Saviour Monastery of St Euthymius
Suzdal
Founded in the 14th century to protect the town’s northern entrance, Suzdal’s biggest monastery grew mighty in the 16th and 17th centuries after Vasily…
Must-see attractions in Golden Ring
Church of the Intercession on the Nerl
Golden Ring
Tourists and pilgrims all flock to Bogolyubovo, just 12km northeast of Vladimir, for this perfect little jewel of a 12th-century church standing amid a…
Suzdal
The grandfather of the Moscow Kremlin, this citadel was the 12th-century base of Prince Yury Dolgoruky, who ruled the vast northeastern part of Kyivan Rus…
Golden Ring
This red-brick former water tower contains a multistorey exhibit of everyday objects from Vladimir's history (no English signage); the display of old…
Golden Ring
Set dramatically high above the Klyazma River, this simple but majestic piece of pre-Mongol architecture is the legacy of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, the…
Trinity Monastery of St Sergius
Sergiev Posad
In 1340 St Sergius of Radonezh founded this lavra (senior monastery), which soon became the spiritual centre of Russian Orthodoxy. St Sergius was credited…
Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Saviour
Yaroslavl
Founded in the 12th century, the Unesco-listed Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Saviour was one of Russia’s richest and best-fortified monasteries…
Golden Ring
Rostov-Veliky’s main attraction is unashamedly photogenic. Though founded in the 12th century, most of the buildings date to the 1670s and 1680s.
Golden Ring
This large hilltop monastery 2.5km south of the centre was founded in the 14th century, though the oldest buildings today are the 17th-century gates, gate…
Golden Ring
A large collection of old locomotives, coaches, boxcars and other narrow-gauge railroad relics that once ran through this part of Russia (up to the middle…
Museum of Wooden Architecture & Peasant Life
Suzdal
This open-air museum across the river from Suzdal's kremlin offers a fascinating glimpse into the traditional lives of rural folk in this area. Besides…
Golden Ring
Hearing your footsteps echoing in the gloom as you walk through this empty, unrestored cathedral (built 1744) within Goritsky Monastery makes it almost…
Yaroslavl
Every object has a voice in this little house containing the late magician John Mostoslavsky’s impressive collection of clocks, musical instruments …
Golden Ring
Named after St Ipaty (Hypatios) of Gangara, this monastery at the confluence of the Volga and Kostroma Rivers was founded in the 1330s by Chet, a Tatar…
Golden Ring
Lake Pleshcheyevo is where a 16-year-old Peter the Great developed his obsession with the sea while on holiday. He continued to study navigation and…
Golden Ring
Founded in 1963, this research farm breeds European elk (Alces alces; called 'moose' in North America) for their nutrient-dense milk, considered…
Golden Ring
Within Uglich's waterside kremlin, the 15th-century Prince’s Chambers (Палаты угличских удельных князей) house a historical exhibit about Dmitry, the son…
John the Baptist Church at Tolchkovo
Yaroslavl
It’s a shame that dingy industrial surroundings discourage most people from visiting Yaroslavl’s largest and most unique church – you may recognise it…
Golden Ring
Built between 1193 and 1197, this exquisite, Unesco-listed white-stone cathedral represents the epitome of Russian stone carving. The attraction here is…
Monastery of Saviour & St Jacob
Golden Ring
This restored monastery (originally founded in the late 14th century) is the sparkling-white fairy-tale apparition you’ll see as you approach Rostov…
Golden Ring
Essentially a large riverside park, this open-air museum comprises a large collection of old, rural wooden buildings moved here for preservation,…
Golden Ring
This pedestrian-only street curving southwest from the main strip was lovingly recreated in 2015 as a brick-paved thoroughfare from the old days, dotted…
Golden Ring
For a bird's-eye view over Plyos, head up the hill from Torgovaya pl to the wooden stairs on the right. Climb to the top (there's a handy resting bench…
Golden Ring
Built in 1755, this lakeside church is named for the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, a group of Roman soldiers who froze to death on a wintry lake in present…
Golden Ring
The peaceful Trubezh, winding 2km from the kremlin to the lake, is fringed by trees and narrow lanes; in nice weather, you might see locals kayaking its…
Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Saviour
Golden Ring
At the northwestern end of Krasnaya pl, standing out against the background of the grassy remains of the ancient town walls, is one of the oldest…
Cathedral of the Transfiguration
Yaroslavl
This 16th-century cathedral (built 1516) is the oldest free-standing building in Yaroslavl; inside are beautiful frescoes from the time of its…
Belfry of the Church of the Epiphany
Golden Ring
A walk of several flights up brings you to the top of the belfry of this former church in the Goritsky Monastery, from where you can be wowed by 360…
Yaroslavl Art Museum (Governor's House)
Yaroslavl
The main branch of the city's art museum, housed in the restored former governors' mansion (built 1823), showcases two permanent exhibits on 18th- to 20th…
Nativity of the Virgin Cathedral
Suzdal
The Nativity of the Virgin Cathedral, whose blue domes spangled with gold dominate the front courtyard of the Suzdal kremlin, was founded in the 1220s…
Golden Ring
Art by famed Russian painter Isaac Levitan is displayed in the riverside house where he and painters Alexey Stepanov and Sofia Kuvshinnikova lived for…
Golden Ring
This museum displays many remains and reproductions of the ornamentation from Vladimir’s two cathedrals as part of an extensive exhibition covering the…
Yaroslavl
The exquisite church that dominates Sovetskaya pl was built by some prominent local fur dealers in 1650. It has some of the Golden Ring’s brightest…
Golden Ring
The Plyos landscape has inspired many painters to capture it; many such works from the mid-19th to early-20th centuries hang in this museum, housed in a…
Yaroslavl Art Museum (Metropolitan Palace)
Yaroslavl
The 17th-century former chambers of the metropolitan showcase icons and other religious art from the 13th to 18th centuries. Temporary exhibits have…
Yaroslavl
Climb to the top of the bell tower of the Cathedral of the Transfiguration for excellent views over Yaroslavl and the confluence of its two rivers.
Golden Ring
Picturesque Susaninskaya pl was built under Catherine the Great’s patronage after a fire in 1773 (based on, as legend says, the shape of her fan) and…
Golden Ring
The oldest part of town is along the river, as evidenced by the ramparts of the old fort, which dates from 1410. Central Torgovaya pl (Market Sq) has long…
Suzdal
Suzdal’s Torgovaya pl (Market Sq) is dominated by the pillared Trading Arcades (Торговые ряды; 1806–11) along its western side. There are several churches…
Golden Ring
This grassy square off the main road is at the heart of what was once Prince Yury Dolgoruky’s kremlin. At one end is the 1152 Cathedral of the…
![Western Siberian Eagle Owl [Bubo Bubo Sibericus] in full flight](https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/2019-06/531770715_high.jpg?auto=format&fit=crop&w=360&ar=1:1&q=75)
