- Accommodation
- Nutrition
- Entertainment and excursions
- Transport
The resort area Kavkazskie Mineralnye Vody unites several balneological resorts. Perhaps the most fashionable and popular of them is Kislovodsk. The newest and most comfortable sanatoriums and hotels have been built here, modern clinics and spa centers are equipped, restaurants and cafes work, serving dishes that can delight even the most demanding gourmets. Naturally, tourists will need an impressive amount of money to satisfy their needs at the resort. How much money to take to Kislovodsk can be calculated by estimating the upcoming expenses.
Kislovodsk will appeal not only to those who have a lot of money in their wallet. Budget tourists will find at the resort both cheap canteens, where the food is very tasty, and free terrenkur paths, along which it is so wonderful to walk for hours, enjoying the fresh air and gaining strength for further achievements.
Along with expensive hotels, there are quite comfortable hostels in the city, where a day's stay will cost 400-600 rubles. Hostels have a kitchen for preparing meals, so you can save on going to restaurants and eat by cooking yourself. Naturally, there are markets and grocery stores in Kislovodsk selling cheeses, drinks, vegetables, fruits and much more. To save money, you can move around the city by minibuses, and to neighboring towns you can go by buses and trains, and not by taxi.
Finally, it is worth buying a city and area guide and being your own guide without spending money on sightseeing tours.
With such a tough economy, rest in Kislovodsk will still be excellent, because the most important thing on vacation is a wonderful atmosphere, and you can't take it away from Kislovodsk!
Accommodation
If you want scope, large spaces, a pool and a spa center in the hotel complex - choose a sanatorium for living in Kislovodsk. There are enough of them here. Some were built during the Soviet era, others are new. The latter are considered more comfortable and adapted to the needs of a modern person. The best sanatoriums in Kislovodsk are "Narzan" (2,200 rubles per day per room), "Valley of Narzanov" (a room in it will cost 5,000 rubles), a sanatorium named after Kirov (cost of living from 2200 rubles per person), "Caucasus" (2500 rubles) and some others.
To undergo a course of treatment, it is not at all necessary to stop at the famous health resorts. You can stay in a hotel or rent an apartment, and then just walk around and drink healing spring water by the hour. There are almost no large luxury hotels in Kislovodsk. Local hotels are modest in size and homey. There are also a large number of guest houses and private apartments at the disposal of visitors.
Prices for accommodation in Kislovodsk are as follows:
- 400-600 rubles for a bed in a dormitory room for 4-8 people in hostels. Such hotels are more suitable for young people who do not bother with the presence of a bathroom-toilet in the room and easily converge with strangers. Popular hostels are Center (510 rubles), Three Suitcases (340 rubles), Outdoor (490 rubles), Green Hostel Kislovodsk (400 rubles);
- 1000-3000 rubles for a room in two-star hotels;
- 2000-4600 rubles for a room in 3-star hotels. Quite good hotels in this category are "Crown" and "AlGrado";
- 4000-9000 rubles are asked for a room in 4-star hotels;
- 6200 rubles - price per room in the five-star sanatorium "Glavnye Narzan Baths".
Most of the hotels in Kislovodsk are located in the resort area, where there are green parks, restaurants and shops. There are old houses in the center, where it will not be very comfortable to live.
Nutrition
Arriving in Kislovodsk, be prepared for the fact that you will have to eat (even if you don’t want to) thoroughly. Numerous local restaurants, cafes, taverns and eateries specialize mainly in hearty Caucasian cuisine, which is characterized by the use of lamb, beef, spices, and rice. The portions here are huge, and those who leave some of them on the plate are looked upon with suspicion. Shashlik, dolma, Ossetian pies are excellently cooked in "Mimino", "Shashlyk Mashlyk", "Lamb", "Old Park". A portion of barbecue will cost 200-400 rubles.
More refined Italian cuisine can be ordered at Stary Dvorik, Aristocrat, Dodo Pizza, Meals & Hills and some other establishments. Pizza will cost 400-500 rubles, pasta about the same.
People in Kislovodsk go to Comilfo, Izyuminka and Tea Dvor to have breakfast and taste the most delicate desserts, washed down with tea or coffee. The latter is generally considered almost the best cafe in the city and it would be an unthinkable omission to pass it while walking around Kislovodsk. The prices in it are set quite high, but sweets, cakes, cakes will then be in your dreams. For a meal here you will have to pay an average of 1,500 rubles.
