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Governor's House, Yaroslavl

Yellow-and-white neoclassical Governor's House on the Volga Embankment in Yaroslavl in early-morning light
Photo: Чуринъ, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

The essentials in 10 seconds

Entry
300 ₽, everything 750 ₽
Opening hours
Tue, Wed, Thu, Sun 10:00–20:00; Fri and Sat 11:00–21:00
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Time on site
A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes.
1 h
With kids
Fine with kids
Address
Volzhskaya naberezhnaya 23 (Волжская набережная, 23)
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Coordinates
57.62792, 39.89630YesGo MapGoogleAppleYandex
Closed
Mondays and 1 January
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Russian Art, 18th–20th c.
300 ₽ (concession 250 ₽)
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Combined ticket
750 ₽ for every display and exhibition in the house
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Garden (Sculpture en plein air)
150 ₽, May to October
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Garden hours
Not published separately — daytime on museum days
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Children
Under 7 free; ages 7–15 pay a reduced fare
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Audio guide
100 ₽
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Guided tour in a foreign language
2,000 ₽ per group
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
On foot
≈ 3 min from Sovetskaya Square
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Phone (tours and info)
+7 4852 30-35-04
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.

Key facts

1821–1823built on Alexander I's orders as an imperial travel palace and the governors' residence
3 sourcesOfficial website of the Yaroslavl Art MuseumPutevka.com guideT—Zh magazine
Since 1970the main building of the Yaroslavl Art Museum (handed over in 1969)
3 sourcesOfficial website of the Yaroslavl Art MuseumRussian WikipediaVisit Yaroslavia
17 governorslived and worked here before 1917
2 sourcesRussian Wikipedia, “Governor's House (Yaroslavl)”Visit Yaroslavia
Pyotr Pankovthe provincial architect who designed it
3 sourcesOfficial website of the Yaroslavl Art MuseumRussian WikipediaPutevka.com guide
1919the museum was founded, first as the Yaroslavl Art Gallery
2 sourcesOfficial website of the Yaroslavl Art MuseumVisit Yaroslavia
75,000+works in the museum's collection (the museum itself says over 80,000)
2 sourcesVisit Yaroslaviaofficial website of the Yaroslavl Art Museum
1820sthe Governor's Garden was laid out together with the house
2 sourcesRussian WikipediaTonkosti Turizma guide (1821–1825)
1989the garden passed to the museum and was restored to its historic look
2 sourcesOfficial website of the Yaroslavl Art MuseumTonkosti Turizma guide
No. 1170the house stands in Yaroslavl's historic centre, a UNESCO site since 2005
2 sourcesUNESCO World Heritage ListRussian Wikipedia, “Historic Centre of Yaroslavl”
Federalprotected cultural heritage site
2 sourcesRussian Unified State Register of Cultural HeritageRussian Wikipedia

Governor's House tickets and opening hours

The main display, Russian Art of the 18th–20th Centuries, costs 300 ₽. The combined ticket, 750 ₽, covers every display and exhibition in the house. Children under 7 go free. Reduced fares for students and pensioners need a Russian document, so most foreign visitors pay the full price.

Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday 10:00–20:00; Friday and Saturday 11:00–21:00. The house is closed on Mondays and on 1 January.

Buy at the desk inside. The museum also sells tickets online, but Visa and Mastercard cards issued abroad don't work in Russia (since March 2022), so bring roubles in cash or a Russian card.

An audio guide is 100 ₽. If you want a person to walk you through the rooms, the museum runs tours in a foreign language for 2,000 ₽ per group — book by phone ahead of time.

What to see inside

  • The state hall — the grandest room in the house, with Aivazovsky seascapes and Bryullov.
  • Konstantin Korovin — 11 late paintings; the museum says no other Russian collection has a group like it.
  • The Wanderers (Peredvizhniki) — Kramskoi, Perov, Repin, the Makovsky brothers, the Vereshchagins, Serov.
  • Landscapes — Shishkin, Savrasov, Polenov and Levitan, the painters of the Russian countryside.
  • The Silver Age — Kustodiev, Malyavin, Apollinary Vasnetsov, Roerich, Golovin, Grabar.
  • The governor's study and library, furnished with late 19th-century pieces from a Yaroslavl merchant mansion.
  • Yaroslavl portraits by local painters of around 1800 — provincial faces you won't see in Moscow.
  • A model of Opekushin's Pushkin monument — the one that stands in central Moscow.

Is the Governor's House worth visiting?

