Navigating Nizhny Novgorod

The confluence, commonly known as Strelka, is the main natural landmark of the city, and this is the exact spot in which the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium stands. This was one of the venues for the 2018 FIFA World Cup (2 Ulitsa Dolzhanskaya).

The Oka splits the city into the Nagornaya part on the upper river bank and the Zarechnaya part on the lower one. Four bridges connect them: Kanavinsky, Myzinsky (also known as Karpovsky), Molitovsky, and Metromost. The first two are highway and pedestrian bridges, the third one also has a tram line and the fourth one carries the metro line.

The city’s metro operates two lines. Red line 1, also known as Avtozavodskaya, runs between the stations Park Kultury and Gorkovskaya and has one interchange station Moskovskaya on Line 2. It connects the historical upper part and the industrial lower part via the metro bridge. Blue line 2, also known as Sormovskaya, runs between the stations Strelka and Burevestnik. The new Strelka station was built near the stadium, specifically for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The fare is about half a dollar, regardless of the length of the journey.

The railway station (2 Ploschad Revolutsii in the lower part) can be easily found within a minute’s walk from the Moskovskaya station. You can get to Nizhny Novgorod by train, from more than 50 destinations. The express trains Strizh and Lastochka arrive from Moscow daily. Approximate travel time is 4 hours, and the ticket costs ≈25$. A regular train takes about 6 hours and costs ≈18$. Ploschad Revolutsii, or Revolution Square, serves as a public transport junction, linking tram, bus and metro routes. For example, trams 21 and 27 run above the Oka along Molitovsky Bridge, and bus route 5 that runs along the Volga coastline works great for sightseeing.

Nizhny Novgorod is divided into a number of districts. In the Nagornaya part you’ll find Nizhegorodsky District, which literally means…well, Nizhny Novgorod District (Lower Novgorod District), because historically, the Kremlin and the settlement around it appeared here. The Sovetsky District demonstrates how the city developed during the Soviet times. Visit it for Schyolkovsky Khutor, an open-air museum and a park (41 Ulitsa Gorbatovskaya). In the Zarechnaya part, the Kanavinsky District is famous for the Nizhegorodskaya Yarmarka (13 Ulitsa Sovnarkomovskaya) - a trade fair. For centuries, the Yarmarka used to be the largest trade fair on the Volga,  now, it’s an exhibition center. Leninsky District is famous for the 1817 Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour (58 Ulitsa Suzdalskaya).

The Strigino International Airport is located 18 km southwest of city centre – Minin and Pozharsky Square. Nearly all major domestic airlines, including Aeroflot, fly to Strigino. There are several flights to and from Moscow every day, and the traveling time is a little  over an hour. You can also take a direct flight to other cities: Saint Petersburg, Rostov, Kazan, Samara, Sochi and Yekaterinburg. The easiest way to get to the city is to take a taxi or rent a car….Uber works just fine here, and you can book a taxi using the English version of your app. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to see this ancient and beautiful city. Let’s set your watch right now: Nizhny Novgorod is in the same time zone as Moscow – that is UTC (also known as GMT) +3h.