Day 1 (Moscow – Vladimir – Suzdal)
Morning : Moscow
Take one of many daily trains or buses to Vladimir
Late Morning : Vladimir
Can be an interesting stop during the day trip to / from Suzdal, if you want to walk around this old town rich with history, see the old and impressive Assumtion Cathedral, Dmitri’s Cathedral, and visit the local history and archelology museum. In this case, you can come to Vladimir in the morning (there are many daily trains and buses from Moscow) and then take an evening bus to Suzdal. If you want a pick of Russian province, it’s better to come to Vladimir friday or saturday night, when the main street of the city rocks. You can party in a typical provincial cafe with Karaoke music and lots of vodka, play in one of many city’s casinos, take a Soviet style room in Zarya hotel, make the sightseeing the next day, and then take an afternoon bus to Suzdal.
Evening: Suzdal
Visit Suzdal’s Kremlin, see the monasteries, have ‘bliny’ (russian pancakes) in a local cafe. Camp next to the Kremlin or anywhere else in this green, calm town and get Kostroma, The Golden woken up by the music of the church bells early in the morning. Walk in the green hilly village from one fairy tale dome monastery to another. In the afternoon you can take a bus to Kostroma.
Day 2-3 (Ivanova – Kostroma)
Afternoon: Ivanovo
Go through Ivanovo – a typical Russian industrial town, see the grey buildings with faded mosaics to the glory of Soviet heros.
Evening: Kostroma
Just walk around this pretty calm town on Volga river, sleep in a simple pier-hotel on the Volga river, or in an inviting ‘Maash” guesthouse. The next day you can travel by hydrofoil on Volga river from Kostroma to Yaroslavl or take a daily morning elektrichka (train).
Day 4 (Yaroslavl – Velikiy)
Late Morning: Yaroslavl
See one the biggest city in the northern part of Russia – the ancient and at the same time modern Yaroslavl. In the evening you can take a train or a bus to Rostov (1.5 hours).
Church of Protection on the Nerl River, The Golden RingRostov-Velikiy
Stay in an artist’s house just on the shore of the lake ‘Nero’. Visit the archeological museum in Rostov Kremlin, feel Russia’s origins and learn more about history. Rent a boat and row on ‘Nero’ lake (just next to Rostov’s Kremlin) to the shore where there is a nice beach to swim. Get dizzy in a cafe with the honey alcohol Miedavuka. Take an afternoon bus to Pereslavl-Zalesskiy.
Day 5 (Pereslavl – Zalesskiy – Moscow)
Late Afternoon: Pereslavl-Zalesskiy
This morning we depart Moscow, Should time-permit, your local host will accompany you to Moscow’s famous Izmailovo Flea Market, or to our Duty Free shops owned by JSC KomeK where you can shop for souvenirs.
Late Evening: Moscow
The whole trip is approx. 678 kilometers (420 miles) long, the total time spent in the buses and trains: 15h30m.
