is 4 hours;
You can also take a long-distance train from Irkutsk or immediately buy a ticket to Baikalsk from Moscow - 4,000 rubles. for a reserved seat, 90 hours on the road.
Warm lakes
There are four of them: Lebyazhye, Dead, Izumrudnoye and Ozero-Skazka. These are lakes extending from Lake Baikal, which can be reached on foot along small tributaries in half an hour. There are dense forests, wonderful views and a hospitable camp site. They fish on the lakes, enjoy the silence, make night fires and live as if there had never been a gap between man and nature. When approaching Teplye Lakes, don’t forget to visit the Black Poplar - it is about four hundred years old.
The lakes are really warm - you can swim here in the summer, and if you want to fish, don’t do it on Dead Lake - the water here is saturated with sulfur, and there are no fish, but swimming in this lake strengthens the immune system. The most fishy lake is Izumrudnoye. When frozen in winter, it turns dark green and sparkles like a jewel.
Slyudyansky district, Lake Skazka.
The shore of Fairytale Lake is decorated with a fairy-tale hut, and its landscapes really resemble an illustration from a book. Swan Lake was once home to many swans, but they have now left the area and the reasons for their exodus are unknown.
Prices for accommodation in a house near the Warm Lakes range from 700 rubles. per day at the tourist center of the same name “Warm Lakes”.
Stop here to swim, catch pike, perch and grayling, and marvel at the endless beauty of Baikal nature!
How to get there:
public city transport from Irkutsk. Cost about 80 rubles.
Four main ways to save money:
- Book your tour and accommodation in advance: forty to fifty days before your trip. This will reduce its cost by 15-30%.
- The cheapest season to visit Baikal is March-May and the end of August. These are the seasons in which you will save 50% of the cost of accommodation, and spend them almost alone with the greatest lake in the world.
- Go on a trip with a large group. Comfortable houses with a bathhouse, barbecue area and fishing equipment cost from 4600-5000 per day, i.e. a company of six or more people will pay only 1000 rubles. per day or less.
- Bring with you a minimum package of products: meals in hotels are usually one-time meals (breakfast), and products are expensive - a basket per person starts from 700 rubles. in a day.
Baikal is a unique creation of nature that attracts tourists from all over the world. The most popular vacation spots on Lake Baikal are:
- Olkhon Island;
- the villages of Sakhyurta, Listvyanka, Vydrino Arshan;
- cities of Baikalsk, Severobaykalsk.
These places are connected to the Small Sea, rivers, and lakes, where the water warms up well in the summer.
Every year the tourism infrastructure in this region is only improving. Tours to Baikal are becoming popular, the demand for which increases in the summer.
For a tourist who is visiting these places for the first time, the question of where to stay on Baikal so as not to be left without a roof over his head becomes relevant.
Let's start with budget apartments: a tent. There are special camping sites in the area of Olkhon Island and in the bay near the village of Sakhyurta. A popular place for a tent city is the area near Lake Izumrudnoe and the Snezhnaya River. There is also an inexpensive tourist center here. By the way, you can also place your tent on the territory of the camp site for a nominal fee.
Where to stay in Listvyanka, Baikal
The village of Listvyanka is in great demand among tourists: it houses several beautiful guest houses and hotels:
- guest house “Baikal-1” on the shore of the lake itself with good living conditions;
- Apartments “On Baikal Street”: close to the beach. Each room is equipped with a kitchen, bathroom, and living room. The main attraction is the panoramic windows overlooking Lake Baikal;
- Mayak Hotel: a chic hotel, a favorite place for foreign tourists;
- Anastasia Hotel: has a swimming pool, a restaurant with live music, and the main decoration is a very large wooden sailboat.
Best hotels in Baykalsk, Severobaykalsk
Baikalsk is known to all tourists thanks to the Sobolinaya Mountain ski resort, and therefore it is not surprising that there are many hotels here:
- guest house "Jade";
- Hotel Courchevel.
In Severobaikalsk, the luxurious hotel “Baikal Residence” deserves special attention, which provides all the conditions for a comfortable stay, from a spa center to boat trips.
Vydrino Hotels
The beautiful village of Vydrino is located on the territory of the Baikal Nature Reserve. Tourists are attracted here by unique lakes, waterfalls, and a sandy beach. Vacationers prefer to stay:
- hotel "Snow White": a modern hotel with a helipad and its own beach;
- recreation center "Novaya Snezhnaya": rooms with beautiful furniture, some have a fireplace.
