What to do in Vladivostok?

In the "Destination of the Week" section, Kupi.com asks actively traveling bloggers about their favorite cities and countries. In this text, creative SMM manager and aspiring writer Dasha Skachkova (@skchk)* talks about her native Vladivostok and shares all the insider tips, passwords, and addresses for perfect dates, surfing, and Pyan-se buns.

Almost all my acquaintances, after moving to Moscow after school, immediately lost touch with their hometowns. They didn't fly back to their Krasnoyarsks, Tomsks, and Taganrogs at all. But Vladivostok is not a city where bridges are burned so easily — (sorry, pun intended) our famous Golden Bridge burned in 2012, but as you can see, it's still intact, survived the ice storm in 2020, and celebrated its tenth anniversary this year. I've also lived in Moscow for ten years, but every August, all my friends know that they should look for me not in a club, but in Vladivostok. I couldn't forget the hills, rocks, sea, little foxes, Pyan-se, and I also like meeting all my ex-boyfriends from puberty who still haven't moved anywhere from there, and visiting the garage near the school where I had my first kiss.

How to get to Vladivostok

You can get to Vladivostok by train or plane. The first option never seemed appealing to me — I don't have an extra two weeks, and such close and prolonged cohabitation with strangers is daunting. But if you love experiments, want to create a buzz on your stories, and publish a photo book about a Trans-Siberian journey, then why not? A coupe ticket and a plane ticket cost the same — 15 thousand one way. I always fly Aeroflot: at 20:35, you board the plane in Moscow in the evening, and you get off it with a sore backside at 12 PM in Vladivostok. Usually, people around are sleeping, but for me, the flight home means one book and two movies. By the way, I'd like to publicly state: Aeroflot used to serve two meals, a full dinner and a full breakfast, but now it's just dinner and some mockery an hour before landing, a muesli bar or a potato pie. So the idea of bringing grilled chicken in foil and eggs doesn't seem so bad to me. Yes, it will stink up the whole cabin, but all complaints go to Aeroflot.

Where to eat

Speaking of smelly food — many go to Vladivostok with a passionate desire to try Pyan-se — the legend of Far Eastern street food, a steamed Korean bun with meat, cabbage, and a very specific smell. Now I'm going to disappoint you: the best Pyan-se in Vladivostok were always sold on the street by women in green vests. Recently, they disappeared (either scared away by the annual EEF, or they just got tired of it), and in August 2022, not a single woman with real Pyan-se in a container was found in Vladivostok. We had to look for Pyan-se in more civilized places. For example, on the second floor of the "Okean" cinema, there's a food court with a Pari corner. There are plenty of specific flavors there — for example, pink Pyan-se with "Tom Yum" filling. Please, don't. Take the original. I really want to say that it used to be better, but there are no other options yet. Wash it down with "Milkis," which is almost the official Primorye soda, and until 2017, it wasn't sold in Moscow at all.

Enough about food, probably — just catch this quick list:

• "Supra" — an incredibly popular Georgian restaurant, there are three of them in the city. It's noisy and delicious, always full of people (if you're in a live queue, they treat you to wine). I recommend the cheburek with crab; some of my girlfriends are crazy about khinkali with seafood.
• "Zuma" — that very Pan-Asian restaurant that Elena Letuchaya liked when she was still "Revizorro." Overall, a decent place, a large selection of seafood, and cool desserts. Prices are not low, typical Moscow prices.
• Gusto — a small gastrobar in the center. Excellent pasta with scallops, potato pancakes with caviar, prices are clearly lower than in Moscow.
• "Vspyshka" — almost next door to Gusto, excellent eclairs.
• "Umami" — a ramen bar in the center.
• "Punch" — a semi-secret bar in a beautiful basement. Delicious cocktails and unlimited snacks, but you need to message them directly and book a table before coming.
• "Crystal"… no, I can't be brief here, I'll have to tell you a bit more.

