Nalchik travel guide

Nalchik, Russia

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Nalchik

Introduction

Nalchik is the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria, set in the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains at an elevation of roughly 550 meters. The city lies about 100 kilometers northwest of Beslan.

Before you go

Nalchik sits on the banks of the River Nalchik, its name meaning "small horseshoe" in the Kabardian language — a nod to the shape of the surrounding mountain range. It grew from a Russian fort founded in 1818 into a backwater garrison town, and only became a city in 1921, four years after the October Revolution. During Soviet times it developed into a spa town, with sanatoriums, artificial lakes and parks, and it largely escaped the grey concrete architecture of the Brezhnev era that marks many other Russian cities. The main avenue, Lenin Prospekt, is wide and lined with bleached white buildings of five or six floors.

The city is home to several ethnic groups, most notably Kabardians (Adiga), Russians and Balkars (Taulu), so expect a mix of languages and traditions. Bear in mind that Nalchik has a troubled recent past: in October 2005 a group of fighters seized the city, attacking police and army headquarters before Russian special forces retook it, leaving 136 people dead. Check your government's current travel advice before planning a trip.

Getting there

Nalchik has its own airport, Nalchik Airport (NAL), located just northeast of the city. UTAir flies there from Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and Pobeda also serves the Moscow route. For a wider choice of flights, consider Mineralnye Vody Airport (MRV), roughly 105 km to the north, which offers many more options.

By rail, a daily train connects Nalchik with Moscow, a long journey of around 34 hours with stops at cities including Mineralnye Vody and Voronezh. Buses run regularly to and from cities in North Ossetia such as Vladikavkaz, as well as Stavropol, Mineralnye Vody, Grozny (about 5 hours), and Rostov-on-Don.

Getting around

Nalchik is a compact city in the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, and its central areas are easily explored on foot. Walking is the simplest way to get around, and many of the places you are likely to want to reach can be covered without any vehicle at all. Comfortable shoes are worthwhile, since the city sits at an elevation and you may find yourself covering a fair amount of ground over the course of a day.

There is no metro or tram network, so public transport means road-based services. Keep cash in small denominations for minibuses and taxis. For travel beyond the city, head to the bus station, where regular services run to destinations across the North Caucasus and southern Russia, including Vladikavkaz, Stavropol, Mineralnye Vody, Grozny and Rostov-on-Don; allow extra time for long-distance buses, as Grozny is roughly a five-hour trip. Nalchik's own airport sits just northeast of the city, only a few kilometres from the centre, which makes the transfer into town short and straightforward; it is served by UTAir and Pobeda. If your flight options are limited, check Mineralnye Vody Airport instead and connect onward by road or train. The railway station has a daily service to and from Moscow, a journey of around 34 hours with stops at cities including Mineralnye Vody and Voronezh.

Where to stay

Nalchik has a handful of places to sleep, ranging from simple guesthouses to larger hotels. Dzhamilya on Kanukoyeva is a budget option, while the Grand Kavkaz Hotel on Tarchokova and the Spa Hotel Sindika on Pirogova sit at the more comfortable end of the scale. Nart on Lermontova is another choice if you want to be in the centre.

Food & drink

Shashlik, a grilled brochette of meat, is commonly found at most cafes in Nalchik, making it the easiest local dish to seek out when you are hungry. The city's eating options are spread across a handful of named places: Bereg on Lermontova, Blackberry on Pushkina, Imedi on Inessy Armand, Oasis and Tameris on Kuliyeva, Redberry on Baisultanova, Ridada on 2-y Tamanskoy Divizii, and Kafe-Bar on pr. Kuliyeva. Kafe-Bar is worth noting if you want somewhere that leans toward main courses and desserts rather than a full savoury spread.

For an evening out, Amadeus Karaoke Club on Nakhusheva is the listed spot for drinks and singing.

What to see and do

Nalchik itself has relatively little to offer, and most travellers use it as a convenient base for exploring the region and the wider North Caucasus. Lenin Prospect is the main street, while Orekhovaya Roscha Square is a verdant spot for a walk. The Central Park of Culture and Recreation is greener still, with artificial lakes, Atazhukinsky Garden, an amusement park and paddle-boat rental. A chair lift runs to the top of a hill, where a restaurant has a fine view; you can also take the gondolas up to the second station, from which a snow-cat continues to the Elbrus base camp.

For hiking, the Bezengi and Chegem valleys are about an hour's drive away, with lower, pre-alpine mountains whose scenery and flora are just as rewarding and where you will meet almost no other tourists once past the Chegem waterfalls. Do not expect well-marked paths: buy a good map in a bookstore, or simply drive to a valley and pick a path leading sideways. Livestock graze in the mountains in summer, so shepherds and cowboys are usually around, and animal tracks and paths may not take you to the summits but will lead you to the passes. In winter, snow-boot hiking is safer in the more populated Cheget and Elbrus area. Skiing is possible on Mount Cheget or Mount Elbrus, less than 10 km apart; the lifts are generally old and run down, Cheget is the more challenging resort, and Elbrus, at higher altitude, tends to have better snow and prepared trails. Both have only a few lifts, both offer equipment rental with more choice in Cheget, and if you stay overnight, sleep at Cheget, which is friendlier, has better hotels and restaurants and more of a resort feel, along with a few restaurants, a disco bar, a small market selling traditional products and an ice rink. The Kabarda and Balkar are famous horse-riders who bred the sturdy, small kabardin horse, used locally for livestock rearing. Proficient riders can go to the hippodrome in Nalchik and rent a pure-breed competition horse directly; less experienced riders can find quieter animals in winter on farms on the plain around Nalchik by asking locals, while in summer the horses are usually taken into the mountains, with the area past the Chegem waterfalls in the Chegem valley a good bet.

When to go

Nalchik has a hot-summer humid continental climate, and the city has no dry season, so wet weather is possible at any time of year. The warm season runs from late May to mid-September and brings hot summers. Rain during these months falls as light rain and thunderstorms, and winds stay calm to a light breeze.

The cold season lasts from December to March. Precipitation then comes as light snow and moderate snow, with winds again remaining calm to a light breeze. Because there is no dry season, you should expect precipitation during these months as well, so plan for wet or snowy conditions whichever season you choose.

Three days in Nalchik

Day one: Start in Nalchik itself, the Kabardino-Balkarian capital set against the Caucasus Mountains. Walk Lenin Prospekt to get your bearings, then follow the River Nalchik, which runs through the city. The mix of Kabardian, Russian, Adiga, Balkar and other communities gives the place its character, and the Soviet-era layout - shaped in the decades after the October Revolution and through the Brezhnev years - is easy to read on foot. If you arrive by air, Nalchik Airport (NAL) is served by UTAir and Pobeda, with flights from Moscow and Saint Petersburg.

Day two: Give the mountains your time. The Caucasus Mountains rise beyond the city, and the upland country of Kabardino-Balkaria is the reason most travellers come. The Balkars and Kabardians have long used these high pastures, and the landscape - including the area around Taulu and Bear - rewards a full day rather than a rushed half one. Weather here turns quickly: it can be warm and humid in the valleys and bitterly cold higher up, so pack layers whatever the season.

Day three: Look outward to the neighbouring republics and territories, or plan your onward travel. Buses and road links connect Nalchik with Beslan and Vladikavkaz in North Ossetia, with Stavropol, Grozny and Rostov, and with Mineralnye Vody, where Mineralnye Vody Airport (MRV) handles longer-haul flights; Voronezh is among the onward options. Check schedules before you set out, since services vary by season and demand.

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