Suzdal tours

The city area is about 10 sq km, the population is about 11 thousand although the number of tourists visiting this city each year is 60 times bigger.

Suzdal is one of the Golden Ring cities members. It located just 200 km from Moscow so when you arrive in the capital of Russia you  just need to get the ticket for the express train Moscow-Nizhny Novgorod, some pocket money and of course a hunger for new tastes, adventures and connections.

Suzdal is a City-Monument, Three-Floor town because it’s buildings do not exceed third floor, a place which one of the national symbols is lightly salted cucumber, mead and the dish called kulebyaka. Suzdal is a place where, according to locals “ fun to walk, easy to breathe and soft to sleep. ”

1. Tasting mead is a very common thing to do in Suzdal. Tasty and not expensive at all very famous old Russian drink. Mead is an alcoholic beverage created by fermenting honey with water, sometimes with various fruits, spices, grains, or hops. In Suzdal, you can try non-alcoholic mead, which perfectly goes with salty vegetables, such as cabbage. A not typical taste which you used to, but it’s worth it. The best place to taste mead is Tasting mead room in the Trade Rows

2.Drinking kvass- traditional Russian beverage in the cafe “Kvasnaya izba”

“Kvasnaya izba” stands on the outskirts, on a low hill near the church. From here you can see the most beautiful views of the Suzdal Kremlin and the Ilinsky meadow. Tourists usually first admire the views, and then “dive” into the kvass tasting process. The restaurant was established in a small restored merchant’s house. Prices are not small, but everything is decent. In the menu, there is a  large number of varieties of kvass. The place is pleasant, both with its interior and service.

3. The restaurant “Graf Suvorov might have become discovery for you. Despite all the unpretentiousness of the interior, it’s very tasty here. Prices are moderate; pickles, an appetizer in Russian, ears, hot “sack of soldiers”. Girls waitresses are dressed in Russian sarafans. But do not delude yourself, this is not an institution for a beautiful dinner. After dinner go for a walk !

4.The Tavern on Vasilyevskaya  

In appearance the “Tavern on Vasilyevskaya,” is inconspicuous, but for the view from the windows, you could forgive everything! Of food is worth noting delicious pastries, good soups, homemade Russian dumplings which here are called “vareniki”.

5.”Refectory”: the interior of this restaurant is decorated in Russian style, and the dishes are prepared in accordance with old recipes from natural products. So, here you will be offered to taste dumplings with wild boar meat, sterlet made in a royal way, stuffed with white mushrooms, “hosarskie” rolls from pheasant meat and lots of other old traditional Russian food.

1.Suzdal wooden Kremlin. Suzdal is an absolutely incredible place, it is a true city-museum, where the spirit of Ancient Russia is canned like famous Suzdal salted cucumber and preserved in its pristine beauty. Suzdal Kremlin is a core of the city, it’s historical centre and main decoration. Here you can visit famous Suzdal restaurant “Trapeznaja”, made in old Russian style, which was praised by many visitors; take a picture in vintage style by professional photographer and walk along high trading rows, where you can everything, even cucumber jam.

2. Spas-Yefimov Monastery and monastery prison

The main building of the complex is Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral which is decorated from inside by the paintings of the famous Russian painter George Nikitin. Those evangelical paintings from the far past take your breath by itself, but when suddenly the voices of the cathedral singers are heard, you ‘ll be taken over by unknown feelings which is hard to describe and forget.     

3. Suzdal monastery prison was established in the 1767 year by Emperor Katherine the Great and after centuries started to be called Bastille of Suzdal. During czarist times here were sent disgraced priests, heretics and sectarians. The most famous prisoner was legendary monk-predictor Abel, which even predicted the collapse of the Czar regime.

4. Cathedral of the Nativity. It is one of the eight White Monuments of  Vladimir and Suzdal., and one of the most complex monuments of Russian medieval architecture. This complex is famous for its Golden gates of the West and Southern entrances. The gates are cold like that not because made of pure gold, the real reason is, that this part of the cathedral is made by applying ancient gilding technique, which involves gold and Quicksilver and fire as main ingredients. It is not hard to imagine that such technology was super toxic and many craftsmen were dying during their work.

5. Enjoying the life and eating habits of Suzdal locals in cafe “Landish”

“Landish” or “Lily of the valley” cafe is a real legend of Suzdal. Nobody knows exactly how old is this place. You will not see many tourists in here as this place usually visited by the local community of Suzdal. “Landish” is unique in that it combines a dining room, a cafe and a bar. And even different types of tables: dining tables, coffee tables and the most decent, bar. The interior of the institution is specific – on the walls, you can see stuffed animals, birds and even deer. We did not like the food here frankly (pancakes we waited for about 30 minutes) eventually brought cold, tasteless with a piece of margarine. But for the sake of colour, it’s worth to come here.

1.Making your own souvenir with patchwork technique

Something, which might seem a bit boring from the first sight, but pleasant at the end as the best gift is the one which is made by your own hands while listening to the old stories of the secrets ancient patchwork art followed by songs and ancient Russian legends.

2. Do shopping in trade rows and buy one of the local delicatessens such as:  honey, hot “sbiten” made of honey and spices , homemade mead, all sorts of Central Russian vegetables and fruits, pickles, “adzhika” and “hrenovuha”, jam from cones or cucumbers  dried mushrooms at ridiculously low prices.

3. Go to the ceramic workshop Dymov  Ideally, you should register in advance for a master class , where everyone is taught how to make dishes on a potter’s wheel, after which your products are burned and sent to you by mail. In the shop at the workshop you can find ceramic dishes, panels on the walls and other interior trifles.

4. Buy a Pavlov Posad shawl and woollen socks in the same shopping arcade along the Trade rows. Socks in winter in Russia are generally indispensable, and handkerchiefs, by the way, are also made of wool and definitely warm.

5. A special item of the program is a Russian bath. In winter snowdrifts are attached, if there are no drifts, then there is usually an ice basin. Bath services in Suzdal are available in almost any guest house.

If you want to start your journey in Suzdal from Kremlin, better to get around it on the ramparts, because only from there you ‘ll get the view which you will never see while passing through the centre. If you want to see the whole city as in the palm, visit the observation deck over the Ilyinski meadows, although it is faster and more comfortable to use a car to get there.

Suzdal is rich with its talented locals, so one of the best souvenirs to bring from this place could be the painting. However, there are so many painters there, so keep in mind how much time you can spend with them.  

If you prefer to travel around the city in a horse carriage, don’t hesitate to bargain with the cab-man, don’t worry -they love it. Also at the end of the day when they finish their shift and ride home, you can ask the cab for a lift and, if you get lucky, get a free ride.

Last but not least, before going on a tour, do research on the churches and temples working schedules, because most of them work only on certain days. It might be very insulting if you come, but nobody is waiting for you.

All in all, what you never ever should forget is your spirit for adventure and a bit of enthusiasm for getting closer to the ancient Russian culture.