M4 highway rest areas. To Crimea by car

Just in case, I’ll tell you how we drove along the M4 highway, maybe someone will find it useful, a kind of report. So, the whole journey of 1500 km took us 3 days and along the way we also stopped at Divnogorye for a day, it’s almost on the road. In principle, this route from Moscow to Gelendzhik/Sochi/Anapa can be covered in a day (18-25 hours), but I’m not a fan of such long journeys in one sitting, especially at night and when there is no one to replace you, the risk is unjustified. Driving 500 km is the best, the driver doesn’t lose concentration. In addition, we perceived the trip as a journey, so there was no hurry.

If you want to travel faster and without stopping, then it’s better to travel by plane (via /), indeed, faster and at the same time much safer. Moreover, when we are talking about a vacation of a couple of weeks, you don’t need so many things with you; for a family of three people, 3 suitcases of 20 kg each should be enough. But here the master is the master, as you like. We went for a month, or even more, so we need a lot of stuff with us and a car in place to move around.

Brief impressions

Our route changed a little towards the end. We decided to stop by Anapa to visit sandy beaches several days, and in the end we were stuck here for rehabilitation, which we managed to fit in on the last day. Therefore, we will be in Anapa for another 3 weeks, and then we will move towards Gelendzhik (if it doesn’t get colder) and to Sochi. Well, that is if nothing changes again.

After our last such trip to Gelendzhik 2 years ago, I wrote a whole painful post about. It's time to rewrite it. As difficult as it was to travel then, it was so much easier now. Everything is relative. Yes, Yegor still doesn't sleep in his car seat, but he can sit in it all day! If, of course, you constantly give him entertainment :) Still, he has become calmer and he can at least be occupied with something, for example, with Lego, which we bought right before the trip. And now it was necessary to stop for one nap, and not two. In general, I was very afraid of a repetition of the previous time, but it did not happen. Traveling with a child is more difficult than without him, but it is quite possible and even we can do it. Especially if you travel overnight.

The top impressions are still the toilets with their parking lots and smoking trucks; in this regard, unfortunately, nothing has changed in 5 years. The pleasant thing is that the road has become better, and the open spaces around have not gone away. But more on that below.

Route Moscow-Voronezh-Rostov-Anapa-Gelendzhik-Sochi

If you travel with two overnight stays, then the most optimal stops will be in the Voronezh area and Rostov-on-Don. Thus, the route will be divided into 3 sections of 500 km each. On the one hand, these cities are full of housing on the same basis (follow the link for my detailed post about the service and bonus 20$), on the other hand, entering and leaving the city takes time, so to save time, it would be better to stay at roadside hotels rather than inside the city.

Please note that in the city there is an opportunity to save money, since a normal apartment costs 1500-2000 rubles (I recommend the apartment), and a comparable hotel will cost twice as much.

As an option, plan a route with only one overnight stay, for example, leave Moscow during the day, get to Voronezh in the evening, spend the night in a hotel in front of it, and from early morning move on straight to the sea. Or plan a single overnight stay before Rostov, where the route passes through several settlements where there are motels and private housing.

Unpretentious travelers can generally spend the night in a tent anywhere along the way (in forest belts), and “long-distance drivers” travel for 18-25 hours without resting or spending the night. I personally don’t want to risk my family, so I try not to make long hauls, as I get tired and lose concentration, especially at night. Yes, I could drive these 1500 km in one sitting, but I don’t see the point.

If the final goal is Sochi, then driving along the Tuapse-Sochi section without a preliminary break is not very pleasant, there are serpentines, traffic jams, and this section can take quite a lot of time, 2-3 times longer than usual (when compared with flat sections). Ideally, drive along it early in the morning, while there are still few cars, or at night. When I was traveling to Sochi, then average speed I went 45 km/h, there were sections with one-way traffic (repairs), plus, although trucks sometimes let through on the uphill slopes, overall it was still not possible to drive fast. Only closer to Sochi and after it the speed is normal. In populated areas (and there are plenty of them there) the speed limit is often 40 km/h, on the highway it’s 70 km/h.

