On the tour product: where Russians go on short trips
Short trips of one to three days are the vast majority of trips made by Russians in 2025, booking services told Izvestia. According to their estimates, this is 70-80% of travel. Two or three days is quite enough to get vivid emotions and return to work with renewed vigor, noted in the ANO "National Priorities". This year, short trips were made not only to the always popular Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, but also Kazan and Nizhny Novgorod. Interest in Pskov, Yaroslavl, Bryansk and Rybinsk is growing. Izvestia took part in a three-day car rally in the Tver region. What you can see in the region in two or three days is in our material.
Interest in short trips
In 2025, the bulk of trips across Russia were short — for one to three days, the Bronevichok booking service told Izvestia. This is 70% of the total number of orders.
"The format of short trips has become one of the main travel scenarios for tourists. Even when there is no way to get out on a full—fledged vacation, people try to change the situation at least for a short time — to leave for a couple of days, switch and get new experiences," the company's press service noted.
At the same time, according to the Ostrov online booking service, short trips across Russia lasting from one to three days account for 82% of all trips by independent tourists in 2025, and every fifth trip out of the total is a weekend trip. Yandex Travel noted that this year the number of bookings of hotels and apartments for a short period (up to three days) increased by 31% year on year.
The main motive of travelers choosing short trips is the opportunity to reboot, said Irina Osadchaya, Deputy General Director for Communication Projects at the National Priorities NGO.
"Even two or three days is enough to get vivid emotions and get back to work with renewed vigor," she said. — But even such a trip requires minimal preparation. Don't try to see everything at once, it's better to focus on several iconic places and objects.
Where tourists go for a short time — top destinations
On a mini-vacation, it is most convenient to travel to cities or places that are a maximum of 300-500 km away, Irina Osadchaya noted. According to a study by Avtoputestviya in Russia (conducted by ANO National Priorities, the Ministry of Economic Development and the NAFI Analytical Center), in the fall of 2025, every third autotourist (32%) chose trips lasting from three days, 11% — for two days, 6% — for one.
— Do you want to feel the spirit of antiquity? Then go to Veliky Novgorod to see the Rurikovo hillfort, ancient temples, powerful defensive towers and the epic lake Ilmen," Irina Osadchaya recommended. — Do you dream of peace and quiet in the bosom of nature? You will visit the Ugra National Park in the Kaluga region. People come here to relax in the silence of forests, rivers and lakes. There are also more than 300 historical and cultural sites in the park: archaeological sites, monasteries, noble estates and temples.
The top 10 cities for short trips, Ostrovka reported, include Moscow (83% of bookings here), St. Petersburg (73%), Sochi (62%), Kazan (81%), Nizhny Novgorod (89%), Krasnodar (94%), Kaliningrad (63%), Rostov-on-Don (94%), Yekaterinburg (87%), Yaroslavl (93%).
At the same time, short trips, especially if they are large cities, include both business trips and transit stops, booking services warn.
"But there are destinations where short trips take up almost the entire tourist flow, up to 94-96% of all visits. First of all, these are locations with a pronounced "sightseeing" motivation and a rich historical heritage, where tourists come for one or three days to see the city, – noted in the "Armored Car". "These are Pskov, Yaroslavl, Bryansk and Rybinsk."
In addition, the tourist flow to Ryazan, Kaluga, Istra, Peterhof and Zvenigorod consists almost entirely of short visits.: These are destinations with convenient transport accessibility and understandable recreation scenarios — walks through museums and manors, historical centers, parks.
Avito Travels also said that from January to November 2025, Muscovites most often booked apartments in St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Krasnodar and Yaroslavl for weekend trips. The Tver region is also in the top. Among the regional cities, Tver, Rzhev, Torzhok, Vyshny Volochek and Kalyazin became the most popular among travelers this year. And in the off-season (October-November), tourists in this region usually choose Tver, Torzhok, Kalyazin, Ostashkov, Selizharovo and Kimry.
What to see in the Tver region in three days
Izvestia took part in a three—day car rally in the Tver Region, organized by the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, the Regional Ministry of Tourism, and the National Priorities NGO.
During these days, you can drive at least 600 km and visit, for example, the ancient towns of Torzhok and Staritsa, see their main attractions and visit places along the way where, as a rule, you don't go on purpose.
If we start from Torzhok, then the very first recommended point is the historical Pozharsky hotel, on the building there is a sign "Warsaw store" — exactly the same one hung here once. And the hotel itself was built at the end of the XVIII century, and people stayed there on their way from St. Petersburg to Moscow. Emperor Alexander I and his wife Elizabeth Alekseevna visited here, as well as writers Nikolai Gogol, Sergei Aksakov and Ivan Turgenev. And the poet Alexander Pushkin recommended the hotel in one of his letters.:
"Have dinner at your leisure
At Pozharsky's in Torzhok,
Have some fried cutlets
And go light."
It was the granddaughter of the founder of the hotel, Vasily the coachman, Daria Evdokimovna Pozharskaya, who is considered the inventor of pozharsky cutlets, a dish of minced meat. Now this building houses a cultural center and a museum complex, while exhibitions of, for example, Novorzhskaya majolica are held here. According to the plans of the local Ministry of Tourism, reconstruction will be carried out here, after which a permanent exhibition dedicated to the Pozharsky Hotel will be placed in the building. They promise that they will open a cafe here, which will serve firemen's cutlets.
