Good afternoon friends! The other day I returned from a trip along the Golden Ring of Russia. There were a lot of impressions, but not everything went smoothly.
Why didn't it work out as planned? Which cities did you visit and what did you have to give up? In this article I publish our route around the Golden Ring by car. At the end, I will show you the costs for all 9 days on a turnkey basis. Perhaps someone will want to repeat this path.
Here you will find a short version of the trip. For more details about each section of the route with all the hotels, catering, and features of traveling by car, read the following materials.
Preface
Our trip, planned for July 19, had to be postponed at the last minute due to a completely un-July weather forecast. As it turned out, not in vain. During these peak days of summer, not a single Moscow airport accepted planes, sending them to Nizhny Novgorod. The storm did not last long, after a few days the weather improved, and on July 26 we started along the planned route along the Golden Ring of Russia. This article contains comprehensive background information, but we will share our own experience, reviews and, of course, photographs.
- Start: Aprelevka.
- Alexandrov: 175 km, 2.5 hours.
- Yuryev-Polsky: 261 km, 1 hour.
- Bogolyubovo: 347 km, 1 hour.
- Suzdal: 396 km, 0.5 hours.
- Ivanovo: 469 km, 1 hour.
- Plyos: 552 km, 1 hour.
- Ferry Krasnoe-on-Volga: 591 km, 1 hour.
- Kostroma: 630 km, 0.5 hours.
- Yaroslavl: 703 km, 1 hour.
- Tutaev: 760 km, 1.5 hours.
- Novoe village (round trip): 20 km.
- Myshkin: 891 km, 1.5 hours.
- Uglich: 932 km, 0.5 hours.
- Borisoglebsk: 1003 km, 1 hour.
- Rostov: 1021 km, 20 minutes.
- Moscow: 1244 km. Finish.
The beginning of the Golden Circle
Golden ring from Moscow
So, the most optimal entry point is Moscow, from here we take the train to Sergiev Posad - and then in a circle. Below I will look at all the possible options for moving between cities.
You can also start your journey from Vladimir: a little less than 2 hours by train from Moscow, and the trip has already begun.
The beginning and end of the Golden Circle
What else should you consider when deciding where to start? I repeat, theoretically, any city can become an entry point, just look at the map: I deliberately left our “ring” open. The fact is that, no matter how hard I tried, I did not find a single option for moving between Sergiev Posad and Vladimir - only through Moscow! Therefore, it is most convenient to start:
- from Vladimir
- from Sergiev Posad.
And then - a ride in a circle - around the ring! That is, both of these cities can become either the beginning or the end of the trip.
In order not to come to Moscow twice during the trip, we decided to go through Nizhny Novgorod . Direct transfer from Saratov to see the city - a wonderful city! — and a short direct transfer to Vladimir. This is the beginning of the Golden Ring!
Download route maps for the cities of the Golden Ring
Alexandrovsk
The first day.
Early Sunday morning we left Aprelevka. Heading towards Yaroslavskoye Highway. But bad luck - we forgot paper maps (it’s still unusual without them) and other little things, so it was decided to make a short technical stop at a Moscow apartment. This didn’t delay us too much, and at 8:00 we started off fully equipped.
Yaroslavka on the way out of Moscow was pretty dug up, and even on Sunday morning we weren’t driving fast. The construction is encouraging - in a couple of years it will probably be good. Polya’s sleep-deprived daughter quietly mutters that “again they’re taking us somewhere, and our route is unclear...”. I had to take a break from contemplating the surroundings and tell them that the route was still clear, and the first point was the city of Alexandrov, the temporary capital of Tsar Ivan the Terrible.
I heard about the Terrible Field, saw Repin’s picture, watched a film about Ivan Vasilyevich, so I stopped appearing and got ready to listen. In the stories, the rest of the journey flew by quickly, and at 9:50 we parked near the Alexander Kremlin.
The museum (and therefore the ticket office) of Alexandrovskaya Sloboda opened at 10:00, and we decided to go to the Church of the Holy Trinity, where the Sunday service was just ending.
At the beginning of 11 o'clock we set off on a journey through the museum complex of Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda, which consists of several diverse museums on the territory of the Kremlin.
And the first of them is the dungeons of Ivan the Terrible. The best way to explore a dungeon when traveling with a child is to look for a treasure, and in this case, the famous library of Ivan the Terrible, which, according to one legend, is hidden in the settlement. Inspired by our search, we look into each place. They didn’t find the library, but they cheered up and became interested in exploring.
