RUSSIA: Sergiev Posad

photo courtesy of www.moscow-driver.com

About 70km north-east of Moscow, there lies an ancient small town right out of the fairy tale, Sergiev Posad. The town is famous for Troitse- Sergiev Monastery, once the religious center of Russian Orthodox Church, equivalent to Vatican City of Roman Catholic, before the honour was bestowed on Danilo Monastery in 1988.  

The monastery was designated as Lavra. It is the highest rank of monasteries (there are only 4 in all Russia), later made the list of UNESCO World Heritage Site. Sergiyev Posad is also famous for its wooden toys and crafts, including the world-famous Russian nesting dolls.

Getting there: 

• Book a bus tour 
• Rent a car, plan a road trip covering all attractions of the Golden Ring Road.  
• Take the suburban train from Yaroslavl Station. The train station is situated at Metro Station Komsomolskaya (red line). Trains departs every 30 minutes, journey takes 1.5 hours with 160 rubles train fare. 
• Take an express train. Journey takes 1 hour, fare is 210 rubles. 
• Bus 388 is available at VDNKh (VVTs) for 145 rubles every 15 minutes.

What to do in Sergeiv Posad: 

You can either visit them all within a day, or choose to take your time wandering around in awe! 

Visiting the visually striking Lavra certainly deserves to be ranked high on the to-do-list. The monastery of Sergiev Posad is one of the most beautiful monasteries in Russia. The Konny Dvor (Stable Yard) museum complex showcases some impressive artwork and craft. Don’t miss the permanent exhibitions devoted to the nesting dolls (Matryoshka). Also worth a visit, the Farmers' Life Museum is a fun interactive museum about farming created by local artist Viktor Bagrov. The Toy Museum on Prospek Krasnoi Armi is house to various toys once belonged to the Russian Tsars. 

Note: 

Monastery opens daily from 8am to 6pm, 

Churches close on weekends, 
Lavra's museum is closed on Mondays.

Thank You for Reading! 

Any updates or new installations in Sergiev Posad? 

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