Top 10 most unusual hotels in Russia (PHOTOS)

1. LeapRus Capsule Hotel on Mount Elbrus

leaprus.com

If you’re looking for comfort at 3,912 meters above sea level, this is the place for you. Budding astronauts will certainly like it. True, you need to book in advance. The hotel is located on the southern slope of Mount Elbrus, Russia’s highest mountain. The nearest town, Terskol, is three hours’ drive from Mineralnye Vody Airport. Transfer from the ski lift to the capsule itself is by, you guessed it, snowcat.

Able to accommodate 12 visitors at a time, the hotel offers climbers and seekers of stunning views single beds in two large capsules, plus three buffet meals a day. It scores 9.0 on booking.com.

www.booking.com/eko-leaprus.ru
leaprus.com
3,500-6,500 rubles ($53-98)

2. Stadium Hotel in Kazan

Vladimir Pesnya/Sputnik

Spending the night at a stadium is the dream of every soccer fan. Now it’s possible in Russia, too. 12 VIP boxes at the Kazan Arena have been fitted with hotel rooms to accommodate 2-4 people.

True, on match days the rooms revert to spectator boxes, which can be hired for around 80,000 rubles.

www.booking.com/stadium.ru
kazanarena.com
3,500-6,500 rubles ($53-98)

3. Hotel 'House on the Cellars' in Rostov Veliky

domnapogrebah.ru

Ever slept over at the Kremlin? These Russian-style chamber rooms are located in a 17th-century building right inside the museum area of the Rostov kremlin. The first storey is stone, and the second is wooden—it was believed that living in a wooden house was more wholesome. In the 18th century, Rostov residents lived on the second storey, while in Soviet times the building was converted into a tourist center.

Incidentally, the hotel is in Tripadvisor’s Top 10 most romantic hotels in Russia. There are few rooms and demand is high, so book well in advance.

domnapogrebah.ru
www.booking.com/na-pogrebakh.ru
700-3,000 rubles ($10-45)

4. Bolotov.Dacha in the Tula Region

bolotov.life

Always wanted to know what a Russian dacha is like? Then this hotel, located near the old-world Dvoryaninovo Estate, is for you. Bolotov.Dacha’s slogan is “Wildfowl. Comfort. Culture.” It offers fresh air, meals at a communal table, and a slow-paced life away from the big-city bustle.

You can stay in a room at the large Bolotov Dacha country house itself, in a hostel, or in separate Scandinavian-style guesthouses.

bolotov.life — online booking only (via the website or email: hello@bolotov.life)

Prices per night start from 2,600 rubles ($40); on weekends and for houses the minimum reservation period is two nights.

5. Berendeevka Park Hotel in Kostroma

berendeevka44.ru

Step inside the skin of a Russian fairytale character by spending the night in a real tower-chamber. Guest reviews particularly note the wood-infused aroma. An added bonus is that the city of Kostroma and its main sights lie just 10 minutes away.

Nearby is the Tower-Chamber Museum of Berendey (a mythical tsar in fairytales), which tells about old Russian traditions and rituals, as well as the legendary inhabitants of the local forests.

www.booking.com/berendeevka.ru
berendeevka44.ru
From 2,200 rubles ($33) per night; discounts available for long-term stays

6. Volga-Volga in the Ivanovo Region

volga-ples.com

Greet the morning with a cup of tea overlooking the Volga, and gaze upon the cruise ships plying the water. Plyos, where the hotel is situated, is considered one of the most picturesque small towns on the Volga. It hosts the Andrey Tarkovsky Film Festival, since the director himself was born on the banks of the Volga not far away.

Another of our listed hotels decorated in the traditional Russian style, it is ranked in Tripadvisor’s Top 25 Russia's best mini-hotels.

www.booking.com/volga-ples.ru
www.volga-ples.com
2,600-6,400 rubles ($40-97)

7. Hotel 'Emperor Pavel’s Bastion' in Pavlovsk (St. Petersburg)

Facebook page of Emperor Pavel’s Bastion

Emperor Pavel I was famous for his mental instability and persecution complex. It was he who ordered the construction of St. Michael’s Castle in the center of St. Petersburg, surrounded by moats. Today it is a museum. Another of Pavel’s bastions, built in 1795-97, now houses a 22-room hotel. All of them are decorated in the style of an atmospheric castle.

Incidentally, the castle can be hired for private events for 480,000 rubles.

www.booking.com/zamok-bip.ru
bip-hotel.ru
12,000-60,000 rubles ($182-920)

8. Biblioteka (Library) Boutique Hotel in Vologda

bibliotekahotel.ru

Bookworms can plunge themselves into a giant-sized book, quite literally. The hotel rooms are decorated in the style of ten well-known works, including Sherlock Holmes, Eugene Onegin, and One Thousand and One Nights.

The building itself is an old wooden mansion with a gastrobar, bookshop, and bath-house/sauna.

www.booking.com/biblioteka-boutique.ru
bibliotekahotel.ru
3,800-5,800 rubles ($57-88)

9. Skipper Hotel in Kaliningrad

skipperhotel.ru

Not far from Kant Island and Königsberg Cathedral lie the Fishing Village district and the German-style Skipper Hotel. The interior resembles an old manor, its halls adorned with antique sofas, statues, and paintings. Fish restaurants are all around.

www.booking.com/shkipper.ru
www.skipperhotel.ru
From 2,900 rubles ($44)

10. Sovietsky Hotel in Moscow

sovietsky.ru

Relive the Stalinist era and feel like a Communist Party bigwig. Starting from 21,000 rubles a night, you can stay in deluxe suite 301, where Stalin’s son Vasily liked to spend time.

The best dining option is definitely the Yar Restaurant, located in the same building, where Savva Morozov, Fyodor Chaliapin, Anton Chekhov, and Maxim Gorky used to live high off the hog. There is even a popular romance dedicated to it: “Hey Driver, Take Me to the Yar.”

www.booking.com/historical-sovietsky.ru
www.sovietsky.ru
From 5,360 rubles ($81)

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