You won't find authentic Chinese cuisine anywhere in Moscow. Seriously, no "Chiho" even comes close. But it's 100% available in Vladivostok; I adore it and consider it an absolute must-visit. Get Guobaorou (pork in sweet and sour sauce), Harbin-style salad (with glass noodles), garlic shoots with beef, meat on a cast-iron skillet, calamari rings in batter, caramel apples, chicken gizzards with mayonnaise… okay, I'm kidding about the gizzards, but such an item is on the menu. You need to look for "Chinese places" in the market area on Sportivnaya; they come in different types. There are those with Russian names ("Sasha and Lena," "Tanya and Kolya"), and their interiors are rather humble, but in the "Crystal" shopping center in the same market, there's my personal favorite — the "Almaz" restaurant. Besides giant portions, it has a completely wild interior, a somewhat strange crowd, and a terrible playlist. In short, it's so bad it's good! And please, get "Harbin" beer. 

Vladivostok Attractions

Time to walk around the city. Vladivostok's architecture is questionable, to be honest. The city is only 162 years old; it's not Suzdal, which will literally turn a thousand years old any day now. Vladivostok appeared at the behest of Governor-General Muravyov-Amursky as a port, a fortification, not as the cradle of Russian architecture. Therefore, in Vladivostok, turning around your axis, you won't see domes of all kinds. There's a new temple in the central square, but it has been under construction for several years and is still not open.

What to do in the center? Walk along Svetlanskaya Street, look at the building with stairs like in Brooklyn (pictured below), go down to the embankment, walk it from beginning to end, and climb Tiger Hill — there's no civilized ascent there, but it offers a great view that allows you to fully appreciate the city's landscape and admire the bridge.

Not far from the center, you can ride the funicular — the fare is about 30 rubles, you crawl up for a minute and a half and find yourself at a stop where it's definitely worth doing a photoshoot and creating content for social media.

If you're a fan of city walks, it would be cool to take one of the walking tours from the V.K. Arsenyev Museum. My favorite is the route along the Chinese Millionka street, where there were opium dens and brothels.

Note that I still haven't said anything about right-hand drive Japanese cars, which make up 99% of the city's vehicles, or Ilya Lagutenko, even though he dated a girl from my mom's school. But these are already obvious attributes of Vladivostok, so there's no point dwelling on them.

Nightlife in Vladivostok is modest, almost entirely concentrated in the Sportivnaya Embankment area — there's a bar called "Ra" by the sea, for example, where they sometimes have good guest DJs, and a few years ago Gosha Rubchinskiy danced there arm-in-arm with Lagutenko. 

When to go to Vladivostok

I forgot to mention the main thing — I advise coming to Vladivostok in August or the first half of autumn; this is the best time of year in the Far East. The sea water warms up to 26 degrees Celsius, there's plenty of sun and greenery (unless you're unlucky enough to catch a typhoon). There's nothing to do here in winter, and in June, there are fogs and drizzle. Last year, I think, we were still swimming on October 1st. 

So, the best things in Vladivostok are the sea and nature. The most beautiful and untouched places, of course, are not in the city, but you can simply swim at Shamora beach, which may not be the most beautiful, but it's nearby. For beauty within the city limits, you can also go to Russky Island, where our second bridge leads. On the island, there's the FEFU university with a beautiful embankment, an oceanarium (quite good), and a couple of power spots. The best, probably, is Cape Tobizin. You can get to the first transfer point by taxi, and then it's an hour and a half walk. The journey is absolutely worth it. Along the way, you'll encounter foxes that have become so accustomed to tourists in recent years that they openly beg for food, and views no worse than in French Étretat. Take a look!

You can also surf on Russky Island — yes, swell comes to Vladivostok, and at the surf camp on Cape Akhlestysheva, you can definitely learn to catch a wave. Wetsuits are provided. Instructor Vova is super!

One way or another, almost all our entertainment is connected with water. A super idea for a date or a quintessential seaside evening is sunsets on the water. There are many different options: you can take a "Lights of Vladivostok" tour and admire the Tokarevsky Lighthouse from the water and ride under the bridges. You can beautifully see off the sun with a seafood dinner from dinner.outside. Or you can sail a sailboat yourself — this year, the popular "Sila Vetra" (Wind Power) base opened in Vladivostok. I advise not to be afraid and take a lesson in squally winds! Adrenaline and the vibe of sea wolves are guaranteed, especially when your yacht almost tips on its side, and the mainsail is already in the water…

Top-tier views are located approximately four hours' drive from the city. You can go to Cape Telyakovsky, Gamov Peninsula, Peter's Island, Trehozyorye — it's magical everywhere. But that's a completely different story…

To summarize — if you're going to Vladivostok, the main thing is to expect nothing from the city, then everything will be great. It will find a way to surprise you!

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