Nizhny Novgorod: overview
Nizhny Novgorod is one of the oldest cities in Russia, the administrative center of the Volga Federal District, the fifth most populous city in the country, located 400 kilometers east of Moscow. Nizhny Novgorod was founded in 1221 by Grand Prince George (Yury) Vsevolodovich of Vladimir. It is one of the few Russian cities founded by a person later pronounced saint. From 1932 to 1999, the city was called Gorky, in honor of the world-famous writer, whose works left their mark on world literature, Maxim Gorky, a native of Nizhny Novgorod. Nizhny Novgorod is located at the confluence of two great rivers, the Volga and the Oka. Many world-famous celebrities came to admire the view at the "Strelka", where their waters merge. Even today tourists are fascinated by this majestic, incomparable view. The Oka divides the city into two parts: the upland part, located on the right higher bank on the Dyatlov Hills, and the lowland part, which stretches down to the Volga bank. The Volga separated Nizhny Novgorod from the Bor district. The two ancient monasteries - the Annunciation monastery made of white stone, which is as old as the city itself, and the Pechersk Ascension monastery, founded in 1328-1330 by St. Dionysius of Suzdal, located on the foothill of the famous Skvortsovy hills, are the real gems of the city. Nizhny, as the townspeople call it, has preserved the spirit of the olden times even today. The “pearl on the Volga” with its abundance of historical, cultural and architectural monuments, is rightly included in the hundred cities on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The city is famous for its Kremlin, the people's militia, which liberated the country from the Poles, the writers Maxim Gorky and Andrei Pechersky, the literary critic Dobrolyubov, the self-taught inventor Kulibin, the mathematician Lobachevsky. The city is attractive for its ecology - there are many gardens and parks, 12 rivers flow through its territory, and there are 33 lakes within the city limits, the largest of which is Meshcherskoye. In 2018 Nizhny Novgorod became one of the host cities of the FIFA World Cup. This city has been able not only to preserve its history, but also managed to adapt to new, modern trends. It is for this reason that tourists of all ages come here for an experience and everyone inevitably finds what they are looking for.
Availability of transport hubs
Airport
Railway station
Bus station
Port
Climatic features
Winter
Winter in Nizhny Novgorod is very cold and very long with a solid amount of snow that persists until the end of March to mid-April. On most days the sky is covered with clouds. The average daily air temperature is around -7°C. However, deviations from average climatic conditions are possible: the weather can be as tough as minus 30-degree cold waves with heavy snowfalls and strong winds, or, on the contrary, unexpectedly improve with short-term thaws, bringing with them warmer temperatures and rain. February is characterized by snowstorms, sometimes "freezing" the entire life of the city.
Air temperature:
up to -5... -13 °С
Spring
Spring in Nizhny Novgorod is fairly short-lived, experiencing the least amount of precipitation compared to other seasons. At the beginning of March it still snows, at night there are hard frosts, and in the last days of the month large-scale snow melting begins, accompanied by floods. As a rule of thumb, by the end of April, the land is completely stripped of its snow-white clothes, changing into lush green "outfits". In May, the weather is very warm, with a few cloudy days here and there.
Air temperature:
up to -7... +18 °С
Summer
Summer in Nizhny Novgorod is moderately hot. June is a month of pleasant warm weather, while July, in spite of rather moderate average daily temperatures, may surprise with unprecedented for these regions heat waves that can go bring the temperatures up to +27 ° C - + 30 ° C. Due to the fact that the city has dozens of rivers and lakes, there is a high level of relative humidity, which often means that such weather conditions are not entirely easy to endure. In addition, in the summer there are often short showers, which are sudden in nature. Thunderstorms are not uncommon. In August the heat scales back its fervor: the daytime air temperature drops by at least a few degrees. It's also worth mentioning that summer evenings tend to be quite cold. Warmer clothing is recommended at that time.
Air temperature:
up to +12... +27 °С
Autumn
Autumn in Nizhny Novgorod, just like spring, does not last very long. In fact, it’s only there for September and October. In the first month of autumn the temperature decreases to +14 ° C. ... +15 ° C, and the trees begin to throw off the first yellow leaves. However, against the backdrop of this "yellow kingdom" the weather can be incredibly warm and sunny. These are sometimes a few days of warmer, summerlike weather, but it does not necessarily happen every year. In October, all the parks and squares are painted in golden crimson colors. At the end of the month, the intensity of rain intensifies, wet snow begins swirling through the streets, and in November serious frosts are already expected.
Air temperature:
up to -5... +15 °С
Useful tips
1 What to pack
- Passport
- Cash, credit card
- Booking confirmation for the hotel
- Phone, camera, and chargers for them
- Power adapter, if your devices are incompatible with standard EU type outlets
- Clothes that fit the weather
- Good mood
2 Top things to do
- Dive into history at the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin
- Enjoy a splendid view of the Strelka
- Conquer Chkalovskaya Stairs
- Visit the Nizhny Novgorod Fair
- Explore Nizhny's diverse architecture, with numerous temples, cathedrals and monasteries
- Take a stroll along the most beautiful street of the city - Rozhdestvenskaya St. and the main pedestrian street - Bolshaya Pokrovskaya St.
- Take a small trip to the neighboring Nizhniy Novgorod region
- Take a cruise on the Oka and the Volga rivers
- Take a ride on the ropeway
3 Things to bring back home
- Painted handicrafts in Khokhloma, Semenov, Gorodets styles
- Articles made of anhydrite, clay, metal, bone
- Balakhona lacework
- Felting: valenki, slippers, hats
- Dry or smoked fish (halibut, mackerel)
- Gorodetsky gingerbread and souvenir sets of Sormovo sweets
- Nizhny Novgorod lvan-tea
- Vodka from Nizhny Novgorod: "Russian Squadron", "Swan Paradise", "Uzola"
- Hand-painted New Year's Tree Toys