Nizhniy Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod and Minsk have long-standing friendly ties: in 1999, a memorandum of cooperation was signed, and on April 20, 2017, an agreement was signed to establish twinning relations between the cities. And 2025 was marked by a new milestone of twinning – the Nizhny Novgorod Days in Minsk were an incredible success, cooperation between Nizhny Novgorod and Minsk has reached a new unique stage, when interaction is carried out between representatives of three levels of government.:
– city administrations;
– representative compulsory medical insurance companies;
– district administrations.
Together, we are implementing many bright and interesting projects that serve to further the prosperity of Minsk and Nizhny Novgorod, and to bring our truly fraternal peoples closer together.
Nizhny Novgorod is a city with a rich history.
Founded back in 1221, Nizhny Novgorod, currently with a population of 1.2 million, is the sixth most populous city in Russia and one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country.
The convenient logistical location, the river and air transportation system create prospects for the development of inbound and domestic tourism.
Guests are attracted by a large number of attractions, picturesque landscapes and river views, a rich program of stay, accessibility of the transport system, provision of collective accommodation facilities, a well-developed network of catering establishments, safety, high-quality service, and a high level of comfort in the urban environment.
The city's event calendar has hundreds of events, which are attended annually by a huge number of tourists and residents of the city. Among them are Nizhny Novgorod City Day, the Capital of Sunsets music festival, the Gorky Christmas Tree New Year Festival, the Gorky New Year Fair, the Secrets of the Masters International fair of folk art and decorative arts, the Gorky Craft gastronomic festivals, the Gastronomic Christmas Festival, and the audio-visual art festival. Intervals, Gorky Fest Film Festival, Autumn in Switzerland Jazz Festival, Volga Fiesta Aeronautics Festival, etc.
In 2026, Nizhny Novgorod officially registered the rights to the tourist brands "Capital of Sunsets" and "100% real Russia".
Since 2026, Nizhny Novgorod has entered the "Golden Ring of Russia", further expanding its tourism potential and offering new opportunities to travelers.
More than 150 tourist routes and excursions are available for our guests, including routes with audio guides for independent tourists, a Spot-bot street art chatbot, and hop-on hop-off City Sightseeing double-decker bus tours.
For the convenience of tourists, there are 2 tourist information centers in the city, where it is possible to buy souvenirs, book excursions and river trips, hold events, and make presentations.
A River and Cruise Tourism Support Center operates at the TIC site. Visitors can take virtual tours, which will be conducted by a digital replica of Rostislav Alekseev, the greatest designer, creator of hydrofoils. Virtual tours on the Valdai 45R and Meteor 120R ships allow you to go through all the interior spaces and see how the ships are launched, visit places closed to ordinary tourists, such as the captain's cabin and the engine room.
VR equipment is available to our guests at the TIC, which includes sightseeing tours of the main sights of Nizhny Novgorod.
In 2024, the Module of the immersive digital product "Digital Gorky" was installed on the basis of the tourist information center. Guests can "talk" with M. Gorky, learn interesting facts from his biography, stories about life on the Millionth, answer quiz questions.
The flow of tourists arriving in the city increases annually due to Nizhny Novgorod's high ratings in the tourism and hospitality industry.
By the end of 2025, the Nizhny Novgorod region ranked:
– 3rd place in the "Green" rating of sustainable tourism development in Russia
– 6th place in the National Tourism Rating.
The tourist infrastructure updated for the 800th anniversary of Nizhny Novgorod, the statuses "New Year's Capital 2021" "Capital of Children's Tourism 2022-2023" and "Youth Capital of Russia 2023", "Cultural Capital of Russia 2024", the holding of a large number of events of local, regional and federal significance, the presence of the Nizhny Novgorod tourism brand positively influenced the growth of tourist flow. According to the Ministry of Tourism and Crafts of the Nizhny Novgorod region, the total number of tourists who visited Nizhny Novgorod in 2025 amounted to more than 3 million people.
Nizhny Novgorod is a city of mesmerizing sunsets, gastronomic adventures and leisurely walks along endless embankments, a place where modern and classical art complement each other, and the atmosphere of celebration and a sense of freedom never leave.
