Goryachy Klyuch

Goryachy Klyuch
	<map lat='44.6348' lng='39.1348' zoom='9' view='0' />
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Information
Country:	Russia
State:	Krasnodar Krai
Major roads:	M4, E97, R000
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Goryachy Klyuch (Russian: Горячий Ключ) is a city in Russia in Krasnodar Krai, roughly halfway between Krasnodar and the Black Sea coast. The city's administrative district includes not only the city itself, which mainly consists of detached houses, but also numerous rural settlements and stanitsas, some of which are up to 25 km away over challenging roads.

Almost everything of interest to tourists is compactly located in the Sanatorny Park, which is best accessed from the highway by the pedestrian bridge near the "Stary Zamok" (Old Castle) hotel-restaurant. There are extensive parking areas on both sides of the road near it. The city center is only worth going to for supermarkets and canteens; there's no real reason for visitors to visit other parts of the city.

Hitchhiking out

South towards Dzhubga and Gelendzhik via M4/E97

Spacious lay-by at the turn to the Zarechye microdistrict. You can get there by Zarechye minibuses or walk from the city center via the pedestrian bridge near the furniture factory.
Acceleration lane at the end of the Goryachy Klyuch overpass. Equipped with a barrier and streetlights. You can get here by minibuses going towards the station.
Between the overpass and the "Stary Zamok" (Old Castle) hotel, there are several speed cameras. The shoulder is wide, and there are lights. If you have been walking around Sanatorny Park, you can hitchhike right opposite the Castle.

North towards Adygeysk and Krasnodar via M4/E97

Option 1: From the bus station, walk along Promyshlennaya Street to reach the highway on foot. At the turn, there is a 24-hour car wash with a spacious lay-by towards Krasnodar.
Option 2: Take a minibus from the city center towards the railway station, get off at the stop before the interchange. The minibus will turn under the overpass; you need to go right to the end of the overpass and hitchhike in the acceleration lane. There is a barrier along the shoulder, but there are lights. It's only 1.5 km on foot from the city administration to this spot.
Option 3: If you've been walking in Sanatorny Park, exit via the pedestrian bridge to the "Stary Zamok" hotel-restaurant. There is a wide shoulder nearby, a closed police post, and a speed limit controlled by cameras.

East towards Khadzhyensk via R000

Look for minibuses to the "Razvilka" microdistrict.

Hitchhiking in

The railway station is located outside the city, just north of the M-4 overpass. Buses and minibuses connect it to the city. Almost all long-distance trains stop here. It is the terminus for suburban trains from Krasnodar and Tuapse.
The bus station is located in the eastern part of the city, at the intersection of Khadyzhenskoye highway and Yaroslavskogo street, in the "Razvilka" area, which is of little interest to tourists.
If you are interested in tourist attractions described in Wikivoyage (Dante Gorge, springs, mineral sources, gazebos, and viewpoints over the river), it's best to hitchhike or take any bus in the direction of the sea and get off near the "Stary Zamok" hotel-restaurant. From there, you can cross the pedestrian bridge over the river and enter Sanatorny Park, where all the city's main attractions are concentrated. The bus from Krasnodar is less convenient for getting here, as it does not go via the main road but through many stanitsas.

Places to avoid

Accommodation and Sleep

Free

Couchsurfing, hospitalityclub, trustroots, BeWelcome, and similar.
Couch request via the VKontakte network: send the query "поиск _city_name_" (without punctuation or quotes, just two words) couchsurfing BOT in VKontakte. Advice on how and when to write a request can be found here.

Paid

There are many "guesthouses" in the city, both for daily and monthly rental. You can search for them online or by checking the signs as you walk between the park and city center.
Hotels get more expensive as you get closer to Sanatorny Park, with the most expensive ones being in the park itself.
Hostels on 2GIS
Add your own cheapest options if they are not listed in hostel directories.

Other useful info

Food

Café-canteen "Arbat" is not far from the entrance to the city, turn into the courtyards of the apartment blocks opposite the Lukoil gas station. Open daily 08:00–17:00. Tastes better than most other canteens. There are two toilets with sinks.
Canteen at 70 Chernyakhovskogo Street, located behind the "Magnit" supermarket, visible immediately after leaving the central square. Tel. +7–918–270–52–53, open 8:00–19:00. Popular for its cheap prices; in 2018 lunch cost only 150 rubles.
Canteens on 2GIS
Add your own cheapest options not listed above!

VKontakte Groups

Telegram chats

GORYACHY KLYUCH NEWS chat
Add suitable chats for newcomers/travelers!