Kandalaksha
Kandalaksha (Russian: Кандала́кша,) is a city in Murmansk Oblast, northern Russia. It is one of the most active and famous tourist locations in the Murmansk region.
Get in
By train
The city is along the Murman Railway from Saint Petersburg to Murmansk, with several connections each day in both directions. Trains from Saint Petersburg and Moscow are daily but there is no train connection to Arkhangelsk. On some trains there are carriages coming all the way from Brest, Minsk and Pskov. However be prepared that most long-distance trains arrive in the middle of the night. There are also once a day regional trains from Apatity, Loukhi and the coal mining town of Kovdor. 🌍 Kandalaksha railway station is located on Murmanskaya ulitsa 1, a few blocks north of the city centre.
By bus and car
The Russian federal highway M18, also known as Kola Highway, passes through. A much less used gravel road connects with Salla in Finland. There is a twice-weekly bus service along this road with departure from Rovaniemi early afternoon. The bus makes a stop-over in Kemijärvi and the border station Salla and then arrives at Kandalaksha at 10PM.
Get around
See
- 🌍 Statue of Lenin.
- City Hall.
- 🌍 (Мыс Монастырский Наволок). Site of a former Orthodox monastery, first established in 1550. All that remains are the foundations and a graveyard which includes a memorial to the victims of the Allied intervention in Russia during the Russian Civil War. The site offers some nice scenery.
Do
The Old city of Kandalaksha, called Центр, is nowadays a hotspot for artists, musicians and models.
- Kandalaksha State Nature Reserve (Кандалакшский государственный природный заповедник). A large nature reserve nearby with great forests, lakes and wild animals. It is not yet prepared for wild-life tourism, with only a few excursions available.But the Nature Reserve has an excellent museum that is open to the public.
- Hiking in the hills that surround Kandalaksha
- Visit the Local History Museum at ul. Pervomayskaya 40. Open 10am to 6pm Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday.
Buy
Eat and drink
- Cafe-Bar Mirage, 50 let oktyabrya 1. Open M-Th 12PM-12AM, F-Su 2PM-2AM.
Sleep
- 🌍 Belomorie, Pervomayskaya 31. Large hotel with 150 beds, built back in 1980 and renovated in 2000.
- 🌍 Spolohi Hotel, Naberezhnaya 130. Has 49 beds, some luxury suites.
- Uncle Pasha's, Kirovskaya 23, apt. 17, ☎ +7 921 155 5432, e-mail: manfriday@yandex.ru. A room with two fold-out coaches, suitable for two, in a private apartment. Use of kitchen, hot water, WiFi, bicycle. The owner will be happy to answer questions related to Kandalaksha (complimentary) or act as your guide/driver/translator for a reasonable fee. $12/person/night.