Velikiy Novgorod

Introduction

Veliky Novgorod, often called simply Novgorod, is the administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast and the largest city in the region. It sits along the Volkhov River, a short distance downstream from where the river leaves Lake Ilmen, and lies on the M10 federal highway that links Moscow and Saint Petersburg — a position that makes it a natural stop for travellers moving between the two capitals.

Before you go

Velikiy Novgorod sits between Moscow and Saint Petersburg, making it a natural stop if you are travelling between the two. It belongs to the Silver Ring of cultural and historical centres of the Northwest of Russia, and its historic core is inscribed on the World Heritage List.

Knowing a little of its past will shape what you notice. Novgorod was first mentioned in manuscripts as early as 859 and grew, alongside Kyiv, into one of the most important cultural, social and economic centres of Rus. It was the capital of the Novgorod Republic, one of the first European democracies, addressed publicly as "Lord Novgorod the Great". That independence was resented by the Muscovite autocrats, and Ivan the Terrible eventually forced the city into submission; ever since, it has been a backwater kind of place. Expect a quieter, provincial atmosphere rather than a grand imperial one.

Getting there

Veliky Novgorod has no working airport of its own, so the practical approach is through Pulkovo Airport (LED) in Saint Petersburg and onward by rail or road. Russian Railways runs trains to the Novgorod-Na-Volhove station on Oktyabr'skaya Ulitsa, about 1.5 km west of the city centre, where left luggage services are available. From Saint Petersburg's Moskovskiy Vokzal the journey takes around three hours, with departures in the early morning and late evening; the carriages are all seated and can be uncomfortable, though leg room is generous. From Moscow's Leningradskii Vokzal, overnight trains take about eight hours, with soft berths and compartments available for an additional charge.

Buses are the other main option, arriving at a station directly across the street from the railway station. Several services run daily from Saint Petersburg's Main Bus Terminal, taking about four hours. Buses from Moscow operate only in summer, and that trip is long and inconvenient. Services also connect Novgorod with Tver, Pskov, Riga and other towns in the Novgorod region.

Getting around

Velikiy Novgorod is a walking-friendly city, and if you enjoy long walks, everything in the city is within walking distance. The reward for covering the historic core on foot is a chance to take in the beautiful architecture along the way, so for most sightseeing days your own two feet will be the primary way you get around.

• By bus and trolleybus: The city has both bus and trolleybus systems, running approximately every five minutes and reaching every part of the city. Route maps and timetables are available online, but in Russian, so it helps to have a translation tool or a local's help when planning a route.
• By bicycle: Bicycles are a perfect way to get around Novgorod. Bicycle and rollerblade rental is available at the "Shooting Club" on the Main Alley of the Kremlin Park.
• By taxi: Taxis are cheap and plentiful, a convenient choice for trips with luggage or destinations beyond the walkable centre.

Note that there is no metro or tram network here, so your practical choices come down to walking, cycling, public transport and taxis.

Where to stay

Most of Veliky Novgorod's accommodation clusters in the centre, within walking distance of the Kremlin, or just across the Volkhov. For a cheap bed, Yaroslav Hostel on Nikolskaja Street sits just east of the river and is bright and colourful, with dorm beds available. Among the mid-range options, Hotel Acron on Ul. Predtechenskaya is one of the less expensive decent choices in the city centre, and the Intourist, in the central part of town about ten minutes' walk from the Kremlin, has ensuite rooms throughout and a restaurant inside; breakfast there is not included in the room price. The Volkhov Hotel, also on Ul. Predtechenskaya, sits between the train station and the Kremlin, roughly a ten-minute walk from each, and includes breakfast in its rates.

Across the river from the Kremlin, the Sadko Hotel on Ul. Fedorovsky Ruchei is a clean, renovated mid-range place with a restaurant, about a 30–40 minute walk from the train station, and breakfast is included. If you want the city's top-class option, the Beresta Palace on Ul. Studentechskaya, north of the centre on the east side of the river, has the most amenities of any hotel but lies a moderate distance from the centre.

