Nizhny Novgorod can be explored through its art, Kremlin history and city walks. The Kremlin houses collections and historical museums; the Chkalov Staircase connects the two Volga embankments. Bolshaya Pokrovskaya and Rozhdestvenskaya streets also have their own distinctive character. You can therefore plan your trip around the themes that interest you most.
Art and history in the Kremlin
The collection of the Nizhny Novgorod State Art Museum includes Russian, Western European and Eastern art. The permanent exhibition “Russkoye iskusstvo” is also housed in Building 3 of the Kremlin. The collection thus covers three areas of art, while the permanent exhibition’s title focuses on Russian art. If art is a reason for your trip, you can plan around both focuses separately.
Modern historical museums are located in four towers of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin. A specific memorial site is the Archangel Michael Cathedral, which contains the tomb of Kuzma Minin. The Kremlin is also home to the Eternal Flame and the Arsenal Centre for Contemporary Art. The Kremlin thus brings historical museums and memorial sites together with an art collection and a centre for contemporary art.
Kremlin routes and seasonal planning
The route along the Kremlin wall includes visits to the tower museums and observation platforms. It operates from April to November. A summer museum route leads to observation platforms in the Taynitskaya and Georgiyevskaya towers. This distinction is useful when planning for the season: a period of operation is specified for the wall route, while the other is described as a summer route. Check current opening hours before your visit, as schedules may change.
The Kremlin also has an open-air exhibition of military equipment. Check its current availability in advance. If you plan to visit the Arsenal Centre for Contemporary Art, it is also worth checking the current programme.
The Kremlin’s spruce grove is home to the “Detinets” children’s play complex. It adds a different type of activity to the art and history attractions there.
Stairs, embankments and streets
The Chkalov Staircase connects the upper and lower Volga embankments. The two sides of the staircase have a total of 560 steps. You can therefore factor the staircase in as a separate, step-filled section when planning your day.
Bolshaya Pokrovskaya is the city’s main pedestrian street. Visitors can stroll there, admire the architecture and listen to street musicians. Rozhdestvenskaya Street is also a tourist street in Nizhny Novgorod. If a city walk is your main focus, there are other named places beyond the Kremlin attractions, offering a variety of points of interest. The wider travel destination of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast also includes Gorodets, which has been known since the late 18th century for baking printed gingerbread and as a centre of wooden shipbuilding.
Discover more destinations: Kotelnitsy, Lukoyanov, Ankudinovka, Vorotynets, Malaya, Krasnaya Glinka, Galanino, Ivanovo.
See the overview of the wider destination: Nizhny Novgorod Oblast.