Rooms in good hotels and guest houses are booked 3-5 months in advance during high season. However, if you are not a spoiled tourist, then you can always rent a bed in the private sector at an affordable price.
Margarita and her two children live near Lake Baikal and vacation in different places around the lake every summer. For our website, Margarita shared her opinion about how comfortable a vacation on the shores of the largest lake in the world can be.
She wrote an article about the most attractive places in Lake Baikal, suitable for a family holiday - where to stay, what to do with children, what to see and where to go: beaches, bays and caves, thermal springs and excursions.
The most popular vacation spots on Lake Baikal are Listvyanka, Olkhon, Maloe More, Enkhaluk, Posolsky.
The holiday season on Lake Baikal is open almost all year round. In winter, those who prefer to have an active holiday, snowboarding, come here. In summer, these regions attract tourists with the beauty of their nature, smoked omul, fresh air and strawberries.
It is in the summer that it is best to relax here with children.
In July, the average daily temperatures are quite high, but you can swim in most places on the lake only when summer has already passed the middle.
The summer season on Lake Baikal opens in May and lasts until the end of September. In summer, the air temperature on especially hot days can rise above 30 degrees, but if you are near the lake, you don’t feel much discomfort, since a cool breeze constantly blows from Lake Baikal.
Listvyanka
Listvyanka is called the gates of Lake Baikal. You can get here from Irkutsk in just 40 minutes along the Baikal Highway - minibuses depart from the Central Market, Railway Station and Bus Station to Listvyanka every 30 minutes.
Advantages of holidays in Listvyanka:
- Clean water and coastal zone;
- Fresh and clean air;
- A varied holiday (you can visit local museums, go on a cruise on Lake Baikal, visit beach activities, look at the stars through the largest telescope in the world, make a wish at the Shaman Stone).
TO shortcomings holiday in Listvyanka can be attributed to the high prices for rooms in local hotels, which here, of course, are at the highest level.
If you want to save money, you can try to look for local residents who rent out houses. Rental notices are usually posted in the local village. You can also look at advertisements for houses for rent on Avito.ru.
Also keep in mind that there are always a lot of people here - in addition to tourists, Irkutsk residents also come for the weekend.
What to do here:
- In winter, the largest ice skating rink in the world operates here, where you can go with older children.
- In Listvyanka, not far from the shore, there is a Shaman Stone in the water, which can be reached by boat. According to local legends, it is customary to make cherished wishes near the Shaman Stone.
- There is a museum of old dolls here - children will find it interesting.
- Not long ago, the largest vacuum telescope in our country was built in Listvyanka, through which you can admire the starry sky.
- In Listvyanka there is a nerpinarium, where every day you can watch a show of touching seals. Performances here take place daily (except Mondays) every forty-five minutes. You can buy a child ticket for 250 rubles, an adult ticket for 300 rubles.
| Name and contacts | Nutrition | |
| Mayak Hotel
Listvyanka, st. Gorky, 85a. |
The cost of a standard triple room is 4100 rubles. For children under three years old – free. When placing adults on extra beds, 800 rubles per day is added to the room rate. Additional children's beds are available for a fee. |
Breakfast is included in the room rate |
| Hotel Dauria
Listvyanka, st. Kulikova, 44. |
The price of a double room is 2500 rubles, for a cot up to 2 years old there is a charge of 500 rubles per day. Accommodation for children under 5 years old without separate beds is free. For an extra bed for adults - surcharge of 800 rubles. Additional children's beds are available for a fee. | Meals are not included in the price. |
We vacationed here with our children last summer. We rented a house from a local resident. She has her own small recreation center.
There are several houses in one yard; tourists live in each of them, both families and large groups. This is the rub. At 21:00, when the children had to be put to bed, the real fun began among the neighbors. All night we listened to their cheerful noisy conversations and music.
Therefore, now I think that for a holiday with small children it is better to rent a room in a local hotel, for example, in Mayak. If the children are older, then you can, like us, rent houses from the locals.
Otherwise I really liked everything. You can spend hours walking along the local embankment. Every hour ships depart from the shore, on which you can go on a trip around Lake Baikal. Here on the embankment you can buy smoked omul. A great place for a family vacation.
Olkhon is especially revered among tourists. It is believed that this is where Genghis Khan was buried. There are many places on Olkhon where it is customary to worship spirits.
You can get to Olkhon by minibuses from Irkutsk to the village of Sakhyurta, and from there by ferry, which runs from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Things to do:
- It is worth visiting Cape Sagan-Shuun, Mare's Head and Khoboy.
