Celebrating the New Year on Lake Baikal will be an original solution, let's see what to do on Lake Baikal in winter, prices for celebrations and accommodation in the best hotels. We find out reviews of tourists about the rest, how severe the weather is in winter and how to dress.
There are many places in our country that should be visited at least once in a lifetime. One of them is Lake Baikal.
Tourists love to come to the region both in summer and winter. In winter, there are ideal conditions for extreme sports, ice fishing, scuba diving, skiing in a ski resort.
Every year a large number of tourists flock here to meet the main holiday and have a fun winter vacation.
Do you want to know where you can celebrate the New Year on Lake Baikal, what to do, what will be the weather near the coast?
- How to get to Baikal →
Where to celebrate the New Year at Lake Baikal?
You can celebrate the New Year on Lake Baikal along the entire coast of the lake, but there are several proposals that I recommend from personal experience and tourists' reviews. Below is a list and description of the most popular holiday destinations in the region in winter.
- Winter rest on Baikal →
Listvyanka village
Listvyanka is a tourist center of the region. It is here that tourists flock first of all, who want to enjoy the beauty of the lake.
In the village, the tourist infrastructure is well developed. There are hotels, recreation centers, restaurants, cafes, shops, entertainment.
Here is the Baikal Museum, where you can see the inhabitants of the reservoir, a show of freshwater seals - Baikal nepr, fish markets.
There are also historical and architectural monuments in the village: St. Nicholas Church, Port Baikal, the Baikal Railway Around the Lake (BKZhD), the Taltsy open-air museum (47 km of the Baikal tract), Skala Skriper and caves.
In winter, in Listvyanka you can admire the sights, take a walk along the embankment, skate on ice, ski, snowboard (near the Eastland ski resort), visit an exhibition of ice sculptures, ride a dog sled.
Where can you stay in Listvyanka for the New Year?
Among the places for accommodation, I recommend taking a closer look at recreation centers and hotels, which are ideal for winter holidays. All of the options in this article can be booked at affordable prices on Booking.com. The cost of living is indicated per day:
- Baikal Comfort - 2400 rubles;
- Hotel Dauria 2 * - 3500 rubles;
- Hotel Breeze - 2500 rubles;
- Hotel Mayak 4 * - 4800 rubles;
- Baikal Khan Listvyanka - 3300 rubles;
- Hotel Priboy - 3225 rubles;
- Hotel Baikal Dream - 6800 rubles;
- Baikal constellation - 5000 rubles;
- Knights' Court - 3500 rubles;
- At the source 3 * - 3000 rubles;
- Baikal Business Center 4 * - 4743 rubles.
From expensive hotels on Lake Baikal I recommend "Anastasia", prices for a room start at 4500 rubles and end at 22 thousand rubles / day for the presidential suite. If you cannot afford the hotel or you have found a cheaper accommodation option in Listvyanka, I still recommend stopping by the hotel restaurant for dinner. Everything would be fine, but a dinner with a view of winter Baikal will win you over.
Settlement Bolshoye Goloustnoye
The village is popular among independent tourists. On its territory there are hotels, guest houses, recreation centers, shops, there is an attraction - St. Nicholas Church.
The area attracts with the possibilities of ecological tourism, the opportunity to visit natural places, springs, forests, meadows. The famous ecological route 7 km long has been laid here. from the shore of Lake Baikal to Ushkanye, where you can admire the unique flora and fauna, alpine meadows, rocks.
There are also ancient caves and the Dry Lake, which is filled with healing waters every five years.
An interesting object is the Hunting Cave, which is 77m deep.
I recommend staying at popular hotels and recreation centers:
- Holiday homes Aliye Parusa - 3000 rubles;
- Usad'ba Domashnyaya - 2000 rubles;
- Recreation Center Factoria - 3500 rubles;
- Strannik - 3600 rubles;
- Guest House Bolshoe Goloystnoe - 2250 rubles;
- Baza Otdykha Stanitsa - 1206 rubles.
All listed offers can also be booked through booking.
Olkhon Island
Holidays on Olkhon in winter will be gorgeous in terms of travel to the wild places of Lake Baikal and rest from the developed infrastructure. The island is the largest on the lake, you can settle down in the village of Khuzhir.
- How to get to Olkhon →
The main attraction of the island is the local history museum, which contains unique collections of household items of the local population, including the badges of Genghis Khan's warriors.
The island can be reached by ferry that departs from the MRS. You can get to MRS by bus from Irkutsk. The ticket price is about 800 rubles, the travel time is 7 hours.
There are many archaeological sites on the island - about 143 sites. These are ancient settlements, burial grounds, ancient walls, etc.
Arriving on Olkhon, most tourists stop in the villages of Khuzhir:
- Mini-hotel Baikal - 2200 rubles;
- Recreation Center Daryana Club - 3200 rubles;
- Guest House Rest on Baikal - 4200 rubles;
- Baikal Khan Olkhon - 4000 rubles;
- Gostiny Dvor Olkhonsky - 1400 rubles;
Baikalov Ostrog will be more comfortable for accommodation, but the cost of the room will also be more expensive. Be sure to read about all the best hostels and prices on Olkhon.
