Enviable fate: why go to a resort in the Tver region
They found out about the village of Zavidovo in the Tver region when a golf club, one of the best in the country, opened there 15 years ago. However, this unique place, located at the confluence of the Doibitsa and Shosha rivers, has long ceased to be associated with the most elite sport. This is a real resort in the middle zone, which, with the opening of the second stage, is likely to become one of the most popular in Russia. The appearance of a large and modern water park there will also contribute to this. Why go to Zavidovo now, Izvestia tells us.
What appeared in Zavidovo
The second stage of the all-season resort "Zavidovo" was opened in mid-November as part of the national project "Tourism and Hospitality". The resort operates in the only special economic zone dedicated to tourism in the Central Federal District. The total investment for this stage of construction amounted to 41.8 billion rubles.
The creators call the project the largest since the Olympic construction for Sochi 2014. And, to tell the truth, associations with "Rosa Khutor" arise.
Dmitry Vakhrukov, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, stressed that such a large-scale project is becoming "a real growth point for the economy of the entire region." The chairman of VEB says the same thing.Igor Shuvalov of the Russian Federation, who noted that the expansion of the Zavidovo resort gives a "comprehensive effect" for the development of the Tver region: everything that is needed not only for recreation, but also for the daily life of local residents appears here.
"It is especially important that the new facilities offer affordable prices for different categories of guests," said Dmitry Vakhrukov.
Last year, 700,000 tourists visited Zavidovo. In 2026, Sergey Bachin, CEO of Vasta Group of companies, which is engaged in the development of the resort, hopes that there will already be 1 million of them. Residents of the Tver region, Moscow and other regions of Russia are expected here, and they also believe that the resort will appeal to those who, on the contrary, Russians themselves still fly to: residents of Arab countries.
It all started with a golf club in 2010. He is still one of the most famous in Russia. Then the landscaping reached the shore. 11 years ago, the Radisson Zavidovo Resort hotel opened four kilometers from the golf club, which began to form a full-fledged coastal resort area here. This year, several new hotels have joined it — the four-star Erbelia, Ryabina with restaurants and a spa, as well as the Brevis apart-hotel. Their capacity is 1,130 rooms, and the total number of rooms at the resort is now 1,700. Together with Radisson, they built a horseshoe-shaped coastline at the bend of the Doybica River.
There are restaurants and cafes, shops, game rooms, a shooting range, bike rental, etc. Nearby is a long beach. If you look across the river, you can see the ski slope. A little further down the river there are fishing and yacht clubs. There is a skate park a little deeper from the shore. Large conference rooms are available for those who need space for business events.
Which water park operates in Zavidovo
But the main point of attraction should be Zavidovo Aqua & SPA. Information about its comparative scale varies: some call it the largest in Europe, others — the largest indoor water park in Central Russia. One thing is for sure: it is big, modern and very technological.
There are 17 water attractions and slides for all ages: small ones for the little ones and a huge four-story building for the most fearless. There are also exclusive dueling water trails: for example, the only Russian slide "Double Rocket Launch", where two guests can compete in speed — a kind of bobsleigh, only without a sled and for two "racers" at once. Moreover, a person does not move due to gravity, but due to the jets — therefore, sometimes people travel in the flow not down, but up along the highway.
For lovers of relaxing holidays there is a "lazy river" 260 m long. You can safely swim through the territory of almost the entire water park, go outside (they promise that it will be warm even in winter) — and stay there if you want. There are four outdoor pools located outdoors.
For the laziest, there is a second area of the water park: the relaxation space. It's warmer there, and there are large pools and smaller bodies of water. They are secluded and designed for small companies who can book a kind of bungalow with a separate entrance.
The two zones are visually separated by large, unique domes that are clearly visible from the outside. This is another feature of the water park. They are made using modern innovative materials — this is not glass, but a special film that lets sunlight through. You can sunbathe all year round. Visitors are even advised to take sunscreen with them, and an ultraviolet index will be published on the site.
It is claimed that the water park can accommodate up to 1,500 people at a time. It has not been possible to check yet: it will start operating at full capacity in December. It is currently being tested by those who have booked rooms in the resort's hotels.
And soon there will be a separate huge spa area. There will be a variety of steam rooms, saunas, hammams, massage rooms, and a snow room.
