Nov. 29, 2003
getting here
From Moscow by public transportation
The direct bus Moscow to Staritsa leaves from M. Tushinskaya at 10:20 daily. A good idea to get your ticket in advance. If not, be there no less than 30 min. before the departure. I can send someone to pick up tickets for you if needed. [we are working on making friends with the ticket goddesses behind little barred windows at the Tushinskaya bus station to be able to reserve the seats over the phone]
Or you can travel through Tver, which in itself is a worthy destination. Just go to the Leningradsky station (M. Komsololskaya), take anything that moves to Tver (bus, train, "elektrichka" - no need to plan), and then a Tver to Staritsa bus. Busses run from Tver to Staritsa hourly or so starting 7am. The last one however leaves shortly after 5pm. [I've started making a Tver page in an attempt to entice you here. Rzhev, Torzhok and whatever else you find between Moscow and St. Petersburg will also be documented.]
The bus will take you to the Staritsa Bus Station.
Some buses go beyond Staritsa to Rzhev, so don't fall asleep. Travel time from Tver to Staritsa is one hour-something.
So you find your self at the Staritsa bus station. Now you need to get to the village of Dubrovki. If you are lucky I'll be in the city running errands and will pick you up. Making a contribution towards car upkeep will convince me to battle dirt roads to meet you at the Staritsa bus station in person. I may even use a cart, which is a stylish and VIP way to get here. Or you can take a cab to "Ryblovksy Karyer" (Fishing village sandpits"). This is a 5 min. 100 rouble ($3.50) ride. The village of Dubrovki is on the other side of the Volga. We'll welcome you into genuine rural Russia with our trademark leaking wooden boat.
Ava Blair, an English teacher and a writer from America, found herself overcome with religious sentiment as soon as she stepped into this aquatic vehicle.
Another alternative is our horse-drawn cart pulled by Romashka.
If there are 2-3 of you it may be easier to hire a cab. Some prices: $100-120 to send a cab from Staritsa to Moscow. $25 or so from Tver to Staritsa, or $35 directly to Dubrovki, road situation permitting....
If you want to get from Staritsa to Dubrovki on your own
To get to Dubrovki from Staritsa you go to the "St. Petersburg" (west) side of the city. Travel towards Station Staritsa, turn right before Cherenicheno to Pankovo, drive 7km to Pankovo, go through the village till you get, after another 5-6 km, to Penturovo. At Penturovo turn right behind the bus shelter onto a dirt road that will take you to Kholokholnya, which is across the stream from us. Any of the locals will tell you where to find us. I strongly recommend that you have a cell phone on you before embarking on this adventure.
Here is the address in Russian. Print it out and show it to friendly locals who will point in the right direction
Деревня Дубровки, рядом с д. Холохольня. От Старицы ехать в сторону Станции Старица, не доезжая до Череничино повернуть направо в сторону Паньково, ехать через Паньково до Пентурово (12-14км), за автобусной остановкой в Пентурово повернуть направо на грунтовую дорогу, которая приведет вас в Холохольню. Если вода низкая, пересекаете ручей и спрашиваете, где здесь живет дядя Паша.
From St. Petersburg
An overnight train will take you to Tver. You will be there around 5 or 6am. Then take the bus to Staritsa as described above.
There is a direct St. Petersburg to Staritsa train every other day. The train station is about 10 miles from the city and about the same from us.
See maps of the area before heading our way. It help to know the layout of the place.
from moscow by car
I usually take the Riga highway and then turn right, towards Staritsa, at Zubtsov or earlier, at Volokolamsk, depending on how fast I want to get here vs. how much I want to turn off the main highway. You may even want to travel through New Jerusalem. Some of the highlights of the Moscow to Staritsa trip are mentioned in my Moscow to St. Petersburg page.
What you do after you get to Staritsa depends a lot of the time of year and weather conditions. Take a look at the maps, get the basic idea of what's where, and get specific instructions from us just before leaving.
A cell phone may be a good idea. I may even be able to lend you one. If business goes well we'll be getting a dedicated cell phones just for our dear Dubrovki guests.
Our phone numbers are 8-916-117-1527 and 8-910-932-5546. Make sure you have them on you during your trip. In emergency call 23036 or 23425 in Staritsa and speak with Svetlana, Editor-in-Chief of the local paper..
PV
Next
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Map showing how to get from Moscow to Staritsa
Detailed map of the area north of Staritsa
See also
www.map.tver.ru