Saratov

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Saratov
<map lat='51.5333' lng='46.0167' zoom='9' view='0' />
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Information
Country:	Russia
State:	Saratov Oblast
Major roads:	R228, R22, R158, R236
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Saratov (Russian: Саратов) is a city in Russia. It is the administrative center of Saratov Oblast, located on the middle Volga.

Hitchhiking out

South towards Volgograd via R228

• The first stop after the SKAD interchange is "s. Sbrodovka". Bus №291 departs from the "Stadion Volga" stop (you can get there by minibus 63 from the bus station). Bus leaves at 6:40, 8:00, 11:45, 13:00, 16:40, 17:50. About 1-hour ride. Get off at the main road before the turn to the village, walk 50 meters ahead and you can start hitchhiking.
• From Saratov-1 railway station, commuter trains 6304 (7:32) and 6316 (18:11) go daily to the "28 km" stop. Journey lasts about 1 hour. Upon exiting, follow a dirt road for 400 meters to the highway—hitchhiking possible right away.
• From the bus station, you can go to the village of Kolotov Buerak. Buses depart at 14:30 and 16:30. Ask the driver to stop at the turn to the village.

West towards Balashov and Voronezh via R22 "Caspian"

• The first stop after the SKAD interchange is "s. Novoalexandrovka." Buses №350, 389, 419.
• At "Stadion Volga," take bus №383 (runs a few times per day). About 1-hour ride. Get off at the turn to Sosnovka after the bus turns; cross the road, go about 50 meters—it's an excellent spot for hitchhiking, already past all exits from Saratov, so all traffic to Moscow and Voronezh passes here.
• From the bus station, take a bus to Mikhaylovka. Suitable buses: 603, 637, 636, 623.

North towards Balakovo and Syzran via R228

• To s. Svintsovka, take bus №238 from the Sennoy Market.
• On the SKAD, near the interchange, there is the "Devon-Alliance" stop—buses №223, 358 go here.
• From the bus station, go to the village of Kleshchevka (bus 604, heading to Baltay). You can stop at the station, or walk 2 km ahead on the roadside for a better spot.
• Take bus 11 or 06 to the shopping center "Happy Mall." After that, walk a short distance to a good hitchhiking spot. The bus stops before SKAD, but it's one of the best city exits. About 5 km to the ring road.

Northeast towards Penza, Saransk, Arzamas, and Nizhny Novgorod via R158

• Right after the SKAD, s. Storozhevka, buses №242, 242U. With №242, you can go further to Tatishchevo.
• From the bus station you can go to Storozhevka; ticket and schedule available online.
• From Lenin Square, bus 242u goes to Storozhevka: first departs Storozhevka at 6:00, from Lenin Square at 6:30. Intervals: 40 and 30 min respectively. Last trips 19:10 (from Storozhevka), 20:00 (from Lenin Square).
• If you need to enter the city, trolleybus 5a goes from Elshanka to Muzeynaya Square; also, bus 75 from this area goes to the bus station—transport works until about 20:00.

Southeast towards Uralsk via R236

• From the railway station, bus 274b goes to the settlement Probuzhdenie beyond Engels, putting you directly onto the road to Uralsk.

Hitchhiking in

It is quite difficult to enter the city by car in the evening. You are most likely to be dropped off in the area of Storozhevka (after the SKAD) or Prospekt Stroiteley. From there, tram No. 3 from Lenin Square can take you to the city center if it is not too late. Tram runs from 06 Dachnaya at 22:30, 23:30, 4:20, 5:00, 5:40.

Accommodation and Sleep

Free

• Couchsurfing, HospitalityClub, trustroots, BeWelcome, and similar.
• A couch host can also be found via CouchBot: send a message with the city name to the VK group or via CouchBot on Telegram.
• State facility “Center for social and labor rehabilitation for the homeless” – 27 Polyarnaya St.
• With your own tent, it is advisable to camp in the forest park Kumysnaya Polyana.