Where to stay in Zavidovo
While at the spa, you can go to the Erbelia Hotel. The complex of procedures is not very large, but pleasant: there is a 15-meter swimming pool and another shallow pool for diving and swimming after the sauna, a lounge area with sun loungers. There are also massage rooms.
Both "Erbelia" and "Rowan" are four—star hotels, but everyone tacitly admits that "Erbelia" is still slightly above the level. It is called an art hotel - and the attention to the details of the interior is immediately felt. Here you can also eat at the Venetsianov restaurant with original cuisine from local products performed by brand chef Svetlana Pesotskaya. A buffet breakfast is served from 07:00 to 11:00, and an a la carte menu is served from 13:00 to 23:00. There is also a lobby bar where you can relax with a coffee or cocktail.
While the hotel's workload is small, its staff told Izvestia — literally 80-100 people, but the hotel has been operating for only a few weeks. But for the New Year, booking is already very active.
The Ryabina Hotel is another hotel from Vesta. There is a restaurant called Polye Sad, and there is a gym. Guests can use the spa center in Erbelia, but soon there will be a Jacuzzi in Rowan.
Brevis is an apartment hotel where reservations are available for small studios and three-room apartments with a living room.
However, all the benefits of the Zavidovo resort area can also be enjoyed by those who live, for example, in Yamskaya Sloboda. This hotel is about a 15-minute walk from the water park and was built exactly where there used to be a "transshipment point" for coachmen traveling on the road from St. Petersburg to Moscow. There are also plans for expansion: a travel palace is already under construction nearby.
There are rooms in the hotel itself, and in the glamping, and camping nearby. The cheapest ones are just at the campsite, but in fact these are all-season cabins designed for four people. The disadvantage of such accommodation is that it is possible to name the amenities in a separate building, but the cost is only 5-6 thousand rubles per day.
Here you can go for a walk in the forest (including skiing — there is a trail through the complex, which is prepared with snowmobiles in winter), barbecue, go to the sauna, eat in one of four restaurants: "Tavern" with Russian cuisine, Mizu — with Central Asian, "Cheese Factory" and a yurt lounge "Dune".
Or you can just walk around and watch the rabbits specially brought here. There are a lot of them, and they feel so at ease that they let people get very close. However, not all of them.
"Rabbits have three natural enemies here," says Elena Vecstein, an external communications specialist at Zavidovo Development LLC. And he lists: — Foxes. Kites. And the children. They are afraid of children like fire!
You can come to the territory with your dogs, and here, of course, conflicts also occur — sometimes "catch-up" begins. However, there were no excesses yet: not a single rabbit was harmed by the dog.
How to get to Zavidovo
The easiest way now is to rush to the resort along the M-11 toll highway. From the center of Moscow, the journey time will most likely take no more than two hours.
Another way is by train, which travels from Moscow to St. Petersburg. The journey from Leningradsky railway station will take from an hour and a little to two hours. For now, the train stops at Zavidovo station, a 15-minute drive from the hotel complex, but in 2028 the railway will come directly to the resort. They promise a regular route from Moscow to the Zavidovo resort, where Swallows will operate.
Lastochka will arrive approximately where the brand-new river station is already operating. It accepts cruise ships that sail along the Volga, including the largest ones. This year, 60 passenger ships have been accepted, and six liners can stand in the harbor at the same time.
It takes about 20-25 minutes to walk from the river station to the Erbelia Hotel, but they also plan to shorten this time by building a cable car that will connect different points of the resort to each other.
Not just rest
It's actually not easy to explain what Zavidovo is geographically. Judging by the map, the Zavidovo tourist complex is located more likely in the village of Varaksino. The Zavidovo Golf Club is located in the village of Arkhangelskoye. Active residential development is underway through Doybica in the village of Mokshino. But all this is the Zavidovo resort. The village of Zavidovo itself is 10 kv away from the water park. And the Zavidovo National Park has nothing to do with the resort: it is located on the other side of the M-11 highway, to the west.
This zone is multifaceted not only geographically, but also in terms of functionality. It is planned that not only 20 thousand people will be able to relax in the resort, but also permanently reside. There is already an infrastructure for this. And in order to provide staff training, they plan to build a branch of the Russian State University of Tourism and Service with a modern campus here.
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