- There is also an ethnographic museum where excursions are held.
- Families with children often come to Olkhon not only for a relaxing holiday, but also for health improvement. Local residents claim that by contacting the local spirits, you can ask them to reward you with excellent health.
- A real shaman lives on Olkhon. He not only predicts the future, but also drives out evil spirits that cause troubles and illnesses. You can find a shaman in the Buryat village.
It is better to explore Olkhon with children on excursions. You can buy excursion tours from local travel agencies, both for adults and children. Be sure to visit the Buryat village! There you can look at the life and customs of local peoples and taste delicious buuzas.
Most hotels and guest houses are located in the village of Khuzhir.
| Name and contacts | Price for a regular family room | Nutrition |
| Gostiny Dvor "Olkhonsky" | The price of a holiday house with two single beds, a shared toilet and bathroom is 1000 rubles per day. The price of a budget family room is from 2500 rubles. Accommodation of one child under 12 years old on existing beds in the room costs 600 rubles, children over 12 years old – 700 rubles. | Breakfast and dinner are included in the room rate. |
| Guest House Pushkin | The price of a room with two single beds is 2000 rubles per day. The price of a budget family room with three single beds is from 3,000 rubles. Accommodation of one child under 12 years old on existing beds in the room - 700 rubles. Extra beds are not available. | |
| Nabayminar Estate
Khuzhir, Pervomaiskaya street, 18. |
The price of a budget family economy room with three single beds is from 3,500 rubles. Accommodation of children or adults on extra beds – 500 rubles. Additional children's beds are available for a fee. |
Olkhon is an incredibly picturesque place. We were here with our children and relaxed our minds and bodies. Children are delighted with excursions around Olkhon. The air is clean here. Of course, we visited the Olkhon shaman. Local cafes serve extremely tasty dishes of omul and buuza with minced meat. There are a lot of people here in the summer.
Posolskoe village
Posolskoye is one of the oldest settlements located on Lake Baikal. It was founded in the 17th century and still exists today. The village is located in the Kabansky district of Buryatia.
You can get to it by minibuses from Ulan-Ude, which go to Kabansk, and then by taxi. From almost any Russian city you can get to Kabansk by long-distance train, and then transfer to a local taxi for 100 rubles, and in 15 minutes you will already be there.
In Posolskoye there is a male Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery, which is distinguished by its original architecture - it is located in the very center of the village on a hill.
In Posolskoye, the children and I walked a lot around the village and went on an excursion to the men's monastery. We didn’t order anything in advance anywhere - we just went there and they offered us a tour.
The view of Lake Baikal from the shore is simply gorgeous; seagulls over a meter high walk right here, along the coast. But swimming in Baikal is cold even at the beginning of August, when the water should have already warmed up. She didn’t even let the children near the water. If you want, you can again take a taxi to the neighboring village of Lemasovo. There is a sandy beach with clear blue water.
A quiet holiday in Posolskoye will appeal to those who want to really take a break from the bustle of the city. There is also a fishing plant here, so omul and other fish that live in Baikal cost literally pennies here.
Slyudyanka is the southernmost point of Lake Baikal. From Irkutsk to Slyudyanka it is a little more than 100 kilometers. You can get here by minibus from the Irkutsk bus station and railway station. There is also a train from Irkutsk to Slyudyanka (check the schedule at the ticket office of the railway station).
In Slyudyanka there is Chersky Peak - the highest point on Lake Baikal. A special weekend route has been developed for tourists here, where the whole family can go. Suitable for families with children over 12 years old. To go hiking, contact local tour companies.
In the very heart of Slyudyanka there is the Khamar-Daban rock. Straight from it and hits Silver Spring. The water from the source has healing properties and does not deteriorate even for several years.
By the way, it is at the foot of the Khamar-Daban rock that there are two cozy small mini-hotels “Silver Spring” and “Exotica”. You can get to them from the bus station by taxi.
| Name and contacts | Price for a regular family room | Nutrition |
| Guest house "Pribrezhny"
Slyudyanka, Profsoyuznaya, 15. |
The price of a double room is 1600 rubles per day. The price of a budget family triple room is from 2000 rubles. Accommodation of one child or adult on extra beds – 1000 rubles per day. | |
| Hotel "Tourist"
Slyudyanka, Krugobaikalskaya street, 16. |
The price of a superior room with two single beds is 2000 rubles per day. The price of a classic four-bed room is from 2400 rubles. Accommodation of one child under 6 years old who does not occupy a separate bed is free. Extra bed fee for children over 6 years old and adults – 1000 rubles | The cost of breakfast (optional) is 200 rubles. |
| Guest House "Andi"
Slyudyanka, Kuprin street, 9g. |
The price of a budget family economy room with three single beds is 1200 rubles. Accommodation of children or adults on extra beds – 400 rubles. Additional children's beds are available for a fee. | Meals are not included in the price. |
There are many attractions in Slyudyanka; the local market is replete with smoked omul. It’s comfortable to stay here with children in terms of accommodation, but there’s not much entertainment.
