Nuclear icebreaker Lenin in the port of Murmansk in winter.

© Diy13/Getty Images/iStock

Nuclear Icebreaker Lenin

Top choice


Murmansk is a centre for nuclear icebreakers that carve their way to the North Pole, but even in port you can give in to your wildest seafaring–Arctic explorer–Cold War spy fantasies aboard the 1957 NS Lenin, the world’s first nuclear-powered icebreaker. You aren't allowed to wander freely, but there are three tours a day that take in the nuclear reactor (powered by uranium 235), the map room, the captain's bridge and the reception hall. Only open for tours.

The pride of the Soviet fleet, NS Lenin was fitted out to impress, with a winding oak staircase at its entrance. Visitors to the ship over the years included Yury Gagarin, the first man in space, and a youthful Fidel Castro.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Fine Arts Museum

0.37 MILES

The 1927 Fine Arts Museum hosts temporary exhibitions that range from female nude photography and Kanozero petroglyphs to severe Arctic landscape painting.

2. Regional Studies Museum

0.61 MILES

Comprehensive exhibits at Murmansk's oldest museum include one on Sami culture and handicrafts, a vast natural-history section with all manner of…

3. Church of the Saviour on the Waters

1.22 MILES

This gold-domed church, built in 2002 from public donations, is part of a memorial complex dedicated to the memory of Murmansk's seamen who perished in…

4. Alyosha

1.33 MILES

One of Murmansk’s most memorable sights is a gigantic concrete soldier nicknamed Alyosha, erected to commemorate the Arctic fighters who perished in the…

5. Ice Bathers' Hut

1.46 MILES

Home to Murmansk's ‘walruses’ – hardy souls who swear by the health benefits of regularly bathing in icy waters – this wooden hut on the edge of Lake…

6. Monument To Semyon The Cat

1.59 MILES

This bronze monument to a fat little cat carrying all his worldly possessions in a knapsack was unveiled in 2013 in honour of an act of incredible feline…

7. British Naval Cemetery

1.61 MILES

In 1919 the British navy assisted the White Russians against the Reds – Winston Churchill, war secretary at the time, wanted to see if the Bolsheviks…