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Arzamas - a small town in the Nizhny Novgorod region, 110 kilometers from Nizhny Novgorod (Arzamas on the map of Russia). Its population is just over 100 thousand people, and it is the third largest city in the region.
Arzamas is known primarily as a transit point on the way to other popular tourist places of the Nizhny Novgorod region: Boldino, Diveevo, Sarov (closed city). It is crossed by road and railway from more southern regions to Nizhny Novgorod. But since in Arzamas itself there are many interesting sights, primarily temples, many tour operators began to include it in the number of cities included in the golden ring, although officially it is not. It even proudly bears the unofficial title-the city of churches and monasteries.
A bit of history
Arzamas was founded by Order of Ivan IV The Terrible in 1552 as a fortress with a permanent garrison. The city itself, as a settlement, was founded in 1578. In the XVII century Arzamas developed rapidly and turned into a fairly large city thanks to handicraft production and trade. In particular, local artisans were famous for their skill in making leather, which was supplied, including to European countries.
And in Arzamas a special breed of geese has long been grown, with which this city supplied the whole of Russia. The goose is still considered a popular symbol of the city; a monument to it is installed on one of the streets, and the image of the feathered talisman can be found on almost all Arzamas souvenirs. And at the end of May, the city hosts the only festival of culinary art in the Nizhny Novgorod region so far – "Arzamas goose".
In the old days, the main roads connecting the main cities of Russia with each other passed through Arzamas. This contributed to the further development of the city, which was almost equal in number to Nizhny Novgorod. The prosperity of the city is evidenced by the fact that by the beginning of the XIX century in Arzamas there were 36 temples and churches.
Holidays in Arzamas
No wonder Arzamas is mentioned among the ancient Russian cities of the Golden Ring. In its spirit, in the special aura of antiquity, it fits well into this series, and will be especially interesting to people interested in the orthodox history and culture of Russia.
The main decoration of Arzamas is the Resurrection Cathedral, crowning the city Cathedral Square. This temple was built in 1814 in honor of the great victory of Russia in the war with Napoleon. Local residents managed to save the cathedral from destruction during the establishment of Soviet power, when most of the churches in Arzamas were devastated and destroyed.
St. Nicholas monastery, founded by Ivan the terrible himself in 1580, is also located in the center of the city. On the territory of the monastery there is another ancient church – the Epiphany. Currently, forty novices live permanently in the monastery.
But to consider Arzamas as a place for a long stay is not worth it. A tourist after sightseeing here will have absolutely nothing to do. There are no tourist entertainments or developed tourist infrastructure. You can see all the city's attractions in two days, and one light day will be enough for the most significant places. Therefore, most often tourists stop in Arzamas for a short walk around the center when passing through the city, or visit it as a one-day excursion from Nizhny Novgorod.
Tourist infrastructure, hotels and accommodation
Arzamas is a relatively small Russian provincial town, the entire population of which is just over 10 thousand people. There is everything you need for accommodation or temporary stay, but there is no developed tourist infrastructure that will make it interesting for tourists to visit Arzamas. The city on the first visit in general can make a depressing impression with broken streets and sidewalks, and general lack of grooming. It seems that neither the administration nor the business here are even trying to somehow use the great tourist potential of the city. The only tourist that we (the authors of the site) came across during our trip to Arzamas is a souvenir shop on Cathedral Square.
In Arzamas, there are several hotels, an apartment rental service has been established and is popular. But do not expect from a seemingly so little popular tourist place low prices for accommodation, rather the opposite. The price of accommodation in a simple double room in a hotel on the outskirts here is comparable to the prices in the center of Nizhny Novgorod near the tourist street, and the prices for family accommodation 2+2 in general decently "bite".
If you need to save money, we advise you to pay attention to short-term rental of private apartments or rooms, which is almost twice cheaper than hotel rooms. You can find private housing in Arzamas not only directly from the owners, but also pick up and book it through these search and booking systems online:
- 🛌 Search for affordable housing in Arzamas on Sutochno.ru
- 🛌 search hotels in Arzamas on Yandex.travel
- 🛌 Search hotels on Ostrovok.ru
Hotels in Arzamas on the map
Weather and tourist seasons in Arzamas
The best time to visit Arzamas is in the summer, from June to August. It is in the summer that the high tourist season falls.
In winter it is cold here, even a little colder than in Moscow. But this does not mean that except in the summer, you should not go here. Tourist attractions and all infrastructure work all year round, the flow of tourists does not stop.
| Jan | Feb | March | Apr | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov. | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
* best time to visit;
acceptable time to visit;
not recommended time to visit
Current weather in Arzamas and forecast
How to get to Arzamas
Arzamas is located 110 kilometers south of Nizhny Novgorod (Arzamas on the map of Russia), you can get to it by train, bus (most often with a transfer in Nizhny Novgorod) or plane to Strigino airport with a transfer by taxi or bus.
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By plane
The nearest Strigino airport or V. P. Chkalov airport is located in Nizhny Novgorod, 110 kilometers away. It operates flights from many regions of the Russian Federation, as well as international ones. Cheap flights with transfers in Moscow are offered.
