Tula Oblast
A historic oblast south of Moscow, famous for Tula gingerbread, samovars, the weapons museum and Tolstoy's estate, Yasnaya Polyana.
Tula Oblast lies south of Moscow. Its capital, Tula, has been a weapons-making center since ancient times and has a kremlin, a weapons museum and a samovar museum; Tula gingerbread is a famous local specialty. South of the city, Yasnaya Polyana is the estate where Leo Tolstoy lived and is buried. The oblast also has the Kulikovo Field battlefield memorial and more. Spring, summer and autumn are all good times to visit, and the estate is especially lovely in golden autumn. It takes two to three hours by train from Moscow, and it is also suited to a road trip.