Novosibirsk

Novosibirsk (Russian: Новосиби́рск nuh-vuh-see-BEERSK) is a city in Novosibirsk Oblast, Siberia, and is the third largest city in Russia.

Weather

Summers in Novosibirsk are typically warm, but sometimes cold and rainy. Winters can be really cold with temperatures as low as -40 degrees celsius.

Get in

The main train station

Flights are handeled by the Tolmachevo Airport [2], 16km away from city center. S7 Airlines is the major airline here and have domestic flights to most cities in Russia. Aeroflot also have direct flights from Moscow. Bus #111 connects the airport with the major train station while bus #112 connections to Avtovokzal (Автовокзал), the bus terminal.

Novosibirsk is a major station on the Trans-Siberian Railway, in fact the Vokzal-Glavny (Вокзал-Главный) station is the largest station along the route. This means that there are daily trains avalible from Moscow and Saint-Petersburg with a journey time of 2-3 days. Comming from the other direction, there are direct trains from Beijing, Ulaan Baator and Vladivostok amongst others. Also, Novosibirsk is also the final destination of the Sibirjak express train, the longest train journey originating in the European Union. This weekly train leaves Berlin each Saturday afternoon and arrives Wednesday at lunch time. Apart from the long-distance trains there are plenty of local and regional trains connecting with most nearby cities. Vokzal-Glavny station is very close to the Garina Mikhailovskogo (Гарина Михайловского) Metro stop.

Get around

The Novosibirsk metro system

There is a lot of public transport in this city. Everywhere you will pay from 16 till 25 rubles (it depends from your change of transport). Taxis, metro, buses, street railways or trams and so on. Most citizens can't speak even basic English (although almost all of them were taught English in schools). Very often it depends from some english accents of tourists, I mean, misunderstanding each other.

The Metro [3] 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).

See

Lenin Square (city center)

Novosibirsk's Nikolai Chapel

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.

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 bureaaucrat United Russia party. The zoo is very well-attended and one of the best places to visit that Novosibisk can offer.[4]

Akademgorodok

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.

Do

Tanning at the beach in spring

Buy

• MegaMaill "IKEA, MEGA".
• Shopping Mall "Royal Park".
• Shopping Mall "Moscow — Moskwa".
• Shopping Mall "Megas".
• Shopping Mall "Siberian Mall".
• Shopping Mall Pharaon.

Drink

• Truba Bar, [5]. Visit if you want to meet Novosibirsk's "underground" culture. Foreigners usually like this place.
• Peoples Grill & Bar.
• Pub 501, [6].
• Old Irish Pub, [7].
• toni, 5218shelbon circle, ☎ 2731236. 10. 1000. (369,300)
• 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.

Sleep

• River Park, [8], formerly known as 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, free wi-fi internet, 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.
• Dostoevsky Hostel, Inskaya st., Building 56 - Apt 8, ☎ +7 913 450-05-12, [1]. The only Hostel in Novosibirsk. A new modern hostel with a western feel and excellent security. The owner Ksenia is very welcoming and looks after all the guests. Situated across the road from Rechnoy Vokzal metro station at building 56. Easy to get to from the Central Train Station (20mins). Excellent value accommodation rather than staying at one of the expensive worn out cold ex-Soviet Hotels charging between $80-$180. Excellent accommodation for Trans-Siberian Railway tavellers, general tourists and business travellers. A really good hostel! [email protected] $19-$23.

Contact

• 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
• Novosibirsk State University, located in Akademgorodok, offers free Wi-Fi coverage of its surrounding area

Many cafés and restaurants offer paid (and free) Wi-Fi all over the city.

Stay Safe

There are some areas in the city to shun. Pervomayskiy rayon and far-off areas of Leninskiy and Kirovskiy rayons should be avoided at any time.

The safest place is the center (nearby Lenin Square), stay there and you will be all right.

Get out

Routes through Novosibirsk

Yekaterinburg ← Omsk ←

W  E

→ Achinsk → Irkutsk

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