In June 2025 my sons (Sasha was almost 6, Maxim was 2 years and 3 months) and my mother and I set off on a car trip through towns in Leningrad and Pskov regions. In this article I describe how the trip was organized, which museums we visited, and what to consider when planning a similar trip.
Context: why we chose this particular route
I'm originally from Peterhof, and after moving to Moscow I try to visit my parents regularly, including in the summer months. This year I wanted to nurture my older son's interest in castles and fortresses. When choosing where we could go from Peterhof for a few days, I decided to put together a route that would include the region's iconic fortresses, museums new to me, and an opportunity to meet with my museum colleagues.
Here are the numbers for our route:
5 days
768 km
6 towns
8 museums
2 lakes
More than 20 souvenirs
At the same time I took our capabilities into account: the children are comfortable in the car without stops for no more than two hours. The younger one naps during the day, so the optimal solution was to plan the route so that there would be no more than two hours of travel between stops. I wasn't aiming to see as many sights as possible. Comfort came first: a relaxed pace and enough time to explore each place.
Our trip on Yandex.Maps
Based on our abilities and interests, the route looked like this.
Shlisselburg and Oreshek Fortress → Overnight in Novaya Ladoga → Old Ladoga → return to the dacha for one night → Koporye Fortress → Kingisepp → Overnight in Gdov → Slantsy and overnight in Slantsy → return to the dacha
It's important to note that I aimed to fill the trip with visual and tactile impressions for the children. I wasn't trying to give them detailed historical lectures (only minimal facts for the older one). I wanted them to come away with great memories and images. This approach shapes the article's content. I won't be sharing many historical facts or stories, but will focus on the children's impressions.
Now, everything in order.
Day 1. Shlisselburg and Oreshek Fortress
The main focus of the first day was Oreshek Fortress. I checked the fortress's opening hours in advance and learned how to get there. For that I used the museum's official website, which also had links to reliable ways to reach the fortress by water.
Studying the map, I realized that not far from the quay there's the Shlisselburg History Museum where some of my colleagues work, so we began our trip by visiting that museum.
A colleague met us and showed us two halls of the museum. While my mother looked at the exhibits and read the captions, the children had the chance to touch some objects (allowed in the presence of a museum staff member) and to take photos in two photo zones. There was no one else in the museum at that moment, so the visit was intimate and very pleasant.
First souvenirs: a coloring book and stickers
After the museum we drove to the quay, where there happened to be a small shopping center with a Dodo Pizza. What luck! First, there was a play area where the kids could burn off energy, and second, we bought pizza to go after learning that tourists often do that. Indeed, we were able to eat it on the square near the quay already on the island, before entering the fortress grounds.
The boat ride took about 15 minutes, which wasn't tiring and was interesting for the children. We traveled in the third week of June; the summer was rather cool, so windbreakers and hats came in handy. In general, the weather on Ladoga is changeable, which is worth considering when planning a trip.
After the snack, refreshed, we went onto the fortress grounds. I wanted to show its layout and climb up onto the walls, which is what we did. I saw tour groups, but that's not our format yet. There are also panels with historical information on the grounds.
The boys were attracted to the outdoor shooting range, so for a while they practiced shooting with a crossbow and a bow, and also tried on chainmail and helmets.
We spent about an hour and a half on the fortress grounds. Returning to the shore, we drove to our first night's stop — Novaya Ladoga.
Day 2. Unexpected discoveries in Novaya Ladoga and the Old Ladoga fortress
At first I saw Novaya Ladoga only as a place to sleep and didn't study the town's cultural map. In the evening, when we went for a walk before bed, we found the Smelt Museum just five minutes from the hotel. We decided to come back in the morning. Reading reviews about this museum, I checked the map and saw that nearby there was another museum, “A. V. Suvorov in Novaya Ladoga.” We decided to visit both the next morning before heading to Old Ladoga Fortress.
