Although the May Day holiday has just passed, it is not far from the next holiday "Dragon Boat Festival"! In line with the principle of never watching people in China during the small long holiday, Qiuqiu strongly recommends a cost-effective treasure destination suitable for Dragon Boat Festival travel!
It is a direct flight from Beijing in only 3 hours, a round-trip ticket during the Dragon Boat Festival is about 1.6k, and the round-trip ticket is about 1.2k in Irkutsk throughout June!
When it comes to Irkutsk, you may be confused, but it is not strange to say that "Lake Baikal" is sandwiched between Irkutsk (west coast) and Buryatia (east coast), and its most beautiful scenery is also concentrated in Irkutsk on the west coast, so it is also called the heart of Lake Baikal!
The musical poet Li Jian traveled to Irkutsk. Standing next to Lake Baikal and looking at the blue lake, Li Jian hummed a melody on the spot, recorded it on his mobile phone, and wrote a beautiful "On the Shore of Lake Baikal" after returning home.
"Baikal" is the most dazzling sapphire in Siberia, with many top titles: the oldest lake in the world, the deepest lake in the world, the largest freshwater lake in Eurasia...... The paradise of Lake Baikal attracts tourists from all over the world for adventure.
Although many people look forward to Baikal on a frozen winter day and a glimpse of the 10,000-year-old diamond blue ice, it is believed that there is no best season to visit Lake Baikal, only completely different scenery.
In winter, in February and March, the lake is frozen, and the ice cracks unfold under your feet, and the clear blue ice is the limited scenery of Lake Baikal;
In summer, June, July and August are the most beautiful and comfortable months of Lake Baikal. The glacier turns into a lake with clear water, and the mountains and forests take on an abundance of green, making them a refreshing and healing summer forest.
Especially in August, the coolness of Siberia makes it a well-known summer resort, and locals and foreigners come to enjoy the coolness, but there will also be housing shortages and the experience is relatively discounted, so June and July are the best months!
After September, Lake Baikal is decorated with colorful Siberian forests and transformed into an intoxicating autumn landscape.
The changing seasons give Lake Baikal its changing character, allowing tourists to experience its beauty at different times!
In addition, the vast Baikal Lake is open to many ways to explore it, and you can interpret the "perfect Baikal holiday" in your own way.
From sitting on a deck chair on the shore of Lake Baikal and admiring the stunning scenery of the lake and mountains, to hiking in the primeval forest with a heavy backpack; From swimming in the lake in the summer to ice diving in the lake in the winter; From quietly waiting for the fish to catch the bait, to taking a clattering slow train ride to enjoy the town's sights......
Even if you don't do anything, you can live in a lakeside cabin, get up early to listen to the birdsong of the village, enjoy the lake view, watch the sunrise and sunset, and spend a few days away from the quiet life of the world, and you will not lose a perfect trip!
PS Russians have a soft spot for chalets, on the shores of Lake Baikal, almost every family has their own country chalet, the exterior is painted in bright colors according to the owner's preferences, and the lakeside accommodation is in such a chalet, which is very distinctive!
From Irkutsk, the main point of visiting Lake Baikal is Listvyanka, and the island of Olikhon in the lake is the main point, so it is best to plan 6 days.
Itinerary: Irkutsk (1 day) - Listvyanka (2 days and 1 night) - Olikhon Island (3 days and 2 nights) - Return to Irkutsk
Tips: Listvyanka town can not go directly to Olikhon Island, take the bus is also to return to Irkutsk and then go to the island; The front desk of the hotel/B&B can usually help with booking buses, and you can also ask for their help when moving between towns.
俄式风情体验+最过瘾的教堂巡礼伊尔库茨克city walk
Irkutsk is the largest city in the Baikal region, known as the "heart of Siberia", "the Paris of the East", and "the pearl of Siberia".
As the largest industrial city in Siberia, it has excellent transportation links to several important tourist areas on the shores of Lake Baikal, such as Olikhon Island and Listvyanka, making it the preferred base for visiting Lake Baikal.
