Murmansk travel guide

Murmansk, Russia

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Murmansk

Introduction

Murmansk is a port city and the administrative centre of Murmansk Oblast, in the far northwest of Russia. It sits on both slopes and banks of Kola Bay, a modest fjord that forms an estuarine inlet of the Barents Sea, with the bulk of the city on the east bank of the inlet. As the world's largest city north of the Arctic Circle, it is a major port of the Arctic Ocean.

Its position is far-flung: roughly 100 kilometres from the border with Norway, 180 kilometres from the border with Finland, and some 1,930 kilometres from Moscow. Expect an Arctic setting and a maritime, northern character shaped by the bay and the open sea beyond it.

Before you go

Murmansk is the largest city in the Arctic and an important Russian naval base and commercial port, and unlike Arkhangelsk on the White Sea, its harbour does not freeze in winter. It was the last city founded by the Russian Empire, served as a port for the Arctic convoys during the Second World War, and afterwards became the Soviet Union's most important submarine base. That history is the main reason to visit, along with its museums and port. The city sits in the Far North, so expect cold winters with temperatures routinely dropping well below freezing, and a brief, mild summer. Strong winds are common, especially in the higher parts of the city. Some neighbourhoods, particularly Rostu and Zhilstroy, may be unsafe at night. Packs of stray dogs roam suburban areas and have been known to attack people carrying food, and bears have been sighted along the road leading to the airport; while they usually flee on contact, mothers protecting cubs may be aggressive.

Getting there

Murmansk Airport (MMK) sits about 40 km south of the city near Murmashi, with multiple daily flights to Moscow and Saint Petersburg and limited services to other Russian cities such as Arkhangelsk, Sochi and Rostov-on-the-Don; seasonal flights from Minsk operate in summer. To reach the centre, taxis ordered in advance are the cheaper official option, though you may wait half an hour or more for one to arrive, while taxis waiting outside the terminal cost more and depend on your language and negotiation skills. Bus 106 runs to the train station, stopping at Detsky Mir near the Poliarnie Zori Hotel, and is less expensive but much slower.

Trains reach Murmansk from most of north-west Russia; Moscow is a long overnight-plus journey and Saint Petersburg somewhat shorter, with the Arktika branded train the fastest option, offering first-class wagons and a restaurant. Long-distance trains stop in cities such as Kandalaksha and Petrozavodsk, and other night trains arrive from as far east as Arkhangelsk or from Minsk and Brest, with services from Saint Petersburg and Moscow daily and most others a few times a week; extra summer routes are added, mostly to Ukraine and the Black Sea. Tickets are available at the station or online from the national operator RZD, and the railway station is on Ulitsa Kominterna, one block downhill from Five Corners Square. In summer, Murmansk Shipping Company runs occasional trips to and from Barentsburg on Svalbard and serves remote villages along the Kola peninsula's northern coast, including the isolated naval base of Ostrovnoy, while a few cruise lines also call, though the pier is basically bare, in a freight handling area with space for buses and taxis. Buses connect from Kirkenes in Norway daily via Pasvik Turist, which also offers a Russian taxi for up to three passengers, and a once-weekly service runs from Ivalo in Finland via Auto Express; book ahead and be on time, since missing the bus means overstaying your Russian visa. By car there are roads from Ivalo and Kirkenes, but expect hour-long waits at the border and keep the time difference in mind when calculating travel time.

Getting around

Murmansk is long and thin, but the parts that matter most to a visitor are packed into a fairly compact central area, so walking covers much of it. Prospekt Lenina is the main north–south thoroughfare through the centre, with Five Corners Square as its hub, and an energetic walker can cover the whole central stretch from the Poliarnie Zori Hotel at the south end up to the Alyosha Statue on its plateau to the north in under two hours. If your plans stay in the centre, you may barely need public transport at all. For anything further out, you rely on trolleybuses, buses and taxis — there is no metro or tram network. Trolleybuses, which make up the northernmost trolleybus system in the world, serve most of the larger streets and generally follow a north–south route that suits the city's elongated layout; heading east, "up the hill," means taking the small marshrutka minibuses instead. Both can be much delayed during rush hours because of traffic jams, so allow extra time at peak periods. A route planner showing the real-time location of trolleybuses on the most-used lines is available online, but it is in Russian only. Taxis are plentiful and cheap, making them a practical fallback when the buses are stuck; few drivers speak anything other than Russian, so memorize the street name or destination and have it written down. Unmarked taxis can be cheaper but are generally unreliable for anyone not fluent in Russian.

Where to stay

Most of Murmansk's accommodation clusters around the central Five Corners Square, which puts you within walking distance of the main sights. On the north side of the square, the Azimut Hotel Murmansk occupies the Arktika building and reopened after a long renovation as the city's premier business hotel; upper-floor rooms have panoramic views over the city and the fjord, and rates include breakfast and WiFi. On the south side, the Meridian Hotel is a smaller, classier affair whose lobby displays photos of notable former guests - a fair indicator of both its service and its price level. A short walk up the hill from the Detskiy Mir bus stop, the Park Inn by Radisson Poliarnie Zori is clean and well located, with helpful front desk staff and the popular Ledokol nightclub, which often hosts live music.

