Exploring Kolomna's Hidden Gems in One Day: Tasty Kolachis, Exquisite Sugar Paste, Rich Rulka, Historic Princes, and Unique Ice Cream

As I walked through the charming old town of Kolomna in the Moscow region, I couldn't help but feel like I was stepping back in time. This beautiful place has a way of captivating your heart and making you feel like you're a part of its rich history. I'd love to take you on a journey through the era of merchants and show you the sights and sounds of this enchanting town. Here, you can try delicious kolachis with goose, enjoy a tea in the apple orchard with the famous Kolomna wafer, taste a rich rulka and honey buns according to the traditional recipe. You can also visit the old Kremlin and temples, each one a piece of history waiting to be uncovered.

Kolomna OpinionGetting to KolomnaThere are several ways to get to Kolomna:

By car, take the 105 km trip along the Nizhny Novgorod highwayBy train, from Kazansky station to Kolomna station, with a journey of approximately 1 hour 50 minutes, with a ticket price of 500 rubles on the express train, or 2 hours 30 minutes with a ticket price of 400 rubles on the regular trainBy bus 460 from Kotelnyky metro station

Kolomna AttractionsThe train station in Kolomna is small, but it's a great starting point for your adventure. From there, we can begin our journey through time and explore the town's many attractions.

Getting to KolomnaKolomna Attractions in a Day

As I arrived in Kolomna, I was struck by the sheer number of attractions in such a small town. Each house seems to be a museum, with a clear focus on the past. It's evident that the locals love their town and respect its traditions, which is reflected in the way they've developed their community. The museums are mostly private, very welcoming, and comfortable.

Kolomna Ceramics and Felt Museum

Kolomna Tourist AttractionsKolomna has a wealth of attractions to explore, from the old Kremlin to churches, sugar paste and pastry museums, bread and beer museums, blacksmith and linen workshops, and even a soap and samovar museum. You can see everything in a single day, but it's essential to choose the museums that interest you.

Kolomna Pastry Museum

After arriving at the station, we head down Polyanovskaya Street to have breakfast at the Kolomna Pastry Museum. There are two pastry museums very similar, so you can choose either one. I recommend registering in advance to enjoy a visit with a workshop.

Kolomna Pastry Museum Factory

Kolomenskaya Wafer MuseumI visited the Kolomenskaya Wafer Factory Museum with my friends. We registered in advance, as there are few available spaces. I have already written a detailed review of this museum, which you can find in the link above. There, we were greeted with an immersive experience in the life of merchant Chuprikin. The theatrical excursion allowed us to participate in the wafer-making process, which turned into a delicious snack with tea and wafer. Later, we were offered a confetti-making workshop. The excursion price is 1000 rubles.Kolomenskaya Wafer Factory MuseumIf you couldn't register for the excursion, simply come visit us in the garden. There, you can sit in the apple orchard and enjoy a samovar tea with wafer and other sweets. Or you can sit in the pastry shop. And what peace and tranquility.A Delicious Snack in the Garden with Kolomna WaferKolomna AttractionsIn the same place, there is a shop where you can buy sweets to take home. The wafer gift boxes are very expensive, but I will tell you later where to buy it at a reasonable price. Here, I recommend buying the 'Trezvost' wafer and the most delicious one with pine nuts.

Kolomna Wafer ShopKolomna PhotosAfter this museum, there is a square with the Shevlyagina fountain. It is a column with water in honor of benefactress Maria Shevlyagina, who organized the city's water supply system.

Shevlyagina FountainAfter turning onto Arbatskaya Street, we arrive at the other Kolomna Wafer Museum. Here, they also offer theatrical excursions and snacks. Of course, it is impossible to visit all the museums in a single day, so we simply bought the most delicious wafer here.

Second Kolomenskaya Wafer Museum

Tea in KolomnaNext to it, there is a "Different Sweets" shop - where you can buy delicious souvenirs to take home.Different Sweets ShopSamovar House

On the other side, there is the Samovar House. Here, a collection of over 500 samovars, stoves, and griddles has been gathered. The ticket prices range from 200 to 500 rubles. And, of course, you can also have a samovar tea here.

Samovar House in KolomnaPiatnitskaya Gates and Unique Ice Cream

If you have children, you can walk a bit further along Arbat to the toy museum. And we deviated towards Puskin Street in the direction of Piatnitskaya Gates.

Piatnitskaya Gates in KolomnaPiatnitskaya Gates are an ancient entrance from Vladimir, through which in 1380 the same Dmitry Donskoy entered, and then began the construction of the Kremlin. Directly in front of the gates, you can see an interesting iron sculpture of a cow.

Kolomna, Piatnitskaya Gates, and CowI felt like I was in a dream when I could try that unusual sorbet. It is the type of sorbet that only exists in Kolomna. These natural sorbets with an impressive amount of fruit are a real delight. I left with a strawberry one, and the amount of strawberries was incredible.

Kalach Museum

Next to the Kremlin walls, there is the Kalach Museum. Inside the museum, there is an old kitchen where kalachis with different fillings are prepared, and theatrical performances are offered. I learned that until the 19th century, only the rich could afford to eat kalachis, while the poor were content with the crumbs that remained.