I usually go to Gelendzhik through Dzhubga, I like it there better, it’s a calm road, but there is an option to go through Novorossiysk. It’s better to go to Anapa by leaving the M4 highway 100 kilometers after Rostov to the village of Kanevskaya, and then driving through Timashevsk, Slavyansk-on-Kuban, sticking to the Temryuk direction, but the road there is so-so. After Slavyansk we will have to go to Anapa.

Travel time

As I wrote above, it all depends on how many overnight stays you want along the way and whether you want to at all. We all went there with our family, so we stayed for 2 nights, and in the end the journey took 3 days at a very relaxed pace.

I traveled back alone (my family flew by plane) from Adler to Moscow. I got there in 26 hours, of which I slept in the car for about 5 hours. That is, the journey itself took 21 hours. Quite normal I think. Somewhere around 20-25 hours is worth counting on, without taking into account long stops for sleep.

Highway M4

Stripes and coating

On the road to the Black Sea I have already traveled several times, hitchhiking back and forth, and 3 times by car. The track is slowly but changing for the better. First of all, we almost made two lanes in each direction from Moscow to Goryachy Klyuch. But, unfortunately, there are still areas with one lane. For example, in the Voronezh region, in the area of ​​the villages of Losevo-Pavlovsk-Verkhniy Mamon, a section about 70 km long. Moreover, there is no repair there, just a lane in each direction and there is no hint of expansion. And another piece is closer in the Rostov region. Repairs are also underway in the Rostov region after Rostov-on-Don between the villages of Samarskoye and Kushchevskaya (a piece of about 40 km). Even in the Rostov region, the metal divider with the oncoming lane periodically disappears, markings disappear, irregularities, cracks, etc. appear (I was driving in the dark, it was completely inconvenient), just like in the Voronezh region. In fact, the best piece of M4 between Moscow and Voronezh, in theory it should be like this along its entire length. Will wait:)

After Goryachiy Klyuch there is single-lane traffic with periodic overtaking lanes. She appears there quite often. From Dzhubga to Tuapse the pattern is approximately the same, only a small serpentine road and a third lane is quite rare. From Tuapse to Sochi there is a concrete serpentine road and there is almost no way to overtake. From Dzhubga to Geledzhik there is also one lane, but there is almost no serpentine, so the section is covered quickly.

From Rostov to Anapa there is a single lane with a bunch of trucks and old Kamaz trucks, and only after turning from the Temryuk highway to Anapa do they disappear. We tried to use the navigator to take bypass roads (we drove from Rostov to Azov and then bypassed the cities), but the roads there were bad in some places, the distance was generally longer, but the plus was that there were few cars. Whether they won or not, I don’t know.

Fines and cameras

There are a lot of cameras along the road, so getting a fine for not complying with the speed limit is not a problem. But it’s for the better, we’ll all be more alive. I drove everywhere at a maximum speed of +15 to the permitted speed, that is, if the permitted speed is 90 km/h, then I was driving 115 km/h. Everywhere, except for paid areas, this is exactly the restriction. On the paid ones - 110 km/h and on one of them as much as 130 km/h (that is, you can drive 145 km/h if you so desire).

During the whole trip there and back I received only one fine for 500 rubles. Somewhere in the Voronezh region I was driving at 83 km/h instead of locality. It’s strange, usually I definitely slow down there.

Paid areas

There are currently eight toll sections on the M4. All of them are between Moska and Voronezh, but they plan to do more. Visually, they are almost no different from other sections of the route; I did not notice any serious differences. Only on one piece they made the speed limit 130 km/h, on the rest 110 km/h, as well as on the rest of the M4 section, which is positioned as a motorway.

Price: 35-120 rubles per plot, rates are cheaper at night. Moreover, at one of the sites you have to show the receipt again when leaving, so don’t throw away the receipts.

Rest on the road and refueling

We mainly stayed at Lukoil because there is a civilian toilet, a minimarket, a children's playground and tables on the street for snacks. At least in the first half of the M4, Lukoil gas stations are equipped in this way, then they go smaller and without such a set. On the map, just in case, I marked a very large Luikoil after Voronezh, where you can eat normally and stand in the shade. In previous Lukoils, the cafes only had coffee/tea and buns, but here they have straight food.

