Kaliningrad Travel Guide

The city of  Kaliningrad is a legacy of the Germans  and till today retains a distinct German flavour, be it in the Gothic architecture of it’s buildings or in the tree lined avenues of the city.  

Konigsberg, as it was known earlier, was actually built as a Teutonic Order fort in 1255, and was the stronghold of the dukes of Prussia. The last of the Germans were shipped out to Germany only in 1945 and the city was renamed Kaliningrad as it is known today.

The cathedral or Dom as it is called is an astounding piece of architecture, which was almost destroyed in the last world war and is now under reconstruction. On the premises is the tomb of Immanuel Kant, the 18th century philosopher and in the cathedral is the small Kant Museum that houses personal memorabilia. The Amber Museum holds the biggest collection of amber and the History and Art Museum has an outstanding collection of artefacts. The House of Soviets is structural monstrosity that should be seen just for its ugliness. Today it stands empty as it was found that the ground below was hollow and thus unsafe. The Bunker Museum was once the command post of German general, today it is open to the public and a popular place to visit.  At the Kaliningrad Art Gallery, view works of art by local artists and in the north of the city visit the Fifth Fort the only one of the fifteen forts in the city that is now open to the public.

The airport lies 24kms north of the city and is connected to Europe via Copenhagen. Besides that there are daily flights to Moscow and St. Petersburg. Train services operate between Kaliningrad and Berlin, Warsaw and Odessa.  Ferry services run to Rostok and Travermunde in Germany as also to Poland. Check for timings and frequency. There are also buses running from Germany and Poland in to Kaliningrad.  Once in the city, one can move around by trams, trolleys and buses. One can also hire a taxi or a private car.

For accommodation, the choice here runs from fancy hotels with indoor pools to bed and breakfast accommodation in a private home. For the really budget conscious, there is the floating hotel on the Pregolya River.  Choices for dining range from greasy meaty dishes, overpriced pasta, exotic stuffed chicken, French Juliennes and empanadas at a Cuban restaurant that cost less than $5.

There are exchange bureaus in most hotels and banks especially Investbank. Hotel Kaliningrad has an ATM. The post offices are at Kosmonavta and Chernyakhovskogo which have express mail and UPS. At Teatralnaya is a telephone and fax center. Internet access is located at the State Technical University.