From Slyudyanka we went on an excursion along the Circum-Baikal Railway. My sister and her 14-year-old son went here and were satisfied. They booked a walking tour to Chersky Peak through a travel agency.
Traveling along the Circum-Baikal Railway
Alexander the Third gave the order to build the Circum-Baikal Railway. Today this road is considered the most beautiful in the world.
The train passes through 39 tunnels and stops near all the sights. Upon arrival at Lake Baikal, tourists are transferred to a ferry that travels along the Angara back to Irkutsk.
Ticket prices for adults are up to 3,000, for children – up to 2,000 rubles. Meals are not included in the price.
The trip takes almost the entire day, and if you are traveling with children, be sure to bring something to eat.
The train leaves from Slyudyanka. The schedule can be viewed at the Slyudyansk railway station or online on the official website of the Circum-Baikal Railway.
We were impressed for a long time after our trip on the Circum-Baikal Express. Children took tickets in which meals are not included in the price. We bought everything with us. This is a must, as the trip is quite long and everyone will get hungry. While you are driving, you have time to admire the dense forests and Lake Baikal.
The Goryachinsk resort has existed for 200 years. Here is the Goryachinsk sanatorium, famous for its healing mineral springs.
You can get to Goryachinsk by bus from Ulan-Ude. Tickets are sold at the ticket office at the bus station.
In Goryachinsk, you can relax with your children in a local sanatorium, where all conditions are created for relaxation and treatment of children with various diseases of the respiratory system and musculoskeletal system.
Behind the sanatorium there is a nice sandy beach. The beach has all the conditions for relaxation: discos, cafes, entertainment on the water. The cost of staying at the sanatorium is from 2,400 rubles per day, including meals.
| Name and contacts | Price for a regular family room | Nutrition |
| Guest house "Goryachinsk"
Goryachinsk, st. Dorozhnaya, 3. |
The price of a double room is 1600 rubles per day. The price of a budget family triple room is from 3,200 rubles. Children under 5 years old who do not occupy separate beds are free of charge. Extra beds are available upon prior request only! | Meals are not included in the room rate. |
| Hotel "Baikal Riviera"
Gremyachinsk, street, Lesnaya, 36. |
The price of a family room with one double and one single bed is 4,000 rubles. Extra beds are not available in the rooms. | The price of your stay at the hotel includes breakfast, lunch and dinner. |
Goryachinsk is suitable for a quiet family holiday. We bought a ticket to the sanatorium, here the children are given proper nutrition, and there is a special treatment menu for parents. And although it seemed to me that Goryachinsk is a place for a recreational holiday, throughout June there are discos on the beach almost every night.
This place has a magical pine forest. I would say that even the air here is healthier.
The Small Sea is the name given to the small strait that separates Olkhon Island. There are sandy beaches and the water is very warm. You can swim in the Small Sea from mid-June; on particularly hot days the water heats up to 25 degrees.
You can get to the Small Sea from Irkutsk by minibuses that depart from the Railway Station. The journey will take about 4 hours.
The warmest place is Mandarkhan Bay. Here you can relax without fear of catching any infection. The bay is quite flat, and therefore even at a decent distance from the shore it is not very deep. There are no museums or entertainment venues here, but there is a gorgeous beach where there are not too many people. A local tan can last up to six months.
You can stay in local mini-hotels or rent houses from local residents. Advertisements for renting houses on the Small Sea can be found on Avito.ru.
