The Ivanovo region is more often associated with the textile industry. And many people have an image in their heads of a certain market for cheap bedding. But few people know that Ivanovo-Voznesensk was founded at the end of the 19th century and is part of the Golden Ring of Russia with a large number of architectural monuments.
From Moscow to Ivanovo by car, you need to drive along the Nizhegorodskoe highway for about 300 km. The road in the Ivanovo region itself is not very good; it is very difficult to get to some remote villages. But everywhere, mobile communication is good and you can use navigation. You can stay both in the hotel of the city itself and outside it in less noisy places. It will be much cheaper. In general, recreation in this area is much more budgetary than, for example, in Yaroslavl.
In the city itself, in addition to the obligatory textile shopping (and how without it), you can visit Pushkin Square, the embankment of the Uvod River, the Shchudrovskaya tent. Get ready for some pretty serious city traffic, there are big traffic jams in the city during rush hours. That is why it is better to relax in the outback, where there is no bustle of the metropolis.
You can buy real Ivanovo souvenirs in Palekh - the center of lacquer miniatures. Palekh is a very small village, but with its own flavor. There is the Museum of Lacquer Miniatures, the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross, with frescoes, very original, since it has never been closed. There are several souvenir shops near the museum where you can buy real boxes with Palekh painting. If you go a little further Palekh, you will see the village of Kholui, where the art of lacquer miniature also flourishes. Caskets with Kholuy painting are slightly cheaper than Palekh ones. Therefore, before buying souvenirs, it is better to compare prices. Keep in mind that museums close at 4 pm, so plan your trip to these places in the morning.
On the way to Palekh you will pass Shuya. Small but very cozy town. The main attraction of the city is the Resurrection Cathedral. It is unusual in that the bell tower of the cathedral is a separate building and its height is 106 meters. This is the largest bell tower in Russia. The cathedral itself is active, well restored, and divine services are held there. The Resurrection Cathedral is the courtyard of the Nikolo-Shartomsky monastery. It is located in the village of Vvedenie, a few kilometers from Shuya. It is there that the miraculous icon of the Shuya-Smolensk Mother of God is located.