But you can try this dish (Daria Pozharskaya's recipe was written down and published in the "Almanac of Gastronomies" by her contemporary chef Ignaty Radetsky) in Torzhok and in other restaurants. In some they are even prepared according to the most ancient recipes — from chicken, veal, fish, there is even a soup with fire cutlets (his recipe was also in Radetsky's almanac). One difference that modern life has made is to roll cutlets in bread straws — this is an addition to Soviet cuisine, but otherwise visitors will not recognize the dish. There was no such sprinkling in the original recipe, said restaurateur Tatiana Sokolova. She is also the founder of the Expedition to Torzhok project, whose participants travel to small Russian cities.
In addition, on the first day of the trip, you can, for example, visit the Borisoglebsky Monastery (although there are 36 churches and six monasteries in Torzhok). This is the first monastery in Russia, founded in honor of the first Russian saints Boris and Gleb. It was founded in 1038 by the stable of Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich, a boyar of Hungarian origin, the Monk Ephraim of Novotorzhsky.
Borisoglebsky Cathedral
Russian Russian architect, historian and educator Nikolai Lvov, who is called the "Russian Leonardo da Vinci," designed one of the monastery's most magnificent temples, the Borisoglebsky Cathedral, at the end of the 18th century. He was also an outstanding local historian — it was in his collection of Russian songs that the song "There was a birch tree in the field" was first published.
In Torzhok, you can also visit the private helicopter museum and see civilian and combat vehicles Mi-2, Mi-6, Mi-8 and Mi-24, sit in three helicopters and "fly" on a simulator. About 25 thousand tourists visit there every year. Exhibits come here, as a rule, in substandard condition — they are repaired and even trying to launch them. An An-2 biplane aircraft has recently appeared in the museum.
In addition, next to the helicopter Museum is the Museum in the Closet, a folk costume gallery that contains exact replicas of outfits from different provinces of the Russian Empire. The format is very unusual — there are many closed cabinets in the oval room, opening which, viewers see only one costume, can examine all the details, and also see various household items.
And, of course, it is impossible not to go to the "Museum of Gold Embroidery" in Torzhok (the Torzhok Gold Embroidery company receives subsidies from the budget of the Tver region with the involvement of financing under the national projects "Tourism and the Hospitality Industry" and "Tourism and Hospitality"). In it you can see both the oldest examples of incredibly painstaking work — back to the 12th century, and the most modern — these are copies of gifts to the president of Russia.
What else can you visit in the Tver region?
On the way from Torzhok, you can visit 12 Oaks, a farm where you can walk and interact with deer, fallow deer, rabbits, calves, goats, sheep, peacocks and pheasants. But since this is a family business, you need to make an appointment beforehand. For several years, the owners have been developing an unusual gastronomic format — a farmer's brunch. This is an exquisitely served lunch or dinner, where dishes are served only from seasonal products, and during the meal there are quizzes about the history of the Tver region.
— Recently they wrote about us that we are among the top 5 restaurants in the Tver region, but we are not a restaurant, we are still a farm, although our chef Anastasia really cooks incredibly well, — said the owner of the farm Zalina Dubova. — The brunch format wasn't born right away: at first, people came to our farm for a walk, then we started inviting them to our house for coffee and water, and then we thought, why just drink.
Now the farm also holds soiree parties, theater evenings and fashion shows by local fashion designers.
And if you want to get even more involved in nature, then you can relax at one of the bases. Among them, for example, the recently opened Toporok in the Konakovsky municipal district is an agricultural complex right on the majestic banks of the Volga River, which will need to be reached by ferry, which is already an interesting experience. A few years ago, entrepreneur and lawyer Maxim Vilkhovsky founded an agricultural complex here, and then began to actively develop agrotourism: with the help of the national project "Tourism and the Hospitality Industry", a modular hotel appeared here.
On the second day of the trip, you can go to the patriarchal town of Staritsa, founded in 1297. This is the birthplace and place of service of the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Job (1525-1607), the Holy Dormition Monastery. Job is also known for refusing to bless the reign of False Dmitry during the Time of Troubles. For this, he was sent into exile in the Old Days.
"He lived here, prayed, and worked in the Assumption Cathedral, right within these walls," said Hegumen Damaskin, the current vicar of the Holy Dormition Monastery.
Abbot of the Holy Dormition Monastery, Abbot Damaskin
He is a certified guide and can tell you everything about the history of the monastery, show you the oldest preserved buildings of the XVI century — made of white limestone, which is mined in the vicinity of Staritsa, it is also called "Staritsky marble".
Museums of pre-revolutionary life are also actively being created in the city. Tourists can visit, for example, the Pharmacy Museum and the Tea House Museum, and taste Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin's favorite dessert, Wolf puffs (fragrant apple pie). The canteens of noble and merchant houses have also been reconstructed there to show how tea was drunk in the Old Days. A museum of photography is due to appear in the city soon.
The ancient Village also has modern ambitions — the Pencil-Fest International Clowning Festival was held here for the first time in 2025. This is a street festival of clown and mime theaters, which gathered about 10 thousand spectators from dozens of cities in Russia. Preparations are underway for the second festival, said its general producer Andrey Soldatkin. He recalled that local historians are sure that the famous Soviet clown Mikhail Rumyantsev "Pencil" was born in Staritsa, just his father "recorded" him in St. Petersburg.
And after the Old Town, you can go, for example, to Zavidovo, where there are wooden hotels in the folk style with architraves, modern glamping and, of course, four and five-star hotels. A water park has recently opened here. Tourists can go skiing here — a specially created slope. At the same time, the land for it was taken from the river during the construction of the local port — it opened in 2024. They promise that soon not only liners will come here, but also electric trains, in addition, a cable car will be built here through all of Zavidovo.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
