Join our Listvyanka tours:
On the Baikal Helicopter tour, you will see the unforgettable Baikal landscapes and the Circum-Baikal railway from a bird’s-eye view.
There is nothing quite like this Traditional Siberian Fishing trip. Spend a day fishing on the banks of the Angara River 85km from Irkutsk. Enjoy traditional Russian banya after the fishing.
Circum-Baikal Railway tour. Spend a day in a comfortable train moving along Lake Baikal shore by the Old railroad through numerous tunnels and bridges built during Tsarist Russia in 1902-1904 and enjoying stunning landscapes and views.
During the One-day Baikal Fishing trip our guide will teach you different techniques and reveal the secrets of successful fishing.
Taltsy tour. The museum preserves the old Pre-Russian architecture. With a guide, this not only a tour of buildings but Russian history as well.
Take the the tour by hovercraft and enjoy winter views of the Circum-Baikal Railway from its warm and comfortable cabin.
Whatever route of the Full-day snowmobile tour you choose, either through taiga or over the frozen surface of the lake, make sure you’ve got your camera with you because the views are breathtaking!
Book the Dogsled Tour along the Circum-Baikal Railway and enjoy working with powerful Baikal huskies, the beauty of the Baikal’s winter nature and the architectural monuments of the Circum-Baikal Railway.
Listvyanka is one of the oldest settlements at Baikal lake. Its name is associated with larches that grow on the cape with the same name. In the Russian language “larch” is pronounced as “listvennitsa”, hence the name.
Listvyanka is the best place to get to know the unique nature of Pribaikalie. Located 70 km (43 mi) from Irkutsk it lies along the Baikal Lake’s shoreline, in the basin of the Angara River. The mouth of Angara river lays in the heart of Listvyanka. Its width measures 863 meters, which is the largest in the world. From the riverbank, you can see the legendary Shaman rock that stands right in the middle of the river. The mouth of Angara never freezes even during the harshest cold season, this is why this area is the winter destination for many water birds. Towards the end of December, the number of birds can reach over several thousand.
Listvyanka is a starting point for many Baikal routes including the Circum-Baikal Railway. There is the Taltsy Architectural and Ethnographic Museum 20 km from Listvyanka. Besides, the Great Baikal Trail passes through the settlement. With numerous sights, Listvyanka won’t let its visitors get bored.
Baikal Museum of Limnology
The Baikal Museum is the only one in the Russian Federation that presents an exhibition almost fully dedicated to the lake. The museum’s scientific mission is to collect and investigate the characteristics of the unique natural heritage, the Baikal Lake. Nowhere else in the world, you will have a chance to examine 11 large-volume aquariums that are part of the lake (the water is imported from the lake through the pumps). Once you are in the museum, visit an interactive exposition “Bathyscaph”. It is located in a room stylized to look like a submarine with built-in screens. The special programs create an illusion of a real dive and allow you to observe the lake at the maximum depth. The audio guides are available in different languages, including English, French, German, and Chinese. Another exposition is called “Baikal in the real-time mode.” Through the webcams, you will observe the Baikal seals in a natural context or gain a glimpse into the arboretum. If you want to order an excursion in English, you have to book in advance.
Opening hours of the Baikal Museum of Limnology: daily from 8 am to 7 pm
Admission: 310 Rub.
Address: 1, Academicheskaya (Rus: Академическая, д. 1)
GPS coordinates: 51°52′6.54″N, 104°50′11.73″E
Website: www.bm.isc.irk.ru (Rus)
Nerpinary
The most unique animal at Lake Baikal is the fresh water seal (lat. Pusa Sibirica), known as nerpa. It is the only fresh water seal in the world. Its entire population is land-locked in the freshwater of Lake Baikal.
Sealarium or Nerpinary, the House of the Baikal Seal, offers a unique performing seals show. You will see the Baikal nerpas that can dance, sing, and paint. They also play football and basketball. By the way, you will be able to buy a painting created by one of the seals at the auction. Moreover, you will enjoy true animal jazz!
Address: 101a, Gorkogo str. (Rus: Горького, 101а.)
GPS coordinates: 51°50′43.657″N, 104°52′32.257 ″E
To get to the nerpinary in Listvyanka: It is located at the end of Listvyanka. You have to pass a quay and a school, stop short of the dockyards, next to the “Priboy” Hotel. Don’t get lost! There is exactly the same building 600 meters before the nerpinary! However, it is not the nerpinary, it is a scientific and recreation seal center!
Opening hours:
– 1 June – 31 August: Tue-Fri 11 am – 6 pm, Sat-Sun and public holidays 11 am – 6.30 pm.