The urban area of Irkutsk is not large, full of old Russian-style buildings, but whether it is the church complex headed by the Polish Catholic Church, or the modern state government building, Kirov Square, they are all concentrated in the city center, and the distance is very close.
It is especially suitable for a day of city walk, let your footsteps get lost in the streets and alleys, the exotic atmosphere and slow life here will let you unload your tiredness and get to know its civilization and scenery.
ps: There is a green line tour route in Irkutsk (it is really a green line drawn on the ground, as long as you follow the green line on the road, it is completely OK), with a total length of about 5 kilometers, including 30 scenic spots, and you can visit the whole city in 1 day.
Ornate, ancient, unique churches of all kinds
Kazan Cathedral is the most luxurious Orthodox church in Irkutsk, second only to Vasily Cathedral in Moscow and the Cathedral on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg, ranking among the top three in all of Russia.
Its exterior is typical of Byzantine style, with a bright red façade and a classic blue onion-headed dome, which looks like a fairytale castle from a distance, which is very dreamy.
The church was built to commemorate the repulsion of the Polish invasion of 1612 and was demolished by order of Stalin in 1936. The current appearance was rebuilt in 1993 to imitate the original appearance of the church, the interior decoration is gorgeous, and you can take pictures with your mobile phone!
The Monastery of the Virgen is one of the oldest monasteries in Irkutsk and the only one in Eastern Siberia for Orthodox women's monasteries.
The first Orthodox pope of Russia, the golden coffin of the mummy after his death, is placed in the church, which is a very sacred place for the faithful.
The Church of the Epiphany has a very fairytale appearance, the church is white and bright, and each floor is composed of rectangular, cylindrical, and triangular pyramids, as if it is a beautiful toy built up of building blocks, and there are golden onion-shaped domes on both sides of it, which is very dazzling.
In addition, the Church of the Epiphany is one of the best churches to visit in Irkutsk! The interior of the church is surrounded by a large number of frescoes, which is a must, and it is said that local students of painting come here to study.
Spasskaya Church is the second largest Orthodox church in Irkutsk! There is a pair of statues at the entrance of the church, which symbolizes beautiful love, and couples will touch the rabbit's head and pray for love when they come here.
The Roman Catholic Church is the only Catholic church in Irkutsk, also known as the Organ Cathedral. Nowadays it is no longer used, but its Gothic architectural style is difficult to ignore on the streets of Russia~
On the way to the church, you will also pass by the banks of the Angara River, a tributary of Lake Baikal that flows from the city of Irkutsk.
Experience the Russian style and go to Irkutsk to eat
Karl Marx Street is the main thoroughfare that runs through the city, and in Irkutsk, you pass through it countless times wherever you want to go, and almost every building on the street is of a different color and style, like an open-air architectural museum.
In addition, it is also the busiest street in Irkutsk, with many restaurants and bars, as well as many shops, including clothing stores, jewelry stores, and supermarkets.
Block 130 is a leisure district integrating dining, shopping, entertainment and culture. It used to be the earliest tea merchant station, and the tea came from China.
Directly in front of the block there is a statue of Tiger Babur, a landmark of the city of Irkutsk. The tiger holds a sable in its mouth, symbolizing the uniqueness, power and wealth of the Siberian region.
Quiet, cosy lakeside town of Listvyanka
A 1-hour drive from Irkutsk will take you to this small town on the shores of Lake Baikal, Listvyanka.
The town is located at the confluence of the Baikal and Angara rivers, just across Lake Baikal from the "Gorky Prospect", which is called the Baikal Gate. PS: There is only one main street in the town, "Gorky Street", and you can walk all over the town.
It is a sparsely populated and quiet place, with only a patch of small wooden houses arranged on the shores of Lake Baikal, which is warm and beautiful, reminiscent of the quiet life described in "Walden"!
