Nizhny Novgorod charms its visitors with the surviving Russian Revival and Stalin Empire style architecture.

It is a classic example of a site where the present benefits from, rather than denies, the past. There are more than 600 unique historic, architectural and cultural monuments in the city, included by UNESCO into the Top100 of the most historically and culturally valued cities of the world.

You arrive at Strigino Airport, Moscow Railway Station and – where shall we go first? – drive across the Oka River to the Nizhegorodsky District of the city (you can also come to the city by boat or car). The heart of this ancient place used to be the grand Kremlin (1511), with its red-brick towers (Koromyslova, Chasovaya, Dmitrovskaya, Georgievskaya Towers) dominating the city landscape. A place of confluence for major streets, it stands on the right bank of the Oka River. It boasts beautiful gardens overlooking the Volga River and World War II memorials, including the eternal flame.

The only ancient edifice left within the Kremlin walls is the Archangel Michael’s Cathedral (1624-31), initially built in stone in the 13th century.

Going down to the river, you’ll bump into one of the Chkalov Stairway, starting with an impressive monument commemorating Valery Chkalov, a Nizhny Novgorod citizen who was the first in the world to fly nonstop over the North Pole. It is a huge stairway leading onto the Volga Bank.

Below lies the Nizhnevolzhskaya Embankment, offering spectacular views of the vast Volga. To the right lies the Alexandrovsky Park, initiated as early as in the 19th century. Further to the right you may delve into the area around the Grebnoy Canal. It is a perfect spot for a chillout – barbeque, beach volleyball, fishing or a romantic stroll. You can rent a boat at a boat station and explore much of the waters around. A car is needed to get here, though.

To the south of the Kremlin (actually, you’ll see them on your way to it) are the major squares of the city – Minin, Gorky, Svoboda, Sennaya, Lyadov, Sovetskaya Squares. Somewhere between Svoboda and Sovetskaya Square stands the Opera and Ballet Theatre.

The Kremlin houses the Modern Art Centre, and Arts Museum. Minin Square also has the State Exhibition Hall and the Pushkin Museum.

Going from the Kremlin towards the bridge over the Oka, you may take the Fyodorovskaya Embankment. You’ll pass by a couple of churches – the Ilyinskaya Church, the Nativity church (1719, built by the Stroganovs, a successful family of merchants, in the nascent baroque style), the Assumption Church, and cross several pedestrian bridges. This is one of the hot spots to watch the sunset over the Volga.

Shady city parks may be great for daydreaming and cooling down. Go south off the Kremlin along Varvarskaya Street (there’s a state arts museum on it, too) and turn right to Maksim Gorky Street when you reach Svoboda Square. A couple of minutes’ walk and you find yourself in Kulibin Park. Slowly cross the green spot, and taking Belinsky Street you’ll make it to Pushkin Park, a birch paradise with amusements.

If you move on to Gagarin Avenue and take a walk along it, you will come to Switzerland Park. You can use public transport to get to one of the longest parks in Russia. Located on the Oka bank, it features numerous cafes and is ideal for family holiday – with a zoo and children’s amusements.

At the south end of the park, turn left to Tereshkov Street – you are minutes away from the forest expanses of the Shelokovsky Farm. It boasts ponds where you can bathe and a wooden architecture museum. The Siberian Barber, a movie by famous Russian director Nikita Mikhalkov, was shot here. There are also routes for skiing, sauna houses, and a paintball club.

Going back, to the bridge across the Oka River, you can see Strelka, the confluence of the Volga and Oka Rivers. There lies the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral surrounded by port facilities.

Straight to the right of the bridge over the Oka stands the famous Fair Building, the world-known trading place. Further on is the Fair Church.

The Church of Our Lady of Smolensk (1697), another masterpiece of the Stroganovs, lingers on in the suburb of Gordeevka, a couple of steps to the east of the Fair Church.

You can find more antiquity in medieval abbeys, for example the Monastery of the Caves with a five-domed cathedral (1632) or the Annunciation monastery.

In the suburbs there is also a unique 128 m open-work hyperboloid tower built by the Great Russian engineer and scientist Vladimir Shukhov in 1929.

There is a plethora of other attractions, of course, like cinemas, theatres, sports centres and others. Turn to Russia-IC to learn more about this fusion city.