Today we will go to the toy Suzdal - the city of churches, temples and monasteries, delicious mead, beautiful platbands and intricate folk crafts. Join our photo walk and find out what to see in Suzdal in 1-2 days, where the best views and locations for photos, how much tickets cost, museum opening hours and other useful facts and details.
Impressions from Suzdal
Suzdal is a small chamber town, you are fascinated by it even on the way to the Kremlin. It is so quiet and calm here that it seems that no one knows how he returned in time. Couples stroll along the alleys decorously, horses with carriages clatter along the pavement, colorful wooden houses with carved platbands are hiding behind thick spreading spruce trees, crosses of numerous churches and temples are burning in the sunset rays. And it smells so delicious! Something rustic and native, grandmother's: bulk apples, hay and river. Only a dull rumble coming from the highway reminds of our hectic time.
With a thoughtful and careful examination, all the sights of Suzdal, of which there are decent enough, can be seen in 1-2 days. If you have very little time, you can do even half a day, but I advise you to set aside a full day with an overnight stay - believe me, the city is worth it. In addition, in the evening, it's a sin not to indulge in excellent Suzdal mead!
Walking route in Suzdal for one day
So, I invite you to take a photo walk around Suzdal - along the route along which we once got to know the city. In one day, we can easily see the main attractions of Suzdal. I will not burden you with historical facts, but I will share my impressions, details, the best points for photos and useful notes. At the end of this guide, I will tell you about the best restaurants and hotels in Suzdal, what else you can do there, and what souvenirs you should buy.
Arriving in Suzdal, we parked our car on the side of Lenin Street, next to the Trading Rows. From the cobbled Trade Square, the first thing we did was walk along Kremlin Street towards the Kremlin. On the way we admired the paired churches of the 18th century - Pyatnitskaya and Entry-Jerusalem... In general, remember this fact that there are many paired churches in Suzdal, which once formed a single architectural ensemble.
Further on the right side of the street - Kremlin shafts 11-12 centuries. Just imagine, these ramparts were poured for the defense of the city during the reign of Vladimir Monomakh! They had wooden fortifications that burned down in the 18th century. Now the ramparts are used by tourists as an observation deck. The views from there are wonderful, idyllic, even if you sit down and paint a picture. Nice place for photos. On the left, you will see the picturesque bend of the Kamenka River, the Ilyinsky Church and the meadow, and on the right, the Venerable Bell Tower.
Behind the shaft - dark terracotta Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin built around the 18th century. Initially, the church was wooden and stood in the courtyard of Prince Ivan III. It is not known exactly when it was rebuilt, but now the Assumption Church is an atypical example of the Naryshkin Baroque for Suzdal.
We move on and run into a powerful wall of white stone Suzdal Kremlin Is the heart of the city and its main attraction. To get inside, you need to go around it on the left. The Kremlin is quite small in size, only 14 hectares. I didn't even expect it to be so tiny, because it looked bigger on the map. There are also few buildings in it. Please note that instead of numbers on the chimes of the Kremlin, there are gilded Old Church Slavonic letters! Very unusual.
Just walking around the Kremlin costs 60 rubles - without visiting the expositions. A single ticket (exposition + territory) costs as much as 400 rubles. Most tourists are outraged by such a high price, moreover, the expositions seem boring to many. Children under 16 are admitted free of charge. An excursion for 2-5 people costs 800 rubles per person. The territory of the Kremlin is open from 9:00 to 20:00, and the cathedral and chambers are open until 19:00. On the last Tuesday of the month - until 14:00.
Here we are in the Kremlin. To the right of the entrance are bishops' chambers with the Church of the Annunciation and the bell tower. More precisely, what was left of them and what was restored. In the 16th and 17th centuries, it was an impressive complex of residential and outbuildings of the bishop's court. In general, the history of the chambers of the churchmen is very complex and long, if interested, read it separately. Now it houses a museum. In the bell tower of the chambers, you can see a unique monument of decorative and applied art of the 17th century - Jordanian canopy... Also, the museum contains Tsar Book, the largest handwritten book in Russia. The dimensions are impressive: the weight is over 35 kg, and the height is over 1 meter!
Hiding behind the chambers is a huge Cathedral of the Nativity with five beautiful blue domes painted with gold stars. However, the cathedral was not always like this, in the 12th century it had only three domes. The Kazan Tatars burned Suzdal, and because of the fire, the upper part of the cathedral collapsed. It is the earliest surviving building in Suzdal and dates from the late 11th - early 12th centuries. The cathedral is very photogenic and beautiful from every angle. Inside, pay attention to the bright frescoes and the beautiful "golden gate" with drawings on metal - fire gilding on blackened copper. These gates are the same age as the cathedral itself!
Then go to the wooden Nikolskaya Church, picturesquely standing by the birch. She really exudes goodness and the Russian spirit! I love such examples of wooden architecture as we have in Perm (Khokhlovka) or in Karelia (Kizhi, Virma, Kinerma). The Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker has never stood in the Kremlin - it was brought from the village of Glotovo, Yuryev-Polsky District, and put in place of the burnt church. Alas, you cannot enter inside - it is locked.
Behind St. Nicholas Church there is a path towards the river, where wonderful rural views of the other bank open from the rampart. Here it is worth looking at the best, in my opinion, the panorama of the kremlin in Suzdal, breathe in delicious air and rest a little.
Exit the Kremlin and walk along Varganov Street to the twin churches - St. Nicholas and Nativity of Christ... Church of St. Nicholas is wonderful in its romantic dilapidation, but, alas, it is abandoned and gradually collapsing.
Then go along Aleksey Lebedev street - probably the greenest and most well-groomed in Russia! We have never seen so much vegetation on such a short street. It is so cozy that you want to settle in one of the houses.
Now go back to the Kremlin street. On the way to the right, look at the fire tower, and then exit to Trade area and Lenin street. There are also paired churches here - Voskresenskaya and Kazanskaya, but during our trip they were under restoration. Walk along the cobbled square, between the stones of which grass is breaking through, wander through the galleries of the Trading Rows, and you will find yourself at the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker of Krestovskaya. Behind it, at the corner of the Shopping arcade, there is another lookout... In general, there are many successful sites in Suzdal due to the relief and the river.
Viewpoint coordinates: 56.420841, 40.446973.
The next place worth seeing in Suzdal is Old street... It starts just from the observation deck. On the street there are many wonderful wooden houses with carved platbands. Platbands are also a notable feature of Suzdal. They are so skillfully made, just a sight for sore eyes! And after all, everyone is different, they do not repeat themselves.
On this street stands Balzaminov's house - the film "The Marriage of Balzaminov" was filmed there. The house is residential, you can't get inside. Opposite it are unusually bright churches - Lazarus and Antipius.
