slothis · English

Irkutsk to Listvyanka: The Walk to Hotel Baikal

2016-05-10 · Updated: 2026-08-11 · Original (Korean)

This article was translated from the original Korean post with AI assistance. Read the original Korean post →

Thanks to the detailed instructions from Andrew, the manager at Hostel Bravo, we successfully took a local bus and arrived at the Irkutsk intercity bus terminal. My original plan was to walk this route, but that would have been reckless.

People sitting or standing under a bus stop structure with a Russian sign.
A white minibus with a drawing of a blue eye, stopped with its door open behind an orange iron fence.
Thanks to Andrew, we easily caught a bus to the intercity terminal. It might not look like much, but it's a bus.
Lucky timing: watching the bell ring at a church in Irkutsk.

We had been traveling without any major hiccups, but an unexpected problem popped up: there aren't many currency exchange offices in Irkutsk. Plus, today was Saturday, so the banks were obviously closed. Unlike what Korean and foreign travel blogs claimed about credit cards being accepted everywhere, the bus terminal didn't take cards at all. Whether their card reader was broken or they just didn't accept them, we panicked and our minds went blank. We finally pulled out our credit card, which we had planned to use only as a last resort. My older brother got a cash advance from an ATM using his Visa card to buy the bus tickets. What would we have done if we didn't even have a credit card? We got our tickets, but we still felt uneasy.

Exterior of a bright yellow bus terminal building with a red Russian sign.
The Irkutsk intercity bus terminal, where buses to Listvyanka depart.
An intercity bus schedule written in Russian is posted on the wall.
A bus schedule that makes no sense just by looking at it. You have to use hand gestures and body language to talk to the ticket lady. For reference, buses to Listvyanka leave at 8:30, 9:30, 13:30, 14:15, 17:30, and 18:00. Now that I can read a little Russian, I can spot and confirm "Listvyanka."
Google Translate was incredibly useful when we took a break to eat.
A white minibus stopped at a bus stop and people standing next to it.
The bus to Listvyanka. Again, it might look like that, but it's a bus.
Inside a minibus with passengers sitting in their seats.

After driving down a somewhat boring road for about an hour, we got off the bus and were asked to pay 20 RUB for luggage. The driver looked really scary and it was a small amount, so I just paid it, but I have no idea if this is standard practice. Still, I highly doubt anyone would scam us over 400 KRW.

Starting today, the hotel we'll be staying at in Listvyanka, located on this massive lake, is "Hotel Baikal." When I looked it up on Agoda, the price was incredibly cheap, and checking Google Maps, it said it was only a 10-minute walk. I booked it immediately in the middle of the night without a second thought. Since it was only a 10-minute walk, of course we decided to walk. The problem was that those 10 minutes weren't the 10 minutes I thought they were.

We walked for 10 minutes right alongside the roaring Lake Baikal. Strangely, the hotel should have been visible by now, but it wasn't. Thinking we took a wrong turn, I asked a passing lady. In Russian, she told us to turn right when we see the 'Muzey'. She also added an adjective that sounded like something was loooong, looking at us with the worried expression of someone sending the neighbor's son off to war. I just figured that was a typical Russian trait and kept walking.

30 minutes into the walk: We were convinced that 'Muzey' meant 'bridge,' so when we reached a small bridge, we rejoiced, thinking we were finally there. We turned right, but there was nothing that looked like a hotel. I started getting a sinking feeling that we were doomed, but still hoping it was just a minor mix-up, I asked some guys doing remodeling work (who, of course, were working with completely blank expressions). A boy who looked like a high schooler pulled out his iPhone and kindly showed us the location on Google Maps. Looking at the map, we weren't supposed to turn down this alley; we had to go further. If only I had checked the actual distance then.

45 minutes into the walk: Our bags were starting to feel really heavy. Between the front and back, we were carrying 20kg, so it made sense. What kind of "10 minutes" did I actually see on Google Maps?

1 hour into the walk: Now I finally understood why the first lady who gave us directions looked so shocked and fired off that "long" adjective for two straight seconds. I also finally understood what the grandma next to her meant when she was shaking her head "no."

1 hour and 10 minutes: We finally found the 'Muzey'. Damn it, Muzey wasn't a bridge; it was a museum. Still, since we found the museum, the hotel had to be just a little further. Let's just hold on a bit longer...

1 hour and 15 minutes: Ah... the hotel is finally right in front of us. I can see it, but it's up on a hill. I think it's been about 30 minutes since the two of us stopped talking to each other while walking. We were so drenched in sweat that even our underwear was soaked, and my brain was desperately trying to remember exactly what 10-minute route I had looked at while paying for this in the middle of the night.

1 hour and 30 minutes: We finally arrived at Hotel Baikal. The reception quickly got a room ready for the two sweaty Himalayan porters and answered every single one of our questions. They were honestly the first people in Russia to welcome us with friendly smiles. I don't know why I felt so overwhelmed, touched, and ready to cry just from arriving at a hotel.

Honestly, I never thought this post about getting to Listvyanka would be this long. I figured I'd just upload a few photos and be done with it, especially since we didn't even really look around Irkutsk, but here we are filming a sitcom again. We rested for a bit and then called a taxi to go eat because we were too exhausted. It cost 150 RUB, which is about 3,000 KRW. We went through all that suffering just to save 1,500 KRW each.

Through this self-inflicted torture, I came up with a new formula:

As soon as I got to the hotel, I checked again. The 10 minutes I saw was 10 minutes by car, and walking was listed as 1 hour. I must have been possessed by something while booking it at dawn. To think I was so happy about booking a cheap place an hour and a half walk away, completely ignoring all the hostels right in front of the bus terminal.

There are many things you shouldn't do in the middle of the night, besides making pathetic phone calls to your ex-girlfriend or boyfriend.

A blue truck passing by seen through a cracked car windshield.
The taxis might look like this, but they don't overcharge you inside Listvyanka, so you can take them with peace of mind. Or just take the bus. The bus is 20 RUB.

Expenses (Per person; multiply taxi and meals by 2 for the total cost)

Total 1525 RUB + $26.16

Total Trip Expenses 525,936 KRW + 2505 RUB + $26.16


#HotelBaikal