Rostov-on-Don
Russia · Europe
About Rostov-on-Don
Rostov-on-Don, or simply Rostov, is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East European Plain on the Don River, 32 kilometers (20 mi) from the Sea of Azov, directly north of the North Caucasus. The southwestern suburbs of the city lie above the Don river delta. Rostov-on-Don has a population of over one million people and is an important cultural, educational, economic and logistical centre of Southern Russia.
From ancient times, the area around the mouth of the Don River has held cultural and commercial importance. Ancient indigenous inhabitants included the Scythian and Sarmatian tribes. It was the site of Tanais, an ancient Greek colony, Fort Tana under the Genoese, and Fort Azak in the time of the Ottoman Empire.
In 1749, a custom house was established on the Temernik River, a tributary of the Don, by edict of the Empress Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great, in order to control trade with Turkey. It was co-located with a fortress named for Dimitry of Rostov, a metropolitan bishop of the old northern town of Rostov the Great. Azov, a town...
Rostov-on-Don travel guide
Understand
This area where the East European Plain touches the Black Sea has seen habitation by civilizations stretching back to Scythian, Roman, Greek, and Ottoman times. In the 18th century, the Russian Empire started to lay a foothold by establishing outposts on this frontier, but then eventually with expansion of the empire it became more of a commerce center due to its premier trade location where the Black Sea meets the Don River. And it saw industrialization, too, causing it to draw people and become one of the largest Russian cities for a time. But it was not without adversity that it passed through the ages, as it saw incursions from the Russian Civil War, cholera epidemics, and occupation by the Germans during the Great World Wars. One of its darker moments was the execution of 30,000 Russian Jews by occupying Nazi forces at Zmievskaya Balka. But today it is a peaceful metropolis full of green esplanades and theaters and cafes.
Getting there
By plane 1 Platov International Airport (ROV IATA). Has domestic flights, as well as flights to and from Europe and Asia.
By train Rostov-Glavniy (Russian: Росто́в-Гла́вный) is one of the major stations on the North Caucasus Railway network (Rostov Oblast, Krasnodar Krai, Stavropol Krai, Republic of Adygeya, Karachay–Cherkessia, North Ossetia, Ingushetia, Chechnya, Dagestan, and Kalmykia) and "St. Petersburg-Rostov-Caucasus" railway.
By boat
By car M4 highway
See
One thing you can do is just take in the provincial Russian city life by walking along the leafy 1 Pushkinskaya Street. .
1 Gorky Park (Park Kul'tury I Otdykha Imeni Maksima Gor'kogo V), Pushkinskaya Ulitsa, 52а, ☏ +7 863 240 83 74. Rostov-on-Don's iconic park with little rides and monuments. It is somewhat like a town square. (updated Feb 2021) 2 Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin (Кафедральный собор Рождества Пресвятой Богородицы), Ulitsa Stanislavskogo, 58, ☏ +7 863 210 19 00. daily 08:00-18:00. The premier cathedral in the city. Your big chance to see a gold-leaf onion dome. (updated Feb 2021) 3 Rostovskiy Gosudarstvennyy Tsirk, Budonnovskiy Prospekt, 45, ☏ +7 863 240 70 93. daily 10:00-19:00. Another Rostov-on-Don landmark, the notable circus building. But let's not forget the actual performances too. (updated Feb 2021) 4 Rostov-on-Don embankment (Набережная Ростова-на-Дону), Beregovaya Ulitsa, 49а. Here you can admire this notable Russian river, the Don, or walk along the promenade and take in statues, boats, and bridges. At night, there is an illuminated fountain show. A block above at Nizhnebul'varnaya Ulitsa, 14 you'll find a higher viewing area. (updated Feb 2021) 5 Paramonov's Warehouses (Парамоновские Склады), Nizhnebul'varnaya Ulitsa, 27, ☏ +7 908 518 85 43. Somewhat famous ruins of the industrial era that used to dominate Rostov-on-Don. Somewhat of an undeveloped site. (updated Feb 2021) 6 Rostov Regional Museum of Local Lore (Ростовский областной музей краеведения), Bol'shaya Sadovaya Ulitsa, 79, ☏ +7 863 263 55 72. 10:00-18:00, closed M. The area's local history and ethnography museum. Has odds and ends like old TVs and perambulators that might be of limited interest unless you're really into that. (updated Feb 2021) 7 Rostov Regional Museum of Fine Arts, Pushkinskaya Ulitsa, 115, ☏ +7 863 240-29-07. W-M 10:00-18:00. Collection of paintings in a distinctive building. (updated Feb 2021) 8 Museum of Railway Technology of the North Caucasus Railways (Музей железнодорожной техники СКЖД), Ulitsa Tsiolkovskogo, 73, ☏ +7 863 238 28 95. 10:00-17:00, closed M. A serious train museum. Lots of locomotives and carriages on site. (updated Feb 2021) 9 Museum of Russian-Armenian Friendship, Ulitsa Bagramyana, 1, ☏ +7 950 862-96-77. Kind of a niche museum, but not without the Armenian Church of Surb Khach Monastery on premises. Actually this marked the site of a separate town named Nakhichevan previously that was largely populated by Armenians and Jews and ultimately became absorbed by Rostov-on-Don. (updated Feb 2021)
