Naziya: A Well-Kept Corner on the Road to the Canyon

Usually you stop in places like this out of necessity — for water, for food, on the way somewhere. Naziya turned out to be a rare exception: a place where it's pleasant to linger.

Naziya is a settlement in the Kirovsky District of Leningrad Region, by the Zhikharevo railway station. For those heading to the Lava River canyon, it's the starting point: you get off the Lastochka, look around — and realise that transit here isn't a thoroughfare, but a full-fledged stop on the route.

First Impression: Someone Cares for This Place

Naziya surprises from the first minutes. A place that is genuinely looked after: houses are painted, yards are tidy, streets are neat. Two-storey concrete buildings stand next to mud huts — old whitewashed structures — and this combination somehow looks appropriate, not like a random collection of buildings.

A wooden bench and a two-storey house in Naziya

There's a sculpture, there's infrastructure. And the playgrounds are modern, 'like in the capitals': soft surfacing, proper structures. You can see the settlement is cared for, and it's pleasant to be here — a rare quality for small towns.

Two Naziyas — Don't Mix Them Up

An important nuance: there are two Naziyas in Kirovsky District. The first is the settlement by the railway station (Putilovskoye rural settlement), the one on the way to the canyon. The second is an urban-type settlement (Naziyevskoye urban settlement), which grew in Soviet times as a peat extraction centre under the GOELRO plan. The difference between them is fundamental: one is a quiet settlement by the station, the other is a workers' settlement at a peat factory.

If you're heading to the canyon, aim for Zhikharevo station: it's in the settlement by the station, and from there it's about four kilometres north to the canyon.

Two Spots Worth Stopping For

There are two key points for a trip to Naziya. The first is Pyaterochka, where you stock up on water and food before the road. For a weekend route this is critical: further along the way to the canyon there are no shops.

The second is shawarma. There's only one here, but the vendor is pleasant, and the shawarma itself is just what you need before a bike ride. Honestly, that's where the route begins: instead of cooking camp food in the morning — a proper shawarma, and off you go. A small thing, but it sets the right mood.

Why It's Worth Stopping By

Naziya isn't a tourist magnet, and that's its value. It's a living, well-kept settlement where you can see human care: painted houses, order, modern playgrounds. For the route to the Lava River canyon it's the perfect starting point — and perhaps the best example that interesting places in Leningrad Region don't end with natural attractions.

Zhikharevo station (Naziya) and the Lava River canyon — 4 km north.

Frequently Asked Questions

In the Kirovsky District of Leningrad Region, by the Zhikharevo railway station. Lastochka train from Ladoga Station.

About 4 kilometres north from Zhikharevo station — by bike or on foot.

Yes, Pyaterochka — convenient for stocking up before the route. There's also shawarma.

Route to the canyon — the full weekend route: Lastochka, bike, canyon
Lava River — a mountain river, canyon, geology and trilobites
Eco-trail — a 3.5 km equipped route with stairs and viewpoints
How to get there — train to Zhikharevo, then 4 km
Bike route — a bike trip from the station through the forest to the canyon
Where to go for a weekend from St Petersburg — an overview of weekend routes from the city
Trip photos — all shots from the trip — 23 photos

Frequently asked questions

Where is Naziya located?