# Things to do in Kostroma: top sights and where to go

> Kostroma's centre is Susanin Square, with the Fire Tower, the Guardhouse and the Trading Rows around it; the Epiphany-Anastasia Convent and the Snow Maiden's Terem are a 5–10-minute walk away. The Ipatiev Monastery and the Kostromskaya Sloboda open-air museum stand side by side across the Kostroma River, 10–15 minutes by bus; keep the Sumarokovo moose farm for a second day by car.

Web page: https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma

## Ready itineraries

- [One day in Kostroma: an itinerary in the best order](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/in-1-day.md): The merchants' Trading Rows under white arches, Susanin Square with its fire tower, the Epiphany-Anastasia Convent and the Ipatiev Monastery by the river.
- [2 days in Kostroma: a day-by-day itinerary](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/in-2-days.md): The Trading Rows, the fire tower and a red-brick church by the Volga first, then the Ipatiev Monastery, a wooden village museum and the Snow Maiden's house.

## All 10 places with the YesGo score

- [Epiphany-Anastasia Convent](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/epiphany-anastasia-convent.md): YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free, cathedral only. The Epiphany-Anastasia Convent is a working Orthodox nunnery in central Kostroma, a 7–10 minute walk north of Susanin Square. Entry is…
- [Susanin Square](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/susanin-square.md): YesGo score 47/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free. Susanin Square (Susaninskaya Ploshchad) is Kostroma’s main square, the heart of its old town above the Volga. It is **free and open 24…
- [Kostroma Trading Rows](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/kostroma-trading-rows.md): YesGo score 47/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free. The Kostroma Trading Rows are a quarter of white-arcaded merchant galleries from the late 1700s and early 1800s, running from Susanin…
- [Church of the Resurrection on the Debre](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/resurrection-church-on-debre.md): YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free. The Church of the Resurrection on the Debre is a working Orthodox church from the mid-1600s on the Volga in Kostroma: red brick…
- [Kostroma Guardhouse](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/kostroma-guardhouse.md): YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · 400 ₽, concessions 300 ₽. The Guardhouse is an 1820s army guard post on Susanin Square, next to the Fire Tower, now the Military History Museum of the Kostroma…
- [Kostroma Fire Tower](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/kostroma-fire-tower.md): YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free to see outside; no climb. The Kostroma Fire Tower is the city’s emblem: a yellow Neoclassical lookout fronted by six white columns on Susanin Square, built in…
- [Ipatiev Monastery](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/ipatiev-monastery.md): YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · ≈ 350–400 ₽, services free. The Ipatiev Monastery is a working Orthodox monastery where the Kostroma River joins the Volga, 3 km from central Kostroma; in 1613…
- [Snow Maiden's Terem](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/snow-maiden-terem.md): YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · from 490 RUB, full visit 890 RUB. The Snow Maiden's Terem is a carved log house built in 2008 by the Volga bridge in Kostroma: a theatrical tour with fairy-tale house…
- [Kostromskaya Sloboda Open-Air Museum](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/kostromskaya-sloboda.md): YesGo score 35/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · 450 ₽, concessions 350 ₽. Kostromskaya Sloboda is an open-air museum of wooden architecture right behind the Ipatiev Monastery in Kostroma: log houses, barns…
- [Sumarokovo Moose Farm](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/sumarokovo-moose-farm.md): YesGo score 22/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · 300 ₽, children from 4: 200 ₽. The Sumarokovo Moose Farm is a research farm where moose have been tamed and milked since 1963, about 20 km in a straight line east of…

## Kostroma travel guide

Before you go: Susanin Square and the Trading Rows, the Ipatiev Monastery, the Snow Maiden and the moose farm, getting there.

## Trip essentials

- How many days: 1–2 days; two with the moose farm
- When to go: May–September; winter for the Snow Maiden
- From Moscow: Train ≈ 6–7 h, car ≈ 5 h
- From Yaroslavl: Bus ≈ 1.5 h
- Visa: Same as for Russia; many can apply for an e-visa
- Money: Roubles; cards issued abroad usually don’t work
- Time zone: UTC+3, Moscow time

## Key facts

- **1613** — at the Ipatiev Monastery Mikhail Romanov accepted the call to the throne (source: Wikipedia, “Ipatiev Monastery”)
- **19th c.** — the fire tower was built — one of the most elegant in Russia (source: Wikipedia, “Kostroma”)
- **Snow Maiden** — Kostroma is called the Snow Maiden’s home — she has her own terem here (source: Wikipedia, “Snegurochka”)
- **Sumarokovo** — moose have been bred and tamed at the farm near Kostroma since the 1960s (source: Wikipedia, “Sumarokovo Moose Farm”)

## Things to do in Kostroma

Kostroma’s highlights are Susanin Square with its fire tower and guardhouse, the Trading Rows and the Ipatiev Monastery where the Kostroma meets the Volga. Nearby are the Kostromskaya Sloboda wooden architecture museum, the Snow Maiden’s Terem and the moose farm. Every place with its YesGo score is in the list above; the “Map” button shows them on a map.

| Where | What to see | Time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Centre** | [Susanin Square](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/susanin-square), [Fire Tower](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/kostroma-fire-tower), [Guardhouse](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/kostroma-guardhouse) | 1–2 h |
| **Trading Rows** | [Trading Rows](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/kostroma-trading-rows), [Epiphany Convent](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/epiphany-anastasia-convent) | 1–2 h |
| **By the Volga** | [Church on the Debre](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/resurrection-church-on-debre) | 1 h |
| **Across the river** | [Ipatiev](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/ipatiev-monastery), [Sloboda](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/kostromskaya-sloboda) | ½ day |
| **With kids** | [Snow Maiden’s Terem](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/snow-maiden-terem), [Moose Farm](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/sumarokovo-moose-farm) | ½ day |

Rather not plan it yourself? The list above has ready itineraries, with places in a sensible order.