In winter, Listvyanka is the base camp for ice sports, with a variety of ice entertainment methods such as ice drifting and hovercraft rides, but the most distinctive feature is winter ice diving, diving in the world's clearest lake and chasing extinct aquatic flora and fauna, which can be called a Baikal exclusive experience.
In the summer, the town is a great place to slow down, walk along the sandy beaches of Lake Baikal or take a boat trip to the lake, which offers instant peace of mind.
There are also two must-visit museums in the town, the Baikal Museum, which displays all the freshwater animals of Lake Baikal, from small shrimp to seals, the water in which is carried from the 400-meter-deep Baikal to the fish tank, and the star animal is the cute freshwater seal!
The Tallidz Wooden Folklore Museum, an open-air museum with more than 40 buildings and more than 8,000 exhibits, showcases some aspects of rural life in the past and is a great place to learn about local traditional culture.
You can also go to the Chersky Viewpoint and take a cable car ride overlooking the magnificent lake and mountains.
There is also a fish market in town where you can taste authentic Russian delicacies such as caviar and grilled fish.
Practical information: transportation from Irkutsk to Stevyanka
1. Take a minibus, which takes 1 and a half hours. Tickets can be booked in advance on https://unitiki.com/ website
2. Use Yandex Go to call a taxi
Step into the heart of Baikal on Olkhon Island
There are 22 islands on the shores of Lake Baikal, of which Olikhon Island is the largest, about 71 kilometers long and 15 kilometers wide, and if Lake Baikal is the pearl of Siberia, then Olikhon Island is the heart of this pearl.
The island is half primeval forest, half grassland, and a small part desert; Coniferous forests, grasslands, deserts, lakes and rivers are intertwined to create a vivid picture of nature.
Olijon Island is also the best place to explore blue ice and bubble ice in winter.
Olkhon Island is also the only inhabited island on Lake Baikal, inhabited mostly by Buryat Mongols, and the village of Huzhr on the island is rich in Buryat style with its wooden houses.
The village of Huzhr is the center of shamanism in the north, and you can't miss the sunset over the shamanic rocks, which you can stand on the top of the hill overlooking the shamanic rocks and the vast Baikal lake.
Shamanic Rock is a place of pilgrimage for shamanism, and the 13 shamanic pillars represent the 13 sons of God, which are the sacred pillars used by shamanism to pray for blessings~
The shamanic pillar is covered with strips of cloth that people pray for, red for happiness and auspiciousness, green for life and nature, blue for the sky and sea, and black for firmness and strength.
There are 3 main tours on the island, which you can sign up for at your guesthouse. The northern route leads to the northernmost point of the island, Cape Habay, with rolling mountains on one side and a sparkling lake under a ravine on the other.
The southern route has the longest tour time along the lake, mainly to see the bubble ice in winter, the ice surface is as clear as a mirror, and in the summer, you can see a large area of lakes, grasslands, and stone beaches, you can enjoy the vastness of the world, and take photos and check in super films!
The eastern route is a hiking route that crosses the forest to the other end of the island. North Line attractions: Crocodile Bay, Three Brothers Mountain, Hop Bo Point, Love Mountain; Southern Scenic Spots: Commanding Heights Observation Deck, Honhoi Bay, Ancient Trees, Little Habo Point, Trident
All three tours depart from the village of Hurier. Accommodation and meals on the island are all in Hurier Village, and you can take a shuttle bus directly after going to the island.
Practical information: Irkutsk to Olikhon Island:
1. Take a bus from the central station to Olikhon Island from 9:00 a.m. every day, the journey takes 6 hours and costs 510 rubles (large luggage is charged separately and can be stored in the hotel in advance)
2. Take a minibus for 5 hours. Tickets can be booked in advance on https://unitiki.com/ website. First, take a minibus, go to the lake and change to a hovercraft (in winter), and after going to the island, there is a bus to the property for free.
3. Chartered bus (7-seater car about 2500 RMB/car)
Tips: The journey to Olijon Island is bumpy and long, and the bus may be very crowded during the peak season, so it is recommended to have motion sickness medicine on hand or choose to charter a car
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