Stand on Soborna Street in the late afternoon and the city shows you its shape: a long central axis of low, pale buildings, church domes breaking the skyline, and the green line of the Psel River somewhere behind the rooftops. Sumy is a walking city, and most of what is worth your time sits within a short stroll of these two central streets.
It suits travellers who prefer a quiet, workaday Ukrainian city to a polished tourist circuit: church architecture, a strong regional art collection, a literary house-museum, and long riverside and park walks. This guide covers the sights and experiences the sources describe, ordered so that the strongest come first, followed by a plan for a single day.
Top things to do in Sumy
1. Art museum
The Art museum holds what the sources call one of the best collections in Ukraine, covering Western, Russian and Ukrainian art. Set aside real time here rather than treating it as a quick stop.
It stands on Pokrovskaya sq., 1. It opens Sat-Wed 10:00-17:00 and Thu 10:00-16:00, so a weekday morning or an early Saturday works well. Combine it with the central streets, which are close by.
2. House-museum A.P.Chehova
Anton Chekhov lived in a western wing of this house in 1888-89, and it is now a museum devoted to him. It is the city's strongest literary stop and rewards anyone interested in how a writer lived while working.
It is at Chekhova str., 79. Opening hours are Sat-Wed 10:00-17:00 and Thu 10:00-16:00. Pair it with a walk along the Psel, since the river is one of the city's defining features.
3. Trinity cathedral
Trinity cathedral is one of the central religious buildings named in the sources, on Troitska str., 24-A. Its position makes it a natural anchor for a walk through the historic core.
Visit in the morning, then continue along Troitska to the other religious and architectural sites on the same street.
4. Resurrection of the Saviour Cathedral
Built in 1906 in baroque style in stone, this cathedral sits on Voskresens'ka str., 19 — one of the two beautiful central streets the sources single out. The combination of the building and the street it faces is the reason to come.
Walk the length of Voskresenska afterward; the sources name it alongside Soborna as the city's two fine central streets.
5. Spaso-Preobrazhenskij cathedral
This cathedral stands on Soborna str., 31, on the other of the two central streets. It is easily folded into a walk that takes in the municipal gallery and the folk museum, both on the same street.
Go earlier in the day and continue along Soborna rather than doubling back.
6. The Roman Catholic Church
This is the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on Troits'ka str., 6. The sources note that Sumy was the centre of Roman Catholicism in northeastern Ukraine from the beginning of the twentieth century, and this church is the expression of that history.
It sits on the same street as Trinity cathedral and the Hospital Svyatoy Zinaidy, so group all three into one walk.
7. Ilyinskaya church
The first, wooden Ilyinskaya church was built by 1705, and the present building was rebuilt between 1836 and 1851. It is at Chervonohvardiiska 2 str., 10.
Because it lies off the main central axis, treat it as a separate short excursion rather than something to pass on the way to elsewhere.
8. John the Baptist Church
A wooden temple was built on this site in 1691; in 1837 a local noble family, the Lintvarevykh, built the stone church with a bell tower as a parochial temple. It is at Ordzhonikidze str., 87.
Combine it with the Ilyinskaya church if you are covering the churches outside the centre in one outing.
9. Park Druzhby Botanic garden
This park on Shevchenka Ave. centres on a music fountain made of three round pools set at different levels, with diameters from 10 to 20 metres. It is the city's main open-air gathering place.
Come in the evening, when a fountain is worth sitting beside, and use it as the end point of a day of walking.
10. Sumy municipal gallery
The municipal gallery is at Soborna str., 27, on the central street. It is a compact stop that fits naturally between the cathedral and the folk museum on the same street.
Check ahead by phone before making a special trip, and pair it with the Soborna str. sights around it.
11. Folk museum (Alpinism History)
This museum on Soborna str., 37 is devoted to the history of alpinism and holds more than 6,000 objects. It is an unusual subject for a city museum and stands out for that reason.
It is a few doors from the municipal gallery, so visit the two together.
12. Hospital Svyatoy Zinaidy
On Troits'ka str., 37, this hospital is listed as an architecture monument. It is a stop for anyone walking the city looking at buildings rather than exhibits.
Fold it into the Troitska street walk with the Roman Catholic Church and Trinity cathedral.
13. Mansion Suhanovyh
The Mansion Suhanovyh is at Petropavlivs'ka str., 5. It is one of the historic residential buildings named in the sources and adds a domestic scale to a day otherwise spent in churches and museums.
Pair it with the Sumy regional philharmonic on the same street.
14. Sumy regional philharmonic (formerly the Nobility Assembly)
The philharmonic occupies the former Nobility Assembly building at Petropavlivs'ka str., 63. The building itself is part of the reason to go, and it is the city's main concert venue.
Check the programme in advance if you want an evening performance, and walk the Petropavlivs'ka street sights beforehand.
15. Theater of drama and musical comedy the name of Schepkina
This theatre stands on Teatral'na sq., 1. An evening here is the most straightforward way to spend time with the city's cultural life rather than just looking at its buildings.
It is central, so it works as the close of a day that began on Soborna or Voskresenska.
If you only have one day
Morning. Start on Soborna Street with the Art museum on Pokrovskaya sq., 1, which opens at 10:00, then walk the street itself to Spaso-Preobrazhenskij cathedral at Soborna str., 31. If time allows, step into the Sumy municipal gallery and the Folk museum (Alpinism History), both on the same street.
Afternoon. Move to the House-museum A.P.Chehova on Chekhova str., 79, then take in the Troitska street group: Trinity cathedral, the Roman Catholic Church and the Hospital Svyatoy Zinaidy. Finish the afternoon on Voskresenska, one of the two central streets, at the Resurrection of the Saviour Cathedral.
Evening. End at Park Druzhby Botanic garden on Shevchenka Ave., where the music fountain is the natural place to sit. If you would rather be indoors, take in a performance at the Theater of drama and musical comedy the name of Schepkina on Teatral'na sq., 1, or the Sumy regional philharmonic on Petropavlivs'ka str., 63.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time of year to visit Sumy?
The climate is warm-summer humid continental, with cold and snowy winters and hot summers. January averages about −6.9 °C and July about 20.3 °C, and the most rain falls in June and July, so late spring and early autumn give you the mildest walking weather.
Which museums are open on which days?
The Art museum and the House-museum A.P.Chehova both open Sat-Wed 10:00-17:00 and Thu 10:00-16:00. Plan around those hours, and note that both are closed on Friday.
Can I see the main sights on foot?
Yes. The two central streets, Soborna and Voskresenska, carry a large share of the sights, including the municipal gallery, the folk museum, Spaso-Preobrazhenskij cathedral and the Resurrection of the Saviour Cathedral. The Psel River runs through the city and is easy to work into a walk.
What should I combine with a visit to the churches?
Group by street. Trinity cathedral, the Roman Catholic Church and the Hospital Svyatoy Zinaidy are all on Troits'ka, while the Ilyinskaya church and John the Baptist Church sit away from the centre and are best done as one separate outing.
Decide on your dates, check the museum hours against them, and build your days around the two central streets — the rest of Sumy follows from there.