Minimum prices for tickets from Moscow to Nizhny Novgorod:ЦЕНА ПЕРЕСАДКИ АВИАКОМПАНИЯ ДАТА ВЫЛЕТА ДАТА ВОЗВРАЩЕНИЯ Купить от 6875 ₽ Без пересадок 
03.06.2026 05.06.2026 Купить от 9288 ₽ Без пересадок 13.07.2026 20.07.2026 Купить от 9823 ₽ Без пересадок 
25.08.2026 01.09.2026 Купить от 9354 ₽ Без пересадок 24.09.2026 28.09.2026 Купить от 8732 ₽ Без пересадок 24.10.2026 07.11.2026 Купить от 8854 ₽ Без пересадок 09.11.2026 15.11.2026 Minimum prices for tickets from Russian cities to Nizhny Novgorod:ЦЕНА МАРШРУТ ПЕРЕСАДКИ Купить от 6907 ₽ Москва ⇄ Нижний Новгород Прямой Купить от 6562 ₽ Санкт-Петербург ⇄ Нижний Новгород Прямой Купить от 14399 ₽ Сочи (Адлер) ⇄ Нижний Новгород Прямой Купить от 11376 ₽ Екатеринбург ⇄ Нижний Новгород Прямой Купить от 14211 ₽ Калининград ⇄ Нижний Новгород 1 Купить от 8716 ₽ Уфа ⇄ Нижний Новгород 1 Купить от 19835 ₽ Минеральные Воды ⇄ Нижний Новгород 1 Купить от 18668 ₽ Махачкала ⇄ Нижний Новгород 1 From the airport to Arzamas more than 110 kilometers (Airport on the map). From it it is easiest to get by taxi, the trip will cost from 4000 rubles. You can order a car in advance via the Internet at kiwitaxi or intui.travel, or cheaper when ordering via Yandex. money, Uber, etc. The journey is about 2 hours.
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By train
There are two railway stations in Arzamas: Arzamas-1 and Arzamas-2. Both suburban trains from the regional capital and long-distance trains from the regions pass through them.
From the railway station "Moskovskaya" in Nizhny Novgorod, at least five trains depart daily to the station" Arzamas-2", and on the way make a stop at the station "Arzamas-1". The journey takes 2-3 hours, the cost is 232 rubles. Long-distance trains from Nizhny Novgorod or passing make a stop at only one of the stations, depending on the direction.
- Arzamas-2, Krasny put STR., 44 (station on the map)
- Arzamas-1-Stantsionnaya STR., 3 (station on the map)
You can get from these stations to the city center on any city bus, since they all go to the center.
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By bus
You can get to Arzamas by bus from Nizhny Novgorod and other cities of the region, and buses from other regions almost do not go here with rare exceptions. At the time of writing there are passing flights, at least from Moscow, Penza, Saransk, Volgograd, Togliatti.
The main bus station is located in the heart of the city in the historical and tourist area on Lenin Street, 21A (Arzamas bus station on the map). Tel. 8 (831-47) 2-04-11, 8 (831-47) 9-00-59. There is no bus station building as such, it is just a platform with a platform for waiting buses.
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By car
Arzamas with Nizhny Novgorod connects a good road P158, the route will take 2-3 hours, depending on traffic jams. When driving from Moscow, the center of Nizhny is better to pass along the M5 bypass road.
If you are passing through Arzamas and want to see the city, you can drive right through its center and make a stop near the bus station or on the Cathedral Square. There are no problems with parking here: you can park your car directly in the parking lot of Cathedral Square, and get around the main sights of the city on foot from here.
Learn more about all the ways, How to get to Arzamas and schedules here.
Sights of Arzamas, what to see
The main attractions of Arzamas are Orthodox churches, churches and historical streets in the center. The most beautiful and large-scale temples are located on the Cathedral Square, and it is for the sake of seeing them that most tourists come here. Also in Arzamas there is the only Museum of the Russian Patriarchate in the world, the main part of the expositions of which is dedicated to Patriarch Sergius – a native of the city.
Another famous person who lived part of his years in Arzamas is the writer Arkady Gaidar. In the house where his family lived, a museum was created. There is a museum in the city of Maxim Gorky, who lived in Arzamas for about four months in exile.
Be sure to visit the local history and Art Museum, which will acquaint you with the history of the city since ancient times. Nearby in the village of Peshelan there is a very interesting Museum of mining, located in a real gypsum mine, and there is also a petting zoo "safari". Lovers of romance will be interested in an exact smaller copy of the Eiffel Tower, built by local craftsmen on a scale of one to forty, its height is 8 meters.
The best option to get acquainted with the sights of Arzamas are organized sightseeing tours. Unfortunately, we did not find any offers of sightseeing tours directly in Arzamas, and all sightseeing tours start only from Nizhny Novgorod. You can buy them at travel agencies on the streets of Nizhny Novgorod, or you can book excursions online on these trusted sites:
- 📷 search for excursions in Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas on Tripster.ru
- 📷 search for excursions in Nizhny Novgorod on Sputnik8.com
- 📷 excursions in Nizhny Novgorod from the tour operator TEZ Tour
Learn more about the sights of Arzamas here.
Holidays and festivals in Arzamas
- End of May-Festival of culinary art "Arzamas goose"
- Second Saturday of July-Arzamas City Day
- End of July - International Festival-contest of Orthodox and patriotic songs "Arzamas domes"
- July - Festival of Harmonists, bayanists and balalaika players "the accordion plays in the village!" (held in the villages of the district)
- August-Honey Festival "Honey Savior" (held in the villages of the district, Chernukha village)
Dates may change slightly each year, so check them in advance before traveling.