Rostov's kremlin looking lovely in the snow

Yaroslavl Oblast is a region in Central Russia, which borders Moscow Oblast to the southwest, Tver Oblast to the west, Vologda Oblast to the north, Kostroma Oblast to the east, Ivanovo Oblast to the southeast, and Vladimir Oblast to the south.

Cities

• 1 Yaroslavl — the capital is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, nearly 1,000 years old, full of major cultural monuments—you haven't seen the Golden Ring if you haven't seen Yaroslavl
• 2 Borisoglebsky — a small town near Rostov, which is often visited for its Monastery of Boris and Gleb
• 3 Myshkin — a small town on the river cruise route with a pretty Cathedral of the Assumption and other 19th-century architecture
• 4 Pereslavl Zalessky — a small city full of important monasteries, cathedrals, and even the church where Alexander Nevsky was baptized
• 5 Rostov Veliky — this town has way more than its fair share of Russian culture, with an inspired kremlin and several of Russia's most important monasteries
• 6 Rybinsk — the second largest regional city used to be a major trade center on the Volga; Rybinsk is home to Rybinsk dam (which created one of the world's largest man-made lakes), a prominent cathedral, and a particularly impressive Roman Catholic cathedral (a testament to the city's historical trade importance)
• 7 Tutayev — a large town containing many old churches along the riverside of the Volga
• 8 Uglich — a 1,000-year-old town with a kremlin and the Alexeyevsky and Resurrection Monasteries

Other destinations

• 1 Pleshcheyevo Lake National Park

Understand

Yaroslavl Oblast is full of magnificent destinations for onion dome loving travelers on the Golden Ring circuit. The region has benefited from trade throughout Russia's history as it lies on the Volga River and is relatively close to both Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Under Stalin's rule, a massive dam was built at Rybinsk, creating the Rybinsk Reservoir, which is about the size of Brunei, and which flooded some of the region's most important religious sites, especially at the town of Mologa, where 300 residents refused to leave and drowned.

Talk

English and possibly other languages are often spoken at major tourist sites, but in the rest of the regions, Russian may be the only language that you encounter.

Get in

Yaroslavl Railway Bridge

Trains arrive from Saint Petersburg and Moscow (~4 hours) to Yaroslavl, and from Moscow to Rostov Veliky (3 hours).

By air to Tunoshna Airport (IAR ^IATA).

Get around

Long-distance trains will take you between the cities of Rostov, Yaroslavl, Danilov and Lyubim - this is the most served direction by trains from Moscow to Far East (with some of trains branching to Kostroma via Moscovsky railway station in Yaroslavl and Nerehta, and other going through Lyubim to Bui), or to Vologda and the North (branching in Danilov). There 2-3 long distance trains to Rybinsk depending on the season, but this direction is covered by buses and minibuses in spades. Local trains originate from Yaroslavl and reach Alexandrov via Rostov (with about half of them shorter), Rybinsk, Danilov, and via Nerehta - Kostroma and Ivanovo, about 3-5 trains daily in each direction, including express trains to Kostroma.

Road and bus network stems from M8 highway, which goes through Pereslavl, Petrovskoe, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Danilov, includes branches to Kostroma, Rybinsk, 2 connecting roads to Uglich - from Yaroslavl and from Rostov via Borisoglebsk. Directions, well served by buses, are Poshehonje - Rybinsk - Yaroslavl - Rostov - Pereslavl or Borisoglebsk; Yaroslavl - Uglich, Yaroslavl - Kostroma. Connections between cities, that bypass Yaroslavl, may be significantly less served.

An important caveat is that Pereslavl is not served by any train, even though there is a railway station there, and also one the most famous railway museums - it should be reached via M8.

Towns along the Volga can also be reached by car via P104 Sergiev Posad - Kalyazin - Uglich - Myshkin - Rybinsk - Poshehonje - Cherepovets, which runs roughly along Volga and then east of Rybinsk reservoir. Road quality may change with the season, and usually is worse south of Uglich and towards Poshehonje. If possible, reading recent reviews of the road state is recommended. Crossing Volga over bridge is possible in Uglish (over hydroelectric station dam), Rybinsk and by ferry in Myshkin (other crosses include 2 bridges in Yaroslavl with new one on M8 and ferry in Tutaev). Alternative connection between Uglish and Myshkin is possible either via left bank, or significantly deviating east to Bolshoe Selo through scenic countryside.

See

• 1 Museum of Wooden Architecture and Peasant Life, Uglichskaya Ulitsa, 21, Myshkin. Admission also covers a few nearby buildings and structures. Adults 350 руб. Free for under 16. (updated Mar 2022)