Yes, if you like painting. In an hour you see Korovin, Levitan, Repin and Kustodiev in the rooms of a real governor's palace, with none of the crowds of Moscow's Tretyakov Gallery. It is also the best thing to do in Yaroslavl on a rainy afternoon.

If art galleries aren't your thing, the façade from the embankment is enough, plus the garden in summer. On a single day in town, YesGo puts the Yaroslavl Kremlin and the Church of Elijah the Prophet first, and the Governor's House third — it sits right between the church and the river.

Without Russian, the big names carry the visit on their own; for the stories behind the paintings, take the audio guide or book a tour.

How to get to the Governor's House

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On foot

More tips

  1. From Sovetskaya Square, walk past the Church of Elijah the Prophet and follow the yellow stone wall of the Governor's Garden down to the Volga — about 3 minutes. The entrance faces the embankment.
  2. By trolleybus or bus, get off at Krasnaya Ploshchad (Красная площадь) or Ploshchad Volkova (Площадь Волкова), then walk 5–10 minutes through the centre to Sovetskaya Square and the river. Check route numbers in Yandex Maps.
  3. If you're already walking the Volga Embankment, it is No. 23, between the river station and the white rotunda.
  4. From Yaroslavl-Glavny railway station, take a trolleybus or a taxi to the centre (15–20 minutes); on foot it's nearly an hour. Yandex Go works, but foreign cards don't — pay the driver in cash.

The Governor's Garden

The garden behind the house opens from May to October; entry is a 150 ₽ ticket to the outdoor sculpture display. It is small and carefully kept: a formal part with straight paths and a landscape part with winding ones, in the English manner.

A fountain ringed by flower beds sits in the middle. Granite, marble, bronze and ceramic sculptures line the paths, and the green domes of the Church of Elijah the Prophet show through the trees. In summer the museum holds concerts here.

The museum doesn't publish separate garden hours — go in daytime on a day the house is open.

A short history

Alexander I ordered the house built, and provincial architect Pyotr Pankov designed it. It went up in 1821–1823, paid for by the treasury, as a travel palace where emperors could stay on their way through Yaroslavl — and as the governor's home. Seventeen governors lived here.

After 1917 the house changed hands and the garden became a children's park. The art museum, founded in 1919, moved in at the end of the 1960s and opened its displays by 1970. It took over the garden in 1989 and has shown sculpture there each summer since 1994.

Today the house is a federally protected monument within Yaroslavl's historic centre, which UNESCO listed in 2005.

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Governor's House vs Metropolitan's Chambers vs Yaroslavl Kremlin

Governor's Houseyou are hereRussian paintings, 18th–20th c., gardenYaroslavl Art Museum300 ₽, all of it 750 ₽1–1.5 hPainting lovers
Metropolitan's ChambersOld Russian iconsYaroslavl Art MuseumCombined ticket 300 ₽≈ 1 hIcon lovers
Yaroslavl KremlinMonastery, exhibitions, bell towerYaroslavl Museum-ReserveOwn tickets1.5–2 hEveryone — the town's top sight

Do the Kremlin first. Then pick one of the art museum's two buildings by taste: paintings at the Governor's House, icons at the Metropolitan's Chambers — they're 10–15 minutes apart along the embankment.

Yaroslavl's historic sights compared

Every historic place in Yaroslavl rated by YesGo. Tap a column heading to sort.

Volga Embankment511 hFree8 min walk
Assumption Cathedral5130 minFree12 min walk
Governor's Houseyou are here481 h300 ₽, everything 750 ₽—
Church of Elijah the Prophet4745 min≈ 200–250 ₽, May to October3 min walk
Strelka Park4740 minFree13 min walk
Metropolitan's Chambers451 h200 ₽, concessions 100 ₽11 min walk
Church of St John the Baptist at Tolchkovo4140 minFree3.0 km
Tolga Convent401 hFree8.7 km
Yaroslavl Kremlin (Transfiguration Monastery)352 hGrounds 100 ₽, combined ticket 800 ₽15 min walk

From Elijah the Prophet to the Strelka in half a day

Start with the frescoes of the Church of Elijah the Prophet, cut through to the Governor's House, then follow the embankment to the Metropolitan's Chambers and the Strelka. YesGo fits in the timing and the walks.

