All about the Estate of Father Frost near Veliky Ustyug - accommodation, entertainment, food

There are many places in our country where you can have an interesting holiday, especially if you value an educational type of holiday. In the north of the country there is a city called Veliky Ustyug. You will undoubtedly enjoy your holiday in Veliky Ustyug - the prices and attractions here speak for themselves. More recently, this city became the official residence of Father Frost. So the best time to explore the local attractions is winter.

Best time to visit Father Frost's Estate

Find tours to Veliky Ustyug HERE

The patrimony operates all year round, and Father Frost is always happy to have his guests. However, it looks especially beautiful and fabulous in winter. From mid-December to mid-January there are too many people here, and prices rise. There may not be any snow yet in November.

Therefore, the best time to visit the Votchina is from mid-January to mid-March.

Since Veliky Ustyug is located in the north, the climate here is colder than in central Russia. The coldest month of the year is January, the air temperature can reach -38 degrees. Or it could be a positive one, depending on your luck. For example, in the first half of January 2020 there was abnormal heat, the air temperature reached +5, and it rained. This weather is absolutely atypical for these places. When we arrived on January 25, the air temperature was about minus 7 degrees, and by January 28 the thermometer dropped to -27 degrees. So dress warmly!

Read my articles about Veliky Ustyug. Sights of Veliky Ustyug and Veliky Ustyug - the birthplace of Father Frost - what to see in the city.

What to see in Veliky Ustyug

Of course, during your trip it’s worth visiting Veliky Ustyug itself. Here is the city residence and post office of Father Frost, various museums and monuments. I recommend starting your walk around the city from the monument to the merchant and traveler Mikhail Bulgakov , located at the intersection of Vinogradov Street and Sovetsky Prospekt.

The cathedral courtyard with its main temple - the Assumption Cathedral , is one of the main attractions of the city. Currently, restoration work is underway in the Assumption Cathedral, so it can only be viewed from the outside.

At house number 85 on Sovetsky Prospekt there is the city residence of Father Frost . Here is also a greeting card museum , where you can see the largest New Year's card, the size of which is almost 3 by 4 meters, and it occupies a separate wall. The cost of the entrance ticket is 100 rubles.

The city post office of Santa Claus is located at: Oktyabrsky lane, 1a. At the entrance to the building you will be greeted by postal snowmen with whom you can take a photo. The cost of the excursion is from 50-100 rubles.

If you have time, be sure to stop by the New Year's and Christmas Toy Museum , which stores Christmas tree decorations from different generations. Address: Communy Square, 7. Entrance tickets cost from 50 to 100 rubles.

In addition to M.M. Buldakov, there are monuments to other Russian travelers and discoverers in the city: Semyon Dezhnev (located on Cathedral Square), Erofei Khabarov (in Komsomolsky Square, at the intersection of Krasnaya Street and Krasny Lane). Opposite the Khabarov monument there is a small cozy cafe “Sukhona”, located in the hotel of the same name. Here you can eat delicious food for little money.

On the websites Sputnik8 and Tripster you can book excursions in Veliky Ustyug from local residents. For example, an individual walk “Veliky Ustyug - a journey into the depths of centuries” for 1-4 people will cost 1,500 rubles.

Throne room in Veliky Ustyug

How to get to Father Frost's Estate

If you want to get to Votchina directly from the train, you need to book a transfer.
You can find a car, for example, HERE. There is also a regular bus, but it does not go to the Votchina itself, but to the center of Veliky Ustyug. Buses depart from both Kotlas and Jadrikha. The schedule is adapted to the arrival time of trains. From Veliky Ustyug a taxi to Votchina costs 300 rubles. He can be called by telephone.

Kaluga region

You can celebrate the New Year in Kaluga - an ancient merchant city on the banks of the Oka River and the New Year's capital of 2022. Trips to nearby towns in the region will add emotions: the oldest in the region Borovsk, heroic Kozelsk, Maloyaroslavets, charming Tarusa.

You can get from Moscow to Kaluga by bus or car in 2.5 hours along the federal highways M3 "Ukraine" and Moscow-Warsaw (A130). By train from St. Petersburg, Bryansk, Smolensk, Tula. By plane from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Krasnodar, Kaliningrad, Rostov-on-Don, Simferopol, Anapa, Sochi, Kazan, Mineralnye Vody.

Where to stay

You can stay both on the Votchina itself and in Veliky Ustyug.

See Veliky Ustyug hotels HERE

Find inexpensive apartments in Veliky Ustyug HERE.

Author's advice

Anna

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When organizing a trip, I recommend planning one night in Votchina and the rest in Veliky Ustyug. This way you can combine living in a fairy tale with visiting interesting events and excursions, of which there are many in Ustyug.

On the Estate of Father Frost, it is possible to stay in a hotel called “On the Estate of Father Frost”, or in the cottages of the Hotel Complex of the Estate of Father Frost. These are two different enterprises, independent of each other.