The next museum of everyday life. We quickly scan the exhibition and invite the child to find griffins, a lyre and two cylinders, after which we leisurely explore the museum. From time to time Polya reports on another find - a kind of quest. Next, the peasant hut - very relevant - Polya and I recently discussed the structure of a peasant hut: a red corner, a children's corner, a woman's kut, and so on. In conclusion, there are the king’s chambers with a dungeon, a refectory, a torture chamber and other necessary attributes of the life of a ruler.
Bogolyubovo
At 15:00 we leave towards Vladimir. The city of Vladimir itself is not included in our plans - we were there not so long ago, but we have never been to Bogolyubovo. At 16:00 we were at the monastery.
The monastery is active, the evening service is in full swing in the church. Well, we are going to the place of death of Andrei Bogolyubsky and to the museum.
We are the only visitors here. Out of the kindness of her heart, a museum employee shows us the exhibition and tells us ancient legends. Another item on the program for today is the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl. There is no access by car; you need to walk through Bogolyubovsky Meadow for about 2 km.
It's getting dark, the heat is slowly giving way to coolness. A half-hour walk along a paved path through a water meadow, and we are near the confluence of the Klyazma and Nerl, where a wonderful church stands like a white candle.
After looking into the temple and taking a few photos, we go back and go to look for an overnight stay. We cross the railway tracks near the village of Lemeshevo and further into the fields. We pass a long wide sandy beach.
Another 100 meters, and here it is, an excellent place, right on the banks of the Klyazma (parking coordinates N56.11.553, E040.34.192).
The time is almost 19:00, the sun has not yet set. First thing is a swim, and then a well-deserved dinner and rest.
Rostov Veliky
From Suzdal to the highway towards Ivanovo, 3 km of very bad road. The A113 highway itself is in good condition and there are not many cars on it. We drive to Rostov through the village of Teykovo - a left turn from the highway in the village of Sinyaya Osoka. The road to Teykovo is narrow, but good and picturesque.
In the village, at a T-shaped intersection, take the road P-152 (to Rostov, turn left). From Teykovo to the Yaroslavl highway the surface is generally good, but there are areas where it is advisable to reduce speed due to cracks and holes in the old asphalt. Departure to the M-8 highway “Kholmogory” after the village of Belogostitsy at the traffic police post.
To Rostov Velikiy, exit the highway to the left following the sign. We drive straight through the city all the time and run into the walls of the Kremlin. Here you can leave your car in the parking lot near Gostiny Dvor. The entrance to the Rostov Kremlin is on the other side and you need to go around it to the right, walking along the shopping shops to the Holy Gate. The architecture of the Assumption Cathedral and the Kremlin, with its monumentality and beauty, stands out in contrast against the background of the surrounding city streets.
The Assumption Cathedral was covered in scaffolding and closed to visitors - you will still have to come to Rostov to look at this temple in its updated form.
The belfry of the Assumption Cathedral is open to visitors. We climbed a narrow staircase to arches with unique bells from the 17th to 19th centuries.
There are 13 of them in total and each has its own name; the largest bell weighs 2,000 poods (32 tons) - it’s hard to imagine how such a colossus was lifted onto the belfry 150 years ago.
We walked around the territory of the Kremlin - it’s beautiful, interesting, but some buildings require repairs, which, however, were carried out by several workers in one of the interior rooms. Unfortunately, the passage along the walls of the Kremlin was closed to visitors; for some reason it is only allowed from May to October?
We bought tickets to visit the exhibition of ancient Russian art and archeology in Rostov, and went to lunch, deciding to examine them after we had satisfied the growing bodies of the children, and our own too :).
I’m struggling with decent and inexpensive cafes in Rostov: either eateries from the perestroika period or (outwardly) expensive cafe-bars, which scare away the complete absence of visitors at lunchtime (maybe because it was a weekday).
After lunch we looked at the exhibition of ancient Russian painting. A large collection of icons was rearranged in the halls of the museum, and we lingered there. At 16.00 we approached the doors of the archaeological museum, but they were closed. They explained to us that today (for some reason?) is a short working day and all the Kremlin museums are closing earlier, although when purchasing tickets we were told that entrance to all exhibitions would be open until 16.30 - this left an unpleasant aftertaste.
From Rostov the Great to Pereslavl Zalessky 58 km along the Yaroslavl highway. There are many places on this section where the road has only two lanes, and it is not possible to overtake the truck in front either due to the dense oncoming traffic or because of prohibitory markings. Before Pereslavl, the main road goes to the left to bypass the city, and you go straight onto the main street that runs through the entire city.