Also in Kislovodsk there is the legendary Snezhinka cafe, which has been operating since Soviet times. It was known throughout the Caucasus for its delicious donuts. We hasten to notify you: the same Soviet donuts are still being sold here at 17 rubles per item.
People come to the Vysota 5642 restaurant, whose name reflects the height of Elbrus, to eat a burger. This restaurant is our answer to McDonald's, which do not exist in Kislovodsk at all. A snack at Vysot 5642 costs about 500 rubles.
Entertainment and excursions
In Kislovodsk, almost all free time is spent on medical procedures. During the hours left over from mud baths, massages and drinking mineral water, tourists walk along special health paths. They all have different lengths and usually pass by quite interesting sights, for example, Narzan Gallery, Mirror Pond, Pine Hill, etc.
In addition to walking around the city and the surrounding area, you can advise visiting:
- Kislovodsk Fortress, the entrance ticket to which will cost 200 rubles, and a walk with a guide - 500 rubles. Within the walls of the 19th century fort, there is now a museum exposition telling about the history, natural resources of Kislovodsk and the lands closest to it;
- Museum-theater "Grace". The price for visiting this institution is fixed - 1,500 rubles. It is very difficult to get tickets day after day, you need to take care of them in advance. Guests of the theater museum have the opportunity to first view an exhibition dedicated to some famous people who have been to these places, then become spectators of the show, well, and then dine in historical interiors;
- aeroclub “Rest. Caucasus. RF "to be able to paraglide. The cost of the flight depends on its duration and is 4000-7000 rubles;
- karting club "Crazy Cars". A 4-5 minute ride in a single high-speed car costs 250 rubles. A lot of pleasure is guaranteed even for those who cannot imagine themselves wearing a helmet and with their knees sticking out of the car!
If you don't want to walk around Kislovodsk on your own, you can always order an interesting excursion. A three-hour sightseeing tour of the city in a company with a knowledgeable guide will cost 600 rubles, a walk in Kislovodsky Park - 3250 rubles. A trip to Dombay is estimated at 9,000 rubles, to Elbrus - at 9,500 rubles.
Transport
Going on vacation to Kislovodsk, you should set aside a small amount of money, which will come in handy when paying for transport. The first travel expenses begin with tourists immediately after arriving in the city (or in the region of the Caucasian Mineral Waters). You can get from the Kislovodsk railway station to the desired point in the city by bus or minibus. The fare is 16-18 rubles, depending on the route.
From the international airport, which is located in the city of Mineralnye Vody, only a taxi will take you to Kislovodsk (it will cost about 1400 rubles). It is more convenient to travel from the center of Mineralnye Vody to Kislovodsk by electric trains or trains. A ticket for them costs at least 100 rubles. On the way, tourists will spend 1 hour and 40 minutes.
The train connects Kislovodsk with two other cities of KMV - Pyatigorsk and Essentuki. You can get to Pyatigorsk by rail in 30 minutes and 103 rubles, to Essentuki - in 20 minutes and 60 rubles.
Another city in the resort area of the Caucasus Mineralnye Vody - Zheleznovodsk - is also interesting for tourists. There are no trains from Kislovodsk to him, only minibus No. 140 runs. She walks irregularly, which should be taken into account when planning a trip to Zheleznovodsk. Traveling on it will cost 86 rubles.
For those who buy a tour to the health resort of Kislovodsk, it is easier: you can take the minimum amount with you on vacation - 5-6 thousand, which will go to buy excursions and souvenirs. The tour to the sanatorium itself will cost about 22-25 thousand rubles. The price of the voucher includes not only accommodation and treatment, but also meals in the dining room of the sanatorium or boarding house.
A person who has planned an independent vacation in Kislovodsk should take into account the costs of housing, food, maybe renting a car or taxi rides. Set aside about 1000 rubles per day for food and from 4000 rubles per day for staying in a 3 or 4 star hotel. The hostel will cost less, but not everyone agrees to spend the night in the company of strangers and share a bathroom on the floor.
2-3 excursions will cost about 4000 rubles. For the purchase of souvenirs, 1-2 thousand will be enough. To this amount you need to add the cost of travel to Kislovodsk - from 5,000 rubles for a plane ticket or 2,000-4,000 rubles for a train ride.
A vacation in Kislovodsk in 2020 will cost at least 15,000 rubles per week (a bed in a hostel, a train ticket to Kislovodsk, meals, 1-2 excursions).