If your plans centre on the surrounding nature and wildlife rather than the city itself, the Hotel Ogni Murmanska is a hotel and resort complex on the eastern mountain slopes, overlooking Murmansk from the bypass road towards Severmorsk. Standards are good, with rooms and several cottages, and its restaurant is popular though somewhat overpriced; major credit cards are accepted.

Food & drink

Murmansk's eating options are modest but serviceable. Cafe Yunost, on Prospekt Lenina next to the Anatoliy Bredov Statue, serves coffees and desserts in a relaxing environment, along with chicken and chips. Vkusno i Tochka, in the Volna shopping centre on ulitsa Leningradskaya with its entrance off Ul. Yegorova, was formerly the world's northernmost McDonald's before the company sold its Russian operations; you order at the counter with cash or via kiosk with a credit or debit card.

For drinking, Bulldog Pub on ulitsa Karla Marksa is a sports bar showing matches including Barclays Premier League fixtures, with a good selection of draft beer such as ales and typical pub food. M-Club, inside the Kongress-Otel' "Meridian" on Ulitsa Vorovskogo, is a fairly upscale bar suitable for business socials.

What to see and do

Murmansk is a relatively new city, so its sights are few, but the ones it has are distinctive. The city's pride and most recognisable sight is the Alyosha statue, officially named Defenders of the Soviet Arctic: a towering soldier on a hill near Lake Semyonovskaya, overlooking the city, built to commemorate the Soviet defence of the Arctic during World War II. Wedding parties commonly visit to drink champagne in front of it, and the grassy hill around the statue has dirt footpaths that make good hiking grounds back towards the city. Architecture buffs will be intrigued by the crumbling Stalinist architecture downtown, complemented by trees and vegetation that receive little care. Walking up into the nearby hills offers remarkable views over the city, Kola Bay, lakes and the surrounding completely barren mountains, revealing how far north the city really is. At the docks, reached by crossing the railway on the elevated bridge next to the central station, the nuclear icebreaker Lenin rests as a museum ship - the world's first nuclear-powered surface ship, and a showcase for the Russian nuclear fleet. Guided tours are in Russian only, though some guides can offer complementary explanations in English. Several other monuments reward a look: the Memorial to the Soldiers and Seamen Who Died in Peaceful Time, a hexagonal lighthouse on marble stairs in the Leninsky district, with a small museum of sailors' artefacts beside it; and the Monument to Waiting Women, dedicated to the spouses of Arctic Fleet sailors and one of the few sculptures in the city honouring women. The city's museums are mildly interesting compared to those of larger Russian cities, but they offer a good appreciation of the region's history and art - among them the Regional Museum, with displays on local ethnography, taxidermy of local flora and fauna including polar bear and moose, arctic exploration and Murmansk's role in World War II, and the Northern Navy Museum. For something different, take the ferry across Kola fjord, a popular way to see the city, or visit the wooden working monastery on Prospekt Kolskij, handcrafted without nails and with two churches, its main church open to visitors.

When to go

Murmansk has a far northern climate: a long, cold winter and a brief, mild summer, with strong winds common throughout the year. In winter, temperatures routinely drop well below freezing, and the wind — especially on the higher parts of the city — makes the cold feel harsher. Snow and ice shape daily life and travel, so plan for winter conditions if you visit in this season.

The brief summer is the most comfortable time to visit, with mild temperatures that still stay cool enough for a jacket. Strong winds remain common, particularly at the higher parts of the city, so bring layers whatever the season.

Three days in Murmansk

Day one: Start in Murmansk itself, the largest city north of the Arctic Circle, set on Kola Bay where the Barents Sea meets the Arctic Ocean. Walk the central streets to get your bearings, then head for the Alyosha monument, a towering figure of a soldier looking out over the bay - it is one of the city's defining sights. Later, visit the icebreaker Lenin, the nuclear-powered ship that is now a museum and a reminder of the Soviet Union's push into the Far North. In the evening, try a meal of Arctic fish in one of the city's restaurants.

Day two: Take a trip out to Murmashi and the Murmansk Airport area, or head to the Alyosha monument if you missed it. The surrounding Murmansk Oblast is a land of tundra and long winter nights, and in summer the sun barely sets. If you have time, visit the Severomorsk area or the Kola Bay coast for views of the Barents Sea. In the evening, return to Murmansk for a meal of venison or king crab, both found on menus across the city.

Day three: Use your last day to explore Murmansk's wartime history. The city was heavily bombed during the Second World War and was awarded the title Hero City for its resistance. Visit the Monument to the Defenders of the Soviet Arctic, also known as the Alyosha monument, and the nearby war memorials. If you have an evening flight, take a final walk along the bay and watch the northern lights if you are lucky enough to visit in winter. For a longer trip, you could continue to Arkhangelsk on the White Sea, or fly south to Moscow or Saint Petersburg.

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