Well done Lukoil - many gas stations have playgrounds and tables for snacks

There are Russian expanses all around... M4 in the background

The territory of this gas station was very large and many stood at the far end, where there is shade and benches with tables. So, in order not to go anywhere, people immediately relieved themselves behind the partition, which created a wild stench and heat. I was surprised not even by laziness to walk 100 meters to the toilet, but by the fact that the stench did not bother anyone, people sat there calmly and ate. Hmmm.

If anyone doesn’t know, there are also parking lots along the way. But, to put it mildly, they are not very pleasant: a lot of garbage and absolutely dirty toilets. Moreover, if there is some kind of infrastructure in the parking lot, for example, illegal cafes, then there will be much more trouble. Therefore, it is better to stop to rest, either at gas stations, or just along the way in a forest belt, or in parking lots where there are no cafes. And another mini-life hack: if you still decide to go to the red brick toilet, then it’s better not to go to it in the parking lot, go to bus stop, they are there too, but cleaner.

Other nuances

I noticed this peculiarity: the flow in the left lane travels somewhere around 140-160 km/h, in the right lane 80 km/h. Therefore, if you want to drive 100-120 km/h, then none of the lanes is suitable, you have to constantly change lanes from one to another. It's inconvenient, though.

After Rostov-on-Don, I was sick of the single-lane road, but this is more relevant for those who are going to Anapa, Temryuk, (Port Kavkaz), that is, leaving the M-4 to the right. We drove this last section for a very long time, full of trucks (apparently they are going just to Port Caucasus). The trucks are destroyed, not only are you dragging behind them at 50-60 km/h, but there are also clouds of smoke, no cabin filters can save you. What if I had asthma? And it’s hard to overtake, the traffic is continuous. First, they exceed the permitted load, loading goods with 2-3 times more weight, so that the car cannot crawl up the hill and is killed, and then they buy a state inspection ticket, although it is no longer a car, but a steam locomotive, and they drive on.

For some reason, Megafon reception is pretty bad along the entire road. You stop at a gas station so that Egor can sleep and eat, you want to check your email at the same time, post a photo, but the Internet is EDGE at best, that is, almost dead. In Rostov-on-Don, in the very center, exactly in the place where they rented an apartment, the situation is the same (the next day we moved away from the block and it started working). On the Timashevsk-Slavyansk-on-Kuban-Anapa road, H+ almost did not appear. In Dzhemet (a village near Anapa) 3G and H+ are also received in places. I remember in 2011 I was with us, I took notes along the way, outlined myself, since it was impossible to post anything, it’s a pity, little has changed since then.

Radio everywhere, to put it mildly, is not for everyone, either Russian retro or chanson. You need to take disks or a flash drive with you. And by the way, not every radio will reliably pick up a signal at such distances from large cities.

Yandex Navigator takes the shortest route, even if it is a dirt road, there is no choice of “fast” or “short”. And, if you don’t really need a navigator to travel along the M4 (there’s nowhere to get lost there), then for exploring any surrounding areas away from the highway, it’s better to use normal navigators. They were all deleted for me when I changed my phone, I need to install them again.

Video

A short sketch of what a toilet looks like on the most modern highway in Russia, the M4.

P.S. When we get to Sochi and then go back, maybe I’ll add something else.

P.P.S What application do you use for car navigation in Russia?

) and, especially, having driven along it six times, it would be a remiss not to make a selection of hotels where you can stay for the night. Below I will talk about some hotels that will satisfy the requirement of those traveling along this route. All of them meet the requirements:

• parking;
• free cancellation option;
• proximity to the highway;
• comfort corresponding to the stated price.

So, budget hotels on the M4 Don Highway - just the bare facts:

Hotels on the M4 highway – Moscow region

1.Hotel Yamskoy(Village of Yam, Pochtovaya St., 17, Domodedovo) - just right for a transit stop.

Pros: spacious rooms, free secure parking and convenient location - right next to the highway. The hotel is not far from Domodedovo Airport on the M4 highway, so it is suitable not only for car but also for air travelers.

Cons: noisy when the windows are open (the hotel is next to the M4 highway), lack of an elevator and poor Wi-Fi. But is Wi-Fi really necessary if you need a hotel for an overnight stay?... The question is controversial. The hotel rating, despite its “roadside” nature, is 8.9

2. Another hotel on the M4 highway near the airport: Master Hotel Domodedovo(White Pillars, Shebantsevo St., 2a). The hotel is on the fourth floor in a building with a lot of shops.