Kalach Museum in KolomnaI recommend trying the goose kalach, it has an interesting flavor and costs 290 rubles. The flavor is like canned goods, but the bread seemed too dry and a bit rancid to me.

Goose Kalach

Prince Museum in Kolomna

We continued exploring and arrived at the Prince Museum, located on 10 Zaytsev Street. I learned that there, theatrical performances and cooking workshops are offered. However, we decided to visit another new Prince Museum in Kolomna, which is located near the Kremlin.

Museum of the 10 Foxes

Kolomna Prince Museum

Kolomna Prince Museum I was surprised that there was no theatrical performance, but the excursion was equally interesting.

Kolomna Prince Museum And then we had a snack with samovar and princes, but not the usual one - at some point, multimedia images with songs appeared on the table.

Snack with Samovar Look, what a Wi-Fi oven!

Wi-Fi Oven Upon entering, sweets are sold.

Kolomna Beer Museum

Just behind this museum, there is another one that is a true refuge for beer lovers in Kolomna. I immersed myself in the past and enjoyed a delicious meal with honey around a wooden beech table.

Kolomna Beer Museum After eating too much, we decided to buy some sweets to take home. In this place, you can buy all sorts of honey-based products, I chose a sbiten. There are many types of sbiten here.

Kolomna Beer MuseumKolomna Embankment

To recover a bit from the meal, we decided to go to the riverbank and visit the Bubrenyevsky Bridge. It is about 5 minutes from the Zaytsev Museum, and has a beautiful observation platform.

Bubrenyevsky BridgeHappy Fragrance Museum

Walking along Zaytsev Street, we arrived at the Happy Fragrance Museum. There, everything revolves around the history of soap making. We did not attend the excursion, but we did visit the shop and enjoyed expensive and fragrant soaps.

Happy Fragrance MuseumHappy Fragrance Museum in Kolomna

A Happy Cat in Kolomna Everywhere, the aristocratic atmosphere of the nobility is recreated. And, in addition, there are happy cats walking around.Kolomna Temples and Churches

As we passed through the Piatnitsky Gates, we headed towards the riverbank and the observation platform. On the way, we encountered many churches - the Church of the Cross Vozdvizhenskaya, the Church of Tihvin, the Uspensky Cathedral, the Church of Pokrov, and the Church of Voskresensky.

Church of the Cross of ChristAssumption CathedralThe walking path led me gently to the Búcaro observation platform. Here, there is a beautiful bench for photos.

Búcaro Observation PlatformLajecznikov Pedestrian Street

It's time to head a bit closer to the Kremlin to Lajecznikov Pedestrian Street. At the beginning of the street, there is the Anthropology Museum. We did not visit it, but we deviated to the courtyard in front. There, there is the Salt Museum, Three Bogatyry, locomotor, 1809 balance, and a screw for shoeing horses.

The Door of HistoryThe Fortress and the Salt StorehouseLocomotorUpon exiting, I found a small store called Sweet Memories - here you can find a Kolomna ice cream palette at a reasonable price, butterflies, and other Kolomna delicacies. It is cheaper than in the museums, but the taste is different.

A Cheap Ice Cream Store in Kolomna

Lajecznikov StreetAs we continue walking along the pedestrian street, the remains of the Kremlin can already be seen, the tower, and the Church of the Cross Vozdvizhenskaya.

Krestovozdvizhensky, an Impressive TempleThe Impressive Kremlin TowerOn the other side, there are several interactive museums with a rich history - the Honey Garden with honey and kvass, the Kolomna Patéfon Museum, the Lajecznikov Literary Café.Kolomna Kremlin

I head to the Kremlin from the side of the Krestovozdvizhensky and find myself inside the ancient Kremlin. From the walls of the Kolomna Kremlin, only some ruins remain, basically two separate walls and 7 towers. Despite this, they seem imposing.

Kolomna KremlinTo visit the Kremlin, you need to register in advance. There is an excursion along the walls and towers, and also a panoramic walk with ascent to the wall.

I loved the panoramic observation that was offered to me through the Kremlin with ascent to the walls and towers. The July start times for the tours are at 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, and 15:00 The price is 1000 rubles for adults and schoolchildren Children from 3 to 7 years old pay 500 rubles Children under 3 years old go freeThe visit to the walls and towers of the ancient fortress was exciting. The excursions are done in small groups on Saturdays and Sundays The start time is at 17:00, and then the tours are every hour The excursion price is 400 rubles per person for adults and children 7 years old and up; for children 6 years old or younger, it is 200 rubles per person

Kolomna Kremlin - an Unforgettable MemoryA Day in KolomnaAs I passed through the majestic Mikhail Gates, I was surprised by the impressive view of the Archangel Michael Church. Through them, over the river, I can exit to the Dmitry Donskoy monument.

Archangel Michael ChurchDmitry Donskoi KolomnaFrom here, you can head towards the Kolomenskaya Riverbank, where there is a monument to the Golden Siren.

Golden Siren of KolomnaThe second part of the Kremlin wall is located closer to the bus stop. Here, there is also a park with comfortable benches.

Kolomna Kremlin