"THE JEWELS OF THE RIVER VOLGA" NIZHNY NOVGOROD AND GORODETS

Tour program

• Day 1

  Arrival in Nizhny Novgorod and transfer to the hotel.

  

  

• Day 2

  Breakfast. 10.00 Сity tour. During our tour you will get acquainted with the history of the city of Nizhny Novgorod over the eight centuries of its existence. We will make a stop at the town’s main sights: Chkalovskaya staircase, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Maxim Gorky monument. You will walk along the historical streets that retain their beauty and ancient grandeur: Little Pokrovskaya, Rozhdestvenskaya, Ilyinskaya, Verkhnevolzhskaya and Nizhnevolzhskaya, visit Minin and Pozharsky squares, Sennaya and others. Perhaps the "highlight" of Nizhny Novgorod is the variety of magnificent panoramas and vistas. You will get to appreciate the characteristic landscape of the local embankments, enjoy wonderful panoramic views of the city and the Volga River, and hear the most peculiar things trivia about local traditions, culture and famous people. 13.30 Free time for lunch. 14.30 A stroll along Bolshaya Pokrovskaya and Rozhdestvenskaya streets, and visit to the Kremlin Nizhny Novgorod is located at the crossroads of river trade routes. Hence, many Russian merchants preferred to settle down and build their houses around these parts. The structures constructed within the city walls to this day impress visitors with their magnificence. Bolshaya Pokrovskaya Street has been a favourite street of Nizhny Novgorod residents since the 18th century. It is home to beautiful historical buildings, theatres, restaurants and clubs. Its only rival is Rozhdestvenskaya Street, which consists entirely of merchants' mansions. Many of them preserve stories and legends about their former owners. The Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin is one of the chief monuments of early Russian architecture. Built by the Italian architect Pietro Francesco, it absorbed the best features of Russian and European fortresses of the time. The history of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin is full of unexpected twists and turns: during various periods of its past, the fortress got to serve both as a frontier outpost on the edge of Russian lands, and as a key military and economic centre, around which the famous Nizhny Novgorod people's militia was formed. The Kremlin is an important part of the history of one of the most powerful and richest cities of the Russian Empire in its time. During the tour you will visit the Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel, the oldest church in Nizhny Novgorod, where the ashes of Kuzma Minin, the 17th century national hero who once saved the country, are buried.

  

  

  

  

• Day 3

  Breakfast. 09.30 Departure for the town of Gorodets (excursion duration approx. 9h). 11.00 Arrival and sightseeing tour of Gorodets, which will allow you to get acquainted with the ancient and modern history of the town that is almost as old as Moscow is, founded in the middle of the 12th century by the same historical figure, Prince Yuri Dolgorukiy. We will see what is preserved of the ancient settlement of the XII-XIV centuries, then proceed to the old town populated by the solid stone and wooden mansions of local merchants with their richly ornamented portals and decorated chimneys made of perforated iron. Gorodets is one of the most colourful towns in the region. Throughout its history it was destroyed several times and practically wiped off the face of the earth, yet it still made it to the present day. During the tour you will learn why the terrible devastation could not stop people from wanting to settle in these parts and how they rebuilt the city after each disaster. You will also find out why Prince Alexander Nevsky decided to become a monk after his return from the Golden Horde and where he lived out the rest of his days. 13.00 Free time for lunch. 14.00 You will continue with a visit to the town, which will impress you with its intricately carved wooden houses, views of the Volga River and a wide variety of handicrafts. Stroll through the old town, visit the Feodorovsky Monastery, and sample the local gingerbread. You will visit Zemlyaniy Wall, where the princely court of Yuri Dolgorukiy once stood, see the Holy Lake and hear the legend of Maliy Kitezh. At the end, you will hear about the Gorodets craftsmanship, which is known all over the country. Gorodets Craftsmen's Town is a complex of wooden structures dedicated to the history of wooden architecture of the Nizhny Novgorod region in the 16th-19th centuries. The complex includes a luxurious princely tower, wooden mansions of rich merchants and modest peasants' cottages. All these buildings are connected to each other by passages. 17.00 Departure for Nizhny Novgorod. 18.30 Arrival at the hotel.

  

  

  

  

• Day 4

  Breakfast. Check out from the hotel and transfer to the place of departure.