Do
1 Rostov Arena (2 km from the centre on the north bank, walkable via Voroshilovskiy Bridge, or take bus S1), ☏ +7 863 333 28 64. Watch football at Rostov Arena, opened in 2018 to host games of the FIFA World Cup. It's home to FC Rostov, who play in the Russian Premier League (ie top tier of Russian football). The Arena, capacity 42,000, is just south of the River Don and is intended to act as the focus for south-bank city development. The football team formerly played at Olimp-2 (capacity 15,800) north-east of the centre: its future use has not been announced. (updated Feb 2021) 2 October Revolution Park, Teatral'naya Ploshchad', 3. daily 10:00-22:00. Ferris wheel and a pond and peacocks and some strange monument (okay, actually it's the stele "Liberators of Rostov"). (updated Feb 2021) 3 Rostovskiy Zoopark, Ulitsa Zoologicheskaya, 3, ☏ +7 863 232-82-91. daily 08:00-20:00. Here's a zoo with a lot of the greats, even an Amur Tiger and griz. (updated Feb 2021) 4 H2O, Prospekt Mikhaila Nagibina, 34, ☏ +7 800 100-99-93. daily 10:00-22:00. This might constitute a fun waterpark because a lot of it's inside so you don't have to worry about turning purple in the inclement weather. (updated Feb 2021)
Buy
1 Central Market (Tsentral'nyy Rynok), Budonnovskiy Prospekt, 12, ☏ +7 863 299 95 05. M 08:00-16:00, Tu-Su 08:00-18:00. A modern open-air market (actually, it's enclosed...public marketplace). (updated Feb 2021) 2 Nakhichevan Bazaar (Нахичеванский Базар), Bazarnaya Ploshchad', 2, ☏ +7 863 251 14 90. daily 07:30-16:00. The old marketplace. (updated Feb 2021) 3 Gorizont Mall (ТРК Горизонт), М. Нагибина, 32/2, ☏ +7 800 200 19 55. daily 10ː00-22ː00. Your typical mall with restaurants and a cinema. (updated Feb 2021) 4 Vavilon (Вавилон), Prospekt Kosmonavtov, 2/2, ☏ +7 863 230 06 22. daily 10ː00-22ː00. Another mall with a theater and some family entertainment. (updated Feb 2021)
Eat
1 Shaurma Kikchak, Bol'shaya Sadovaya Ulitsa, 114. Some tasty shawarma sandwiches here. (updated Feb 2021) 2 Cow Bar & Restaurant, Gazetnyy Pereulok, 84. Bar and steakhouse, probably perfect for the carnivore. (updated Feb 2021)
Drink & nightlife
1 Svoy Bar, Ulitsa Shaumyana, 73, ☏ +7 863 279 79 02. An eccentric little bar with neon and decorations, and next door is Baba Lyuba, Rock-n-Roll Club at 71 Ulitsa Shaumyana with live performances. (updated Feb 2021)
Sleep
Budget 1 Hostel Teremok, Budonnovskiy Prospekt, 35, ☏ +7 863 256-57-35. You don't get much for free here, but you can take comfort in clean linens and the camaraderie of your fellow bunkmates. Wifi. 607 руб. (updated Feb 2021) 2 CityHostel, 110, Ulitsa Stanislavskogo, ☏ +7 928 900-00-47. Simple hostel with shared kitchen and commons and wifi for the traveler on the go. 835 руб. (updated Feb 2021) 3 Good Rooms, Prospekt Sokolova, 31, ☏ +7 989 621-00-32. Like the other hostels, except it has a reading library. Wifi. Everyone appreciates a clean toilet. 835 руб. (updated Feb 2021) 4 Balkonskiy, Bol'shaya Sadovaya Ulitsa, 78, ☏ +7 961 289-00-20. Not too much going on here either. Maybe if you are lucky a Russian will show you her cool socks. They do provide slippers though. 683 руб. (updated Feb 2021) 5 Hostel "Baba Valya", Ulitsa Shaumyana, 36 A, ☏ +7 988 560-87-35. This hostel seems to be for animal-lovers; lots of furry-friends around. 835 руб. (updated Feb 2021) 6 Bla Bla Hostel, Bol'shaya Sadovaya Ulitsa, 65, ☏ +7 800 500-80-90. Here you get tea and snacks and a reading library and then when you're ready to turn in, there are some privacy curtains so that you don't have to worry about the other guests checking out your unusual sleeping postures. 607 руб. (updated Feb 2021)
Mid-Range 7 Park Hotel Nadezhda (Парк-Отель "Надежда"), Ulitsa 2-Y Pyatiletki, 29, ☏ +7 863 208-09-09. Even though it looks a bit grey and bleak on the outside, this hotel has full-service offerings like an indoor pool, sauna, massage/reflexology service, gym, restaurant, and morning breakfast buffet. 2884 руб. (updated Feb 2021) 8 Attache Hotel, Prospekt Sokolova, 19, ☏ +7 863 299-98-88. This very boutique-type hotel has a formal dining room/bar with paintings on the ceiling (okay, that is kind of strange). Wifi available, as is breakfast for a fee. 2732 руб. (updated Feb 2021)
Go next
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Overview adapted from Wikipedia, travel guide fromWikivoyage (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.