Welcome to Veliky Novgorod!

Veliky Novgorod is the only place where it is possible to discover the full array of those emotional experiences that are so dear and important to every citizen of our country: the richness of Russia’s soul, the unbreakable bond with the great and glorious history of the country, and the touch of the living antiquity. You can say you know your country only after you have visited the ancient lands of Novgorod, the birthplace of Russia.   

It is the only place where you can touch the living history more ancient than Russia itself, and see for yourself ‘from whence the Russian land came to be’: its Orthodox beliefs and practices, or Pravoslavie, literacy, democracy, and statehood. You will be taken ten centuries back and enjoy the old famous hospitality of Novgorod.

You will see the legendary Volkhov River, the main water way of the famous medieval trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks. Numerous convoys of merchant ships sailed the river many centuries ago, loaded with goods from faraway lands: luxurious fabrics, non-ferrous metals, rare wines, and amber. Today it is a popular swimming spot and a place for cleaving on jet skis the mirror-like surface of the river still hiding many unsolved mysteries. Following the genius of Rachmaninoff, Dostoevsky, Derzhavin, and Akhmatova, you will feel the pulse of time at the wrist of history, being inspired by this amazing city, both so ancient and peaceful, and vibrant and young at the same time. 

As if anticipating your wishes, Veliky Novgorod will surprise you with whatever you seek deep inside. It is your choice what you would like most: to relax from the hustle and bustle of city life, enjoying a stroll along the ancient streets and admiring the treasures of Russian architecture in the historical city centre, or to indulge in the surprises of busy early and late night life in the city.

You can be absolutely sure that having visited Veliky Novgorod once, you will keep coming back to marvel the mysteries of Russian history unravelled in Novgorodchina (the lands of Novgorod), and to experience the mysterious Russian soul praised by Russian classical poets.