| Name and contacts | Price for a regular family room | Nutrition |
| Recreation center "Chara" | The cost of a 9-night trip to the recreation center with advance reservation is from 26,000 rubles per person. Children under 6 years old who do not occupy separate beds – stay free of charge. For older children and adults occupying separate beds, you will need to pay an additional 980 rubles per day. | The price includes three meals a day. |
| Mini-hotel "Baikal"
Khuzhir, st. Voroshilova, 36. |
The price of a standard double room with two single beds or one double bed for 6 nights is 18,000 rubles per day. The price of a triple room with single beds or one double and one single bed for 6 nights is 24,000 rubles. Accommodation of adults and children on extra beds is free. Accommodation with children of any age is allowed. | Breakfast is included in the room rate. |
| Recreation center "Da-shi" | The price of a standard double room with two single beds or one double bed for 6 nights is 21,000 rubles per day. The price of a triple room with single beds or one double and one single bed for 6 nights is 24,600 rubles. Accommodation of adults and children on extra beds is free. Accommodation with children of any age is allowed. | Meals are not included in the price. Breakfast (350 rubles optional). |
I read a lot of good things about holidays on the Small Sea. We immediately decided to go to Mandarkhan Bay and did not regret it. Children can be allowed to swim without fear. They will happily splash around in warm water. The shore is clean and sandy.
We rented a house from a local resident. It was quite inexpensive for the money. They paid 1200 per person for accommodation.
Tips for those who go on holiday to Lake Baikal with children
Even if you go to Baikal in the summer, do not forget that this is Siberia - it is cool here at night.
Don’t forget warm clothes and mosquito repellent (there is a lot of humidity here and in the evenings on the lake shore these insects literally attack).
In each of the settlements described above, there are grocery stores and pharmacies.
If you have not yet chosen where you will live and want to save money when booking, we recommend using the RoomGuru service. Firstly, it contains hotels, apartments and guest houses from many different booking systems, so you won’t miss out on a worthwhile option. Secondly, you can immediately compare prices for one place in different services and book where it is cheaper (this is not always Booking!).
Everyone is accustomed to the fact that a vacation on Lake Baikal is either expensive or very expensive. I’ll tell you how you can save a lot or even relax on the Holy Sea almost for free.
In any case, I’ll share my life hack of how I managed to rent a comfortable camp site on the shores of Lake Baikal for 5 rubles for 5 days, saving as much as 14 thousand rubles on my summer vacation! I'll tell you, maybe it will come in handy for you too?
So, 5 ways to save on your vacation on Lake Baikal in 2018/2019:
Organize your vacation yourself, and most importantly, buy tickets and book hotels on Lake Baikal in advance:
I never cease to be amazed that “our people” for some reason go to Baikal on a voucher and look for ready-made tours here.
Perhaps, by analogy with Turkey and Egypt, they think that it will be cheaper this way? But alas, there are no charters or other “all-inclusive” services on Lake Baikal and are not expected in the near future. The level of service here is not the same and that’s not why you should come here at all.
One of the main expenses on a trip to Lake Baikal will be the purchase of tickets. So it’s definitely better to buy them in advance; during the season there are almost no “last minute tickets” to Irkutsk.
Buy the cheapest tickets to Baikal (from Moscow to Irkutsk and back)
And I also recommend subscribing to a bot with abnormally cheap tickets, which will help you quickly respond and buy the cheapest tickets not only to Baikal, but also to your other favorite destinations. A very useful thing. I gave an example of how it works
Buy train tickets
At the same time, the organizers of group tours do not hesitate to sell the same tickets, campsites and other services for “package tourists” on Lake Baikal with a markup as much as their conscience allows. And she rarely limits them. Just for fun, you can compare how much the trip costs from the official organizers, and how much the Baikal tourism agencies will offer you for it.
Maybe these tourists are afraid that they will come to the Siberian jungle, where, after leaving the plane, they will certainly get lost, where the natives do not understand a word of Russian and where it is dangerous to move without a guide? In some ways, of course, they are right, and it’s easy to get lost on Lake Baikal, especially if you go to some wild places. Or maybe they expect that the guide will be able to tell them about the beauty of Lake Baikal better than their own eyes? I'm just at a loss.
In general, tourist Baikal is now a fairly civilized place and people who come here on their own should not have any difficulties.
It is best to plan your vacation on Lake Baikal in advance and book a hotel or place at a tourist center, among other things. Buying “last minute” plane tickets to Irkutsk at the last moment in the summer is an unlikely success.
And as practice shows, in the high season it is not possible to find places in hotels, tourist centers and campsites even at the most shabby and even expensive ones on Lake Baikal. But if you are not too picky about comfort and agree to “conveniences in the yard,” rent a room from local residents. Many people even like this “exotic”.
In addition, this option will be the most affordable. For example, a room in a village house on Olkhon costs about 600 rubles per day per person. But I’m not very well versed in this type of travel, because... I myself have never rented anything from private owners.
If you want, you can book camp sites and hotels on Baikal on the popular website booking.com, on the private housing website Airbnb.com, or compare prices on the website - a search engine for hotel booking systems hotellook - where there are booking, agoda and other popular booking services.
