Check in at Matryoshka Doll Square, Matryoshka Doll Hotel, City Walk

The weather is nice today 👍 Blue sky and white clouds, the sky is clear. We set off from the hotel at 8 o'clock sharp and arrived at Matryoshka Doll 🪆 Square in 10 minutes. There were few people at this time, the sunshine ☀️ was just right, and the six of us took photos to our heart's content.

Matryoshka Doll Square opens for ticket inspection at 9:30, tickets are 80 yuan per person. There are performances and other entertainment programs inside (see the performance schedule in the picture). We were not interested, so we went directly to the nearby Matryoshka Doll 🪆 Hotel. The luxurious design and decoration inside the hotel overturned my impression of luxury (see pictures). The room rates were not as expensive as expected (see the front desk price for the day in the picture). There are also many shops in the hotel selling Russian specialty products, with good quality and reasonable prices.

After leaving Matryoshka Doll Hotel, we drove for 5 minutes to Manzhouli National Gate. Near the gate, there is a border residents' market, but it was not open yet. After checking in and taking photos outside, we left.

📝 Tips: The "free viewing platform" route mentioned online does not work. From 8:00 to 17:00, non-staff and non-working vehicles are prohibited from entering. Maybe you can enter after 17:00, but it's uncertain.

The rest of the morning was spent at City Walk. We drove about 10 minutes to Manzhouli's busiest street. Many shops were still closed at this time; the opening time is after 10 a.m. After walking for a while, the street gradually became lively.

We bought a small rye bread at a rye bread shop to share. Since we had just finished breakfast, no one was very hungry. The rye bread tasted average; luckily, we didn't buy more.

We stopped at an inconspicuous dairy shop. Once inside, we smelled a strong dairy aroma. We bought sour milk yogurt, which tasted very authentic, and also tried their cheese 🧀, which was very good 👍, but the price was relatively high. Yogurt was 20 yuan per cup, about 250 grams, and cheese was about 100 yuan per pound. We each bought some to eat on the road.

Several streets were very bustling. Surprisingly, there was even a Yiwu goods market. We went in to take a look; the items were indeed inexpensive. Since we didn't need anything, we left. The streets crisscrossed with shops selling Russian goods, fur products, Western restaurants, Chinese restaurants, barbecue places. Young people can spend the whole day here eating and shopping.

📝 Tips:

1. The Russian matryoshka dolls, bags, etc., on the street are not as exquisite and affordable as those at Wanda Plaza or Matryoshka Doll Hotel.
2. Also, during peak season, it is extremely crowded with people shoulder to shoulder, and parking spaces are tight. It is best to take a taxi or public transportation.

By around 12 o'clock, we hadn't bought much and directly refueled and returned to Hailar.

👍 Highly recommended:
Accommodation in Manzhouli is not expensive. We booked Home Inn Ruiyun Hotel, next to Wanda Plaza, close to Matryoshka Doll, the National Gate, and Wanda Plaza. It costs just over 100 yuan per night. The rooms are spacious, warm, clean, and hygienic. The standard room has two 1.5x1.8 meter beds and includes free breakfast. Worth a thumbs up 👍