Things to do in Nizhny Novgorod
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Museum of Volga People’s Architecture & Culture
The open-air Museum of Volga People’s Architecture & Culture has a pleasant woodland setting and a collection of traditional wooden buildings from Russian and Mordva (a Finno-Ugric people) villages. Young history enthusiasts stage colourful celebrations of five main village holidays a year. That involves a lot of singing and dancing, as well as teaching Russian visitors their forgotten rituals originating from Slavic paganism. Dates vary, so check with the staff if this might happen during your stay. The museum is located in the remote Shchelokovsky Khutor park, which is the final stop of bus 28 (every hour), which passes ul Belinskogo in the centre.
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Sakharov Museum
A reminder of more repressive times, the Sakharov Museum is located in the flat where the dissident scientist spent six years in exile. The Nobel laureate was held incommunicado until 1986, when a KGB officer came to install a telephone. When it rang, it was Mikhail Gorbachev at the other end, informing Sakharov of his release. The phone is a highlight of the exhibition. To get there take marshrutka 4 or 104 from pl Minina i Pozharskogo.
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Gorod Gorky
Irony outweighs nostalgia in this retro-Soviet place hidden in a courtyard off the main drag – look for the Музей СССР sign. Walk through a waxwork Leonid Brezhnev’s office into the dining room, littered with Soviet memorabilia and Beatles photos. The food is surprisingly good, and you can compare how much it costs today with how little it cost in 1974.
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Team Gorky
Canoe and bicycle tours in Nizhny Novgorod region and beyond. Three-day adventure trips start at R5500. Dual pricing alert! Prices for some tours on its English-language site are much higher than those on the Russian one, but it swears that walk-in foreign travellers will not be discriminated against.
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Restoratsia Pyatkin
This place makes you feel like a merchant back in his mansion after a great trading day at the fair. The menu is full of Volga specialities, such as pieces of crayfish and pike perch baked with cheese, or pike head stuffed with minced fish. They also brew the unusual apple kvas.
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Michelle
This place is – first and foremost – a coffee bar, offering several varieties of aromatic brew in a simple café setting. The menu also features soups and sandwiches and dishes with French nuances – innovative fare for the price (meals R150 to R300).
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Volga-Flot Tour
The Volga-Flot Tour office inside the station building sells weekend day trips to the ancient Makaryev monastery (R800 to R900) at the village of Makaryevo, 60km to the east. Book in advance. Hydrofoils to Gorodets leave from their own pier.
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Archaeological Museum
The 17th-century Pechorsky Monastery, overlooking the Volga, houses a small Archaeological Museum, which includes, on the 2nd floor, a moving exhibition on Bolshevik repressions against the church.
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Nizhegorodsky State Art Museum
The former governor’s house is now the Nizhegorodsky State Art Museum. Exhibits range from 14th-century icons to 20th-century paintings by artists including Nikolai Rerikh and Vasily Surikov.
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Biblioteca
This café is upstairs from the Dirizhabl bookshop. Its decor includes a collection of kerosene lamps hanging from the ceiling and lots of bookshelves. Food is Italian standard (pasta R130).
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Robinzon
This kitchsy place is one of that rare breed: the Russian beach restaurant. Located by the main city beach, it is unbeatable for a sunset cocktail on a hot day.
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Merry Godmother
In a row of ‘ethnic’ restaurants (Russian, German, Chinese, among others), the Godmother merrily serves hearty borsch and other Ukrainian fare.
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Pizza Vero
In a city where people tend to wake up late and go to bed early, this is one of the few places to fill your stomach after a party or an overnight train.
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Kremlin Concert Hall
The Kremlin Concert Hall at the west end of the kremlin is the home of the philharmonic, playing a full schedule of classical concerts.
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Assumption Church
The stone Assumption Church, from the 17th century, is unique in that its design was normally exclusive to wooden churches.
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Pushkin Theatre of Opera & Ballet
For Russian classics, the beautifully renovated Pushkin Theatre of Opera & Ballet is also recommended.
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Gorky Museum
Fans of Maxim Gorky can visit the Gorky Museum, a wooden house where the writer lived during his thirties.
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Dirizhabl
A three-storey bookshop with a good selection of maps and local guidebooks, and some books in foreign languages.
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Stroganov
The baroque Stroganov or Nativity Church has retained its magnificent stone carvings.
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Nevsky Cathedral
On the west bank of the Oka River is the eye-catching Nevsky Cathedral
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