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Kholmsk (Russian: Холмск, Japanese: Maoka (真岡)) [1] is a port-town in Sakhalin Oblast facing the Tartar Strait, with a population of some 35.000 people. An utterly drab city, the only reason to visit here, is the ferry connection to the mainland.

[edit] Get in

Sakhalin is a special designated border region, movement of foreigners is limited. See "Disembarkation procedures" at right.

Disembarkation Procedures To enter Sakhalin you are required to register with local authorities. During disembarkation you are required to provide your ferry ticket, passport and registration stamps. After all passengers have exited you will be taken to the customs office for an interview, your passport will only be handed back to you after the interview is completed. During the interview you have to provide information on the purpose of your visit, exit point and date, and accommodation. No English is spoken, having the above information written in Russian are advised.

[edit] By Ferry

There is a daily overnight car ferry from Vanino on the mainland, departing Vanino at noon, and arriving in Kholmsk the next morning, however sailing schedules are often plagued by bad weather. In Vanino tickets are bought inside the train station, in Kholmsk tickets sales are at the ferry terminal, located in the center of town. Prices starts from 600 RUB. The Ferry is operated by SASCO[2] From and to Vanino, there are a daily train connection to Komsomolsk-on-Amur that continues further south to Khabarovsk and Vladivostok for access to the Trans-Siberian mainline.

[edit] By Bus

Mini.- and regular busses depart for Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on the parking lot, right outside the ferry terminal. Minibuses are the most convenient and takes 45 minutes to connect with Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (300 RUB), however normally you will have to wait for the minibus to fill up. There are also some scheduled public buses:

• Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk - Bus 516 - 6:00, 7:00, 8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00, 18:00 (5, 7)
• Nevelsk (Moneron) - Bus 525 - 9:40, 11:30, 12:40, 15:30, 18:10

[edit] Get around

Banks, busses and places to eat - are all only a few minuttes walk from the ferry station, along the main street. As with most other minor cities in Russia, intracity transportation are mainly provided by a fairly disorganised network of minibusses. If you need to get outside the city center, your best bet is to ask a local.

[edit] See and Do

There is a small beach northwest of the ferry terminal, if you made it this far the soviet style houses blocks probably isn't that much of a novelty anymore.

• The Municipal Natural Science Museum (Холмский муниципальный естественнонаучный музей), ul. Morskaya 14, ☎ +7 (42433) 5-0290, [3]. Daily 10-17. The museum contains various collections of marine animals collected during the Russian explorations and later research of the Okhotsk, Bering and Japan Seas. There is supposedly quite unique collection of rare mollusks, serveral rock and mineral samples from Sakhalin the Russian Far East, which includes a rare exhibit of petrified wood from Shikotan. Topped of with stuffed fish and birds and a collection of sea shells. If nothing else, it's a place to kill time waiting for the ferry. Foreigners 10 rubles.  edit

[edit][add listing] Eat

There is a few, mostly uninspiring - but as authentic as they come - restaurants and cafes along the main drag; Sovetskaya Street.

• Kushiro restaurant (Кусиро), 46 Sovetskaya st., ☎ +7 (42433) 66540.  edit
• Mermaid Cafe (кафе Русалочка), 39 Sovetskaya st., ☎ +7 (42433) 66470.  edit
• Restaurant Kholmsk (Холмск ресторан), 60 Sovetskaya st., ☎ +7 (42433) 50830.  edit

[edit][add listing] Drink

There does not seem to be expats living in Kholmsk, and tourists in this area are extremely hard to come by. If you really need a drink, jump into a local pub, and enjoy the startled look on everyones faces as you place your order.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

• Hotel Kholmsk (Гостиница Холмск), 60 Sovetskaya Street, ☎ +7 (42433) 52854 (interturizm@bk.ru). Near the ferry terminal, this is the place to crash if you have to wait out for the ferry. Has a pub with food and drinks, and can help with train tickets from Vanino. Singles from 2900 RUB.  edit

• Guest House (Гостевой дом), 16A Pobedy Steet, ☎ +7 (42433) 66004. Fairly new and modern, this post-soviet era hotel run by the ferry company, was only build in 1995, and has conference facilities.  edit

[edit] Get out

The unpopulated areas of Sakhalin, has some stunning scenery. However independent travel in these regions are only for the truly adventurous, an alternative is paying shameless amounts of rubles, for one of the fairly frequent organized tours provided by travel agencies in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

• Moneron - Go diving or bird watching on the tranquil island of Moneron of Sakhalins south-western coast. Access is by chartered boat, from the small village from Nevelsk some 50 kilometres south of Kholmsk.

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!