– 1 September – 31 May: Tue-Fri 11 am – 5 pm, Sat-Sun and public holidays 11 am – 6.00 pm.
Monday is a day off
Admission: 500 rub
Chairlift and the Stone Cherskogo
The Kamen (Stone) Cherskogo is the top of the mountain (755 meters height). It was named after famous Baikal explorer and geologist, Ivan Dmitrievich Chersky.
Here you will found a pavilion with a viewing point that uncovers amazing views of the Baikal Lake. You will see the tops of the Khamar-Daban mountain range on the horizon, the Angara River’s basin right beneath the thread, as well as the Baikal harbor, Listvyanka’s quay, and the dockyard. Your trip will be more interesting if you take a chairlift to the top and then go down the road with hairpin turns.
In winter it serves as a ski elevator.
GPS coordinates: 51°52’22″N 104°50’37″E
To get to the Chairlift in Listvyanka: Once you get to the Baikal Museum, you will see a sealed road not far from the “Baikal” Hotel parking barrier. To reach the top (755 m) walk by this road (2200 m) or take a chairlift (follow directions).
Opening hours: Tue-Sun from 10 am to 10 pm, Monday from 2 pm to 10 pm. First Monday of each month from 4 pm to 10 pm.
Admission: 250 rub
Eco trail “Listvyanka-Bolshiye Koty”
The tourists can walk down the eco trail of the Baikal National Park. You can easily cover the distance from Listvyanka to Bolshiye Koty settlement in a day. In Listvyanka walk in the direction of a market from the last bust stop or the Listvyanka’s quay. Turn right on Gudina Street (Rus: ул. Гудина). As you walk down the end of the Street (about 2 kilometers), you will see the beginning of the route. Walk across the left side of a brook. The first 4.5 kilometers go uphill. This is the hardest part of a path. Short of a top, the path splits up. Choose the right direction. At the top (860 meters above the sea level, 404 meters above the lake level) you will discover the magnificent views of Baikal Lake. The path continues along the shore. You will pass many rivers and brooks, crossing the bridges built by volunteers. Watch out, in certain localities, the path goes along the cliffs. On your way, you will observe the stunning nature of the Pribaikalsk National Park. It is possible to take the trail in the opposite direction from Bolshiye Koty to Listvyanka.
June through September the route “Irkutsk – Listvyanka – Bolshye Koty – Listvyanka – Irkutsk” apart for Mondays and Thursdays with a stop at Listvyanka is serviced on. Travel time is about 2.5-3 hours. See the exact schedule.
Oksana Tokmakova’s Museum “Dolls of the Soviet Childhood”
The Museum “Dolls of the Soviet Childhood” was opened on December 1, 2014. It is based on Oksana Tokmakova’s private Soviet dolls collection. Right now, the collection consists of about two thousand dolls and toys manufactured by the USSR factories during the 1920-1960 and 1970-1990 periods. The museum also offers an interactive section, in which the visitors can walk by the hand with the doll Nina or feed the doll Alyonka. In a souvenir shop, you can buy soviet dolls, toys, etc.
Address: 64, Chapaeva str. (Rus: ул. Чапаева, 64)
Opening hours:
June-August from 11 am to 6 pm, daily except Monday.
September-May open on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays.
Admission: 300 rub.
Website: http://muzeykukol.ru (Rus)
Small Zoo at Country Estate “U Medvedey”
The small Baikal zoo is located on the territory of the country estate “U Medvedey.” The zoo was created upon an initiative of Valeriy Prokopievich Dunaev. The first bear cub Masha was found at the site of a fire. Now, three bears, two foxes, a Siberian stag, and a mouflon live in the zoo. You can visit the animals and bring them treats.
Address: 3, Gorkogo St. (Rus: Горького, 3)
GPS coordinates:
51°51′35.893″N,
104°51′14.847″E
You can depart from Irkutsk Bus Station or Irkutsk Central Market (Chekhova St, 22). The journey takes about 1 hour.
– If you depart from the bus station, you can take a minibus or a bus that says IRKUTSK-LISTVYANKA on the front head. You can buy bus tickets here https://avtovokzal-on-line.ru or at the bus station in a ticket booth. The same route minibus departs every hour from 8-30 a.m. till 19-00 p.m. from the bus stop located opposite to the bus station, next to the tramway.
– If you take a bus from the Central Market, you have to go to the bus stop located in Timitryazevf Str. The minibus departures once the bus is full till 8-00 p.m.
In the summer season (June – September) you can take a boat from the «Raketa» pier in Irkutsk to Bolshiye Koty settlement with a stop in Listvyanka. You can find the schedule and the prices on the website www.vsrp.ru.
Check out the full list of the most interesting tours in Russian cities.
