Ulan-Ude
Introduction
Ulan-Ude is the capital of Buryatia, Russia, set on the Uda River where it meets the Selenga, roughly 100 kilometres southeast of Lake Baikal. It is the largest city in the Russian Far East by population, and its position between the lake and the Mongolian border shapes its character as a place where Russian and Buryat cultures meet.
Before you go
Ulan Ude sits in Buryatia, at the meeting point of the Uda and Selenga rivers, between the Khamar-Daban and Ulan-Burgasy mountain ranges and roughly 100 km south of Lake Baikal. Buryat Mongols make up a significant share of the population, and the Mongolian influence is easy to notice; Shamanism, Buddhism and Orthodox Christianity are all commonly practised. Much of the original Buryat culture and many religious buildings were destroyed during the Soviet era, and the city was closed to foreigners before 1991.
Plan around the climate, which swings hard between seasons. January to March is the coldest stretch, with bitterly cold nights; April and May stay cold but usually above freezing. June to August is the most pleasant window, with plenty of sunshine and mild, low-20s warmth. September and October are bracing but not yet very cold, while November and December turn freezing again. Humidity is low, so the extremes feel less harsh than they would in a humid place, and this part of Buryatia is known for having more sunny days than elsewhere in the region.
Getting there
Baikal International Airport (UUD) sits west of the city centre, with regular flights to major Russian cities such as Moscow, Krasnoyarsk, Vladivostok, Irkutsk, Khabarovsk and Novosibirsk, plus international services to Ulaanbaatar, Beijing and Seoul. Buses #55 and #77 run between the airport and Ploshchad Sovietov, where the giant Lenin head stands in the centre; from the terminal, walk straight out and turn left at the crossroad to find the airport bus stop. Taxis are quicker if you agree the fare in advance.
Ulan-Ude's train station is in the centre, a short walk from the main street, ulitsa Lenina, and all Trans-Siberian trains stop here. It is the first major Russian city on the route from Mongolia, and there are daily trains toward Moscow, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Yekaterinburg, Perm and Vladivostok, as well as international services to Ulaanbaatar and Beijing. The Selenga bus station, also called Yuzhniy, lies at the end of Sovetskaya street and is reachable on foot or by marshrutka from the train station. Many buses and marshrutkas, including those to Irkutsk, Lake Baikal, Arshan and Chita, also stop at or leave from the train station; they are generally less comfortable than the train but cheaper and faster, and for many small towns in Buryatia they are the only public transport option. Daily buses connect with Ulaanbaatar, and minibuses run to the Mongolian border town of Kyakhta.
Getting around
Ulan-Ude's central tourist area is compact and very walkable, so if you base yourself downtown you can cover the core sights on foot. Ulitsa Lenina runs through the heart of the city, and the train station sits in the centre just a short walk from it. Ploshchad Sovietov, the square dominated by the giant Lenin head, is the main orientation point for the downtown area.
- For longer hops, the city has trams, buses and marshrutkas (shared minibuses), plus plentiful taxis. Marshrutkas are the most common way locals get around and are useful for reaching outlying districts and transport hubs; tram routes are limited to a few lines. Fares are paid on board to the driver or conductor, so keep small change handy. Marshrutkas often leave when full rather than to a strict timetable, and route numbers are the main way to identify services, so note the number you need before setting out.
- Taxis are convenient, especially with luggage or late at night, but drivers rarely speak English — have your destination written in Russian or ready on a map, and negotiate the fare in advance for informal taxis.
- From Baikal International Airport west of the centre, buses #55 and #77 run to Ploshchad Sovietov; the airport bus stop is a few minutes' walk from the terminal, out of the building, left at the crossroads. A taxi into the centre takes roughly 20 minutes.
- The train station is central and a short walk from ulitsa Lenina, with all Trans-Siberian trains stopping there and the Trans-Mongolian route branching south toward Mongolia and Beijing. The main bus station, Selenga (also called Yuzhniy or the South Bus Station), is at the end of Sovetskaya Street, within walking distance of the train station or reachable by marshrutka #30 or #29. Many intercity buses and marshrutkas also stop at or depart from the train station, so check both.
