Rostov Veliky

Actually there are two Rostovs in Russia, the other one is in the south and called Rostov-on-the-Don.
This Rostov is the oldest and Veliky stands for the Great because of its age. It was first mentioned in 862 B.C. in the Primary Chronicle, and two centuries later it was joined by Rurik to his Kingdom. Since then it became a big political center and the throne of Church.
Population of Rostov the Great is small. It is over 30 thousand people.

By train

Rostov has a train station on Moscow - Yaroslavl railway and is served by several trains, Moscow - Yaroslavl expresses and local trains from Yaroslavl to various stations between Rostov and Alexandrov. It is possible to get to Rostov from Moscow by local trains with change in Alexandrov, but check timetable first, because trains from Alexandrov to Yaroslavl sometimes get cancelled recently. Express or morning trains from Moscow seem to be most convinient connection though.
If you're planning to return from Rostov to Moscow by train, be aware of the evening gap in connections - there are no trains between 8PM and 2AM, and there might be no tickets on 8PM express and you may spend several not so comfortable hours on the train station at night.

By car

The distance from Moscow is 202km (3 hours).

• Rostov Kremlin

• Spaso-Yakovlevsky monastery on the shore of the Nero lake.
• Abramiyev Bogoyavlensky monastery.

• Fishing at the Nero lake that is 500 thousand years old.
• Hour-long boat excursions on the lake

• Finift, a combination of enamel and metal covered with traditional paints. This is what the city is famous for.
• Black pottery, clay pots, whistles and figurines of unusual tint.

• Russian sort of mead Medovukha and home-made kvass in the Rostov Kremlin.

Splurge

• Pleshanov Mansion

  phone: +7 48536 7-64-41
  address: 34 Leninskaya st
  A hotel in the house of merchant Pleshanov.

Mid-range

• Moskovsky Trakt

  phone: +7 48536 6-58-01
  address: 29a Okruzhnaya st
  51 rooms in the hotel graced with a pond at the entrance and a park nearby.

• Figurines House

  phone: +7 48536 6-04-46, +748536 6-48-00
  address: 4 Kamenny most
  50m away from the Kremlin, 58 rooms and a restaurant for 40 seats.

• Borisoglebsky Monastery, founded in the 14th century.
• Jeep-tours to Sarskoye fortress, a Merya tribe campsite who lived on the shores of the Nero lake.