Where to travel on the M-12 route.
The section of the high-speed highway M-12 “Vostok” from Moscow to Kazan was opened ahead of schedule, on the eve of the New Year. The route from the capital of Russia to the capital of Tatarstan, spanning over 800 kilometers, passes through the territories of five regions: Moscow, Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod regions, the Chuvash Republic, and the Republic of Tatarstan. If one doesn’t make stops along the way, it will take approximately six and a half hours – about twice as fast as before.
However, if there’s time to spare and one travels with stops, between Moscow and Kazan, there’s a lot to see. To find out which cities are best to visit for new experiences and knowledge, we asked Marina Kabalina, a tour guide from the “Nizhny Novgorod Holidays” travel company.
– Marina Markovna, can we say that each new highway affects the development of tourism in adjacent areas? And, accordingly, not only will people travel from Moscow to Kazan and back along the M-12, but there will also be an increase in tourist flow to other cities near the highway?
– In my experience, yes, the comfort of the road significantly influences the choice of a tourist route, especially if a person is traveling independently, by car. If one can quickly and comfortably reach other places with interesting attractions from major cities – travelers will definitely take advantage of it.
Especially Muscovites. They are amazing in terms of travel – they are very curious and mobile. They can wake up on a weekend at five in the morning and unexpectedly decide: today, we are discovering new corners of Russia, and by evening, we’ll be back home because of work tomorrow. Despite the pace of the capital, they crave new experiences.
– In the immediate vicinity of the M-12, there are several cities: Noginsk, Petushki, Orekhovo-Zuyevo, Vladimir, Murom, Arzamas, Sergach, Shumerlya, Kanash, Shali… Which cities would you recommend visiting?
– In this entire list, there are three tourist gems: Vladimir, Murom, and Arzamas. And if I personally had to choose where to go or take tourists in winter along the M-12, I would choose the latter.
– It would be interesting to hear about each! Suppose a person arrived independently in Vladimir. What should they see?
– Walk through the historical part of Vladimir. Fortunately, this can be done in half an hour. Usually, people come to Vladimir for its antiquity: to see the architecture of the 12th century, the Golden Gate. The XII-century churches, although they were rebuilt later, leave an indelible impression. In the following centuries, architecture became richer and more sumptuous, but this strict simplicity, which expresses the beauty of Vladimir, will not be seen again.
Let the Golden Gates no longer be gilded, they still impress with their power today. The museum in the Golden Gates vividly demonstrates how, in the 13th century, our ancestors, warriors, walked along these narrow stairs with high steps, unusual for a modern person. The diorama of the museum helps recreate the picture of past battles, better understand what the city was like 800 years ago.
But there is also another, less-known Vladimir – a provincial merchant city of the 19th century. If you arrived “spontaneously” and are not tied to a tourist group, take a walk along Georgievskaya Street. It’s just steps away from the Golden Gates. It stretches along the high bank along the Klyazma and leads to the famous Cathedral Square. It goes in a sort of a hook, a semicircle, which gives it even more charm and coziness. Georgievskaya was recently renovated very well – carefully, preserving its historical appearance. Here, you will soothe your soul and buy handmade souvenirs. Memories of it will warm you for a long time.
Artist plein air, Georgievskaya street, Vladimir
Photo: © trip2trip.ru
– The next stop after Vladimir on the way from Moscow is the city of Murom. What landmarks are worth visiting here?
– Murom is, of course, primarily known for its monasteries. The Muromsky Holy Transfiguration Monastery is the oldest monastery currently existing in Russia, first mentioned in chronicles dating back to 1096. The sanctuary of the monastery holds a relic – a particle of the relics of Ilya Muromets.
An interesting fact: Ilya Muromets was buried in the Antoniev Cave in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. In 1988, on the eve of the celebration of the millennium of the Baptism of Rus, the reliquary containing his relics was opened. Scientists studied the remains of the famous hero and confirmed that the legend held truth: Ilya Muromets was indeed seriously ill in his youth and died in battle. But when his facial features were reconstructed from the skull, it turned out he was not a Slav but a Finno-Ugric.
