A taste of the era. Railway cruise to Lipetsk region

Breakfast on the train.

07:20 Arrival of tourist train No. 921/922 at the railway station in Yelets, meeting with the guide on the platform, boarding the bus (the bus number is indicated in your voucher).

Our journey begins in the city of Nobel laureate Ivan Bunin. Ancient Yelets is a year older than Moscow, for a long time it was a fortress that protected the borders of the state from the raids of nomads, and in the XIX — early XX century it became a prosperous merchant city that could afford to order the construction of a cathedral to none other than Konstantin Ton — yes, the same Ton that built the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and The Grand Kremlin Palace. 

Sightseeing bus and walking tour of Yelets with an inspectionRed Square, the Cathedral of the Ascension Cathedral, built according to the project of the creator of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior — Konstantin Ton, merchant mansions, a fire tower, a Grand Ducal church in the Art Nouveau style, a building of a former women's gymnasium, a monument to the artist Nikolai Zhukov (the author of the October asterisk with curly Ilyich and a pack of cigarettes "Kazbek"). 

Provincial Yelets was reputed to be one of the most beautiful cities in Russia. It was decorated with two monasteries, three dozen Orthodox churches, a Polish church, a German church, and a Jewish synagogue. The clear rhythm of the domes and bell towers now defines the silhouette of the old city. Yelets keeps a lot of secret stories — it's like a diamond of the best cut, reveals itself in a new way from different sides, one has only to hear the melodious ringing of bobbins and Yelets lace will spin us.

You will have a walk along the Yelets Arbat (pedestrian street of the World/Trade), a visit to the Museum of Folk Crafts and Crafts, a souvenir shop and the Yelets Lace store, an excursion to the Bunin Museum and acquaintance with a rare profession in the Irina Semenikhina Restoration Workshop.

A beautiful view of the temples outside the window and the master's story will immerse you in the mysterious world of restoration of icons and paintings, reveal some secrets by showing through a microscope how time looks under magnification.

What we recommend to buy: Yelets lace, Yelets felt boots.

Lunch at a cafe in the city.

Next, our way lies to Lev Tolstoy station (Astapovo) through St. Dimitrievsky Ilarionovsky Troekurovsky Convent (with a visit) and the town of Lebedyan. 

Travel information and a story about the special "balconies" preserved in the city in front of houses (sites where they drank tea and talked with passers-by), about the musician Igumnov, the writer Zamyatin and his novel "We", about the visit of Bulgakov and Kustodiev to the town. 

By the way, such a balcony served the artist Boris Kustodiev well, who came to Lebedyan in 1926.  In the house on Yeletskaya Street, where he lived with his wife, there was a large room with a glazed door to the balcony. It offered a panorama of the city with three main city temples, a great view of the long ascent from the State Bridge over the Don River to the historical center of the city and, in fact, Yeletskaya Street, which descended past the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary to the bridge. 

Here the semi-paralyzed artist managed to write several sketches. The most famous species is "Swan. Kozmodemyanskaya Church" is now kept in the Tretyakov Gallery.

You will see Tyapkina Mountain, the Novo-Kazan Cathedral, the Igumnov House and the very point from which Kustodiev painted the urban Lebedyan landscape in the last century. And you can also see in reality how part of the life of the local citizens passed on those most famous balconies.

Arrival at the station Leo Tolstoy (Astapovo) — the station of the "stopped clock".

A tour of the exposition of the L.N. Tolstoy Memorial and Literary Museum, which is located in a typical station building of the late 19th century — the house of the station chief I. I. Ozolin.

Dinner with a glass of Astapov tincture, canapes with "Borzovsky broth" and tasting of "Ankovsky pie" (according to the recipe of Sofia Tolstoy).

What we recommend to buy: "Ankovsky pie".

21:30 Boarding the tourist train No. 921/922.

23:50 Departure of the tourist train No. 921/922 to Lipetsk.

Breakfast on the train.

07:50 Arrival of tourist train No. 921/922 in Lipetsk. Meeting with the guide on the platform, boarding the bus (the bus number is indicated in your voucher).

Bus and walking tour of the regional center. 

Lipetsk is picturesquely located along the banks of the Voronezh River. Today, few people know that this is one of the oldest resorts in Russia. It was Peter the Great who drew attention to the healing properties of the water in the springs near the Lipovka River. And in 1805, by decree of Emperor Alexander I, the Lipetsk Mineral Waters resort was opened on the basis of local water and therapeutic mud. 

By the way, Lipetsk land is connected with the great Pushkin's maternal ancestors — his beloved grandmother Maria Alekseevna Pushkin lived here, and his great-grandfather, Captain Alexei Fedorovich, owned an estate on Dvoryanskaya Street (now Lenin Street). 

The history of the city is closely connected with the name of Peter I. At the beginning of the XVIII century, ironworks were built here, which worked for the needs of the tsar's military campaigns. The labor glory of the city is an industrial giant — the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant, built in the 30s of the XX century. 

That is why Lipetsk is famous not only as a resort city, but also as a city of metallurgists, and also a city of pilots. There is a military camp with an aviation center where Russian aviators train.

You will learn in detail the details of Peter the Great's discovery of Lipetsk mineral waters, which the future emperor, who knew a lot about foreign resorts, compared in composition with the waters of the then famous German health resorts of Liebenstein and Termont. 

You will see the preserved architecture of the XIX-early XX centuries, Cathedral Square, Petrovsky Descent, the first monument to Peter I ("toothpick"), the Upper Park, the tsar's traveling house, the chapel of Peter and Paul, you will have time to walk along the alleys of the former Resort Garden with century-old trees and taste mineral water in the pump room.

Lunch at a cafe in the city.

Visit to the Romanov Toy Center with a master class. The craft is more than two centuries old, its fame has long crossed the borders of Russia. The works of Romanov masters are kept in the Russian Museum (St. Petersburg), the State Russian House of Folk Art (Moscow), museums in Russia and abroad. 

The Romanov toy is simple but expressive. It has a rounded laconic shape, natural colors and elegant decor. The Sirin bird, animals, couples, trips and other images — in total, there are more than a hundred plots in the craft. And the whistle makes it musical. 

Excursion to the Lipetsk Historical and Cultural Museum.

Transfer to Lipetsk railway station.

14:54 Departure of the tourist train No. 921/922 to Moscow.

23:56 Arrival of tourist train No. 921/922 at Paveletsky railway station in Moscow.

The time in the program is indicated approximately. The company reserves the right to make changes to the tour program without reducing the total volume and quality of services, as well as to cancel the tour and/or offer alternative travel options in case of a shortage of the group.