Walks with Children in Vladivostok

Botanical Garden-Institute of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences

This is the largest botanical garden in the Russian Far East and a popular tourist destination. Here you will get acquainted with the plant life of Primorsky Krai. In most areas you will see plants typical of the Ussuri taiga. You can walk along ecological trails, visit a greenhouse with tropical and subtropical plants, and see more than 800 species of plants. The botanical garden covers an area of 170 hectares, most of which consists of natural forest. The collection is based on living plants from different climatic zones. Scientists also study how plants brought from other regions adapt to the conditions of the Russian Far East. Some species have not been able to adapt to the local climate in the wild and can now be found only in the Botanical Garden.

Address: 142 Makovskogo St., Vladivostok

Opening hours: Garden.
November to March: 10:00 am-5:00 pm.
April: 10:00 am-5:30 pm.
May to October: 10:00 am-7:00 pm

Opening hours: Greenhouse.
Monday–Tuesday: closed for maintenance.
Wednesday–Sunday: 10:00 am-5:00 pm.

Website: botsad.ru

Vladivostok Fortress

This is an entire complex of structures — more than 800 objects spread across a large territory. Some are located along the coast of the Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, while others are on Russky Island. The fortifications were built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries over nearly 30 years. The total length of the defense line is about 150 kilometers, and more than 9,000 underground tunnels were dug.

Address: 6 Petra Velikogo St., Vladivostok

Opening hours: 10:00 am-7:00 pm

Website: fortressvl.ru

V.K. Arsenyev Museum-Reserve of the History of the Far East

The museum is located in the historic center of Vladivostok. It was founded in 1890 as the Museum of the Society for the Study of the Amur Region. Its mission was to collect information on the geography, natural sciences, archaeology, and ethnography of the region. The museum holds more than 600,000 items, including those in storage collections, and new items are added every year. The permanent exhibition focuses on the history of Primorsky Krai and Vladivostok. Museum staff also conduct walking tours of the famous “Millionka” district.

Address: 20 Svetlanskaya St., Vladivostok

Opening hours: 10:00 am-7:00 pm

Website: arseniev.org

Primorsky Oceanarium

This is a scientific and educational complex covering 37,000 square meters. The aquarium houses more than 15,000 animals. Here you can see inhabitants of all the world’s oceans and climate zones. A shared research center for marine biology studies also operates within the oceanarium. Professional breeding programs have helped hundreds of marine creatures to be born here, including bony fish, cartilaginous fish, amphibians, marine mammals, and jellyfish. The oceanarium hosts lectures, classes, and guided tours for schoolchildren and preschoolers, and also runs a program called “Growing Up in the Oceanarium.” The oceanarium’s exhibitions are divided into several themes: “Evolution of Life in the Ocean,” “Microworld,” “Rivers and Lakes,” “Polar Day,” “The Bering and Okhotsk Seas,” “The Sea of Japan (East Sea),” and “Tropical Rainforest.” The “Evolution of Life in the Ocean” exhibition tells the story of what happened more than four billion years ago, when the Earth was forming and life first appeared on the planet. The display includes many models and multimedia installations that help visitors imagine ancient organisms. The “Microworld” section shows living organisms under a microscope. In the “Rivers and Lakes” exhibition you will see the flora and fauna of the Amur River as well as the inhabitants of Lakes Khanka and Baikal. The Amur River is interesting because it passes through four natural zones — semi-desert, steppe, forest-steppe, and forest. About 150 species of fish live in its waters, including the kaluga, the largest freshwater fish. Lake Khanka, the largest lake in the Russian Far East, is home to about 400 species of birds, more than 50 of which are listed in the Red Book. Lake Baikal, the deepest lake on the planet, is home to more than 2,600 species of animals, and more than half of them are found nowhere else in the world. The “Polar World” exhibition tells about the exploration of the Arctic and Antarctica, as well as the technologies used for this purpose, including Pomor koch boats and nuclear icebreakers. Visitors will learn about polar animals and the features of their lives. The exhibition also includes films about the Mir submersible at the North Pole and the wildlife of the Arctic. In the section of the oceanarium dedicated to the Bering and Okhotsk Seas, you will learn about walruses, Steller sea lions and fur seals, sea otters, bowhead whales, humpback whales and fin whales. Visitors are shown bivalve and gastropod mollusks of the Okhotsk Sea, Kamchatka and blue crabs, and information stands tell about valuable marine grasses and algae. In the center of this exhibition there is a large aquarium called the “Seaweed Forest.” The “Tropical Rainforest” exhibition recreates the atmosphere of an equatorial forest with the sound of a waterfall, dense vines and orchids, tropical insects and amphibians. The “Ocean Depths” exhibition features an aquarium that holds about three thousand tons of water. To support such a volume, the glass is 36 centimeters thick. Here you can observe the smooth movements of sharks, rays, giant groupers and yellowtail fish literally at arm’s length. In the dolphinarium visitors can watch demonstrations of the abilities of several marine mammals, including beluga whales, bottlenose dolphins and walruses. In addition, biologist-divers have developed a special program called “Dancing with Rays”, which can only be seen here. For young visitors there are also additional interactive elements. For example, there are interactive boards that can be pressed and a touch aquarium where visitors can gently touch some of the inhabitants. On the floor in front of the dolphinarium, a projector creates moving schools of fish and other sea creatures. Children especially enjoy this attraction as they try to catch the fish and run after them. Visitors can also join a guided tour, attend a dolphinarium show, take part in a workshop, or listen to a lecture. If you get hungry, you can have a snack in the food zones. The oceanarium also offers special educational formats for children with special needs.