Important – the hotel is on the 3rd floor without an elevator.

Plus - the rooms are quiet and spacious, the price is low for the Moscow region

Minus - public parking, lack of breakfast (there is a pizzeria in the building).

Hotels on the M4 highway – Tula region

3. Motel Slavyansky(143 km of the M4 Don highway, Mordves village)

Pros - children under 7 years old (not occupying a separate bed) check in and check out free of charge. Very accommodating staff, sometimes reducing the price due to sudden “force majeure” situations in the form of hot water being turned off. The comfort of the beds is noted by everyone staying.

Cons: public parking, no internet, poor sound insulation, toilet on the floor and not in the room (if you book a separate house and not a room, then, naturally, the toilet will be for personal use).

Conclusion - I would not stay at this hotel with a small child because of the “hallway” toilet. Everything else is tolerable and unprincipled for me.

Hotels on the M4 highway – Voronezh region

4. Maximum Hotel(518 km of the M4 Don highway, Voronezh)

Pros - the hotel is located twenty meters from the M4 highway, the sound insulation is excellent.

Cons: lack of proper Wi-Fi.

Reviews for this hotel are controversial; so, if you travel along the M4 and need an overnight stay in the Voronezh region, read for yourself and decide whether this motel is suitable for you or not.

5. Grand Hotel (Pavlovsk, Severny microdistrict, 18 b)

Pros – the hotel is small, with 10 rooms. The rooms are varied, from simple to luxurious. Private parking and free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel. Furniture and plumbing are good.

Cons – the hotel is on the third floor of a multi-storey building, no breakfast. One of the guests complained about the lack of disposable slippers. In a roadside hotel?…

Conclusion - we would love to stop. For a roadside hotel on the M4, this is an excellent choice at a not very high price.

Hotels on the M4 highway - Rostov region

6. Hotel Eurasian Business Center(Rostov-on-Don, Pluzhnaya st., 16)

Pros: the hotel is located next to the M4 highway and is convenient for stopping both towards the south and towards the north. One of the few hotels where you can more than comfortably spend the night with children. Parking under video surveillance (the need for parking is specified at the time of booking).

Cons: Wi-Fi is not very good.

A comment: It is more profitable to book this hotel directly through the hotel’s website, as the owners regularly post special offers.

7. Venetsia Resort(Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, Beregovaya St., 11)

Pros – good Wi-Fi, there is a restaurant, a swimming pool

Cons – with open window It will be difficult to sleep - there is a railway bridge nearby.

Conclusion - this hotel is equivalent to resort hotel. It is not clear how much this is needed for those driving along the M4 Don highway and just looking for an overnight stay. But, if we were looking not only to “spend the night,” but also to “relax,” we would have stopped. The price for such a hotel is low. The hotel is new, on Booking since January 2016.

8. Hotel Rodina(1076 km of the M-4 Don-2 highway, Dorozhny village, 10 km from Rostov-on-Don)

Pros: Pets allowed, free private parking without reservation. Children under 12 years old are accommodated in this hotel free of charge if they do not occupy a separate bed. 24-hour dining room

Cons: Wi-Fi is not the best.

Conclusion - the hotel is very conveniently located on the highway and is quite suitable for one night. We would definitely stop.

9. Hotel Terem(826 km of the M4 Don highway, Grai-Voronets,)

Pros: private parking without prior reservation. Children under 6 years old sleeping with you are free. On the territory there is a mini-zoo and a beach, the breakfast is delicious, but very filling.

Cons: The advertised Wi-Fi does not always work.

Conclusion - the quality fully corresponds to the stated price. One of the best hotels on the M4 highway, but not directly on it, so you won’t hear any car noise with the windows open. It is convenient to access it from both sides.

10.Hotel 858 kilometer(First right turn between 857 and 858 km of the M4 Don highway, Millerovo)

Inexpensive and quite comfortable hotel.

Important - breakfast for an additional fee (from 150 rubles)

Pros: The rooms have a refrigerator. At the reception you can pour boiling water around the clock, in front of the hotel there is a children's playground.

