Vologda

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Vologda
<map lat='59.2205' lng='39.8915' zoom='9' view='0' />
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Information
Country:	Russia
State:	Vologda Oblast
Major roads:	M8, A114, A119
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Vologda (Russian: Вологда) is a city in Russia, located in Vologda Oblast. It lies on a common hitchhiking route from Moscow to Arkhangelsk along the M8 "Kholmogory" highway, and is also accessible from Saint Petersburg after the renovation of the A114 road.

Hitchhiking in

From Saint Petersburg, Cherepovets (A114)

• You will arrive at the beginning of the ring road, where there is a roundabout. Most cars go straight onto ulitsa Pankratova. The first intersection is with ulitsa Shchetinina – from there, buses 1, 15, and others go to the city center, but your ride may take you further to ulitsa Leningradskaya at the intersection with ulitsa Petina, or to Petina with Poshekhonskoye highway.
• At the roundabout, the car may also turn right along the ring road, passing the RIO shopping center, where many buses go to the center, as well as to ulitsa Koneva—about 15 minutes on foot to the Moscow exit. There is also a free shuttle (MAZ bus) from RIO to the train station every 30 minutes, with stops at the hospital and the dairy plant on Poshekhonskoye highway. The bus stop is next to the regular one, but from the RIO parking lot.
• If your car takes the bypass before reaching the city, you can exit before the interchange and walk past the checkpoint to the bus 42 stop and ride it into the city, including to the center.

From Moscow, Yaroslavl (M8)

• The first city exit is at a traffic light towards ulitsa Koneva. It’s about a 15-minute walk from the highway to the terminal stop for different buses going to different parts of the city. A "Magnit" supermarket is nearby.
• The second exit is at the roundabout towards Poshekhonskoye highway. About 5–10 minutes’ walk from the highway is a bus stop for a few buses heading towards the train station.
• The third exit, and a significant city area, is ulitsa Leningradskaya, where the largest hypermarkets are located and many buses pass by.
• The ring road ends with a roundabout, where the road to Saint Petersburg and Cherepovets (A114) starts; after 3–4 km, there is an interchange for the arkhangelsk bypass road.

From Arkhangelsk (M8)

• Upon entering the city, the bypass heads right, leading to A114 towards Saint Petersburg and Cherepovets. After the bypass, Chernyshevskogo Street begins, with bus transport to the center.

From Medvezhyegorsk, Vytegra (A119)

• If your ride stays on the bypass and you need the city, get out at any bus stop after the village of Molochnoye. Bus 37 goes from there to the city center and the train station.

Hitchhiking out

North towards Arkhangelsk (M8)

• Take any transport going towards the airport (from "Stary Rynok", for example). Get out just after the ring road at "poselok Dorozhny" stop, before the airport turn.

South towards Yaroslavl and Moscow (M8)

• Any transport marked "bolnichny kompleks" (hospital complex). In the center: trolleybus 4, buses 6, 23, 38, 31, 29, 40, and others. Get off at the last stop. Walk to the roundabout (not more than 5 minutes). Hitchhiking is possible just after it. The DPS post is 1 km from the intersection of the ring road and ulitsa Marshala Koneva.
• Bus 43 from the center (ul. Gertsena) to the highway. The bus passes the traffic light, turns around, and stops. Walk behind the traffic light. This option is preferable since many cars leave for Moscow via ulitsa Koneva.
• Bus ("Pazik") 43 from the center to Kozitsyno (cemetery). Difference: the bus will drive you a couple of kilometers down the highway, past the post. The downside is the traffic is already faster there. There are speed cameras, but most drivers don’t stop.

West towards Novaya Ladoga, Saint Petersburg (A114)

• Option 1: Bus 42. Goes from ulitsa Dalnyaya via Gorkogo, through Stary Rynok, then along Leningradskaya, through PZ. Get off at the turn before the post. Interchange with M8 right after the DPS post.
• Option 2: Any bus to the Podshipnikovy Zavod (PZ) factory. Get off at ul. Ilyushina by the airplane monument. Walk to the beginning of the road, where the roundabout is, and hitchhike at the stop.

Northwest towards Vytegra (A119)

• Bus 37 or 37E "Vologda – Molochnoye," departs roughly every 30 minutes. Route 37 streets: Station, ul. Mira, ul. Oktyabrskaya, prospekt Pobedy, ul. Klubova, pos. Molochnoye, ul. Lenina. Route 37E: ul. S. Orlova, ul. Leningradskaya, Ring road, road to Molochnoye, ul. Lenina. Get off when the bus leaves the highway. There is also the museum of wooden architecture in Semyonkovo (bus stop) nearby.

Accommodation and Sleep

Free

• Couchsurfing – as of early 2025, Vologda has 2386 registered couchhosts, but only 2 were active within the last month.
• BeWelcome, Servas, Trustroots, Couchers and other hospitality exchange platforms. Check and contribute for more alternatives to CouchSurfing!
• Couch-host can also be found through CouchBot: send a command with the city name in the VK group messages or via CouchBot on Telegram.
• For advice on how to send requests to maximize your chances: read here.
• In your own tent – add recommendations.
• iOverlander — a website and app to help travelers find places including wild camping spots for tent travelers. User-updated like Hitchwiki.
• VK group CS VK
• Pilgrims' house at Spaso-Prilutsky Dimitriev Monastery, ulitsa Monastyrskaya 2, tel: +7 (817-2) 55-92-05, +7 (817-2) 55-92-24
• State Institution "Night Stay House", Naberezhnaya VI Armii 87
• Rehabilitation Center "Kalina Krasnaya", Sovetsky prospekt, 35-a

Paid

• 19 rooms for rest at the train station (2- and 3-bed rooms in the adjacent building, and a luxury room in the main building, 2nd floor). Tel: +7 (8172) 798238
• hostels on 2GIS
• hostels on Flamp
• Add your cheapest recommendations!