Golden Ring Route is a Russian gem, fantastic route, bucket list idea, lifetime experience, and if you travel to Russia, this would be your ultimate Russian holidays in 2015.

Here are fun facts about cities of Golden Ring Tour and some golden moments of our tours.

Golden Ring of Russia

♦ Golden Ring is a touristy route of Russia passing through the ancient Russian cities that are the center of folk crafts and have preserved the unique monuments of history and culture of Russia.

♦ There are a lot of wonderful sightseeing and hiking tracks in Russia. Apart from the Golden Ring, there are Silver Ring, Big Ural Ring, the great Trans-Siberian Railway, as well as national gems of Russia.

♦ Golden Ring is famous for masterpieces of folk art. Cathedrals, temples, museums and exhibition centers keep the samples of ancient arts and crafts: woodcarving, skilled lace and jewelers, lacquer miniature painting and enamel, and more.

♦ The cities of the Golden Ring of Russia have preserved all the stages of development of ancient Russian architecture: the majestic white stone temples of 12-13 centuries, the 16th century tents and buildings of the 17th century, the creation of architectural and painting schools in the cities of Rostov, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Vladimir.

♦ Golden ring consists of eight major cities – Sergiev Posad, Pereslavl, Rostov, Uglich, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Suzdal and Vladimir.

♦ Some sources include up till 23 cities in the Golden Ring. The rest of the list – the cities of Alexander, Bogolubovo, Gorokhovets, Gus Krystalny, Dmitrov, Ivanovo, Kalyazin, Kideksha, Moscow, Murom, Myshkin, Palekh, Plios, Rybinsk, Tutaev, Uglich, Yuriev-Polsky, Shuya etc – is arguable. However, all these cities are national heritage of Russia and are highly recommended to visit, if you can.

♦ If you look at the map, it becomes clear why the Golden Ring is called a ring: the cities form some kind of ring to the north-east of Moscow.

Sergiev Posad

The city of Sergiev Posad is located 52 km from the center of Moscow and is now part of the Moscow region. Sergiev Posad was originally a group of settlements founded in the XIV-XV centuries around the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. Later the settlements were merged into one city of Sergiev Posad.

The Trinity-Sergius monastery was founded in 1337 by Sergius of Radonezh, the name of which was the basis of the city.

The city boasts more than 250 monuments, of which more than 50 are churches.

Sergiev Posad got the title of the city under the decree of Catherine II in 1782. Today, the city’s population is just over 110,000 people.

Sergiev Posad is both the center of Russian Orthodoxy, as well as the capital of the puppet theater with is unique and the only one museum of Russian toy in Russia.

Sergiev Posad is famous for yet another tradition – the annual festival of balloons of various shapes, called “The Heaven of St. Sergius.”

Pereslavl Zalessky

Pereslavl (1152) and Moscow (1147) were founded by the same prince – Yury Dolgorukiy.

Here in Pereslavl in 1220 was born the legendary Alexander Nevsky, the founder of the dynasty of Muscovy princes and the great patron of the Orthodox Church.

Pereslavl town is famous for one of the first white stone temples of the North-Eastern Russia, that has come down to us almost completely preserved.

At the end of the XVII century, it was in Pereslavl where Peter I started the so-called “amusing flotilla” that marked the beginning of the Russian Navy.

 

Rostov

Rostov Kremlin is the highlight of the city. The Kremlin occupies a vast territory with plenty of churches, chambers, galleries and museums.

Assumption Cathedral is the main temple of the Kremlin, built in the XVI century, taking the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin as a model.

Rostov Kremlin is considered the most beautiful in Russia, and definitely more “Russian”, if to consider that Kremlin in Moscow was mostly built by Italians in XV century.

Uglich

According to archaeological research, a settlement on the site of the Uglich Kremlin has been settled since  V-VI centuries, which seems to be the oldest settlement in Russia. Uglich was founded in the year of 937.

In the Holy Transfiguration Cathedral of Uglich was buried Prince Dimitry, the son of Ivan the Terrible (in 1606 his remains were moved to Moscow). The temple is 14 meters wide and 17 meters high. The Holy Transfiguration Cathedral was an outstanding architectural achievement of the time.

Yaroslavl

Yaroslavl is one of the oldest cities of the Golden Ring of Russia and one of the most beautiful cities in the Volga region.

There are 140 architectural monuments and attractions, the most famous being Transfiguration Monastery, Church of Elijah the Prophet and the cloister.

Since 2005 Yaroslavl is one of the 23 UNESCO World Heritage sites in Russia.

The construction of the center of Yaroslavl, established in 17-18 centuries, is an outstanding example of mutual cultural and architectural influences between Europe and Russia.

Yaroslavl is a prime example of urban planning reform by Empress Catherine the Great undertaken between 1763 and 1830.

Kostroma

The first Tsar of the Romanov dynasty – Mikhail Alekseevich – was crowned in Kostroma. Therefore, Kostroma is considered to be “the cradle of the House of Romanov.”

The favorite holidays of locals is the City day and Fireworks Festival “Silver Boat”.

They say 9 out 10 of Kostromichi love their city, and the 10th turned out to be a tourist who simply doesn’t speak Russian ;).

Suzdal

Suzdal is one of the most striking and original Russian cities. The city of Suzdal was first mentioned in 1024, and since then the city, which lies on the picturesque banks of the Kamenka River, have been actively growing and developing.

The oldest part of the city is the Suzdal Kremlin, the heart and soul of the city. The Kremlin preserved the ramparts and moats of the ancient fortress, several churches and the ancient Cathedral of the Nativity.

For three centuries Suzdal was the capital of several principalities. Even Moscow was then a minor settlement.

Vladimir

239 historical monuments and buildings of 18-19 centuries in Vladimir are protected by UNESCO.

The main attraction of Vladimir, the Golden Gates were built in 1164, during the reign of prince Alexander Bogolyubsky. The Golden Gates were one of the seven entrance gates of the city and the only one survived.

In order to outshine the beauty and splendor of Kiev, as well as to consolidate Russian lands around Vladimir, in the period from 1158 to 1165 there was a large-scale construction of Vladimir Assumption Cathedral. This temple was supposed to surpass the grandeur of St. Sophia and unite the Russian people. The cathedral was built in a record: construction began in 1158, and in 1160 the Cathedral was already completed.

♦ Golden Ring of Russia presents all the stages of development of ancient Russian architecture: the majestic white-stone churches of 12-13 centuries and the tents of 16th century.

♦ Cities and towns of the “Golden Ring of Russia” are called an outstanding encyclopedia of ancient Russian architecture.

Tip: If you are going on a trip to the Golden Ring of Russia, plan at least (!) one day for each city. The most convenient way is to travel solo or with a private guide, this way you will avoid constant group hustle and be able to really enjoy the beauty of the Golden Ring.

Here are quick stats about Siberia, if you want to make your Russian experience diverse and wild.

What is your summer bucket list in Russia? 

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