Address: Vladivostok, Russky Island, 25 Akademika Kasyanova St.

Opening hours: Tuesday–Sunday
October 1 to April 30: 9:30 am-8:00 pm
May 1 to September 30: 9:00 am-8:00 pm.

Website: primocean.ru

"Sadgorod" Zoo

The "Sadgorod" Zoo houses animals from Primorsky Krai as well as exotic species from around the world. Today it has more than 130 species. During guided tours you can learn interesting facts about the animals. Visitors can also ride horses and ponies and feed some animals. The zoo began as a traveling circus. In 1998 circus performers purchased land where animals such as bears, crocodiles, and monkeys could rest between tours. Later people began bringing injured or abandoned animals to the site — squirrels, rabbits, deer, and others. Gradually the traveling circus turned into a zoo. Today the zoo’s infrastructure is very convenient for families with children. There are attractions, a mother-and-child room, cafés, and many benches to rest. You can easily spend the whole day here and take many charming photos.

Address: 24B Vorovskogo St., Vladivostok

Opening hours: Summer: 10:00 am-7:00 pm.
Winter: 10:00 am-6:00 pm.

Website: zoopark-vl.ru

Safari Park

Primorsky Safari Park became world-famous when its resident tiger Amur unexpectedly befriended a goat named Timur. The goat had originally been brought as food for the tiger, but Amur refused to eat him, and for some time the animals lived peacefully side by side. Timur even occupied the tiger’s shelter, forcing Amur to move elsewhere. Eventually the animals were separated. The park is a popular destination for families with children. Animals from Primorsky Krai live here in conditions close to their natural habitats. The park covers 16 hectares, and most visitor routes run along raised walkways. About five hectares of forest are dedicated to hoofed animals. This area is divided into three parks — summer, autumn, and winter — each with different landscapes. Many deer here are almost tame and happily approach visitors to take food from their hands. They can be petted and photographed. However, visitors cannot bring their own food; animals may only be fed with food provided by the park. In the areas for tigers and leopards, visitors observe predators in landscapes with rocky slopes and trees. The most complex park structures are in the area where Himalayan bears and badgers live. There is a summer pool, picturesque rocks, oak trees, and hazel shrubs. On the southern rocky slope there is also a park for musk deer, sometimes called “taiga kangaroos” because of their long powerful hind legs and short front legs, which allow them to jump very well. Seeing these animals in the wild is very rare. Among the park’s rare species are red wolves, which the park is helping to conserve. Young visitors especially enjoy the animal babies and the chance to feed and pet friendly residents such as red deer, rabbits, spotted deer, wild boars, and roe deer.

Address: Shkotovo settlement, Primorsky Krai

Opening hours: 10:00 am-6:00 pm.

Website: safaripark25.ru

A. Kozitsky Military-Patriotic Museum “20th-Century Technology in Primorsky Krai”

The museum was created on the basis of a military-patriotic club and opened in 2014. It includes several covered exhibition pavilions and a three-story building. Each floor of the building focuses on a specific theme: patriotism, the history of Primorsky Krai and its navy, and everyday life. Here you will see Russian and foreign cars, trucks and passenger vehicles, motorcycles, military and household equipment, and public transport. One of the most remarkable exhibits is a T-34 tank with an unusual history. It fought in the Battle of Stalingrad, where it was damaged. After repairs it served in railway troops in the Far East, later it was converted into a railway tractor, and at the end of its working life it was used in a reindeer farm as an all-terrain tractor. Another interesting exhibit is a Willys off-road vehicle, supplied to the Soviet Union by the United States under the Lend-Lease program. It could carry four people and was sometimes used to tow 45-mm anti-tank guns and mortars. The museum halls feature many unusual vehicles: a fire motorcycle, a three-wheeled car, and even a phaeton belonging to the militia of Nestor Makhno. Some exhibits can even be touched. After exploring the museum, visitors can buy souvenirs and have a snack at the local café.

Address: 21V Gryazelechebnitsa St., Vladivostok

Opening hours: 9:00 am-6:00 pm.

Website: tehno25.ru

Military and History Museum of the Pacific Fleet

The museum is located in a historic building constructed in 1903 for naval officers and their families. The building was given to the museum in 1997. The museum itself was founded in 1950 and was previously located in a Lutheran church building. There are 11 exhibition halls. There is also an outdoor exhibition called the “Artillery Courtyard.” It features weapons used in the defense of Port Arthur, naval guns, a mini-submarine, captured Japanese trophies, and a torpedo boat. During your visit you will travel through different periods of the Far East’s history. You will learn about the creation of the Amur Military Flotilla, the bravery of Russian soldiers in the Russo-Japanese War, sailors who took part in the First Russian Revolution, as well as the Civil War and foreign intervention. You will see ship models, personal belongings of sailors and admirals of the Pacific Fleet, naval uniforms from different countries, documents, awards, gifts from allies, and photographs of heroes who performed feats even in peacetime.

Address: 66 Svetlanskaya St., Vladivostok

Opening hours: 10:00 am-6:00 pm.
Closed: Monday, Tuesday, and the last Friday of the month (maintenance day)

Website: museumtof.ru