Drive through towns and villages near Ivanovo

Are you a fast rider? Even so, after the fast roads and long journeys you can't deny yourself the leisurely walks, leisurely rides on horseback through the streets of the old town and endless fields of flowers.
During the first day of the trip you'll discover the rich history of the Ivanovo area and its ancient towns and villages. You'll also enjoy local enchanting panoramas, appreciate the second tallest freestanding bell tower in the country and have a look into a cozy bakery.
Let's go!

"Our little Suzdal" - this is how the residents of Ivanovo often call the ancient village of Dunilovo, where in one street there are ten temples of the XVII-XIX centuries.
You will see the revived Holy Dormition Nunnery, around which the whole life of the village is concentrated nowadays. Today the cloister revived in 1991 is a model cloister, where not only the monastic life flourishes, but also much work is done to enlighten the soul. The Orthodox female boarding school established by the monastery is one of the best not only in the Ivanovo region, but also in Russia as a whole.

Visit a local bakery where dough is hand kneaded and baked in a wood-fired oven.
Dunilov bakery bakes a special bread, the taste of which you will never forget: fragrant, airy, with tender crumb and crispy crust. Word of the amazing bread attracts tourists and pilgrims. People come from Vladimir, Kostroma, Moscow and even St. Petersburg especially for the Dunilov bread.
The local bakers still bake bread in a huge Russian oven that is heated not with chopped wood but with whole tree trunks, just like in Tsarist times. Back then, baking bread was considered a responsible and honourable business.

The village of Vvedenye is 10 kilometers from the town of Shuya and 32 from Ivanovo. Through its territory flows the river Molokhta. The main attraction of the small picturesque village of Vvedenye is a male monastery Nikolo-Shartomsky.
The formation and development of the village is associated with Nikolo-Shartom Monastery. The first documentary source of its existence dates back to 1425.
You will see located on its territory the overgate church of Transfiguration, St. Nicholas and Kazan churches, bell towers, brotherhood building and household yard.
The exact time of the foundation of the monastery is not established, there are several legends. According to one of them, the monastery got its name from the river, the former name of Shartoma (Shahma), flowing away from the monastery into the Molokhta River. At its confluence with the Teza River, the monastery is situated. Another legend says that in the second half of the XII c. a runaway smerd of Prince Yuri Dolgorukii, Nikola Shartom, with his companions Fedos, Sidor and others settled down on the bank of a nameless river, which they called Shartoma and soon built a monastery, with its founder becoming the first hegumen. In the spiritual charter of the Nizhny Novgorod appanage Princess Maria, there is a legend that the monastery was built in honor of an icon of Nicholas the Wonderworker found on the bank of the Chartoma River before the reign of Vasily the Dark, the Grand Prince of Moscow.

Shuya is a beautiful, compact Old Russian town, which is the former center of the Shuya Principality. Today the settlement is considered part of the Ivanovo region and is famous for its rich history. It is part of the Golden Ring of Russia and features a unique colorful, picturesque landscapes.
The city was named succinctly after the Shuya River. There are several versions of its Slavic origin. The meaning of the city sought to analyze back in the 18th century. The first attempt to do so was made by the famous historian N.N. Boltin.
He spoke of the Sarmatian origin of the name, in translation from which Shuya means capital. Discussing this topic, scientists conducted an analysis of Samoyedic and Finno-Ugric languages. In historical documents the town is referred to as Shuya and Borisoglebskaya Sloboda. The construction of the settlement in ancient times was carried out according to the traditional project for that period: a fortress and a settlement.

Staying in the city for a while, you can have a great time away from the hustle and bustle of civilization. In Shuya you will walk along the "local Arbat", visit the territory of the former Kremlin and see the ancient Resurrection Cathedral, famous for its 106-meter bell tower and the Shuisko-Smolenskaya miracle-working icon of the Mother of God.

Gavrilov Posad is a city of horse breeding traditions, located in the heart of ancient Russia, in the Vladimir-Suzdal region. The modern geographical location is quite convenient: 30 kilometers to Suzdal, 90 to Ivanovo, and 200 to Moscow.
The emblem of Gavrilov Posad is a horse. The history of Gavrilov Posad and the surrounding villages is closely associated with the palace stud farm, according to legend, founded during the time of Ivan the Terrible. You can get acquainted with the history of this town and the role of the stud farm in its development at the local history museum.
Visit the small but very hearty museum, which presents life in the town in a compact way. There is a layout of the town, restored from photographs by a local craftsman. Learn about the history of the town, about the stud farm.
Ask where to go to see the horse walk.
Be sure to visit the city's central square near the museum. In recent years it has been completely reconstructed and has become a new landmark!

Be sure to visit this complex. It was opened at the beginning of 2020 and is located on the territory of the former stud farm. There are 21 non-alcoholic and 6 alcoholic variants of Russian national drinks for tasting. You will be told about the history and peculiarities of the drinks.
There is also a store and expositions devoted to Russian Hussars and the "Russian heavy horse" breed. All in all, there are 6 expositions on the area of about 1 thousand square meters and about 3 thousand exhibits.

Suzdal is one of the most interesting preserved ancient Russian cities. It is famous for its ancient architecture: elegant white-stone churches and monuments of wooden architecture. Every year thousands of tourists come here.
Before checking into the hotel, visit the restaurant "Russkoe podvorye" which is located in the central part of Suzdal, next to the Museum of Wooden Architecture.
You can use the free spacious parking lot, choose gifts in the souvenir line and take away with you the culinary products of your own production: jams and smoked meat.

Immerse yourself in the atmosphere of Russian antiquity in Suzdal. Outside the offered program, take a walk by yourself around the evening city and feel its atmosphere. All main sights are within walking distance.