  1. Church of Elijah the Prophet45 min · ≈ 200–250 ₽, May to October
  2. 3 min walk from the previous stopGovernor's Houseyou are here1 h · 300 ₽, everything 750 ₽
  3. 8 min walk from the previous stopVolga Embankment1 h · Free, open 24/7
  4. 19 min walk from the previous stopMetropolitan's Chambers1 h · 200 ₽, concessions 100 ₽
  5. 3 min walk from the previous stopStrelka Park40 min · Free

5 places · about 4 h 58 min with walks · 33 min on foot in total

Go · my route

Nearby — add to your day

Church of Elijah the Prophet

Yaroslavl, Russia

45 min · ≈ 200–250 ₽, May to October · 3 min walk

Volga Embankment

Yaroslavl, Russia

1 h · Free, open 24/7 · 8 min walk

Metropolitan's Chambers

Yaroslavl, Russia

1 h · 200 ₽, concessions 100 ₽ · 11 min walk

Assumption Cathedral

Yaroslavl, Russia

30 min · Free · 12 min walk

How to do it right

  • In an hour: state hall → the Wanderers → landscapes → the Korovin room → the governor's study.
  • In summer, add 20–30 minutes in the garden by the fountain.
  • Pair it with the Church of Elijah the Prophet, three minutes away.
  • For icons from the same museum, walk 10–15 minutes along the river to the Metropolitan's Chambers.
  • Finish at the Strelka, where the Kotorosl meets the Volga.

Questions

How much is a ticket to the Governor's House?

300 ₽ for the main display of Russian art, 750 ₽ for everything in the house, 150 ₽ for the garden in season. Children under 7 go free.

What are the opening hours?

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday 10:00–20:00; Friday and Saturday 11:00–21:00. Closed on Mondays and 1 January.

Is the Governor's House open on Monday?

No — Monday is its weekly day off. Go to the Church of Elijah the Prophet or the Volga Embankment instead and come back another day.

What is inside the Governor's House?

The Yaroslavl Art Museum's collection of Russian painting from the 18th to the 20th century — Aivazovsky, Repin, Levitan, Kustodiev and 11 late works by Korovin — plus changing exhibitions and the governor's study.

Is the Yaroslavl Art Museum worth it?

Yes for anyone who likes painting: an hour gets you major Russian artists in a real 1820s palace without crowds. If you have only a few hours in Yaroslavl, see the Kremlin and the Church of Elijah the Prophet first.

Where is the Governor's House?

At 23 Volzhskaya naberezhnaya, on the upper Volga Embankment, about 3 minutes' walk from Sovetskaya Square.

Is the Governor's Garden free?

No — it opens May to October with a 150 ₽ ticket for the outdoor sculpture display.

Can I pay by card?

Only with a Russian card. Visa and Mastercard cards issued abroad don't work in Russia, so bring roubles in cash.

Are there English tours?

The museum offers tours in a foreign language for 2,000 ₽ per group. Book by phone in advance.

Have you been? Was it worth your time?

1 — no, 5 — absolutely

Your vote counts towards the YesGo score.

Sources and fact-check

  • Official website of the Yaroslavl Art Museum: prices; contacts — Governor's House; about the museum; Russian Art of the 18th–20th Centuries display — 30.10.2026
  • Russian Wikipedia: Governor's House (Yaroslavl); Historic Centre of Yaroslavl; Wikidata Q4151348
  • UNESCO World Heritage List: Historical Centre of the City of Yaroslavl, No. 1170, 2005
  • Russian Unified State Register of Cultural Heritage
  • Visit Yaroslavia, official tourism portal of the Yaroslavl region: Yaroslavl Art Museum
  • Putevka.com and Tonkosti Turizma guides; T—Zh magazine, “Yaroslavl in one day”
  • Visa and Mastercard statements on suspending operations in Russia, March 2022
YesGo editorial team · facts checked 30.10.2026 ·
How we checkedPrices, hours, the weekly closure, concessions and the garden season come from the official Yaroslavl Art Museum website on 30.10.2026. The Visit Yaroslavia portal lists different hours (10:00–21:00 and 10:00–22:00); we show the museum's own. The museum publishes no separate garden hours and guides disagree, so that row is marked “verifying”. Older guides call the garden free or 80 ₽; the museum's price list sells it as the outdoor sculpture display for 150 ₽, matching T—Zh, so we show that. A visiting exhibition advertised on the museum's home page has its own price, and the price list doesn't say whether the combined ticket includes it. Construction dates: the museum and most guides give 1821–1823, one guide 1821–1826. The house passed to the museum in 1969 and displays opened in 1969–1970; Wikipedia and Visit Yaroslavia say 1970. Collection size: the museum says over 80,000, Visit Yaroslavia over 75,000 — the fact shows the lower figure. Walking times are our estimate from the map. There is no English Wikipedia article on the house.

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