Irkutsk is called the gates of Baikal and the capital of wooden lace. The historical city center with the Decembrist quarter and merchant mansions with traditional carvings is vying for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Irkutsk is usually considered as a transit point on the way to Lake Baikal, but the city is worthy of leisurely exploration. We tell you what to see, what dishes to try and what to bring to your friends as a gift from the capital of the Baikal region.
How to get there
By plane from Moscow, you will spend 6 hours on the way. Ticket prices start from 8,000 rubles* one way.
Where to stay
Irkutsk has hotels for every taste and budget. We offer several different options with high ratings:
Boutique hotel “Listratova’s Profitable House” (rating 8.8) – from 2,700 rubles* for two with breakfast. Stylization of an apartment house from Tsarist times with carved platbands, the smell of wood, woven rugs and a friendly cat Vasily.
Historic Hotel “Central” (rating 9.5) – from 4,500 rubles* for two. Stylish interior and central location: it’s a pleasure to walk to the main attractions.
Hotel “Kupechesky Dvor” (rating 9.2) – from 5,300 rubles* for two with breakfast. An original Siberian estate in the 130th quarter, trimmed with pine inside, but retaining wooden carvings and an elegant appearance on the outside.
Hotel Amursky (rating 8.9) – 14,500 rubles* for two with breakfast. It features elegant rooms with arched windows and oak floors, an indoor pool and a spa.
The main history of the city
Irkutsk was founded by explorer Yakov Pokhabov in 1661 as a stockade for collecting yasak, a fur tax. After the abolition of the tsarist monopoly on the fur trade, a merchant class quickly formed here, sparing no expense on the improvement and decoration of the city. At the same time, Irkutsk becomes a place of exile: Alexander Radishchev was the first to be sent here, later he was followed by the Decembrists, who largely influenced the cultural appearance of the rich Siberian city.
What to see in Irkutsk
Babr and 130 quarter
We recommend starting your acquaintance with the city with an unusual sculpture – an unprecedented beast with a sable in its teeth, a cat’s muzzle, webbed feet and a beaver-like tail. This is a babr from the coat of arms of Irkutsk – that’s what tigers were called in the Baikal region. He became “shaved” because of a mistake made by the capital’s officials when approving the coat of arms in 1878: instead of a tiger, it turned out to be “a beaver carrying a sable in its teeth.” The residents liked Babr so much that they erected a monument to him, near which tourists love to take pictures – where else can you find such an animal.
From the monument to Babr begins a colorful street with elegant wooden mansions housing hotels, restaurants, small museums and fashion shops. There are only seven original houses in block 130, the rest are only stylized as antiques. Nevertheless, it’s nice to take a walk here: look at the carved frames and cornices, pet a bronze Welsh Corgi, look into the planetarium or the Window to Asia local history museum, have a leisurely meal or drink coffee on the terrace.
Decembrists in Irkutsk
The local history museum in the city is lovingly called the “Moorish Castle” – a brick mansion from the end of the 19th century with towers, arches and narrow rounded windows really resembles a fortress. An extensive collection introduces the ethnography of the peoples of Eastern Siberia and the process of economic development of the Angara region by Russians.
It’s hard to imagine the history of Irkutsk without the Decembrists: the memorial estates of the Volkonskys and Trubetskoys are a must-see. Inside the Volkonsky house-museum, it seems that you are in St. Petersburg: it is a classic noble mansion with a tiled stove in the main hall, boudoirs, a library and the only pyramidal piano in Russia. The exhibition presents authentic belongings of the “state criminal” Sergei Volkonsky and his wife Maria, who voluntarily followed him into exile.
The house has recently been restored and now features rich decor with bay windows and wood paneling. Typical interiors of a house from the mid-19th century are recreated here, and the exhibition in the basement – as the ground floor is called in Siberia – tells about the hard labor of exiles in the mines and the selfless care of their wives for them.
Balls, art and creativity
A wooden mansion with openwork carvings and an anchor on the roof, located next to Decembrist Square, belonged to the mayor of the city, Vladimir Sukachev, almost 140 years ago. Among the decorative elements of the pediments you can see figures of dragons: the East has long had a significant influence on the Baikal region.
A well-kept estate with a preserved winter garden, services and a wonderful park gives an idea of the life of privileged Irkutsk residents in the 19th century. Lovers of antique porcelain and antique furniture will be delighted. The estate regularly hosts creative master classes and balls for adults and children with lush dresses, fans and cotillions – don’t miss a spectacular immersion in the past.
For contemporary art, head to the Victor Bronstein Gallery. The art space contains more than 2,000 works by local artists from Siberia and other regions, including sculptures and dolls by the famous Buryat master Dashi Namdakov.
Another important point on the creative map of Irkutsk is the Dorenberg art cluster in a former brewery. Among the residents is the youth theater “Bezdelnik”, where enthusiasts play, art studios, a karaoke club, a wine bar and the “Moralist” bar.
Lower embankment and Three Churches Square
A pleasant place for walking and admiring the Angara. The promenade starts from the restored Moscow Gate in the Empire style, passes by the monument to the founder of Irkutsk and ends at the Square of Three Churches. The snow-white Spasskaya Church in the Siberian Baroque style with unique frescoes on the facade is the first stone building in the city; it is more than 300 years old. Nearby is the Epiphany Cathedral, combining elements of Baroque and Russian architecture, also with painted facades, tiles and a tented bell tower, reminiscent of churches near Moscow. The third church is the Gothic Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, built with donations from exiled Poles; today the Organ Hall of the Irkutsk Philharmonic is located here.