Cons: private parking, but costs 100 rubles per day. Perhaps this is the only negative of this hotel.

11.Hotel Triumph(993 km+800m of the M4 Don highway)

Pros - free private parking without prior reservation, children are free if they are under 12 years old and they will sleep on your bed. The hotel is located next to the M4 highway. But behind the fence, there is no feeling of a “track”. Free sauna and swimming pool.

Disadvantages - tomorrow is late, from 8 am, which is not suitable for everyone. And almost everyone who stops notes that it’s not the best better job cleaners There is Wi-Fi, but it also leaves much to be desired. Payment only in cash. Not all rooms have windows and there is little space in the dining room (if everyone comes to breakfast at the same time, there will not be enough space).

Conclusion - the hotel is not for relaxation, but specifically for “spending the night and leaving.”

12.Hotel Dio Lacroix(Dachnaya st. 329, Shakhty, Russia)

More expensive than the previous hotel.

Pros - breakfast from 6 am (several options) is included in the price, pets are allowed. There is a gas station next to the hotel. It is not entirely clear whether the parking is private or public, but it is guarded and free. There is a good restaurant across the street.

The disadvantages follow from the advantages. That is, there may be music playing in the restaurant and with the window open it will be noisy in the room.

13. Hotel Meridian-Yug(Askaysky District, Krasny Kolos, Mira Street 37, Krasny Kolos)

Pros – Children under six years old stay free in your bed. Children under four years old are free in any case. If a child needs a separate bed and is between 4 and 6 years old, you will have to pay 300 rubles. The hotel is located directly on the M4 motorway. Breakfast from 6:30.

Cons: heated floors. Given that everyone is different and everyone needs different temperatures, your room may feel a little hot. There seem to be no other disadvantages.

Overall the hotel is more than good feedback, for some reason mostly in winter. Like, “we went to the Elbrus region to ski, stopped and rested.”

14. Guest House Dom(DNT "Trud" st. 16 line 1368, Krasny Sad, Russia)

18 kilometers from Rostov-on-Don. One of the cheapest hotels with a high rating. More precisely, this is not a hotel, but one of the few bookable guest houses on the M4 highway. Completely new, just completed construction in the summer of 2015. But, judging by the reviews, the construction does not interfere at all; everyone notes the convenience and cordiality of the owners.

Pros – private parking EPO BY PRE-ORDER. Children under 12 years old who do not occupy a separate bed are free.

Cons – no internet, but perhaps this is a temporary phenomenon.

Hotels on the M4 highway – Krasnodar region

15.Guest house(1196 km of the M4 Don highway, Pavlovskaya station)

Pros - children under 7 years old are free (on existing beds), you can try to negotiate accommodation with pets, parking must be reserved in advance.

Cons: poor breakfast and overpriced restaurant next to the hotel.

In general, the hotel justifies itself as a roadside hotel.

16. Mini-hotel Chizhik (Soviet street 71, Red Partisan)

Pros: Judging by the reviews, the hotel is wonderful. Many people stay there several times.

Disadvantages – payment is only in cash. The price is slightly higher than average, but within reason.

And a bonus last hotel:

17. Guest House Kazachka(Rostov highway 21, Krasnodar)

Pros: quiet rooms, you can have a good rest, good Wi-Fi, they offer a delicious breakfast in the morning

Cons: there are problems with hot water, the rooms are not always well cleaned, the entrance is inconvenient. However, the hotel is quite suitable for “spending the night” and driving further along the by no means easy M4 highway.

Didn't pick up anything? Try looking for other options and the question of where to spend the night on the M4 highway will disappear:Where to look for unusual excursions?

How we chose hotels

Rostov is a big city; during rush hour there are serious traffic jams, so it is better to find a hotel on the outskirts, or even better on the M4 highway, so as not to waste time winding through the streets of Rostov-on-Don. The road to Rostov is quite difficult, because the flow of cars is large, the distance is impressive, so you are unlikely to want to walk around the city in the evening.

Here are a number of hotels located along the route:

Hotel Rodina is a nice hotel with excellent service, comfortable and clean rooms, a super bed with good linen. There is a 24-hour cheap canteen nearby (dinner for three cost 700 rubles), which is important for an early departure.

