From Wikitravel

Novosibirsk (Новосибирск) is a city in Novosibirsk Oblast, Siberia, and is the third largest city in Russia.

[edit] Weather

Summers in Novosibirsk are typically very hot and dusty.

[edit] Get in

Take a train from Moscow, the Rossiya trains are generally the best and take about 3 days. You'll arrive at the Trans-Siberian Railway's largest station and the Metro (subway) can take you into the rest of the city. Or fly into Tolmachevo Airport, with Air Siberia (www.s7.ru) or Aeroflot. TransAero can be cheap too. Just be prepared to take a taxi after you arrive—Novosibirsk's airport is about a half-hour drive outside of the city.

[edit] Get around

Tons (and I mean tons) of public transportation or so called "marshrutkas" where you can pay 10-20 rubles (30-75 cents) to get practically anywhere in the city. Taxis are affordable too. You can also just wave at any passing car and get a ride for 50-100 and up rubles (depending on the distance). Most citizens can't speak even basic English (although almost all of them were taught English in schools).

The Metro is cheap but only runs through the city center and just past the Ob River. Still, for the visitor, you can get to many major destinations from its six major stops, including the main square, Lenin Square, on Krasny Prospekt (Red Avenue).

[edit][add listing] See

[edit] Lenin Square (city center)

See the Lenin's square with a grey-color monument of Lenin left from Soviet era standing right in front of the Opera and Ballet House which, by the way, is beautiful at night. It is also the largest opera house in Russia. There's also the exact geographical center of former Soviet Union just south of Lenin Square, marked by the Chapel of St. Nicholas, originally built in 1915 to commemorate 300 years of Romanov rule, destroyed in 1930 and rebuilt in 1993. In winter residents build an ice town on the Ob River, and in summer you can go to the beach. Near the city center on Krasny Prospekt,you can also see some excellent works in the Novosibirsk Art Museum and Local Studies Museum. You could also consider the Novosibirsk Regional Puppet Theater (over 70 years old in an interesting historic building), Novosibirsk Circus, and several other theaters. As in every Russian city, there are multiple monuments to heroes of the Great Patriotic War (WWII), including an eternal flame guarded at special ceremonies by youths with replica Kalashnikovs. Those are standard touristic places, but you should definitely make friends with locals to see the "best" parts of the city.

[edit] Novosibirsk Zoo

The zoo is one of the largest in Russia (after Novosibirsk had a really tiny one for decades until 90-s). Much money have been invested in the zoo during "prosperous 00-s", thanks to the zoo's devoted director Shilo, a member of the bureaucrat United Russia party. The zoo is very well-attended and one of the best places to visit that Novosibisk can offer.

[edit][add listing] Do

[edit][add listing] Buy

[edit][add listing] Eat

[edit][add listing] Drink

• Truba Bar, [1]. Visit if you want to meet Novosibirsk's "underground" culture. Foreigners usually like this place.
• Peoples Grill & Bar.
• Pub 501, [2].
• Old Irish Pub, [3].
• toni, 5218shelbon circle, ☎ 2731236. 10. 1000. (369,300) edit
• Pechki Lavochki, Leniskaya Ulitsa (central, downtown). rustic "Traktir" type restaurant, with typical Russian cuisine - grilled and/or smoked beef and pork, sausages. Several kinds of fish dishes. Wide selection of hot and cold appetizers, and hearty soups like Solyanka and Borscht. Reasonable prices, $5 - $10 for entrees.  edit

[edit][add listing] Sleep

• The Ob Hotel, on the bank of the Ob River, is situated close to the Metro just southeast of the city center. After being gutted by fire in the 1990s, it has been refurbished, with reasonably clean rooms, a business center, and a nice Russian restaurant on the first floor. Don't look for English-language television or air conditioners, but there are plenty of rooms with private bathrooms.
• Tsentralnaya Hotel, Lenina street 3 (As near the center as possible, on the street opposite the opera/ballet house.), ☎ (+7383) 222-72-94, 222-36-38. checkin: anytime(?); checkout: exactly 12h after checkin. TV, fridge, and sink in the room. Won't get any cheaper than this for a private room. Grim, shabby Soviet-era accommodations for hardy, budget-conscious travelers. Not recommended for families. From 1200 rubels for shared toilet/shower.  edit

[edit] Get out

A visit to Akademgorodok, built in the 1950s as a mecca for academics but suffering from neglect in the post-Soviet years, is still pleasant as a day trip. This formerly elite institution is located about 30 KM south of the city and features several museums and nice, tree-lined streets.

While you're in the area, you might also visit one of several nice beaches on the Ob Sea, the large body of water created by a dam on the Ob River.

Also south of the city, about 2 km north of Akademgorodok, is the open-air West Siberian Rail Museum. There are about 90 historical trains and rail cars there.

[edit] Communicate

• There is free wi-fi in Beerman&Grill opposite the train station
• The central post office on Lenin Street has an "internet bar", 30 rubels/hour/10MB, not possible to connect notebook

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