- Main attractions
- Where to go for free
- Entertainment for children
- Rostov the Great in summer and winter
One of the cities of the Golden Ring - brilliant in the literal and figurative sense of Rostov the Great - makes a different impression on tourists. Some come here to rest their souls, wander through the old merchant streets, where time stood still in the 18th century, and feel like a character from Russian novels. Others come to local shrines, of which there are a lot - several monasteries, temples are open for believers and ordinary tourists. Still others are interested in history and want to see with their own eyes one of the most ancient Russian cities, which remembers Yaroslav the Wise and other no less famous princes. The modern traveler is first interested in where to go in Rostov the Great, and only then builds his own route around the city.
It is impossible to say exactly how much time to spend on walks around Rostov the Great. For some, a weekend will be enough, while for others a whole month will not be enough.
Main attractions
In Rostov the Great, the eyes diverge from the places worth visiting. Local guides call their city an open-air museum. All the sights of Rostov can be divided into three groups:
- Kremlin - the main tourist attraction, the center around which the whole life of Rostov revolves. The local Kremlin, which, in fact, is not a fortress at all, but a place where the highest church hierarchs lived, is now considered a museum. On its territory there is the Assumption Cathedral, 5 churches, walls, towers, a neat belfry, where you can hear bells ringing. But what are we telling you - you all saw the Rostov Kremlin in the film "Ivan Vasilyevich Changes His Profession";
- museums … The first and main museum complex is the Rostov Kremlin. In the buildings and churches of the Kremlin, you need to look at frescoes, icons, woodwork, church utensils, skillful embroidered work. The Enamel Museum located right there is very popular. There is also a factory in Rostov where they make exquisite things with painted enamel. It has another small museum. In the Kekin estate on Pokrovskaya Street, there is an exhibition telling about the merchant's life. The weapons museum next to the Kremlin will appeal to boys;
- monasteries … In Rostov, on the shores of Lake Nero, there are two monasteries - Spaso-Yakovlevsky and Avraamiev. There is a Christmas monastery near the Kremlin. On Leningradskaya Street, north of the city center, there is a male Petrovsky Monastery.
Top sights of Rostov the Great
Where to go for free
You can walk around Rostov for hours, examining the wooden platbands of old mansions, admiring the wide surface of Lake Nero, going into all the temples you meet. And all this is absolutely free. For budget-conscious tourists, there are also three interesting museums in the city, which do not charge an entrance fee.
The first of them is called "Lukova Sloboda". It is located on Dostoevsky Street, far enough from the city center. A small museum is dedicated to onion cultivation in the vicinity of Rostov. You can walk around the exposition on your own in a matter of minutes; with a guide, such a tour will take about half an hour. Under the museum, on the ground floor of the building, there is a themed café where you can order a set lunch that includes onion dishes. For children in the museum classes are held on the creation of dolls from onions.
House of Creativity "Khors" is another place where everyone is allowed free of charge. Several art and ethnographic exhibitions can be seen here. If you like what you saw, you can leave a small amount to the owners in gratitude. Also, for a fee, master classes on making jewelry with enamel are held.
You can also look for free at the House of Crafts on the 2nd passage of the Tolstovskaya embankment near the Rostov Kremlin. In the former merchant mansion, a museum exhibition has been operating since 2007, which contains works of local craftsmen - products made of birch bark, wood, ceramics, lace masterpieces, original author's dolls, etc. Many exhibits can be bought.
Interesting places in Rostov the Great
Entertainment for children
Many Rostov museums hold master classes, including for kids. In the House of Crafts, for example, you can mold a whistle out of clay with your own hands or make a doll.
The smallest will love the Frog Princess Museum. Local residents are sure that the Frog Princess lives in Lake Nero, so they support this myth in every possible way. A tour of the museum, where several thousand figurines of frogs have been collected, will be interactive. Children will have the opportunity to chat with their favorite fairy-tale characters.
The younger generation can also be recommended to sign up for a special tour of the Rostov Kremlin "Museum for Kids". Educational lectures are read here for schoolchildren.
With children 5-16 years old, you can go to the Rostov Compound Museum, which is a stone's throw from the Kremlin. This is a historical exhibition that tells about the inhabitants of the city of Rostov, about their customs and traditions. Here you can try on historical costumes, learn the secrets of Lake Nero, look into the fairgrounds, light a fire as a representative of the Merya tribe, and try kalachi.
Be sure to check out the Rostov Zoo. Guests can be present while feeding the animals.
Rostov the Great in summer and winter
Summer in Rostov the Great is good - the air warms up to 21-24 degrees. In a warm period, it is worth climbing the Kremlin walls - they are allowed to climb them only from May to October, when the stones at the top are not covered with a layer of ice.
Another summer entertainment in Rostov is boat trips on Lake Nero. They start at the pier, which is located behind the fortification. The tour does not last long - 40-50 minutes, there are no benefits for kids - you will have to pay for a full ticket. From the boat you can see all the city buildings facing the lake - the Kremlin, two monasteries.
Fans of fishing will not be disappointed - the locals, who have their own watercraft, are happy to organize excellent fishing for the guest for a small fee. Moreover, at any time of the year. The catch can be given to the cooks of any coastal restaurant - and in an hour you can try the fish caught with your own hands.
In winter, they ride on snowmobiles on the lake, dive into an ice-hole after a bath. The latter can be found at numerous recreation centers in the villages closest to Rostov.
