Routes

Steps

1. Choose a base

   Kemerovo suits the northern part of the oblast; Novokuznetsk suits the south and Mountain Shoria. Two bases make sense if your trip is longer than three or four days.

   Example: 3 days — Kemerovo only; 6 days — Kemerovo, then move on to Novokuznetsk.

2. Group your stops

   Group places by direction from your base. One out-of-town trip a day is a realistic pace.

   Example: Kemerovo → Tomskaya Pisanitsa → back to Kemerovo in one day.

3. Check transport for each leg

   For every leg, find out whether there is a train or bus, how long the journey takes according to mapping services, and how to get back in the evening.

   If there is no return service in the evening, move that leg or go by car.

4. Build in buffer time

   Allow extra time for travel, weather and queues. In the mountains and in winter you need more of it.

   Don't book your train or flight home for the evening of a day spent in the mountains.

5. Prepare a plan B

   For each day, keep an in-town alternative in case a museum is closed, the weather turns or a service is cancelled.

   Instead of the excursion — a museum or a walk along the embankment in your base town.

6. Check the route before you go

   1–3 days before the trip, confirm opening hours, the weather forecast and transport timetables.

   Museum opening hours can change on public holidays and in the off-season.

Framework: northern Kuzbass

A framework without timetables — just the stops and the logic linking them.

1. Kemerovo

   Base, city and the Krasnaya Gorka museum.

2. Tomskaya Pisanitsa

   Day trip, returning to Kemerovo.

3. Mariinsk

   A separate day: historic centre and wooden architecture, reachable by rail.

Framework: southern Kuzbass

The logic for a mountain-focused trip.

1. Novokuznetsk

   Base and the Kuznetsk Fortress.

2. Mountain Shoria

   Sheregesh in winter or nature trails in summer; check the national park rules in advance.

3. Return with time to spare

   Don't come back from the mountains on the day you fly out.

Common mistakes

• Trying to see both the north and the south of the region in a weekend
• Not checking return transport from an out-of-town stop
• Planning a mountain trip without allowing for weather and road conditions
• Heading to a museum without checking its closing days
• Relying on mobile internet in the mountains and taiga

Alternatives

• Without a car: rely on the railway and choose places near stations
• With a car: you can combine more out-of-town stops, but bear the distances in mind
• With an organised tour: convenient for places that are hard to reach on your own