So, this Finno-Ugric appearance of the hero of Russian land is very well depicted on the reliquary containing his relics. Anyone who comes to the Muromsky Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Murom will see how Ilya Muromets looked. By the way, ‘Muromets’ doesn’t indicate his birthplace but rather his belonging to the Finno-Ugric tribe called ‘Muroma.’
All this speaks of the unity of Russian lands already in the 12th century. After all, Ilya Muromets was supposedly born in 1148 in the territory of Rus. This means that even then, the Slavs and Finno-Ugrians considered themselves one people.
In another church, the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos Church, you can see a silver lepton, a small coin (smaller than a little finger’s nail), mentioned in the Bible. It was found during excavations in Jerusalem and dates back to the times of Jesus Christ’s life.
Murom Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Photo: goru.travel
Murom is also the homeland of the engineer Vladimir Kosma Zworykin – the man considered the inventor of television. A monument to the scientist stands in front of the estate where he was born. The estate complex is currently under renovation, but there are programs for children conducted on the premises – dedicated to becoming heroes and heroines.
And at the “Bread Chamber” museum, one can bake the famous Murom kalach themselves. On the coat of arms of the city of Murom, three kalaches are depicted on a blue background – this coat of arms was given to the city by Empress Catherine II. Whether she herself indulged in kalaches, we cannot say for sure. But it is known that her son Pavel I received three kalaches as a gift from local merchants, each costing 40 kopecks – it was an expensive delicacy! It’s hard to say if the taste of modern kalaches resembles those eaten by Pavel I, but they look just as beautiful.
– The third point on our route from Moscow to Kazan is Arzamas. Why does this city seem most attractive to you?
– In this small provincial town, there used to be many things that couldn’t be found anywhere else. Only in Arzamas, for example, there is the Museum of Russian Patriarchy. Because the Nizhny Novgorod land is the homeland of two Patriarchs of All Russia: Nikon and Sergius.
And in 2023, the city underwent extensive reconstruction, making it even more magnificent and well-kept for visitors. The embankment overlooking the Tesha River became especially beautiful, offering a wonderful view of the Vyezdnoye village, the former Cossack outlying settlement, the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God church on the opposite bank! And how the Arkadiy Gaidar Park has transformed! A new space has emerged, where you can stroll with children and participate in workshops.
Arzamas’ history had different chapters. Initially, it was a fortress city, a gateway on the fortified border of the Russian state. Unfortunately, we can only assume that the Arzamas Kremlin looked like an irregular quadrangle, narrowing to the place where the Arzamas market is now located. From the mid-16th to the mid-19th century, Arzamas had a mission of converting Mordvinian tribes to Christianity – hence, there are so many monasteries and temples here. The oldest stone temple was built as early as the mid-17th century, in 1643.
The entire historical center of Arzamas, like Vladimir, can be explored on foot. The main trading street – Gostiny Dvor – is very interesting. It’s an amazing, the first entirely stone street in a small Russian town that gives an idea of how provincial merchant towns looked. Everything is preserved here, including the 18th-century exchange building. After the reconstruction, many souvenir shops appeared, and many souvenirs are dedicated to Arzamas’ brands – such as the Arzamas goose and Arzamas onion.
Winter Arzamas
Photo: Andrey Znamensky/ smartik.ru/arzamas/best
– I would recommend anyone visiting Arzamas to stroll through Cathedral Square, descend along Gostiny Dvor Street, and then walk up Muchny Rjad. Observe the merchant buildings, the Annunciation Cathedral of the Women’s Monastery, built in 1885. Walk along the twin houses of the merchants Budylins. The facades of these houses are made of brick, while everything else is wooden. At that time, they were ordered to build with stone, so they did it this way to avoid government scrutiny. Then take a walk along Karl Marx Street, reach the monument to Alexander Stupin, and head towards the embankment. The entire walk takes about two hours, but the pleasure is immense.
