Rostov Veliky Kremlin & Assumption Belfry
1670–1683 whitewashed episcopal citadel on the shore of Lake Nero
Walk the covered wall galleries linking the Gate Churches and hear the fifteen-bell belfry chime.
Yaroslavl & Rostov Veliky, Russia
Ideal: 2 daysBest: May–SepPrice: Moderate
In 60 seconds
Yaroslavl & Rostov Veliky in 60 seconds
On the upper Volga northeast of Moscow, Yaroslavl pairs a UNESCO-listed historic centre—famed for seventeenth-century merchant churches clad in green glazed tiles and floor-to-ceiling frescoes—with the nearby lakeside town of Rostov Veliky, where the seventeenth-century Metropolitan's Court (Rostov Kremlin) rises directly beside shallow Lake Nero.
Best for
- UNESCO World Heritage
- Architecture
- River
- Lake
- History
Known for
- Rostov Veliky Kremlin & Assumption Belfry
- Church of Elijah the Prophet, Yaroslavl
- Volga & Kotorosl Embankment (Strelka), Yaroslavl
Skip if
You visit outside May–October when several unheated seventeenth-century fresco churches close.
Your match
Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Yaroslavl & Rostov Veliky fits them. Choose interests
See
Must experience
The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.
Church of Elijah the Prophet, Yaroslavl
1647–1650 merchant church on Soviet Square
Preserves a complete 1680 fresco cycle painted by Kostroma masters Gury Nikitin and Sila Savin.
Volga & Kotorosl Embankment (Strelka), Yaroslavl
Two-level riverside promenade at the founding confluence of Yaroslavl
Walk from the Volkov Theatre and Governor's House garden down to the river point.
Beyond the obvious
Hidden gems
Less obvious, rarely queued for, and usually the part people remember.
Church of St John the Baptist in Tolchkovo
1671–1687 fifteen-domed red-brick church with glazed ceramic tile friezes
The most elaborate example of the seventeenth-century Yaroslavl architectural school.
Monastery of St Jacob of Rostov (Spaso-Yakovlevsky)
Lakeside monastery combining seventeenth-century walls with a neoclassical cathedral
Stands on the western shore of Lake Nero with views back toward the Rostov Kremlin.