Hotels in Kostroma

The heart of the city beats around Susaninskaya Square — locals call it "the frying pan" — along with Molochnaya Gora and 1 Maya Street, where you'll find the 18th- and 19th-century Trading Rows, the fire watchtower and the monument to Ivan Susanin. Within this radius the accommodation is mostly dependable mid-range hotels in old merchant buildings, plus a few independent design-led projects; there are no five-star hotels in the historic center. Take this option if you've come specifically to see Kostroma: almost everything worth seeing is walkable in a single day.

Molochnaya Gora runs down from Susaninskaya Square to the river, and five minutes later you're on the embankment, looking out over the water and the far bank. The streets 1 Maya, Shchemilovka and Nizhnyaya Debrya hold the same merchant-era Kostroma atmosphere as the square, but are noticeably quieter. In summer cruise ships dock by the city and rooms with a Volga view are the first to go, so for June through September it's better to book in advance.

The whole-apartment format is better developed in Kostroma than in most Golden Ring towns: there are surprisingly many guest houses and apart-hotels here, especially in the center and closer to the Volga. A kitchen, a washing machine and a separate living room pay for themselves if you're staying three nights or longer, or travelling as a group — the total bill comes out lower than several hotel rooms. For a couple or a small family it means more space and the freedom to have breakfast at home rather than around a restaurant's schedule.

Kostroma is compact, and saving money here doesn't mean the outskirts: hostels and small hotels sit a couple of blocks from the Trading Rows, right on the walking route from Susaninskaya Square. Rooms run on the tight side and bathrooms are sometimes shared, but the famous arcades are a five-minute walk away and what you save goes on cheese and tours. The ideal option for anyone travelling the Golden Ring and stopping in town for a single night.

Beyond the historic core, Prospekt Mira leads out to Berendeevka Park with its ponds and woodland — a quiet green corner ten to fifteen minutes from Susaninskaya Square by car or bus. There are noticeably fewer tourists here, the hotels have their own free parking, and there's somewhere close by to walk with the children. Choose this area if you've arrived by car: parking in the center is paid and cramped, while from here it's easy to drive out into the region and to the Kostroma Reservoir.

The Snow Maiden's Residence is the city's main draw for children, and over the New Year holidays families come from all over the country: it's the most expensive and hardest-to-book period of the year. Travelling with a child, it's often more convenient to stay slightly away from the historic core, where hotels have a pool, a sauna, a restaurant and grounds of their own, so you're not hunting for something to occupy the kids in the evening. The center is ten to twenty minutes away by car, and holiday dates are worth securing a month and a half to two months ahead.

Half an hour to an hour by car from the center, and the Volga turns homely and dacha-like: pines along the bank, anglers with their rods, quiet. People come here to recharge — to steam in a banya, walk in the forest, fish, or take a course of treatments at a sanatorium; farm estates are a story of their own, where children watch the horses straight from the window. The format works equally well for a weekend with friends and a week of treatment, but it almost always assumes you have your own car.