A day with Russian family. Russian Dacha.

Artis travel is glad to present you a truly Russian experience. Travelling for a long time or are not that much interested in Art museums? Make your trip different – have a visit to the Russian Dacha and discover more about Russians and their summer life outside the city. experience Russian traditions and Russian regular life “from inside”.

In Russia there is a unique phenomenon – dacha. It is a kind of country house. Unlike in other countries, Russian dacha is not a sign of luxury but a special tradition. More than half of Russian city dwellers have a dacha.

First dachas in Russia appeared in the beginning of 18th century under Peter the Great. He wanted his subordinates to stay close to him even on vacations, so he granted them plots of land near St’Petersburg. These plots of land were strategically positioned on the way to Peterhof, Tsar’s residence, so he could always stop and see how his people are spending their free time. In 1803 the famous Russian historian Karamzin wrote that in Summer Moscow gets empty, since people go to dachas. And by the mid 19th century, dachas became a favorite place to rest and to have fun for all aristocrats, who could afford such a pastime.

In those days, only wealthy city dwellers could afford renting a cottage for the summer. In the 1970s the Soviet government began to encourage large scale land parceling of small lots of land for gardening and construction of small cottages by city residents.

Tour Description:

This day the guide and the driver of Artis Travel will meet you at the lobby of your hotel in St.-Petersburg and together you will go to the small city Roshino (or other upon guides preference) to “Russian Dacha” – country house. During this tour you can discuss everything that you want to ask about Russians.

Also during this time together you will cook and taste national Russian food by using traditional receipts. Then you can go to banya – traditional Russian sauna (this one is optional, around 60$ per group) or just have fun like:

• ice-skating, skiing, snowball fighting, making a snowman (winter time)
• mushroom collecting or fishing, or we can have some easy work in the garden like collecting vegetables, fruits and berries, watering plants, or just have a nice walk in the forest.

WHAT IS INCLUDED:

– Kids from 0 to 6 y.o. join for free, from 7 to 18 y.o. – 100$

– All transport during the tour

– All food

– All entertainments except of banya

WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED:

– If you want to experience banya (traditional Russian sauna) it will cost 60$ extra per group

– If you want to stay for overnight it will cost 70$ extra per group.

Tour price: upon request and availability.