Arkhangelsk Arctic Russia
Russia
Frequently Asked Questions
About 3 kilometres from the city centre, on the Northern Dvina. A shuttle or taxi takes you downtown; the berth itself is an industrial one, with no shops nearby.
You can, but it is a long, unrewarding 3 kilometres. A shuttle or taxi is the better call, especially since you will want your legs for the riverside promenade and the pedestrian street.
The Dvina promenade, Gostiny Dvor and the pedestrian street Chumbarova-Luchinskogo fit comfortably into half a day. Malye Korely, 25 km out, needs half a day on its own — you have to choose.
It is an open-air museum of wooden architecture about 25 kilometres from the city: some hundred buildings from the 16th to 19th centuries — onion-domed churches, bell towers, windmills, farmsteads — dismantled and rebuilt piece by piece. Allow half a day; it is the signature excursion here.
Founded in 1584 at the mouth of the Northern Dvina, it was for more than a century Russia's only maritime window, long before St Petersburg. Furs, tar and English and Dutch merchant ships all passed through here.
The merchants' court, a large fortified complex built between 1668 and 1684 by German and Dutch masons, facing the river. These are among the oldest stone buildings in the Russian north. Allow one to two hours.
The seal monument, honouring the animal whose meat saved residents from famine in the Second World War; the paddle steamer Gogol, more than a century old and considered the country's oldest passenger vessel still in service; and Cape Pur-Navolok, where the city began.
The Russian rouble. Bring cash: foreign-issued cards cannot be relied on and banking services open to visitors are limited. Change money before the call rather than on the day.
Russian. English is not widely spoken outside tourist services, and French is rare. The Cyrillic alphabet makes signs hard to read, so a guided excursion simplifies the day considerably.
June through August, the white nights season: the summer sun barely sets and the light on the wooden facades is remarkable. Even then, bring a windproof jacket — this is just past 60 degrees north and the river runs cold.
