Surgut (Russian: Сургут soor-GOOT) is the largest city in Khantia-Mansia, the unofficial capital of oil-extraction of Russia.

Understand

While not the administrative capital of Khanty-Mansia, 300,000-strong Surgut is the largest city in the region, which is atypical in Russia. A growing population is the other distinctive feature of this city.

Geography

The city is in the north of Western Siberia at the right bank of the river Ob, 250 km east of Khanty-Mansiysk and 708 km north-east of Tyumen.

Climate

Climate-wise Surgut belongs to the Extreme North zone, winter lasts for seven months. The average temperature of January is −20.9 °C. July averages on +17.4 °C.

Get in

By train

Direct train from Tyumen (#939) and Nizhnevartovsk (#952).

By plane

Domestic flights from Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Omsk, Tyumen, Khanty-Mansiysk, Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, Perm, Ufa, Krasnodar, Yekaterinburg, Samara, Saratov, Volgograd.

International flights from Baku and Kyiv, including charter ones from Bangkok and Hurghada.

By boat

The river port doesn't serve passenger transportation.

See

• 1 Surgut Art Museum (Сургутский художественный музей), ul. 30 let Pobedy 21/2, ☏ +7 346 2516808. Opened in 1992 and built up from scratch this museum hosts both a permanent exhibition of the region art and culture as well as several rotating exhibitions on modern art. 
• 2 Holy Transfiguration Cathedral (Собор в честь Преображения Господня), ul. Melik-Karamova, 76/1. 
• Historical-cultural center "Old Surgut".
• Museum of regional studies.

Sleep

• Sweet Sleep Hostel&Hotel, Ulitsa Dzerzhinskogo, 7/1. +7 800 775-50-90. Just a low-key hostel with kitchen, etc.

Go next

• Tundrino - old Russian village with 19th-century church.
• Lyantor - village of Khanti of Pim river. You will see the museum and ethnic park with traditional Khanti habitats.