This section is dedicated to take away all your "I wish someone had told me that before I went!" experiences. This way, you can spend less time settling in, and more time making new friends in your chosen hostel. We share our insider knowledge of tips, tricks and important things to look out for in Nizhny Novgorod.
Nizhny Novgorod is a picturesque Russian city, located only four hundred kilometers from Moscow -- that is very, very close for Russian standards. There are excellent train connections from Moscow, which can take braver travelers to the city even during the cold Russian winter (temperatures are often thirty degrees below zero Celsius).
The very location of the city (at the confluence of the rivers Volga and Oka) is a guarantee for many beautiful views from any of the bridges. It is recommended that you book a Nizhny Novgorod hostel that is near some of the river banks. There are more than six hundred historic monuments in the city. You can visit the Kremlin (built at the beginning of the sixteenth century), the Archangel Cathedral (seventeenth century), the Pechersky Ascension Monastery (seventeenth century), the Church of Our Lady of Smolensk, the Virgin's Nativity Church, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the Nizhny Novgorod Art Gallery and different Maxim Gorky monuments (the famous writer was born here and the city was even called Gorky for almost sixty years).
The situation with hostels in Nizhny Novgorod is not great, as there are only a few hostels in the city. However, there were no hostels at all even a few years ago, so it is definitely better now. That is not surprising as Nizhny Novgorod was a closed city after WWII almost until the end of the Communist regime. Most hostels in Nizhny Novgorod are new, so it could be hard to find more information about them.
The city is lively and also offers good opportunities for going out, especially on weekends. Even better, most good clubs and bars are located quite close to Nizhny Novgorod hostels.
Written by local enthusiast for Nizhny Novgorod hostels
George Traveller