## Getting to Kostroma

A direct train from Moscow takes about 6–7 hours; by car it’s about 5. An easy alternative is the Lastochka train to Yaroslavl, then a bus to Kostroma in about 1.5 hours.

| From | How | Time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Moscow** | Train | ≈ 6–7 h |
| **Moscow** | Car | ≈ 5 h |
| **[Yaroslavl](https://yesgo.io/russia/yaroslavl)** | Bus | ≈ 1.5 h |

## Kostroma weather by month

The best time to visit Kostroma is May to September — warm, with boats on the Volga. Winter is frosty and snowy — the season for the Snow Maiden’s Terem and children’s New Year events.

- **January in Kostroma**: day ≈ -7°C, night ≈ -13°C, rainy days: 17. Frost and snow. The Snow Maiden’s Terem and winter festivities.
- **February in Kostroma**: day ≈ -6°C, night ≈ -13°C, rainy days: 14. Cold and snowy; Maslenitsa at month’s end or in March.
- **March in Kostroma**: day ≈ 0°C, night ≈ -8°C, rainy days: 12. The snow melts late in the month.
- **April in Kostroma**: day ≈ 10°C, night ≈ 0°C, rainy days: 10. About 10° by day, the embankment comes alive.
- **May in Kostroma** (best time): day ≈ 18°C, night ≈ 6°C, rainy days: 12. Warm and green. Good for the Ipatiev Monastery.
- **June in Kostroma** (best time): day ≈ 22°C, night ≈ 10°C, rainy days: 13. Long evenings on the Volga.
- **July in Kostroma** (best time): day ≈ 24°C, night ≈ 13°C, rainy days: 14. The warmest month, Volga boat trips.
- **August in Kostroma** (best time): day ≈ 21°C, night ≈ 11°C, rainy days: 13. Warm, cooler later in the month.
- **September in Kostroma** (best time): day ≈ 15°C, night ≈ 6°C, rainy days: 14. Golden autumn by the Volga.
- **October in Kostroma**: day ≈ 8°C, night ≈ 1°C, rainy days: 15. About 8° by day, museums and the Trading Rows.
- **November in Kostroma**: day ≈ -1°C, night ≈ -5°C, rainy days: 16. Cold, the first snow.
- **December in Kostroma**: day ≈ -5°C, night ≈ -10°C, rainy days: 17. Snow and a festive Snow Maiden’s Terem.

“Rain” counts days with precipitation — in winter it is snow.

## Kostroma ticket prices

The square, the Trading Rows and the embankment are free. You pay for the Ipatiev Monastery, museums, the Snow Maiden’s Terem and the moose farm.

- [Epiphany-Anastasia Convent](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/epiphany-anastasia-convent) — Free, cathedral only
- [Susanin Square](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/susanin-square) — Free
- [Kostroma Trading Rows](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/kostroma-trading-rows) — Free
- [Church of the Resurrection on the Debre](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/resurrection-church-on-debre) — Free
- [Kostroma Guardhouse](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/kostroma-guardhouse) — 400 ₽, concessions 300 ₽
- [Kostroma Fire Tower](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/kostroma-fire-tower) — Free to see outside; no climb
- [Ipatiev Monastery](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/ipatiev-monastery) — ≈ 350–400 ₽, services free
- [Snow Maiden's Terem](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/snow-maiden-terem) — from 490 RUB, full visit 890 RUB
- [Kostromskaya Sloboda Open-Air Museum](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/kostromskaya-sloboda) — 450 ₽, concessions 350 ₽
- [Sumarokovo Moose Farm](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/sumarokovo-moose-farm) — 300 ₽, children from 4: 200 ₽

## Tips

- Cheese is the local souvenir — taste before you buy in the Trading Rows.
- Visit the moose farm in the morning, at feeding time.
- The Ipatiev Monastery and Kostromskaya Sloboda are next to each other — see them together.

## Questions

### Is Kostroma worth visiting?

Yes, as part of the Golden Ring: a handsome classical centre, the Ipatiev Monastery linked to the Romanovs, a wooden architecture museum and a moose farm that kids love.

### What to do in Kostroma in one day?

Susanin Square and the fire tower, the Trading Rows, the Church on the Debre, the Ipatiev Monastery and Kostromskaya Sloboda.

### How do I get from Moscow to Kostroma?

By direct train in about 6–7 hours, by car in about 5, or via Yaroslavl by train plus a 1.5-hour bus.

## Sources

- Wikipedia, “Kostroma”; “Ipatiev Monastery”; “Snegurochka”; “Sumarokovo Moose Farm”
- Kostroma Museum-Reserve — official website

Facts checked: 09.11.2026

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