Hotels in Tula

The whole tourist center of Tula fits into a kilometer and a half: Sovetskaya Street, Lenin Avenue and pedestrian Metallistov, which locals call Tula's Arbat. From anywhere in that stretch it is a 5–15 minute walk to the Kremlin and the Kazanskaya embankment, so what you are really choosing is not the district but the format — a classic hotel, a boutique property in a historic building or a chain option. Metallistov itself runs only 350 meters and ends at the Kremlin, so "on the Arbat" and "on Lenin Avenue" mean much the same walk to the city's main sight.

If you are coming to Tula for longer than a weekend, or travelling with children, it is easier to rent a place with a kitchen and not be tied to breakfast hours. Most of these are on Sovetskaya, Metallistov and around Krasnoarmeysky Avenue — the same 5–15 minute walk to the Kremlin and the embankment. The format also helps when the city is only your base and the days go on trips around the region.

Tolstoy's estate museum stands 14 km south of central Tula, and you do not have to sleep in the city to see it: a park hotel was built right at the estate entrance, inside the Yasnaya Polyana forest reserve. It is the choice of people who drive in for the estate itself and want woods and quiet instead of city noise. A little further south, in Shchekino and around it, there are hotels and country houses — useful if everything by the estate is taken or you need a whole house for a group.

Tula lies 190 km south of Moscow — a natural first overnight stop for anyone driving to Crimea. You do not have to turn off into the city for that: park hotels and motels sit along the M2 north and south of Tula, with an easy exit from the highway, dinner and breakfast. Moscow is about three hours from there, central Tula half an hour, so in the morning you can still look in on the Kremlin and drive on.

Trains and Lastochka services from Moscow arrive at Moskovsky station, and on a short trip the simplest thing is to stay next to it. The main choice is Puteyskaya Street and the blocks beside it: one or two blocks from the station, with a short ride to the Kremlin. This works for a business trip and for anyone who comes to Tula for a single day — for gingerbread, samovars and a walk along the embankment.

A pool, sauna and spa area in Tula are almost always outside the historic center — in residential districts 15–20 minutes by car from the Kremlin. In exchange you get a room noticeably cheaper than a central one, your own parking and something to do on a rainy day. It is a good choice for families with children and for anyone staying in the city for several days on business.

The most affordable night in Tula is a small two- or three-story hotel: some are tucked into side streets not far from the Kremlin, others stand along Kutuzova Street in the Proletarsky district, 4–5 km from the center. The first kind suits you when you have come to walk around and need the room only for sleeping; the second when you are driving, here on business and value parking under the window. Expect plain, no-frills rooms, and book ahead for a long weekend: the flow of visitors from Moscow on those dates is noticeable.