The hotel is a two-story building located in the center of the Votchina near the House of Father Frost. It offers accommodation in rooms with private facilities and breakfast. The building is very beautifully decorated. The rooms are good, clean, comfortable. There are coolers with hot and cold water and ironing boards on the floor. Some rooms have a kettle and refrigerator. You can book your hotel HERE. During the New Year holidays, reservations are usually made a year in advance. They say that you need to call in advance and find out the opening date for reservations. On this date, as a rule, all available rooms run out. Reservations are subject to free cancellation, so it is difficult to find available rooms - they are booked by travel agencies just in case. But when we lived there, there were more than enough free rooms. You must call 3 days before arrival to confirm your reservation. Accommodation is paid at the hotel upon arrival, payment by card is possible. Breakfast is included in the price and is provided a la carte at the rate of 300 rubles. per person. It's best to order them the night before. The room must be vacated at 12.00, if you want to extend it, it will cost 200 rubles. at one o'clock. There is no shampoo in the rooms, only liquid soap. Shampoo can be purchased at the reception.

Entrance to the Patrimony is free for hotel guests.

In addition to the hotel building, there is also a hotel complex on the Votchina, consisting of individual cottages. They are dispersed throughout the territory of the Patrimony. The reception building is located near the house of Santa Claus. The cottages are equipped with kitchens and amenities for several rooms. The price includes breakfast at the Snezhinka cafe. You cannot book cottages online, you have to call. Link to the hotel complex website.

Also on the territory of the Votchina there is the Ustyuggaz hotel complex.
These are picturesque two-story cottages next to the zoo. You can book a room HERE. Where is the best place to live on the estate?

We lived in the hotel “On Votchina”, and this type of accommodation seemed optimal to me, although the cottages are also not without their own flavor and look very nice.

Those living in Votchina are allowed to enter by car, and taxis are also allowed to enter.

Kaliningrad

New Year's Kaliningrad can be a great alternative to a trip to Christmas Europe. Although the weather in the winter months is changeable and often cloudy.

The city's past is reflected in the architecture of old German houses, which can often be found on the streets of the city. Particularly interesting are the Amalienau quarters, a former suburb with expensive villas and Maraunenhof with country private mansions.

Two or three days are enough to explore the sights of this cozy city. At the same time, you should definitely visit Kant Island (or Kneiphof) in the center of Kaliningrad. Once upon a time there was a real city here, destroyed during the war. Now it is a park where townspeople like to relax.

There are many churches, cathedrals and 7 city gates in Kaliningrad. The most interesting of them are the Royal Gate and the Brandenburg (or Berlin) Gate.

The Cathedral is the main church of the city with Orthodox and Evangelical chapels and an organ hall. The cathedral was also destroyed in 1944, but was restored in the 90s. Next to the cathedral there is Kant’s grave-mausoleum (the philosopher lived in this city all his life).

The ruins of the Königsberg Castle are impressive, which you can see by visiting the branch of the Kaliningrad Historical and Art Museum - the museum “Open exhibition “Ruins of the Royal Castle””.

The Museum of the World Ocean is a place that children will certainly enjoy. You can also go to the Friedland Gate museum, the Fish Village (ethnographic and craft center). And where else if not here can you learn everything about amber by visiting the village of Yantarny, where this sunstone is mined, or at the Amber Museum.

The most convenient way to get to Kaliningrad is by plane. You can also travel by train, but you will need a foreign passport and a Lithuanian transit visa.

Cheap flights to Kaliningrad

Food on Votchina

There are no shops other than souvenir shops on site.

There is a cafe “Snezhinka”, a restaurant “Veranda” and a cafe “On the Estate of Father Frost”, located in the hotel building. Cafe "Snezhinka" provides buffet breakfast in the morning, and from 12 to 16.30 it operates a self-service lunch line. It includes 2 types of soups, hot dishes, salads, drinks, and pastries. The average cost of lunch is 300 rubles.

Tasty, clean. The room is large, cozy, and there is a good play area for children.

The Veranda restaurant offers à la carte service and prices are quite high compared to Snezhinka.

The “Na Votchina” cafe also serves a la carte menu; it is more expensive than in Snezhinka, but cheaper than in “Veranda”. The room is small. There is a Tea House in the Masters' Glade, where you can drink hot drinks and baked goods. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic mulled wine and sbiten are sold in the shopping arcades.

Khanty-Mansiysk

If you want to get into a real Siberian winter fairy tale, you need to go to Ugra. In Khanty-Mansiysk you can visit the “Yelki Residence” (there are no such places anywhere else in the country), live in a tent on Chumovaya Street, ride reindeer and dog sleds, ski, skate, snowmobile, take a photo with a mammoth, meet Ishki-Iki - the local Santa Claus.