The Smelt Museum, whose organizational affiliation I couldn't figure out, feels more like an interactive entertainment exhibition. You can sit in an old boat, play at fishing, and try on fishing gear. Lots of fun souvenirs, although a smelt-shaped wallet wasn't available (there was one shaped like a crucian carp). We spent about 20 minutes in the museum; the boys were very happy.
The Suvorov Museum turned out to be an unexpected and very pleasant discovery. I went there with my older son while the younger one strolled with his grandmother on a great playground in the nearby square.
Sasha and I had been to the Suvorov Museum in St. Petersburg before, so the interest wasn't only mine.
I liked the updated exhibition, which included both entertainment and learning through play. Sasha especially liked the training exercises in the corridor.
The next stop was Old Ladoga Fortress. We got caught in the rain. At first I hesitated about whether to go into the fortress. Rain, two energetic boys who would rather splash in puddles than visit a museum... In the end I decided it would be wrong to skip the fortress because of the rain, so after putting on the boys' rubber boots and rain jackets, we went inside. First we looked at the souvenirs and even bought a few things. They gave us a paper bag that quickly became worn out. A note to colleagues working in the rainy season! Inside the fortress we started by comparing its layout with Oreshek. I was glad that Sasha remembered the main elements of a fortress as a defensive structure. We explored the grounds, went up to the ramparts, and then, seeing visitors entering somewhere indoors, followed them. I knew there was an exhibition in this museum but didn't insist on visiting it. Sasha became curious about what was inside, which pleased me again. In the exhibition we looked at models and archaeological finds. Sasha listened to audio stories. We spent about 15 minutes inside. I think we'll come back here when the boys are older. That wrapped up our cultural program for the first two days, and we drove out to the dacha to spend the night there.
Days 3–4. Koporye Fortress, Kingisepp, and the transfer to Gdov
Koporye Fortress is awaiting major reconstruction, so access to some of the fortress structures is limited. We crossed the bridge, went inside, and walked around the grounds. That took about 15 minutes. We popped into the souvenir shop and ate pies and donuts bought right there, with a view of the fortress.
The next point on the route was Kingisepp. I wanted to see a museum where the exhibition had recently been updated.
My expectations were met. While my mother watched the boys in the children's corner (it's great when museums have such areas), a colleague and I walked through all the halls on a brief guided tour.
Once I had an idea of the museum's layout, we went through the exhibition together with the boys. They were drawn to the weapons and armor (by the way, the museum also has interactive zones), and to the chance to take photos with props.
By evening we arrived in Gdov, our farthest point on the route. Initially we planned to stay here for two nights, but unfortunately the hotel was too cold and the town itself was not very tourist-friendly (in terms of infrastructure and sights), so we shortened the visit and left the next day in the afternoon. In the morning we visited the Gdov Regional History Museum, where my colleague, the museum director, showed us around and conducted a flax-themed activity for the boys. It was heartfelt!
A colleague from St. Petersburg who had come to Gdov on business joined us at the museum that day
The historic part of Gdov was picturesque. We enjoyed a walk through the park where the Gdov fortress once stood.
The highlight was a picnic on Lake Peipus. The water was fairly warm and the boys happily played on the makeshift beach.
Day 5. Slantsy
I'd heard about the renovated Slantsy Museum from colleagues' reviews. I really wanted to see the museum with my own eyes.
We were also met there by colleagues: after informal conversation and tea, I toured the museum with the director while my mother looked after the younger grandson and Sasha played chess with another colleague on the second level. Yes, the museum has a space where you can read books and play chess!
For a two-year-old the exhibition, of course, is not particularly engaging, although Maxim still found something to do: he opened drawers with exhibits and left his scribbles on the visitor comments sheet.
Sasha, on the other hand, was interested. He's into Minecraft, so we discussed mining shale, comparing it to what you can do in the game. And of course, chess!
Conclusions and recommendations after the trip
