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Republic Of Kalmykia - a region in the south of the Russian Federation, the capital is the city of Elista (Elista on the map of Russia. The population of the entire region is a little more than 270 thousand people, and this is even less than many cities in Russia.
Kalmykia can hardly be called a touristy attractive region, where it is specially worth going on vacation. But it is a special place because it is the only one in Europe where the predominant religion is Buddhism. Surprisingly, today even many residents of central Russia do not know that the center of European Buddhism is very close to them, mistakenly believing that this religion is spread only in the eastern regions of the Russian Federation.
It is because of Buddhism and the attractions associated with this religion that this region of the Russian Federation can be interesting for tourists and travelers. As we already mentioned, you should not go here purposefully, but if your route is to the south, for example to Sochi, Crimea, Mineralnye Vody, Astrakhan, etc. passes through or near this region, some of the attractions of Kalmykia are worth it to deviate a little from the road and visit them. First of all, these are exotic Buddhist temples and pagodas for the European part of the Russian Federation. Examining them, you do not leave the feeling that you are not in the west of Russia, but far to the East or even in Asia. Indeed, the architecture of temples and pagodas repeats the traditional features of multi-level Asian structures, and the style of many temples is copied from traditional Tibetan buildings. But the region was not lucky with natural beauties and historical places: the nature of Kalmykia is mainly steppe, there are no special beauties here. This, by the way, is another of the amazing things in Kalmykia: once you enter the Republic, the greenery abruptly gives way to the steppe, and at the exit from the region you will again be greeted by green carpets of fields.
The tourist infrastructure both in the region as a whole and in the city of Elista is practically not developed. Apart from hotels of the type just to spend the night, you will not find anything here. There are not even travel agencies that organize at least some excursions, so visiting the sights will have to be organized independently on local transport, although it is best to come here by private car. The only exceptions are sightseeing bus tours from neighboring regions, mainly from Volgograd. Entertainment created specifically for guests of the city or region – no.
Places to stay in Kalmykia
In Kalmykia and the city of Elista there is not a large variety of hotels, and, as a rule, accommodation is presented in the form of simple hotels in which you can only spend the night. You can also rent an apartment for rent, but here the choice is small, only a few dozen options. Prices for a double room in the hotel start from 1500 rubles, for an apartment / room for daily rent from 800 rubles.
The largest concentration of accommodation is in the capital of the Republic, Elista, although here you can count no more than two dozen hotels. You can also stay in roadside hotels and motels in the rest of the Republic, but they are very rare, one for many hundreds of kilometers, so aim for a stop in the capital. If you stay in Elista, it is not necessary to choose a place in principle, because the city is small, and all the sights and infrastructure will be easily accessible by local transport or on foot.
You can find and book hotels, apartments or apartments in Elista and Kalmykia through the following websites or the search form:
- 🛌 search hotels in Elista and Kalmykia on Yandex.travel
- 🛌 Search hotels on Ostrovok.ru
- 🛌 Search for affordable housing in Elista and Kalmykia on Sutochno.ru
How to get to Elista and Kalmykia
Kalmykia borders the Republic of Dagestan, Stavropol Krai, Rostov, Volgograd and Astrakhan regions (Kalmykia on the map of Russia). You can get to the capital of the region, the city of Elista, by plane from Moscow or by intercity bus from neighboring regions. Trains to Elista almost do not go, and as of 2021 there is a flight only from the Stavropol Territory. But perhaps flights from Moscow and other cities will be launched again, follow the schedule which is presented below on this page. The best way to get to Elista and see the region is by car. By the way, road travelers often get acquainted with Kalmykia, making a short stop here on the way to the resorts of the Black Sea and the mountain resorts of the North Caucasus.
There is another way to visit Kalmykia – sightseeing tours from Volgograd. The cost of such an excursion is from 1500 rubles, the duration is one day. It is better to book an excursion in advance via the Internet, because they are not sent every day, rather even very rarely.
Learn more about how to get to Elista and Kalmykia here.
Transport, how to travel in Kalmykia and Elista
In Elista there is a public transport system of buses and taxis, in total there are a little more than 20 routes. For tourists, it makes no sense to study the route scheme, since most of the sights of Elista can be viewed on foot, because everything is located near the center. Only route No. 7 can be useful (you can get to the city of chess and to the stupa of enlightenment). Taxis in the city are also present, including aggregators-applications. Here is the cost for the benchmark:
- A trip around the city by taxi - from 80 rubles.
- Taxi Airport-City Center-250 rubles.
To move around the Republic, it is best to use personal transport, since intercity and suburban communication between the cities of the Republic is very poorly developed.
Attractions of Kalmykia and Elista
There are not many attractions in Kalmykia, and most of them are located in the capital of the Republic – the city of Elista. The most interesting and exotic places are Buddhist temples (called Here-Hurul) and pagodas, including one of the largest Buddhist temples in Europe and the largest statue of the Buddha in it. Also interesting will be several pagodas, you can visit the Museum of local lore and the city of chess with a chess Museum.
By the way, temples and stupas in Asian style can be found not only in the capital, but throughout the Republic, even in the smallest villages and right in the steppes. Unfortunately, there are almost no old temples left, since during the Soviet period Buddhism was very actively eradicated by the Soviet authorities, and the old temples were destroyed. Learn more about the sights of Kalmykia and Elista here.
