Nizhny Novgorod Russia
Russia
Frequently Asked Questions
At the river station on the lower embankment, where the Oka meets the Volga. Look up and you understand the whole call: the kremlin crowns the bluff directly above.
By the Chkalov Stairway, which climbs the bluff in two great stone loops: 560 steps, the longest staircase in Russia. Those less inclined to climb can go around by the road ramp or take a taxi — the ride is short.
Yes, 560 steps is no small thing. Take it in stages and turn around often: the Volga widens with every landing. If heat or breath are a concern, a taxi is a perfectly sensible choice.
Climb to the kremlin, then walk down the pedestrian street Bolshaya Pokrovskaya to Gorky Square. With time left, the cable car over the Volga gives the best panorama in the city.
The city's pedestrian ribbon, more than a kilometre sloping gently from the ramparts down to Gorky Square, past theatres, cafés and buskers. Bronze sculptures punctuate it, including the cheerful goat by the drama theatre, the most photographed of them.
Yes, it is the local experience par excellence. Nearly four kilometres of cable above the Volga, its islands and flood meadows, across to the small town of Bor. Residents use it like a bus; late afternoon gives the best light.
Because its 19th-century fair drew merchants from across the empire and beyond. Founded in 1221, the city was long the country's great trading centre, and the nickname stuck.
It is his birthplace, and it carried his name through the Soviet period. Museums are devoted to him, including houses connected to the writer. During those decades the city stayed closed to foreigners because of its military factories.
A fortress of red towers built on the bluff above the confluence. From its ramparts the view takes in the meeting of the Oka and the Volga — the signature outlook of the city.
May through September, the Volga navigation season. On a summer late afternoon the sun rakes across the domes and the bluff: the best moment for the cable car and for photographs from the ramparts.