Soon after entering Pereslavl, we stopped at the Navigator motel (1 Mayakovskogo St.), where we had booked a room before the start of our trip. The motel is new, the rooms are very good (located on the 3rd floor), the staff is polite, the prices are reasonable - we liked it.
Suzdal
Second day.
I woke up at 7:00 am completely sleepy. It was a beautiful morning, and swimming gave me energy and a good mood. We have breakfast, get ready and leave at 9:20. Heading to Suzdal.
Half an hour later we are already parking near the shopping arcades.
It’s still sunny, but ominous black clouds are already roaming along the horizon. So we decide to first walk along the earthen rampart towards the Kamenka River.
Then we’ll see the open-air museum of wooden architecture, and then it’s your luck.
Along the way we taste mead - delicious! The Museum of Wooden Architecture is reminiscent of Kostroma and Novgorod; they are probably all designed in the same way. Peasant huts from the poor to the wealthy, a merchant's house, windmills, wooden churches - everywhere you can look in and take a closer look.
I was pleased with the exposition of cereal fields, useful for a city dweller - plots sown with wheat, oats, rye and other crops. Everything is signed for those who are not in the know.
Meanwhile, the clouds on the horizon thickened, the wind blew, and it began to rumble. We realized that it was time to go somewhere under a roof. They took their legs in their hands and ran towards the Suzdal Kremlin. And just in time. As soon as we managed to reach the museum, a real hurricane broke out: thunder, lightning, rain like buckets. But we are already warm and cozy, or rather, in a museum.
This time, along with tickets, we bought a children's quest around the museum. In each hall of the Kremlin, according to the guidebook, you need to discover something interesting, guess, solve puzzles, find differences with the picture. At the end there is a crossword puzzle. An hour and a half flew by unnoticed, and then the rain stopped. Having completed our visit to the Kremlin with a hearty lunch, we moved along the shopping arcades to the red walls of the Spaso-Efimovsky Monastery.
We walked around it, from the high bank we admired the Kamenka River and the white stone monastery on the opposite bank.
Fourth point of the trip: Yaroslavl
From Rostov the Great the route goes to Yaroslavl - this is one of the most beautiful places in Russia. The 57-kilometer-long route must be covered without violating traffic rules on the road in order to avoid unnecessary nerves and a fine for speeding, because traffic police posts are not asleep.
What to see in Yaroslavl?
Yaroslavl is a calm city with a measured pace of life, very green and well-groomed, so you can rest and relax here. And the abundance of Christian shrines provides spiritual food and peace.
A visit to the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery is included in the mandatory excursion route. It is not only interesting from a religious point of view, but also from a historical point of view, as the headquarters of Minin and Pozharsky. In the seventeenth century, the Vasilyevskaya Tower was erected in the city, which is now one of the attractions. Fans of church painting should stop by the Church of Elijah the Prophet and admire the masterpieces of fresco art.
In the city of Yaroslavl there are several museums that are unique, this is the Museum of Music and Time, which displays various types of large bells and small bells. And the “My Favorite Bear” museum is the most interesting place for children, it contains toys from different materials depicting a bear - the owner of the forests. And the toy railway, three and a half kilometers long, will simply delight little tourists.
Travelers won’t stay in the open air either; more than 25 hotels await visitors, where you can rent a comfortable room for 1,800 rubles. Specialized establishments of Russian cuisine will immerse tourists in the atmosphere of Russian life.
Ivanovo
At 15:30 we left towards Ivanovo - an hour’s journey and we entered the city of brides. There was no plan to stop here, so we admire the city from the car window and move on. Today Plyos on the Volga awaits us, it’s still an hour away.
Having checked into the hotel at 18:00, we set off to wander around the evening Ples. We walk along the Volga embankment, take pictures with Sofia Kuvshinnikova (Levitan’s friend, immortalized in bronze), buy smoked fish and ice cream and climb first one hill, and then the second, to the church that served as the prototype for the painting “Above Eternal Peace.”
A tightly built wooden staircase with railings, arches and benches leads to Levitan Hill. At the top we are greeted by the bronze Levitan, thoughtfully looking at the sunset blazing over the Volga. The setting sun, breaking out of the clouds, turns everything around red. What a beauty!
We don’t want to leave, but our daughter quickly brings us back to reality - it’s time to go home. We arrived at the hotel without legs. For dinner we eat smoked fish, washed down with Suzdal mead, and go to bed!…
Pereslavl-Zalessky
There are so many interesting sights in Pereslavl-Zalessky that you want to stay here longer
After Sergiev Posad, the route of the Golden Ring leads to Pereslavl-Zalessky
.
