Autumn Nizhny: How just one weekend trip will make you fall in love with autumn even more.

For several seasons now, all fashionable Muscovites have been talking about Nizhny Novgorod: some began to regularly spend weekends there, some recommend organizing a gastronomic marathon in the city, and some plan to go there for the first time. I was one of the last: shamefully, I managed to reach Nizhny much later than literally all my friends and acquaintances. I confess, I knew very little about him. But based on the stories and posts on social networks, I was absolutely sure that it had to be at the top of the list of must-visit Russian cities. Nizhny today is not just a city, but a real trend, definitely worthy of its status. The Fashion Vibes editors recommend not postponing your trip until next summer, but getting there now. Romantic autumn landscapes of the city are certainly no worse than summer ones.

I chose the easiest and most popular option to get to Nizhny Novgorod – by train “Swallow”. You are only four hours away from Moscow and you are now in the very center of the city. If you are planning to spend just a weekend in Nizhny, we advise you not to waste even a minute and go for a walk right away. We warn you that you cannot complete everything in one go, so it is better to decide in advance the main places to visit.

Of course, the first place on the list of everyone who is just getting to know Nizhny should be the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, the main historical attraction of the city, where every stone preserves the memory of the past and every corner invites you to a journey through the centuries. It’s worth devoting a few hours to her to truly feel her spirit. Do not rush to sigh, unfortunately, the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin is not at all about boring excursions in which history textbooks are retold. Here you can really feel the character of a modern city: you turn on your favorite tracks from Uma2rman (a group from Nizhny Novgorod, by the way), enjoy the views of the Oka and the Volga Spit and look at the local residents for whom the Kremlin has ceased to be just an open-air museum. It has simply turned into an interesting urban area for family walks, appointments and strolls.

By the way, this is where one of the best restaurants in Nizhny Novgorod is located. Yes, in the very heart of the city, at the foot of the Kremlin walls, there is the famous Red Wall, from which the panoramic veranda offers a romantic view of the city and the Volga. The head of the Red Wall kitchen is Igor Shiyanov, a chef with Sochi cuisine and gastronomy talent. During his career, he managed to conquer not only the city on the Black Sea coast, but also Moscow and then Nizhny Novgorod. Here he proves that even the simplest products can turn into art. The first signature menu is an ode to local flavors, farm treasures and bold imagination.

If you decide to go there for breakfast, we recommend trying the pancakes made with local Gorodets kefir, with pumpkin jam and ripe persimmon slices, as well as farm eggs, juicy roast beef and homemade croutons with tuna sauce. For lunch and dinner, be sure to take a closer look at the salmon ceviche with tangerine and red pepper, the veal tartare with lecho and basturma crumbs, and the veal cheeks.

In fact, it is not only the central streets of Nizhny Novgorod that deserve your attention. The editor was lucky to meet one of the oldest cities in Russia. We are talking about the small but incredibly cozy and atmospheric Gorodets, located an hour’s drive from the center of Nizhny. Yep, just one hour and it’s like you’ve gone back in time in a time machine. Wooden merchant houses, each unique, you will want to look at forever. However, it is worth remembering that most of them are residential. And although locals are used to constant tourists, it is better to enjoy the architecture from afar.

After walking along the main streets of Gorodets, looking at the Russian Samovar Museum and tasting local gingerbread with a romantic view of the Volga (this is a must), you understand how necessary this reboot is. It was here that I felt that rare feeling of time standing still: The hours and minutes were passing slower, and so were the people around me. There is no city noise, no obsessive bustle and meaningless fuss, from which all megacity residents are already tired.

On the way back to Nizhny Novgorod, we recommend that you first stop to enjoy the fascinating view (soothing pictures of the Volga from the editor are attached). Secondly, instead of fast food on the road, check out the local Gorodets cheese factory, where cheese tastings are held. This will make your trip truly gastronomic.

When you return to the city, we recommend taking a leisurely stroll along the Embankment, walking along Bolshaya Pokrovskaya, watching the sunset at the Chkalov Stairs, and then stopping by the Citadel cafe in the Kremlin’s Cellar Tower.

The project of restaurateur Ekaterina Zaides and the Red Wall team opened recently, but has already become a favorite place for Nizhny Novgorod residents and guests. The cozy “Castle” is located in the five-hundred-year-old Kremlin tower. On the first floor of the facility you find yourself in a bistro where you can run for coffee and dessert and look for souvenirs from regional crafts, on the second there is a cafe serving Nizhny Novgorod cuisine, in the basement there is a bar-infusion with ice rooms, and at the top under the arches of the tower is the chef’s table of chef Artem Atopshev. Believe me, this will be the ideal ending to your weekend in Nizhny Novgorod.

Source: People Talk