Meridian South - located on the M4, before reaching Rostov-on-Don. Simpler than Rodina, but quite decent, in my opinion.

Guesthouse Bingo - budget option

Guest House 17 - designer guesthouse, located further from the highway than previous options

Hotel Quiet Lake- spa option for overnight stay on the road

We chose to spend the night in Rodina when we were traveling to Adygea. Last time, heading to Gelendzhik, I decided to stay overnight at a guesthouse in Azov, located 20 minutes drive from Rostov. This decision came to my mind after monitoring the situation on the route to the sea for several days. Everything indicated that we would go to Gelendzhik not along the M4 Don, but through Tikhoretsk and Krymsk. Accordingly, it was very profitable to spend the night in Azov in order to move through the villages.

Plus, hotel prices in Azov are lower than in Rostov. We stopped V guest house"Azov" for 1800 rubles per day. For this money we got a huge room with a kitchenette (albeit nominal), a double bed, a good bathroom, and a parking space.

Also in Azov it is quite possible budget stay in Amaks .

About the guest house Azov

We arrived in Azov around 9 pm. The guesthouse is located on a street with private houses, there are no identifying signs, so I had to call the owner. Fortunately, they were waiting for us and greeted us. The rooms are provided in a large new modern private house. Each room is a studio apartment with an iron door. The design is made in modern trends, the rooms are nice for my taste. There is everything you need for relaxation, the only thing is that you don’t forget to buy water in advance, or you’ll have to order from a restaurant for crazy money.

The room has a bedside table and a bed, and a TV hangs on the wall. We didn't need anything else. There is a built-in full wardrobe in the hallway.

Guest House Azov

The kitchenette has a kettle, stove and sink, but we didn't use it. We decided to just order pizza because we had absolutely no strength to go to the restaurant.

Guest House Azov

Bathroom with shower, towels and bath amenities were available.

Unconditional advantages guest house are:

Availability of closed parking

Spacious room

New and modern renovation

Convenient location for continuing the road to Gelendzhik

The only downside I can mention is the lack of an elevator.

Overnight at the Rodina Hotel in Rostov-on-Don

Hotel Rodina is conveniently located for travelers by car, on the M4 Don highway. It is a new building with modern rooms. There is a hotel building on a large area, as well as parking, benches and tables for relaxation, and a 24-hour dining room.

Homeland Rostov-on-Don

At the entrance we see a nice reception and lively and polite girls-administrators.

Homeland Rostov-on-Don

Homeland Rostov-on-Don

We were promptly checked in, given the keys, and told about the services and room. We booked two rooms: one with a double bed and a single.

Our room came with a large bed, excellent linens and four pillows. The single room contains two single beds.

Homeland Rostov-on-Don

Homeland Rostov-on-Don

The room size is quite comfortable for two. There is no closet here, but you don't need one for an overnight stay. But there are slippers, free tea, coffee and water. Even ice can be brought to your room upon request.

Homeland Rostov-on-Don

Homeland Rostov-on-Don

Tea, coffee and water are provided free of charge.

Homeland Rostov-on-Don

In general, there are many such pleasant little things in the Motherland. For example, you can ask for an extra blanket, robe, shaving gel and other hygiene items for free. The basics are in the room by default: shower gel, toothbrush and toothpaste, towels, hairdryer.

Homeland Rostov-on-Don

Homeland Rostov-on-Don

Homeland Rostov-on-Don

The room has air conditioning and the windows also open.

I have no complaints about the room; for 2500 rubles we got very comfortable conditions for relaxation.

In the nightingale you can eat cheaply and quite tasty at any time. The three of us had dinner and paid about 700 rubles. for everyone.

Homeland Rostov-on-Don

Homeland Rostov-on-Don

Prices are approximately as follows: salads 30-40 rubles, soups - about 100 rubles, side dishes - 40-60 rubles, cutlet 100-120 rubles.

Homeland Rostov-on-Don

The disadvantages of the hotel include insufficient sound insulation - all conversations in the corridor can be heard very loudly. Unfortunately, many people do not understand that they are not alone in the hotel, that people want to relax, and not listen to their screams.

Otherwise, we were completely satisfied with the hotel, had a good rest and moved on.