Gorneshno Spa: Rent a Village House with a Sauna in Russia

Gorneshno is a village situated near Borovno lake in Taiga forests in the beautiful pristine Valdai National Park between Moscow and St Petersburg. It's perfect for a short break from the city life or for a stopover on the way between the two cities, as you can get there in just 3 hours with a train and a short taxi ride from either Moscow or St. Petersburg. Once you get to Gorneshno, you can experience the real Russian village life, try the Russian sauna, enjoy walks in the nearby Taiga forests, picking mushrooms and berries, swim in the vast pristine Borovno lake, do fishing, biking, camping at the lake, snowmobile riding, and many more activities.

 

 

Gorneshno Spa is a name we gave to the house that our friend Igor built in the village. It's a small guesthouse with a sauna and a terrace kitchen on the ground floor and a beautiful stylish living space on the first floor. Igor works as a designer and film maker, so both the interior and exterior have a very special flair: there's lots of light, it's stylish but also authentic, comfortable and natural, the perfect place to chill and enjoy the nature. Igor lives in the big house next door. We like to come to see Igor a lot and we thought it would be a great idea to also offer the house to Way to Russia readers, so they can enjoy the Russian village in a comfortable way.

 

 

Gorneshno is great both in summer and in winter. During the summer months and early Autumn until mid-October you can pick mushrooms and lingonberries, do fishing and walks around the forests and the nearby Borovno lake (only 8 minutes by foot). During the winter you can experience the real Russian frost, beautiful as it is, in the comfort of the warm house with a great view. You can do walks, take snowmobile rides, and even do winter fishing. Of course, you can always do the sauna. Igor has a nice pond and a wild garden next to the house, so it's a perfect place to rest and enjoy.

 

 

If you decide to travel around Gorneshno, you can go visit the nearby Valdai National Park and Iver Monastery (in about an hour's drive) or visit the beautiful Novgorod Veliky, just 2 hours away. If you're up for a trip into the wilderness, you can also go deep into the Taiga forests towards Korobozha lake (2 hours away).
 

 

To book a stay at Gorneshno Spa guest house, you can contact Igor using the form below, specifying the dates of your visit. You can have the whole house with the sauna for yourself for €50 per night, shared accommodation (with Igor) is €25 per night. You can also apply for an art residency (3 days to 2 weeks) or offer something in exchange, if you have skills in construction or gardening.

 

 

To get to Gorneshno with a train you need to get to Okulovka, which is half way between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Take the fast-speed Sapsan train from Moscow or St. Petersburg (2.5 hours, €30-€80 one way depending on the time of travel) or a slower passing train (5 hours, €15-€20 one way). You can make a stop in Gorneshno and then continue your journey to St. Petersburg or Moscow. From Okulovka you can take a taxi (any time of the day and night) — it takes 20 minutes and costs about 500R (€8) one way. You can call Elena on +7 921 707-2812 — we always use her services.

 

 

It's also easy to get to Gorneshno with a car. You can rent an SUV (only €30 per day), take the new M11 toll highway, which is very fast and empty. Take the exit at Uglovka and drive through Okulovka (for a smooth ride) or through the countryside road directly to Gorneshno (dirt road for adventurous types). The whole trip will take you about 5 to 6 hours. If you take the slower E105 road, it's going to be a bit longer (6-8 hours, depending on the traffic). The whole trip is about 500 km, so it'll take about 50 L of petrol, but as it's cheap in Russia, it's going to cost you about 2000 R / €30 one way.