Listvyanka hotels on the map:
The flow of tourists to Lake Baikal is only growing and growing at a rapid pace, and the number of hotels and tourist centers on Lake Baikal, of course, is also growing, but cannot keep up with such a rapid pace. So keep that in mind. And plan your vacation on Lake Baikal in advance. Well, either be prepared to spend a little more money on your vacation, or lose in quality of service.
Go to the “unpopular” Baikal or go during a non-high season
The peak season on Baikal is July-August, the time when both those who are traveling to the Holy Sea for the first time try to come here, as well as local residents who vacation on Baikal every summer - they come here both on vacation and just for the weekend.
Can you imagine how many people there are and what is happening at this time on the Baikal beaches, in hotels and with ticket prices? That's right, horror!
And all because many people want to combine a vacation on Lake Baikal and a vacation at sea. In July and August you can swim at Lake Baikal and in general it is no worse than at the Black Sea resorts. But in my opinion, it’s still cold enough for swimming here (although I’m not an indicator, I manage to freeze in Thailand 8)
By the way, the beach season on Lake Baikal is a relative concept; even at the height of summer there can be quite significant frosts at night. And sudden Baikal winds can suddenly change the weather from hot and sunny to chilly and rainy.
But in autumn it is quite warm and beautiful here. At least lately. So the velvet season on Lake Baikal can be no less pleasant than the summer itself. Some swim here even until October. Well, I’ve probably already buzzed everyone’s ears about the benefits of winter Baikal on my blog?)))
So, if you are deciding for yourself when is the best time to come to Baikal, you should not limit yourself only to these two summer months. Apart from late autumn and early winter, when it gets brutally cold here, and the end of spring and early summer, when dangerous ticks begin to operate on Lake Baikal, it is always beautiful, interesting, and you can find activities and entertainment for almost every taste.
But if you really want to come to Baikal in July or August, go! Just choose points that are not the most popular among tourists for your main location, which include Olkhon or Listvyanka. There's not a lot of crowds there in the summer, especially on weekends; this pleasure, in my opinion, is dubious.
Bolshoye Goloustnoye, Polovinnaya station on the Circum-Baikal Railway, Bolshie Koty, Buguldeika, Kultuk, Slyudyanka - all this is also Baikal! The places here are no less beautiful, and the water is no less clear. 8) There are also tourist centers here. True, tourists go there much less often. But prices at local tourist centers will be lower. The savings will be obvious. And the vacation experience will be no worse.
Go “savage” or to Baikal with tents
In summer, tourists also go to Lake Baikal because at this time there are you can relax for free, that is, in your own tent! (Free, unless you count the price of the tent itself, of course).
Take part in Tourbazar auctions
And finally, the reason why you may have started reading this text.))) How did I manage to save 14 thousand and go to Baikal for 5 days for 5 rubles for two, and even to a well-equipped camp site?
Website "Turbazar"— the only site I know of that organizes auctions for tourist centers and hotels in Russia, including offers for Lake Baikal.
The main proof that this is not a “filkin’s letter” and everything is fair here is a screenshot of my epic victory.
But, as they say in such cases, there are nuances.
I have already complained about the auction illiteracy of the population in my country, and here the same problems still exist.
The starting price of any lot at the Tourbazar is 1 ruble! So people, no, in order to play the game with minimal bets, take it and immediately begin to fight “for thousands of rubles”, in the end, it comes to the point that the prices for some tours are almost more expensive than their regular price, or at least , comparable. So what's the point? Thus, people themselves, with their own hands, spoil the whole thrill of the auction. It’s much nicer when you get something expensive for almost nothing, isn’t it?
But as you can see, sometimes you can win an auction at Tourbazar for just pennies. In my case, for such a price I managed to win the tour the second time, at the last moment, right before the upcoming trip.
When the previous winner of the auction, realizing that he had put up too high a price, refused to pay for it, the same tour was re-offered again. Naturally, before the trip there was absolutely nothing left there, so I didn’t have many competitors. That’s how I won, and I wish the same for you.)))
After all, there is nothing better than spontaneous travel, especially when it costs almost nothing 8)
Here, in principle, are all the secrets that I know about how you can save money on a vacation on Lake Baikal and go there almost for free. I hope this information will be useful for you to save money on your vacation and finally see Baikal with your own eyes. After all, he is definitely worth it!
Tell us, what are your plans for this summer? Where are you going to go on your summer vacation? 8)
