Listvyanka is a small village near Lake Baikal, an hour and a half bus ride (70 km) from Irkutsk. It is one of the must see places if you are close Lake because you can do there beautiful hikes. This travel guide will show you best things and places to do and see there!
How to get from Irkutsk to Listvyanka by bus
The bus cost us 149 Rub / pers and luggage 37 Rub / pers. In Russia, it is simply custom that luggage is not included in the ticket price. Bus is running from Irkutsk to Listvyanka several times during the day.
Top things to see/do in Listvyanka
1. Bolshiye Koty hike (Great Baikal Trail)
First day we went on a hike from Listvyanka to Bolshiye Koty (Great Baikal Trail). The route is 22.3 km long and it is possible either to go to Bolshiye Koty and back to Listvyanka by ferry (the last ferry leaves at 6 pm except Monday. The price is 500 Rub / pers., or it is possible to take a private boat for 4 people for 3,000 Rub) or overnight in Bolshiye Koty and head back in the morning. We chose the third option and that is to go halfway (to the beach) and go back again. It was a difficult hike mainly because of the climb and the road full of natural obstacles, but we made it!
2. Circum-Baikal railway
Ferry schedule from Listvyanka to Baikal port and back:
Where to stay in Listvyanka
There is plenty of hotels and guesthouses in Litvyanka, depens how much you want to pay for accommodation. We stayed in Dominik Guest house, where the lady didn´t speak English again, but we will make it somehow 🙂
Where to eat in Listvyanka
1. Cafe Yurt Altani
The restaurant is located in the yurt and does not look like a restaurant from the outside. Inside, we were welcomed by a pleasant and family atmosphere complemented by delicious food. We ordered meat pie, stuffed meat dumplings (local specialty) and tea in the form of hot milk and infused black tea. At first this combination surpsised us, but it turned out to be a tasty idea: D
2. Horseshoe restaurant
If you are looking for something tasty and cheap, Horseshoe is a great option. For a very reasonable price we got a good grilled fish. Its only problem was the amount of bones.
How to get from Listvyanka to Irkutsk railway station
We went back to Irkutsk by minibus again (we bought tickets at the information center in Listvyanka). In Irkutsk, we took a tram number 1 from bus station which took us close to railway station went for a dinner to eatery called Сtoлoваяat, which is located next to the train station and it is a super cheap and tasty choice for those who rush and want to eat Russian cuisine 🙂