The flight from Moscow to Khanty-Mansiysk is only three hours.

We recommend reading where else you can go for the New Year with children.

Happy holidays and interesting holidays to everyone on New Year's days!

Entertainment on Votchina

Prices and programs on the Votchina vary depending on the season. Details of the current terms and conditions can be found HERE. I’ll tell you about the services that were in effect at the end of January.

Fairy Tale Trail and Father Frost's House

To get to the Patrimony for those who do not live there, you need to buy an entrance package.
It includes admission, a visit to Santa Claus's house and the Fairy Tale Trail. For those living on Votchina, admission is free and there is no need to buy a package. Author's advice

Anna

I believe that all guests of the Estate should definitely visit not only the house of Father Frost, but also the Fairy Tale Trail. Moreover, the Path of Fairy Tales - first

It starts from the entrance to the Patrimony. Guests are greeted by fairy-tale characters - Baba Yaga, bunny, Gray wolf, Owl and others. They play, hold competitions, and keep guests warm. Everything is very fun and interesting. Well, after the trail of fairy tales, welcome to Grandfather Frost in his mansion.

When you buy tickets, pay for your credentials and gift.

If you arrive with your own gift, it must be handed over to the staff with a special accompanying form. If you don’t have a gift, you can buy a chest of candies for 600 rubles. Well, there’s no need to give without a gift at all - the child will most likely be upset.

Author's advice

Anna

Think in advance with your child about how he will please his grandfather - a poem or a song.

By the way, Santa Claus also asks adults to tell him something, but this is not necessary. But if the child is afraid or shy, don’t worry - they will still give him a gift - Santa Claus is very kind!

Santa Claus Mail

The main building of the Father Frost Post Office is located in Veliky Ustyug, and its branch is located on Votchina.
Tours are held every hour from 9am to 4pm. The cost for adults and schoolchildren is 100 rubles, for preschool children – 50 rubles. Author's advice

Anna

Buy a special envelope and letter form at the post office, to which Santa Claus is guaranteed to answer. Such an envelope costs 150 rubles. It can only be bought in Veliky Ustyug. The envelope will also be an excellent gift for friends and relatives who have children.

From the post office you can send postcards or letters anywhere, buy souvenirs.

Santa Claus Zoo

On the territory of the Votchina there is a branch of the Moscow Zoo. It has a fairly large territory. Children will be especially interested in reindeer. We didn't go to the zoo because it was very cold. Entry cost 500 rub. adults, 250 rub. children.

Glade of crafts

These are several huts in which interactive excursions are held - a forge, a carpentry workshop, a school of magic, etc. We visited the forge and the “Machine of Fun” performance. I especially liked the forge. All the kids wanted to become blacksmiths, even the girls. The cost of the programs is 100 rubles. per person, registration and tickets – at the box office of the House of Father Frost.

Gorki

There are many free small wooden slides on the Votchina. I recommend taking ice packs with you. Small ones will suffice. You can buy ice cream on the spot, but the prices are greatly inflated. Tubing rentals are available (at Santa Claus Glacier). Tubing rental will cost 100 rubles. at one o'clock. There is a large tubing hill on Votchina. To go down it will cost 100 rubles for 3 times.

What else to do on Votchina

• Santa Claus Glacier
• Winter garden of Santa Claus.
• Tea party with Santa Claus in a forest pharmacy
• Rope town. Works in any weather. Costs 200 rubles.
• Fishing is organized on a specially stocked pond. There is equipment rental and the opportunity to warm up in the house.
• Among the attractions, in addition to the slide, there is stove riding and snowmobiling.

Arhangelsk region

To get to know the Arctic, you don’t have to go to Novaya Zemlya or the North Pole. The Arctic territories begin on the coast of the White Sea in the north-west of the country, where the Arkhangelsk region is located.

What can you see in a land with endless taiga, dazzling white snow, ancient merchant cities, wooden temples, ice crossings, winter roads and polar lights? These are colorful northern museum towns, the Solovetsky Monastery, the first seaport of Russia - Arkhangelsk, original villages of Pomors, nature reserves and national parks “Onega Pomorie”, “Russian Arctic”, Kenozersky, karst caves of Pinega. And of course, here you can go skiing and dog sledding, get to know the life of nomadic reindeer herders and reindeer.

Cheap flights to Arkhangelsk

Shopping

On Votchina you can buy products from the Northern Chern factory, linen and knitted products, felt boots, and various souvenirs.
Personally, I bought excellent goat down mittens there for only 400 rubles. The Votchina has its own cheese factory; good quality cheeses are sold in the Snezhinka cafe.

After 5 p.m., active life on the estate calms down. All attractions and shops close, employees leave. Guests can only admire the magically illuminated territory, ride the free slides or sit in a cafe. Cafe “On Votchina” is open until 20.00, “Veranda” – until 22.00. You can rent billiards or air hockey in the hotel building.