Where to eat and what to try
National cuisines of the peoples of the Baikal region
The symbol of national Buryat cuisine is buuza (or poses). This is similar to manti: minced meat is wrapped in unleavened dough, leaving a hole on top, so that the product is shaped like a yurt, and then boiled or steamed. They are served in numerous cafes under the sign “Poznaya”: the filling can be beef, pork or chicken. For the most delicious, go to the dining room at Datsan (Barrikad St., 56B/1), at the same time you can attend a service and spin the prayer wheels.
Buryats call rich meat soup made from beef or lamb on the bone bukhleor or buhler. Don’t be alarmed if you see the word “khuitsaa” on the menu – this is a version of the first course in Mongolian traditions, a hodgepodge of different types of meat, offal, vegetables and herbs. It is well complemented by crispy khushur – an analogue of a small pasty, sometimes made in the shape of a ball. The national cuisine is offered by the cafe chains “Buza”, “Apron”, “Amritta”.
“Nomad”
A restaurant of Mongolian cuisine in the center of Irkutsk with an interesting interior in the style of the Golden Horde era. The menu includes traditional and original dishes: khorkhog soup with hot stone, broth with horse meat, buuz with offal, tsuiwan of pork with noodles and vegetables and bayangol – lamb with onions and side dish.
Address: St. Gorky, 19.
“Hunters”
Restaurant of Siberian cuisine, specializing in dishes from wild meat and local fish. The menu includes salads of dried roe deer meat with cachotta cheese, maral ribs, tsuivan with elk meat, sugudai (marinated fish) and whitefish stroganina, wapiti basturma, cabbage soup with venison and other commercial delicacies.
Address: st. Yadrintseva, 1Zh.
“New Zealand Pies”
This is no joke: in Irkutsk you can even find pies originally from New Zealand. The palm-sized rounds of puff pastry with savory or sweet fillings are made in the family bakery. Pulled pork and peppers, chicken and Tom Kha sauce, chum salmon and spinach, cottage cheese and peach, banana and chocolate – there is an option on the menu for any time of the day.
Address: st. Sverdlova, 8.
Places to visit in the area
It is unforgivable to visit Irkutsk and not get to Lake Baikal – one of the seven wonders of Russia. From the city to the village of Listvyanka, located on the shore of the lake at its confluence with the Angara, it is only 70 km. You can get there in an hour by minibus, there are about 10 flights per day.
Lake Baikal
To get to know the lake better, go trekking along one of the routes of the Great Baikal Trail (BBT), for example, from Listvyanka to the villages of Bolshiye Koty (24 km) or Bolshoye Goloustnoye (another 30 km). A couple of days of stunning views, the sound of waves, pine needles under your feet, spending the night under the stars and open spaces that will take your breath away – after such a walk Baikal remains in your heart forever.
Circum-Baikal Railway
If time is short, choose a sightseeing tour along the lake along the Circum-Baikal Railway (CBZD). Cost for adults in high season – from 6,200 rubles. Along the way you can see ancient tunnels, retaining walls, stone galleries, bridges and viaducts, coastal cliffs and a station built in white and pink marble in Slyudyanka.
Nerpinarium in Listvyanka
The living symbol of Baikal is a funny seal, it is also called the Baikal seal. If during a hike or excursion along the Circum-Baikal Railway the cautious animal does not appear, do not be upset, but go to a show at the nerpinarium in Listvyanka. Funny pinnipeds dance, play, solve puzzles and even draw pictures, which can then be purchased as souvenirs.
Architectural and Ethnographic Museum “Taltsy”
For lovers of ethnography and wooden architecture, we recommend taking a look at the open-air ethnic complex “Taltsy”, it is located on 47 km of the road from Irkutsk to Listvyanka. Architectural monuments of the Baikal region of the late 17th – early 20th centuries are collected here: you can walk along the street of a volost village, attend a lesson at a parish school, climb the tower of the Ilimsk fort, go to the psalm-reader’s house, an ancient church, a peasant’s hut and a paramedic station.
What to bring
A figurine of the Baikal seal, the symbol of the lake: in the form of a funny soft, knitted or felted toy, stone sculpture, puzzle, keychain or magnet. The most popular characters are squirrels, which is what newborn babies are called for their white fur color.
Sweets from the Angara confectionery factory: cedar roasted cake with cranberries, pine nut kozinak, cranberries in jelly, gift sets of sweets with views of Irkutsk and Baikal.
Ethnic souvenirs of the Evenks and Buryats: shamanic drums, jaw’s harps, hunting and household amulets.
Buddhist souvenirs: rosary, thangkas, incense. We recommend choosing them in datsan stores.
Smoked Baikal omul: local gastronomic specialty. Especially for tourists, the aromatic fish is vacuum packed.
Miniature copies of Irkutsk shutters in the form of brooches, magnets or photo frames.
Useful tips
The best time on Baikal is winter and summer. In the off-season, the impression of the lake can be blurry: it’s cold to swim and ski, and it’s impossible to slide on the ice and admire its patterns.
Itineraries of the Great Baikal Trail can be conveniently viewed on the project website.
On an excursion along the Circum-Baikal Railway, choose seats on the train on the lake side. They are 500 rubles more expensive than from the mountains, but you will get more impressions.
*Prices are current at the time of publication.
Read more about travel in our Telegram channel.