The city is so rich in attractions that you will have to carefully plan your visit to the sites in order to have time to see everything. There are a good dozen churches and monasteries alone - and all are worthy of attention, at least because of their antiquity. Be sure to devote time to museums: the ethnographic “Horse in a Coat”
, the historical
Alexander Nevsky
, the educational
Museum of Radio
and
the History of Money
, and there is also
the Railway Museum
,
the Museum of Vendace
,
Tricks and Wits
the Museum of the Iron and Teapot
will be remembered for a long time and will lift your spirits .
The boat of Peter I
is one of the oldest Russian museums, after visiting which you should enjoy the marvelous landscapes
of Lake Pleshcheyevo
, where Peter I built his famous amusing flotilla.
On the shore of the reservoir lies the Blue Stone
- a boulder of impressive size and unusual blue-gray color, considered miraculous for centuries.
And that's not all: Alexandrova Mountain
,
the Kremlin
in the city center,
the Russian Park
and
the “Berendey House”
with fun events in the traditional folk style. In short, you want to stay in Pereslavl for at least a week - fortunately, the developed infrastructure allows this.
What to try:
smoked vendace fish, pancakes with red caviar, sbiten, tea from a real samovar.
What to bring:
delicious vendace, original souvenirs from museums - ceramic and cast iron irons, copper samovars, porcelain dishes, coasters.
Plyos
Day three.
We got up at 8:00. A hearty breakfast at the hotel and off you go. On the way, we stopped by an art shop and supported local Levitans by purchasing a small picture. Here they also found a bronze cat sitting on a stone and looking at the Volga. They say that there really was a cat who sat on this stone every evening and watched the sun go by, and her owner immortalized her image.
In general, there are a lot of sculptures in Ples, almost in every second courtyard - whatever you say, artists clearly feel at home here. But no matter how good it is in Plyos, it’s time for us to go. 20 km from this city, on the opposite bank of the Volga, lies a town with the beautiful name Krasnoe-on-Volge. We decide to go there - the name is beautiful, and how can we not take a ferry ride across the Volga.
We arrive at the ferry at 10:45 and are 15 minutes late. It's almost an hour until the next ferry. I have to walk and rinse my feet in the Volga. Time flies quickly, and now we are already sailing along the great Russian river.
Among the attractions in Krasnoe, on the Volga, is a tented church, one of the few preserved in Russia, and silver production.
We visited both, were very pleased and went towards Kostroma.
Kostroma
Half an hour later we were there. We spent the whole day in Kostroma 2 years ago, so we decide to limit ourselves to lunch and a short walk around the city center.
Over the past two years, Kostroma has changed for the better, it has become more well-groomed or something, there are a lot of people and children on the streets
At 15:30 we leave towards Yaroslavl-Rybinsk, discussing where it is better to spend the night in Rybinsk. But our plans are not destined to come true - on the ring road of Yaroslavl we get stuck in traffic jams. When we finally break out of the tenacious embrace of Yaroslavl, we understand that it no longer makes sense for us to go to Rybinsk. We decide to spend the night near Tutaev, and at the same time once again visit the wonderful Tutaevsky Church of the Resurrection.
I think this is one of the most beautiful temples I have ever visited.
The ferry to the Romanovskaya side of Tutaev leaves at 18:30.
10 minutes, and we are on the Romanovskaya side, starting for the night two years ago near the village of Novoe - a pine forest on the banks of the Volga and sandy beaches. At the beginning of eight we are there. We swim in the Volga, have dinner and admire the barges and white steamers sailing past.
Vladimir city
From Moscow to Vladimir 180 kilometers along the M7 Volga highway. The road is good - there are four lanes of smooth asphalt along the entire length, only at the beginning of the road in Balashikha you often have to stop at traffic lights. The day before, the first autumn frosts arrived in Moscow and the first snow fell; on the road we were hit by a snowstorm a couple of times, the road was slippery, and the speed had to be limited.
Before Vladimir, the main road goes to the left (bypassing the city), you need to go straight to the center. When the Golden Gate became visible ahead, we stopped in the parking lot near the Torpedo stadium and continued on foot.
In the interior of the Golden Gate there is a museum and a diorama, accessed by a steep stone staircase. The diorama quite vividly conveys the drama of the last hours of the defense of Vladimir before its capture and destruction by the army of Batu Khan in February 1238 - impressive.
Not far from the Golden Gate there is an observation deck (built on an old water tower) overlooking the city, but on our visit it was closed for major renovations. Nearby there is an old fortress rampart, the so-called “Kozlov Val”, we climbed onto it and threw snowballs made from the first snow of the year into the nearby trees.
