Murmansk Arctic Russia
Russia
Frequently Asked Questions
In the port, on Kola Bay. The maritime station is the landmark: moored nearby is the icebreaker Lenin, now a museum and the city's most visited attraction.
Thanks to the last traces of the North Atlantic Current, which warm Kola Bay. That generous anomaly explains the city's existence as the largest in the world north of the Arctic Circle.
The icebreaker Lenin first, then the Alyosha monument on the heights for the view over the bay. Add the Church of the Saviour on the Waters and the regional museum if time allows.
Yes, on a guided group tour. Commissioned in 1959, it was the world's first nuclear-powered surface ship. The route takes in the bridge, the engine room and the wood-panelled officers' wardroom.
A 35-metre concrete soldier standing on the heights above the bay, among the tallest statues in Russia. It honours the defenders of the Soviet Arctic in the Second World War, when Murmansk, almost entirely burned by bombing, served as the gateway for Allied convoys.
Not a picture from an old engraving. Rebuilt after the war, it lines up broad avenues and colourful facades to brighten winter, crossed by one of the northernmost trolleybus networks on earth. Come for the atmosphere, not an old quarter.
Yes, in summer: beyond 68 degrees north the sun refuses to set and the city never quite sleeps. It is an experience in itself, and it completely changes the rhythm of a port call.
In autumn and winter, once the polar night sets in. Some excursions head out beyond the city lights to look for them. Nothing is guaranteed — auroras depend on solar activity and clear skies.
A windproof jacket is essential in any season: the weather turns fast on Kola Bay. In winter you need genuine Arctic clothing; in summer, layers and wind protection are enough.
The Russian rouble and Russian. Bring cash, as foreign-issued cards cannot be relied on. English is not widely spoken: a guided excursion makes the icebreaker and the monument far easier.