Severobaikalsk
It is located on the northern coast of Lake Baikal. If you have not yet decided where to go for the New Year, feel free to go to Severobaikalsk, it is advisable to make the trip by car.
The city is attractive because there are thermal springs - Khakusy, Cape Kotelnikovsky, Goudzhekit, Dzelinda.
Today, hot springs are a developed tourist infrastructure that offers tourists a full rest and recovery of health. On their territory there are recreation centers, hotels, baths, hospitals.
- Hostel on the Baikal Trails - 1400 rubles;
- Zolotaya Rybka - 3240 rubles;
- House near Baikal - 2700 rubles;
- Dad's House - 1500 rubles;
- Baikal Residence 5 * - 17600 rubles.
It is cheaper to book hotels and hostels in Severobaykalsk through RoomGuru.ru.
Baikalsk
Baikalsk attracts lovers of skiing, as there is a famous resort - Sobolinaya Mountain. It is equipped with modern infrastructure and equipment.
You can celebrate the New Year at Sobolina in Baikalsk, you just need to book a place 2-3 months in advance, most tourists from neighboring regions book accommodation in early November.
Here you can rent skis and snowboards (the cost of a snowboard and skis is 450-500 rubles / day), most rental points are located on the road to the mountain (after turning off the track), there is a large rental office with a luggage room at the hostel itself, but the prices are slightly higher ... To services of tourists there is a lift and a cable car.
There are 8 slopes, including tubing and special slopes for training.
Below are the best hotels in Baikalsk according to tourists' reviews:
- Berezovy Guest House - 4150 rubles;
- Hotel Grand Baikal - 4048 rubles;
- Ski-Let Hotel - 20,000 rubles;
- Hostel Baikal 3 * - 1860 rubles;
- Hotel Sobolinaya - 2553 rubles;
- Cottage town Rus - 7400 rubles;
- Guest House Friday - 4000 rubles;
- Park-hotel White Sobol - 5000 rubles
Most tourists come on vacation to Baikalsk in winter without having time to rent a place in the hotel. In this case, I recommend to go to the "San Gorodok" (a cottage village near the foot of Mount Sobolinaya) and ask the locals for accommodation. You will find some addresses and contacts - housing in Baikalsk.
You can meet the New Year on the coast of the lake anywhere, here are all the recreation centers on Lake Baikal →
- All the best places to stay on the coast →
Rest for the New Year on Lake Baikal, what to do
What to do in winter on Lake Baikal? Below is a complete list of activities in the area:
- Celebrate the New Year 2021 at Lake Baikal in Listvyanka. People come here to enjoy the mountain fresh air, white snow. In the village there are usually magnificent festivities, fireworks. Here you can go dog sledding, snowmobiling and fishing.
- Walking on the ice of the lake. The ice season begins in mid-February and lasts until mid-April. Tourists make trips on ice in jeeps, ice skating, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing.
- Go ice fishing.
- Swim in hot springs in Severobaikalsk. Bathing helps restore health.
- Go downhill skiing or snowboarding in Baikalsk.
- Go in for iceboat sports. This sport has great prospects in the region. The buoys allow to cover long distances on ice in a short time.
- Go winter diving and get unique photos of the lake.
- Go mountaineering along the main trails in Khamar-Daban and in the Eastern Sayan.
- Winter kiting - flying kites and gliding on the ice of the lake thanks to strong gusts of wind.
- Ride a khivus and aquabot on the ice of the lake.
- Go on an equestrian tour through the snow-covered steppes of the area.
- Visit the caves of the region. Various religious rites were performed in them, they served as camps for primitive people.
- The Siberian bathhouse is a favorite pastime of local residents. A special feature is swimming in the ice-hole of Lake Baikal after a hot bath.
Holidays on Lake Baikal for the New Year 2021 will be remembered for bright moments, magical atmosphere and new impressions.
Weather on Baikal in winter
It is cold on Lake Baikal in winter. The air temperature during the day is -10, -15 degrees, at night it reaches -27 degrees. If you plan to leave at this time, you need to bring warm clothing and thermal underwear.
The air humidity is high until the end of December, when the lake freezes over. Due to this, the temperature is several degrees higher than in nearby cities. Ice on the lake forms in January (resorts for recreation in January) and becomes strong by the end of the month, from that moment the cold snap begins. January is considered the coldest month in the region, the air temperature sometimes reaches -28 degrees. In February the wind starts to blow, especially windy in Listvyanka.
On the lake itself, in combination with an icy wind, the temperature can reach -37 degrees.
Reviews of tourists about the New Year
Most tourists, spending their New Year holidays on Lake Baikal, note the incredible nature of the region, the beauty of Lake Baikal itself.
Holidays for the New Year on Lake Baikal are remembered for the cordiality and hospitality of the owners, the ability to create a cozy and warm atmosphere in hotels.
Tourists note that the food in restaurants and cafes is quite tasty, simple and inexpensive.
Many are attracted to the region by the opportunity to engage in extreme sports on the ice of the lake - ice diving, fishing, jeep riding, kiting.
The cost of all components on vacation is quite affordable, both for housing, food and entertainment.
