4 Best Hotels in Side Trips from Moscow, Russia

Seven pretty, newly renovated wooden houses that accommodate two people each are down the path from the Botik museum, on the bank of Pleshcheyevo Lake. Houses need to be booked in advance. Besides accommodation, the complex also has a sauna, beach, bar, and the Botik Café, designed in the shape of a ship and serving moderately priced traditional Russian cuisine.

A Soviet-era lodging in the town center offers clean and light rooms with nice furniture and decent bathrooms, and a bit of a surprise bonus: a staff that prides itself on service. Bar Rita serves Russian food and flavored vodkas that are worth sampling; try pertsovka (hot pepper) or zubrovka (bison grass).

Tastefully decorated rooms done in restful shades of beige and pink are in a recently renovated 19th-century building, next to the Golden Gates. The quietest rooms face into the yard.

Clean and spacious rooms enjoy a superb, picturesque location in the historic center of town and a number of them look on to the Trubezh River, the old city ramparts, and the Cathedral of the Transfiguration. The friendly staff makes sure all your questions are answered.