And definitely dine here! As you know, in September, Arzamas hosts the culinary festival “Arzamassky Goose,” but waiting for it is absolutely unnecessary. At any time of the year, you can find establishments specializing in Arzamas dishes made from goose. Do you know what they call hot vegetarian dumplings here? Kundiumy! Just the name is worth a try.
From a transportation perspective, Arzamas is the intersection of ten trade routes. The most important ones are the routes to the fairs (Makaryevskaya and Nizhny Novgorod) and the route to the ice-free port on the White Sea from the Southern Governorate to Arkhangelsk. So, in the past, any traveler in Russia passed through Arzamas. Now, even the M-12 highway runs through this city.
– It’s the holiday season. Is there anything worth visiting these cities for during the winter holidays?
– Winter in Vladimir offers an entirely new view of the Klyazma River. In summer, when there’s a lot of greenery, from the high bank, there’s a majestic expanse, but in winter, it’s even wider: you can see through the branches of trees. At such times, you understand Vladimir Monomakh’s plan better – building a powerful, warlike city precisely on this steep hill above the navigable Klyazma.
From this height in winter, you can even see the famous Church of the Intercession on the Nerl – in summer, it’s almost invisible from Vladimir. And when Andrey Bogolyubsky built this church, the point was that it should be visible from Vladimir. The Intercession on the Nerl was a kind of customs point, the “red gates” to the Vladimir Principality. Imagine: boats sailing along the navigable Nerl, rowers see the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl on a six-meter hill, then they see the churches of Bogolyubovo, travelers ascend higher – and see Vladimir. That’s how guests of the principality received a message about the greatness of the city of Vladimir and its local prince.
In winter Murom, just like in Vladimir, make sure to admire the views from the high bank of the Oka River – for example, from the St. Nicholas Wet Church. Unfortunately, the Kremlin, which was once here in Murom, has not survived, and we can only guess what it looked like. But it’s easy to imagine how far the city guards could see, what a vast view opened before them.
If you arrive in Arzamas for Christmas, you can attend the service at the Resurrection Cathedral. It was built by the locals at their own expense in honor of the victory over Napoleon. There are incredible frescoes here, a wooden carved gilded iconostasis. In the 19th century, the cathedral had the glory of a temple worthy to stand in the capital due to its scale and beauty, not in a provincial town. However, throughout its history, it was a summer temple, services were held only from Easter to the Intercession. Now the cathedral has been insulated, and on the night of January 6-7, the Christmas service will be held here for the first time.
– A wonderful holiday program for travelers! Will travel agencies along the new route take groups?
– If tour operators have the opportunity to transport tourists quickly and comfortably, they will definitely take advantage of it – how else? From Nizhny Novgorod to Kazan, for example, we used to travel on the M-7 “Volga.” It’s well known that it’s narrow in some places, making it very difficult to drive – traffic jams and accidents.
– But transferring to a toll road will probably increase the price of tour packages. It was reported that the toll for travel on the M-12 from Moscow to Kazan in a car will be more than 4400 rubles, and if you visit other cities along the way, the trip will be even more expensive. For buses, the prices will be higher. Will tourists agree to pay extra for speed?
– As for how travel on the M-12 will affect the prices of tour packages, we cannot say for sure yet. We need to drive and see what the fee will be. So far, we only know the M-12 rates in theory; in practice, everything could turn out differently. But for sure, the benefits in terms of speed and comfort that tourists will get will be more noticeable than the change in cost. For example, we travel from Nizhny Novgorod to the south on toll roads, the cost of which doubled last year compared to 2022, but it’s still better than on free highways.
If you offer tourists two tour options, one cheaper but a six-hour journey, and the other more expensive but a four-hour trip – the tourist will probably prefer the second option. They’ll experience less “transport fatigue,” and there will be more time for sightseeing.
And a lot of time will be needed. Kazan, for example – the Kremlin with its Suyumbike Tower and the Kul-Sharif Mosque, pedestrian Bauman Street, modern sports facilities, and a little further – the unique island-town of Sviyazhsk. If it’s possible to arrive faster, leaving more time for excursions, then, of course, the journey will leave a bigger impression. Especially in winter when daylight hours are short.
Conversation led by Anna Mechenova