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 Rostov-on-Don.
Rostov-on-Don was founded by Empress Elizabeth in the mid-eighteenth century. Today, it is the largest city in southern Russia and an important administrative, industrial, educational, and cultural center. It is one of the largest cities in Russia -- the population of Rostov-on-Don exceeds one million people -- and it is also often informally called the Gates of the Caucasus and the southern capital of Russia.
As Rostov-on-Don was a major battle place during World War II (and almost any other war that took place in Russia in the twentieth century), it has many war monuments such as the Memorial in Zmiyiv beam and the Tachanka Monument -- a monument of the legendary First Cavalry Tachanka-Rostovite. There are also other monuments such as the underground Fortress of St. Demetrius of Rostov, the Liventsovska Fortress (from the seventeenth century), the Solzhenitsyn House, the Rostov Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Rostov Regional Museum of Local History, as well as more than forty fountains.
Rostov-on-Don’s winters are very cold and very long due to its location; the Arbor Day Celebration is an interesting tradition, with more than a hundred years of history, taking place each April when people and especially pupils and students plant trees.
Hostels in Rostov-on-Don are not many; as it is a big city that attracts enough visitors, it can often be a problem to book a hostel in Rostov-on-Don on short notice. However, Rostov-on-Don hostels are considered some of the best in Russia. Rostov-on-Don hostels have slightly higher prices than other Russian cities (as a result of the lower competition in the city). The location of most Rostov-on-Don hostels is also quite good -- not very far from the train station and the city center.
Written by local enthusiast for Rostov-on-Don hostels
George Traveller
