The Golden Ring route unites eight cities. We will focus on the Yaroslavl region, but will add several stops in neighboring territories. Organized excursions to Yaroslavl do not visit these places, but when traveling on your own, you can create an individual route. Therefore, it is better to choose a car for travel. On OneTwoTrip the cost of rental per day in Moscow is from 2900 rubles*.
Day one
Marfino
We leave Moscow along the Dmitrovskoye Highway and after 23 km we stop at the pseudo-Gothic Marfino estate. The elegant red brick building is decorated with white ornaments, crenellated turrets, and lancet windows. The ensemble is complemented by a delightful arched bridge and proud griffins on the pier. The estate is open to free visits, entry to the territory requires a passport. I recommend visiting this romantic estate to anyone looking for views for spectacular photographs.
Walk: 30 minutes.
Dmitrov
After 40 km we arrive at the Dmitrov Kremlin Museum-Reserve. The fortifications of the 12th century, founded by Yuri Dolgoruky, preserved the rampart, moat, ancient golden-domed cathedral and gates. Around the Kremlin there are sculptures of commanders and citizens of different eras and classes.
Time: 30 minutes.
Verbilki
We take the A-108 highway from the eastern side of Dmitrov and drive north for half an hour to the village of Verbilki. Perhaps you once had cups and plates with a logo in the form of a moose head – this is the trademark of the Verbilok Porcelain plant, widely known in Russia and abroad. It was founded by an English merchant in the 18th century, and today a museum is opened during production. Group and private tours are available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., and require registration.
Excursion: 1.5 hours.
Taldom
From Verbilki to Taldom along the same road – 50 km. This is a city of one church, but one that you rarely see anywhere. The upper part of the Temple of the Archangel Michael is decorated with stone hypnotizing circles in the Russian-Byzantine style.
Walk: 15 minutes.
Kalyazin
After an hour and a half, the forest route leads us to the “Tver Atlantis” – Kalyazin. In the middle of the 20th century, the old part of the city was flooded for the construction of the Uglich hydroelectric power station. Only the top of the high bell tower remained above the water. Today this is the calling card of not only Kalyazin, but also the Tver region. In the summer, you can rent a boat on the cobbled pier and try to see houses and streets underwater.
Walk: on foot – 15 minutes, by boat – another 30.
Uglich (overnight)
After 50 km we stop for the night. The hotels here are small, and the city is popular. Therefore, you need to book your stay, especially during the holidays, several weeks in advance.
Hotel “Volga Riviera” – from 1900 rubles* per night for two.
Day two
Uglich
The history of this tourist center is inextricably linked with the sad fate of the deceased Tsarevich Dmitry. At the site of the incident, the Church of Dmitry on the Spilled Blood was built back in the 17th century. It became part of the Uglich Kremlin ensemble, located on the arrow from the pleasant embankment. The city has several ancient churches, monasteries, as well as entertaining museums, such as the Museum of Myths and Superstitions of the Russian People.
Walk: 3 hours.
Myshkin
An alternative place to spend the night is the city of Myshkin, 40 km from Uglich. A room in the cute themed hotel “Myshk Inn” – from 2300 rubles* per night for two. Myshkin is an amazing place: the city has turned into a tourist brand thanks to its name, and not to historical events. And there is no end to travelers here. The center of attraction is the “Mouse Museum”.
Walk and visit to the museum: 1.5 hours.
Crossing
A rare adventure: we continue our journey on an old car ferry. At the pier we look at the schedule, get a ticket, buy fresh fish, drive the car onto a floating platform and go to the other side. It is impossible to sit in the car while driving, so drivers wander around the deck, contemplating the Volga expanses. The crossing operates only in the warm season. When there is ice on the river, you have to set aside a couple of hours for a detour to the next point.
Rybinsk
An hour later, having driven along the dams between the reservoir’s overflows, we stop in atmospheric Rybinsk. Until recently, the city was not a tourist destination, despite the fact that the film “12 Chairs” was filmed here. Everything changed when the signs on the central streets were designed in the same style with references to the beginning of the 20th century. Now many people come here to take outdoor photographs. A tourist bonus is the bridge, whose spans are impressive in height and length. You can spend the night, for example, in the Burlak guest house – from 3,300 rubles* per night for two.
Day three
Tutaev
50 km from Rybinsk is the city of Tutaev. The Volga divides it into two sides – Romanovskaya and Borisoglebskaya. There is no direct crossing between them, except for the old ferry, which runs twice a day. Therefore, we will only include the Borisoglebskaya side in the route. On the cliff we admire the view of dozens of church domes shining on both banks. In the Resurrection Cathedral there is an unusual miraculous icon – a three-meter-tall “All-Merciful Savior”. People believe that the image helps in the treatment of severe bone diseases. To be heard, you need to crawl through the hole in the lower left corner of the icon with prayers three times.
Walk: 30 minutes.
Yaroslavl
After 40 minutes along the highway 78K-0001 along the river, we arrive in Yaroslavl – a city with a thousand-year history. We walk along the beautiful embankment and admire the panorama of the spit, where the Volga and Kotorosl form a wide spill. Here stood the Yaroslavl Kremlin, which has not survived. Now the “Kremlin” is mistakenly called the Yaroslavl Museum-Reserve – a complex of several churches, in one of which a list of the literary monument “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” was found.
In Yaroslavl there are many ancient temples with relics or ancient frescoes. For example, the Church of Elijah the Prophet has preserved its original interior (in Soviet times there was an anti-religious museum here). The Church of John the Baptist with its impressive bell tower is depicted on the 1000 ruble banknote, as is the monument to Yaroslav the Wise.
Not far from the zero kilometer we will receive the “Golden Ring Tourist Passport”. By the way, in Yaroslavl there is even a show model of the famous route. We will spend the evening at the oldest drama theater in Russia named after Fyodor Volkov. The large and hospitable city delights with atmospheric streets, cozy cafes and pleasant hotels where you will want to stay longer. For example, a room in the universal Ibis costs from 2500 rubles* per night for two.
Walk: 5-6 hours.
Day four
Rostov the Great
In the morning we will explore Yaroslavl or immediately go to Rostov Veliky, where we will be in about an hour. The white stone porch of the temple in the Rostov Kremlin Museum is familiar to many – scenes from the film “Ivan Vasilyevich Changes His Profession” were filmed here, for example, the comical pursuit of the archers after the main characters. We can easily recognize both the fortress walls and the belfry. I recommend visiting the exhibition of Rostov enamel in the Kremlin to get acquainted with the art that has become the hallmark of the city. At the nearby market we will buy jewelry made using this technique.
Walk: one and a half hours.
Return to Moscow
On the Yaroslavskoe highway towards Moscow we will visit two small cities with important historical and natural attractions: Pereslavl-Zalessky and Sergiev Posad. We’ll stay there for another four hours.
*Prices valid at time of publication
