Suzdal

Suzdal (????????) is a historic small town in Vladimir Oblast in eastern Russia, about 25 km north of Vladimir. It was once the capital of several Russian principalities and has many examples of early Russian architecture. It is probably the most interesting of the Golden Ring cities.

Understand

History

During the time of the Soviet Union, nearly all of Suzdal's economy was planned around its tourist potential. As a result, very few modern buildings were constructed in Suzdal (by law there are no structures more than 2 stories high except cathedrals). Also, a number of wooden structures from other parts of Russia were transported here, and the whole city was converted into an 'open-air museum'. Unfortunately, Suzdal's dependence on tourism also meant its economy nearly came to a standstill when tourists stopped coming after the fall of the USSR. The town's tourist trade now appears to be revitalizing itself however, mostly due to an influx of Russian tourists from Moscow and elsewhere.

Suzdal retains a rustic atmosphere. You will not find any McDonalds restaurants or any trace of Western chain shops or hotels here. Livestock wandering the streets and elderly women washing cloths in the river (and tourists wielding digital cameras) are regular sights in Suzdal.

Get in

There are no trains to Suzdal, so aside from organized bus tours, the only way to reach the city is by bus or car. There is one daily bus from Moscow's Shelkovskaya bus station. However, a more convenient option is to first visit Vladimir, and then take a bus from there. Buses depart from Vladimir to Suzdal every thirty minutes.

Do

July 16 - Day of Cucumber. Funny holiday, based on the fact that Suzdal's cucumber have a reputation as the best cucumber in central Russia. Per se a folks music holiday.

Eat

There are a lot of restaurants and cafe (Thanks God no McDonalds!!!!) however the best food is in the "Trapeznaya". It's placed in real room of refectory on the territory of Suzdal's Kremlin. It has a traditional russian menu with "bliny" with caviar and something else, but prices are much lower than in Moscow. Try their marinated forest mushrooms - it's beautiful, alone or with cold vodka. Priyatnogo appetita!

Drink

As usual in Russia - vodka. But, in Suzdal you can test another drink - miedovukha. It's a russian variant of cider, made from honey. Be careful - don't buy it on the streets - it may be fake, ask your guide where u can buy real medovukha.

Sleep

Suzdal maybe is one of the Russian City where you can not just find out a place to stay but have a choice. The biggest hotel is a "Tourist" (not the best name, isn't it?) It's a 3 star hotel, may be the best place for backpackers, also there are "cottages" with garage inside, in any case you can left your car on parking (strange place - cheapest place for russian cars, then another cars and much expensive for jeeps :) ) In the very center of town is another big hotel "Sokol", renovating after fire. However, there are a lot of small hotels with 5-20 rooms, so you can find out a bed in any time (sure, it's impossible in NY holidays, Day of Independent, and your choice is not very wide in a summer time).

External links

unfortunately links are in Russian...

http://suzdal.org.ru/ http://suzdal.org.ru/hotels.htm http://www.suzdalbest.ru/ http://www.hotel-sokol.ru/