yasnaya polyana museum-estate of leo tolstoy

It's lucky my wife is Russian and comes from close by to Tolstoys Estate, otherwise I wouldn't know what I was looking at. Really interesting place, lovely grounds and a nice ride in a horse and carriage too. My advice is get a guided tour and you will find it very interesting indeed, especially if you like Tolstoy. You get the usual market type stalls outside selling touristic bits and pieces, but it's kinda cute too.

Clearly anybody who is interested in Tolstoy should make the trek out here. It's also simply a beautiful part of the world so even if you are not a massive fan it is interesting simply as the pleasant estate of a Russian aristocrat. As people said you can only visit the interiors as part of a group, but even if you don't speak Russian just join a group - there's enough to look at as you go through each room. Make sure to visit his grave in the forest though beware it is further into the woods than you may think - around 10-15 minutes at a decent pace. Some of the groups have too many people however which restricts the pleasure you get of going around the rooms. Also very little info for non-Russian speakers hence give 4/5.One thing worth noting however is that you should not miss Tolstoy's Moscow residence which is also a museum with mostly/all? original artifacts. Yasnaya Polyana was preserved as it was when Tolstoy died, by which stage he was living a very frugal life. The Moscow home feels far less austere and probably gives a better picture of his family life that made up the larger portion of his time than the final years. Plus you can wander freely without a tour and there are English description boards for every room.

Explored the grounds of the estate only, not the house, and found it so beautiful. It was like stepping back in time. Though there are English and Korean signs, no one spoke English, which is a shame because you could only go in the house as part of a (Russian) guided tour.Although there were a million Mosquitos and other insects, I still enjoyed the tranquility and beauty of the estate. It feels like another planet compared to Moscow. Highly recommend the visit, even if you haven't quite finished War and Peace!

We had a great experience walking through the entire property.The guide was Russian ,but two fellow tourists knew English also so we had their great company as translaters.Grave of Tolstoy is so simple that is unimaginable.

Visited Yasnaya Ployana in May . There was a chance to have a guide for the tour but the price increased from £45 to £60 between enquiring & visiting so decided to buy a ticket & join a group going in .We arrived early & were among the first to go in that day - the Museum- estate opens from 10am to 3pm.The whole area is tranquil & you can imagine that it hasn't changed in years , which is to it's credit.Tolstoy's house was beautiful & you could almost think that the family had only just left. We were treated to a recording of Tolstoy's voice. In some rooms the attendants offered information sheets in English.The Museum has various buildings the other house which has other photos , exhibits of Tolstoy's life & work & other members of the family , a library , coach house , orchards & Tolstoy's grave in the forest near to the house.Outside the Museum -Estate there were a few souvenir shops & cafe but they didn't take over as so often they do in such places.They were selling locally made pottery which was well made but the best examples were at the hotel but unfortunately they were not for sale.We were lucky to stay in a hotel which is part of the complex which meant we were able to walk around the area & enjoy the countryside.The hotel seemed to be a well kept secret as it was quite hard to find. However on arrival it was time well spent , the rooms were more like suites with balconies , sitting rooms overlooking the forests around the hotel. There was a cafe selling snacks & drinks & a top class restaurant for evening meals. It's possible to visit as a day trip from Moscow but with the train journey to Tula & then a taxi or bus ride & back again afterwards would make it a long day - but well worth doing if that's the only way you can fit it in.Having read Tolstoy's books & books about his life it was fantastic to see where & how he lived & to see the things that he began there that survive to this day.

Almost everyone who knows smth about Leo Tolstoy, can recall the name Yasnaya Polyana, which is the place where the author was born and lived with his whole family. And the best time to visit this place - it's May. We visited it in November but anyway it was great! We took a car, just put in navigator “Yasnaya Polyana” and went along the route. It took us around 2,5 hours to get there (it's about 200km from Moscow). When entering the area of Yasnaya Polyana there is a big parking zone, we left the car there. As it was early morning and we didn’t have breakfast in Moscow, we came over the first café-place, it is called “Proshpekt” (spelled like Прошпект), you cannot miss it, it stands along the road, in front of entrance to museum territory of Yasnaya Polyana. There you can taste some basics of Russian cuisine, and some special dishes from Tolstoy's wife, and go on as we did.To enter the territory of Yasnaya Polyana museum, you have to buy tickets. Tickets are of two types:1. Entry ticket, 20 rub. – allows you to walk around the territory, to see parks, gardens, lake, Tolstoy’s grave, and see from outside all buildings2. Ticket with the excursion, 200 rub – allows you to enter Tolstoy’s house, guest-house, which is a museum now and walk around the territory.We went for Ticket with the excursion, because mainly why you would go to Yasnaya Polyana, is to see how Tolstoy lived and what is important all the things in the his house are original and are left like they were in 1910. Our guide was a nice lady, who told us very many things about Toltoy, his life before he settled in Yasnaya Polyana and afterwards, about his family. For sure without her stories this visit wouldn’t be so bright. By the way, there are English-speaking guides, who can tell many stories about Leo Tolstoy.It is cool to go to Yasnaya Ployana when it is nice weather, we were lucky to have sunny weather in November. Otherwise, for sure it is amazing place for late spring – the territory is full of apple-trees which are blossoming in May, they say it is amazing! And of course nice time for visiting is summer and early autumn.