Where to stay
Most hotels and hostels in Ulan-Ude provide free WiFi, and many also have computer terminals; almost all accept credit cards. If you need a visa invitation or registration, hotels and hostels will usually arrange it for an additional fee. For budget stays, the city centre is well supplied with hostels. Dostoevsky Hostel sits on Borsoeva Street, about a ten-minute walk from the train station. Ulan Ude Travellers House, also known as UUhostel, is on Lenin Street at the Lenin Head Statue, in a yellow building marked with an S7 airlines sign, and its friendly staff can help you book onward travel. Hostel House on Smolina Street occupies the only apartment in its building and offers laundry, with the city about a ten-minute walk away and the South bus station roughly fifteen. Point Hostel on Erbanova Street is close to the bus station and Soviet square and provides free WiFi and tea and coffee in a kitchen. In the mid-range bracket, several hotels cluster near the train station and the Lenin Head Statue. Hotel Baikal Plaza on Erbanova Street has been refurbished but has no elevator. Hotel Buryatia on Kommunisticheskaya Street is a tall block, Hotel Geser on Ranzhurova Street is a red brick building surrounded by a garden where staff speak English well, and Hotel Odon on Gagarin Street is popular with Chinese business travellers, with rooms and hygiene standards that reflect its low price and some of the cheapest rooms lacking shower access. Hotel Sagaan Morin on Gagarina Street sits by the bus stop named "Elevator".Food & drink
For a taste of the region, seek out Buryat cuisine: steamed meat dumplings called buuza (or pozy), fried sharbin and khushuur, soups such as the meat broth bukhlyor and the noodle dish shuleen, and sweet baked goods known as boovy, served with jam or condensed milk. The fish omul is unique to the area, as it exists only in Lake Baikal. You'll find traditional food and a welcoming atmosphere at the yurt-ger cafe Baatar orgoo in Verhnaya Beryozovka, reached by minibus, and at Ulger Restaurant & Cafe on Kirova street, which serves both Russian and Buryatian dishes and has a terrace outside. For Buryat cooking closer to the centre, try the Buuza cafe/bar on Communist street, near the hotel Siberia and a few minutes from Lenin's head. Russian cooking is easy to find too: Marusia on Lenina street and the tray-style canteen whose sign is watched over by Lenin's head both serve it, as does the Museum cafe on Lenina street, on the way from Lenin's head to Arbat street. Tenghis sits inside the Baikal Plaza hotel, while Student snacks is tucked behind the Opera house. If you want something European, Churchill pub&grill on Lenin street, opposite the Lenin's head, grills various meats and is among the pricier places in town, with English-speaking staff; Zolotoy Drakon on Lenina street serves Chinese food. For coffee and lighter fare, try Marco Polo on Kommunisticheskaya street, Safari on Erbanova street, or Shokolad on Karl-Marks boulevard, opposite the new Russian drama theater. To stock up, shops are marked with the sign "магазин"; Sputnik on Kommunisticheskaya street stays open around the clock and has a good selection of prepared foods, including vegetarian options, and you'll also find Titan, Slavyanskiy bazar on Smolina street, and Absolut. As a souvenir, the local Baikalpharm brand of vodka is popular.What to see and do
In the city centre, Ploshchad Sovietov is dominated by the World's Largest Lenin Head, a colossal monument unveiled in 1970 that now serves as a common meeting place. From there you can wander the merchant's mansions along the banks of the Uda River, richly decorated with wood and stone carvings that recall the town's prosperity as a trading centre. Lenina Street, also called Arbat street, is partly pedestrian-only and is the main spot for meeting, walking and shopping, and a good place for people-watching. You can also pass the former shopping arcade of Gostiniye Ryady and Revolution Square, once the site of bazaars and now home to a victory arch topped with a two-headed Russian eagle. For more people-watching, head to the embankment of the Selenga near Pioner mall, close to the main bus station. Among the museums, the Ethnographic Museum of the People of Transbaikalia Culture is an outdoor site at Verhnaya Beriozovka, where old homesteads, some 17th-century Cossack houses and Buryat wooden yurts have been relocated alongside reconstructed streets representing traditional Buryat homes, plus a small zoo. In the city centre you'll find the City History Museum, housed in a former wealthy tea merchant's house with an exhibition devoted to Pandito Hambo-Lama XII, Dasha-Dorzho Itigelov; the Museum of Buryatia History, whose highlight is a rare 17th-century illustrated book on Tibetan medicine; the Museum of Buryatia Nature; the Sampilov Museum of Fine Arts, also known as the East-Siberian Hermitage; and a Geological Museum featuring minerals, rocks, gems and stones from the Lake Baikal region. Religious buildings worth seeking out include the Odigitrievsky Cathedral, the town's first stone building, and the Rinpoche Bagsha Buddhist Center, a new lama temple with a panoramic view over the whole city — it can be quite windy up there, so dress warm. Further afield, the Ivolginsky Datsan is the centre of Buddhism in Russia, and in the nearby village of Bolshoi Kunalei you can hear Old Believers, called "Semeiskiye", sing for visitors. For performances, the Buryat State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater offers Buryat singing and dancing, while the Puppet Theatre Ulger caters to kids with local plays, including several in the Buryat language.When to go
Ulan-Ude has strongly continental seasons: a very cold winter, a short pleasant summer, and low humidity that makes the extremes feel less harsh. January to March are the coldest months, with freezing conditions and night temperatures well below zero, so dress for serious cold if you visit then. April and May stay cold, though temperatures are usually above freezing — a transitional time rather than a warm one.
June to August are the most pleasant months, with lots of sunshine and temperatures rising to the low 20s, making this the best window for a visit. September and October are bracing but not yet very cold, cool and crisp rather than freezing. In November and December freezing temperatures return and winter conditions set in again.
Three days in Ulan-Ude
Day one: Start in the city centre, where the grid of Soviet-era blocks gives way to older streets, and get your bearings along the Uda River, which meets the Selenga nearby. Ulan-Ude is the capital of Buryatia, and the mix of Russian and Buryat life is the thing to tune into first: Orthodox Christianity, Buddhism and Shamanism all have a presence here, and you will notice it in the look of the place as much as in its institutions. Spend the afternoon on foot rather than in transit, since the centre is compact and the character is in the detail.
Day two: Give the day to the Buryat side of the city and the landscapes around it. The Buryat Mongols are the region's Indigenous people, and their culture - language, food, dress, and the Buddhist and shamanic traditions that sit alongside it - is what distinguishes Ulan-Ude from any other Russian city. If the season allows, head out toward the Selenga and the country beyond; the river is the great artery of Buryatia and the gateway toward Lake Baikal. In winter the cold is bitter and the light is low; in summer it turns warm and humid, and the surrounding steppe and forest open up.
Day three: Use your last day for the wider region or for the parts of the city you have not yet reached. Baikal International Airport (UUD) connects Ulan-Ude with Moscow, Krasnoyarsk, Vladivostok and the rest of the Russian Far East, so it is worth knowing where it sits before you leave. If you have time, push toward Lake Baikal itself - the deepest and oldest lake on earth, and the reason many travellers come this far east. Otherwise, revisit the centre, take in a museum or a market, and eat properly before you go: the Buryat kitchens here are the point of the journey as much as the sights.