Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
193
rough and potholed, so if you take a bus,
be prepared for some bouncing. Watch
how quickly traffic thins as you leave
town, as urban turns to rural and high-
rises abruptly give way to rickety out-
houses.
1
SERGIEV POSAD
75km (47 miles) NE of Moscow
This town's magnificent 14th-century monastery and its history as the holiest of Russia's
Orthodox shrines draws pilgrims from around the country, and plenty of non-Russian
tourists. The trip serves as a course in Russian architecture and sociology, as well as an
immersion into Orthodox traditions. Music enthusiasts can delight in informal choral
concerts—even a small midday church service produces hypnotizing harmonies. The town
also claims to be the birthplace of the
matryoshka,
the ubiquitous nesting doll. Visiting the
monastery,
matryoshka
shopping, and wandering the run-down but charming streets are
enough to make this Moscow's most satisfying out-of-town day trip. It's also the only city
on the historic Golden Ring that's a comfortable 1-day trip from the capital.
ESSENTIALS
Sergiev Posad, called Zagorsk in the Soviet era, can be reached by bus, commuter train,
or taxi. Many hotels and tour companies arrange bus trips here.
Patriarshy Dom
tours
has an informative and intimate English-language tour (
&
495/795-0927;
in the U.S.
&
1-650/678-7076; www.russiatravel-pdtours.netfirms.com).
Intourist
offers a more
standard trip, which includes more religious history and less propaganda than in Soviet
times (11 Stoleshnikov Pereulok;
&
495/923-8575
). Intourist also has an office in the
Moscow hotel: the
Cosmos
(p. 111).
If you're traveling on your own, consider taking a bus from the main Shcholkovsky
Bus Terminal. The cheap, direct trip takes about 2 hours (though tour buses manage
to make the trip a bit quicker). The bus you need is labeled moscow-sergiev posad-
yaroslavl, meaning you get off midjourney. The driver may know only a few words of
English. You'll be dropped off at the bus station near the monastery.
The commuter train, called
elektrichka,
leaves from Yaroslavsky Train Station (go to
the suburban ticket desk, called
prigorodniye kassy
). The ride is cheaper and smoother
than the bus, but it's slightly less convenient. It makes a few stops on the 1
1
⁄
2
-hour jour-
ney, and you have to be able to read sergiev posad in Russian to make sure you don't
miss your stop (see chapter 19 to study up on the Russian alphabet). When you get off,
it's a 10-minute walk through town to the cathedrals. Train cars are fitted with hard
wooden benches that can be crowded on weekend days, especially in summer. Weekdays
during off season they're calm and pleasant, as long as you don't get stuck with a curious
or alcoholic seatmate. Tickets on the bus or train cost less than 330 rubles.
An excellent but pricier option is hiring a car and driver for the day. That way you can
depart and return at your leisure, and perhaps take some side roads to better view the coun-
tryside. The price of the trip is negotiable, and costs more if you get an English-speaking
driver or guide. Try your hotel tour desk, or contact Moscow Taxi (www.moscow-taxi.com).
10
WHAT TO SEE & DO
Trinity Monastery of St. Sergius (Troitse-Sergiyevo Lavra)
is the place to start. Sergius
of Radonezh founded the monastery in 1345, and it gained a reputation as the source of
