Hotels in Zvenigorod

Zvenigorod is a small town, and most of its accommodation has scattered into the surrounding forests and villages — but if you are coming for the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, the Assumption Cathedral at Gorodok and walks along the old streets, it is better to stay in town itself, around Moskovskaya Street. From here you can walk to Gorodok or get there by taxi in five minutes, with cafes and shops close at hand. A good fit for a one- or two-day trip when a car is not essential.

A whole campus of country houses has grown up on the site of the Soviet-era Svyazist holiday retreat on Ratekhinskoye Highway: themed log cabins, chalets and glamping huts stand side by side, but each is rented out separately. There is no shared reception here — the owner meets you at the gate of your particular house, and inside you get your own kitchen, grill and banya, so it is easier to bring groceries from town or order delivery. The format works for a group of friends or a family heading out for the weekend for the pine forest and the quiet, not for a breakfast buffet.

The cheapest beds in the area are dorm beds and small cabins at Svyazist: fine for a short stopover, a work trip or a night before an early departure. If there are four of you, compare them with renting a whole house or apartment — per person, the difference often works out against the dorm bed. The amenities are simple: Wi-Fi, parking, a banya and a barbecue area on the grounds.

The villages around town — Suponevo, Busharino, Yershovo — are home to full-service country resorts: a reception desk, restaurant, pool, spa, kids' activities and walking trails on their own grounds. They are a 5–15 minute drive from central Zvenigorod. The format pays off over two or three days with the family; for a single night near the monastery there is little point in heading out of town.

At the entrance to Zvenigorod, in the newer Pronina and Suponevo districts, ordinary apartments are rented out by the night. They are taken by business travellers and by families who care more about a kitchen, a washing machine and their own parking space than about breakfast and a front desk. Gorodok is a 5–7 minute drive from here and Zvenigorod station about half an hour by bus, and over several nights this option comes out noticeably cheaper than a hotel room.

When you need not a room but a whole house with a banya, a garden and a grill, look at the villages around Zvenigorod — usually it is a house for 4–8 people rented in its entirety. Capacity varies a great deal from house to house, so it is worth confirming with the owner before booking. Linens are normally provided, while cleaning up and washing the towels before departure is left to the guests.

Zvenigorod in winter gives up nothing to summer: the snowy forest and the monastery are especially photogenic, and the dacha complexes and country hotels stay open year-round. With daylight in short supply, pick a place that has something to do on the grounds — a banya, a fireplace, a pool or a spa. Over the New Year holidays and long weekends the best houses go a couple of weeks in advance, so it is worth booking early.