Food & drink

For a cheap, no-frills meal, head to the central cooking and dining room on Fedorovskiy Ruchey street, a self-service place where you pick up your food yourself. If you want something more comfortable, Cafe Charodeyka sits just outside the Kremlin walls on the corner of Sofiyskaya Square, across from the Fine Arts Museum. It's a trendy spot with good food and coffee, and for both salads and main courses you choose your own ingredients and sauces from a list on the menu; there's an English menu and a sidewalk cafe in summer.

• For views with your meal, try Fregat Flagman near the walking bridge over the river — a restaurant built into a real-size ship, looking out over the Kremlin and the surroundings.
• When it comes to drinking, honey mead is a local favourite.

What to see and do

Start inside the Kremlin, or Detinets, which is free to enter and holds many of the city's main sights. Pedestrians can come in through two gates: one from the footbridge over the river, the other by Sofiyskaya Square and the Lenin Statue. A gate in the Kremlin wall also leads to a beach on the riverbank. In the park at the centre stands the iron Monument of the Millennium of Russia, created in 1862 and ringed by a panorama of famous figures from Russian history, with tsars and patriarchs on one half and cultural figures on the other. The eleventh-century St. Sophia Cathedral is the centrepiece of the city's religious buildings; look for its iconostasis and frescoes inside, and on the north-west exterior the Magdeburg Doors, a bronze twelfth-century German work with reliefs of biblical scenes. Elsewhere in the city you'll find the Aleksandr Nevsky Monument, honouring the prince famed for the Battle on Ice and canonised by the Russian Orthodox Church, along with the Monument Novgorod Militia 1812 and the Monument to St. Peter and Fevronia.

Across the footbridge from the Kremlin lies Yaroslav's Court, the old commercial district marked by a long arcade along the riverbank. Several churches here show the typical Novgorod style of a square base topped by a dome, and some wooden houses hold temporary museum exhibitions. The Fine Arts Museum, across from the Lenin Statue, has a collection of Russian art including Repin and other 19th- and 20th-century artists. To reach the Vitoslavitsy Museum of Folk Wooden Architecture, take bus #7 from the stop across from Sennaya Square and the tourist information office; the ride is about 20 minutes, one stop past the Yurev Monastery, and the museum entrance is on the right side of the road. Set in forest near the shore of Lake Ilmen, it gathers rural houses brought from around the Novgorod region in the 1960s, along with wooden churches, traditional houses, a windmill and a blacksmith's shop. For entertainment, the Novgorod Drama Theater and the Novgorod Philharmony stage theatre and music, and festivals range from the King Festival in mid-April, which sometimes holds performances in English, to the summer "Sadko" festival with old-Russian folklore.

When to go

Veliky Novgorod has a humid continental climate, so your experience of the city depends heavily on the season you choose. Summers are warm, with temperatures that can climb past the comfortable range, and July is the warmest month. June is the wettest month on average, so if you visit in summer, expect rain and pack accordingly.

Winters are relatively cold with frequent snowfall, and February is the coldest month, so snow is a regular feature of a winter visit. If you want the least chance of precipitation, March is the driest month on average.

Three days in Velikiy Novgorod

Day one: Arrive in Veliky Novgorod, a city on the Volkhov River near Lake Ilmen that holds a place on the World Heritage List. Settle in and take a first walk along the river, getting your bearings in a place whose story reaches back to the days of Kyivan Rus and the Novgorod Republic. Keep the day unhurried and let the scale of the old city set your pace.

Day two: Give the day to the historic core and its monuments, the reason Novgorod earned its place on the World Heritage List. Wander the streets and riverside at an easy pace, and take time to understand how the city once stood as a great European trading power, from the age of Lord Novgorod the Great through to its absorption into the Muscovite state under Ivan the Terrible.

Day three: Use your last day to fill any gaps and to enjoy the riverside setting along the Volkhov. Veliky Novgorod sits in the Northwest of Russia within Novgorod Oblast, and it is easily reached from Saint Petersburg or Moscow by Russian Railways services, or by bus. When you leave, you will carry away a sense of a city that was old before either capital rose to prominence.