The walk from the mashrucka was icy and a bit long but well worth it. Tolstoy's house was preserved as if he would be back any minute. The grounds were beautiful. It is a wonderful place to wander, although spring and summer would probably a better time to spend time exploring the grounds. The cold made the hot borscht and tea at they cafe across the street taste even better.

I have been here twice in my visits to this area and had a great reception both times and on both visits, an English tour was arranged for me although sadly on the first occasion through no fault of my own and the museum the other part of the party I was joining had arrived early.

Following instructions from the museum website, we decided to take public transport. Start with the metro to Domodedovskaya, head for the exit marked Orekovhy Boulevard (btw, it helps if you've bothered to learn the Cyrillic alphabet before setting off on this venture so you can decipher place and street names). We were lucky and found a minibus with Tula on it straight away. Tapped my watch and raised an eyebrow and the driver wrote 11.10 in the vehicle's dust! I think they leave around every 30 minutes. Time for a quick scoot round the neighbouring fruit market and a coffee, before boarding and heading off on time. Cost was 350 roubles each and the trip took round 2.5 hours. We asked to be let off at Ulitsa Mossima (Mossima Street). You then transfer to a local marstruka (mini bus) no. 114, 117 or 280. At this stage I wished I'd printed off the museum "Getting here" page in Russian, but I hadn't. Anyway, we got bundled on to the right mini bus and in my best Russian asked to be let off at Skolyana stop. The cost was miniscule (25 roubles each) and the ride took us around 25 minutes. You head out of the city and into the countryside. The scary moment is when the driver puts you off along the highway at a nothing spot. At this point things get interesting - but here's what we did. Turn your back to the highway, and you'll see a dirt path heading into the trees on your right. Take this path, and when it forks head left. You'll go past an institutional-looking 3- or 4-storey white school building (hence the bus stop name Skolyana, I guess), and take the steps in front of it. At this stage head towards the car park on your left, and continue past it up the hill when after 300metres or so you'll see the large white pillars announcing the site. It took us around 5 hours door to door to get to the estate, and, in spite of information on the website, we found it closed at 4pm, so only had 45 minutes in the house. In the end, that was enough. It's very simply furnished, and we were able to shuffle around in the weird overshoes that you're required to wear in that time, on our own. Nothing in English and no real explanations - so read up before you go and let your imagination to work. We spent another hour or so wandering round the orchards, woods and visiting Tolstoy's very beautiful resting place. We couldn't quite face the return journey, so decided to get the train back. We retraced our steps to the highway, and flagged down a minibus no. 114 back to Tula city, explaining to the driver that we wanted to go to Muskovsky Voksall (ie, the train station from where the trains to Moscow go). He dropped us back on Ulitsa Mossima, and pointed up a long street. We could easily have picked up a trolley bus to get to the station, but chose to walk the kilometre or so. At the station, we asked for tickets to the next train to Moscow, expecting them to go every half an hour or so, only to find out that the next one (and possibly the last one for the night) left in 2 hours. We needed to show our passports to buy tickets - not something we'd needed to do for buses - and were lucky to get away with flashing our tatty photocopy. The tickets were about the same price as the minibus and we took advantage of the intervening 90 minutes to get some dinner at the food court in the shopping mall across from the railway station. The train was dead on time, very busy and arrived back in Moscow round 10pm. A long day, but a very memorable one.

Leo Tolstoy's estate is located relatively far from Tula (12 km), and the easiest is to take a taxi there or get someone to drive you. From Moscow it is 300 km away. It is a state memorial and museum since 1921. From the parking lot it is a few hundred meters walk along a nice path with a small lake and greenhouses. The house itself is well kept and full of furniture and items that Tolstoy used. There is a very nice and romantic forest walk on the premises leading to the grave of Tolstoy. See picture. The estate is a typical Russian estate of the 19th and 20th century, giving us a fascinating insight into the lives of the well-to-do of Tsar Russia. Tolstoy wrote "War and peace" and "Anna Karenina" here, and the museum i currently run by his descendant Vladimir.

The house is in a gorgeous park surrounded by birch trees. There is a beautiful lake and a smaller pond with a 19th-century bathing machine. An avenue of trees leads to the main house and its attractive flower gardens. You need to walk 4 or 5 kilometres from the bus stop to see everything - we hailed a taxi on the way back, which saved a bit of time. It's a lovely place to stroll and have a picnic on a warm summer day. The most evocative sight is Tolstoy's grave, which is marked by a simple raised mound of earth.

8 марта были семьей. впервые. прекрасная природа и умиротворенная атмосфера. замечательный экскурсовод Марина.

Очень поразила скромность и доброта и тепло этого места,хотели б вернуться в теплое время года.Очень хороший гид и интересный музей.

Приехали рано утром, попали на первую экскурсию в дом-музей Л.Н. Толстого и флигель Кузьминских. Обстановка в доме сохранена как и при жизни писателя. Мебель, книги, покрывало на кровати Льва Николаевича, связанное Софьей Андреевной, его рубашка, скамеечка под ноги, фото и т.д. все это создает ощущение, что он в нем до сих пор живет. Могила Л.Н. Толстого без памятников и крестов, просто холмик на краю живописного оврага. Отдельное спасибо гиду Людмиле Михайловне, которая с такой любовью к Льву Николаевичу провела нашу экскурсию.

В Музее усадьбе Л.Н. Толстого душа отдыхает! Красоту этого места не передать словами! Природа здесь необыкновенная!