Travelling Around the City of Mushrooms
Founded in 1095, ancient Ryazan was completely destroyed by the Mongols. Now the city and its oblast are famous for being the birthplace of great Russian poets and scientists—as well as legends about mushrooms with eyes.
Life in Moscow contributor Mary Gureeva talks about her hometown, which is located 202 km from Moscow.
According to one legend, the abbot of a monastery sent his monks to gather mushrooms in a nearby oak forest. On their way back, they met a young woman and offered her a ride to the city. To avoid gossip, the monks hid her under mushrooms and covered her with a sackcloth. At the monastery gates, the abbot came out to look at the harvest. ‘What have you brought us today, my sons?’ he asked. ‘Mushrooms, Father, just mushrooms!’ they replied. Lifting the sackcloth, the abbot spotted a pair of eyes looking through the mushrooms. ‘Well, well! It seems we have mushrooms with eyes here in Ryazan!’ he declared. ‘They are eaten, and yet they keep looking.’
Ryazan is not just a small provincial town; it is a place where you can dive deeper not only into the history of Russia but also into literature, science, and pristine natural landscapes. As a Ryazan-born girl, I would like to share its history and the must-visit places that will make people fall in love with this town.
The Ryazan Kremlin
Here is a guide with both tourist traps and my personal recommendations for future Ryazan guests. First things first, every tourist should visit the Ryazan Kremlin, part of the Ryazan Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve. This cosy green territory is full of historical buildings where one can take a walk with a guide or just enjoy architectural and natural views in the company of friends.
Address: 15 Ulitsa Kreml’
Opening hours: ticket office (10 am–5:15 pm), exhibitions & displays (10 am–6 pm), closed on Mondays, last Wednesday of the month is a sanitation day.
Admission to the Kremlin grounds is free of charge and it is open 24/7.
Tickets: free entrance
Walking Zones
Near the Kremlin are multiple walking zones where you can feel the atmosphere of the city as well. My list includes Lybedskiy Boulevard, Verhniy and Nizhny City Gardens, and Pochtovaya Street. Soviet music, green spaces with trees and plants, and delicious food await everyone who takes a walk around these paths. On Pochtovaya Street, visitors can enjoy Ryazan cuisine in the Cream Soda cafe and the Eat gastrobar. There are also mushroom figures of various sizes hidden around the city for tourists to find.
Tickets: free entrance
The Memorial Museum-Estate of Academician Ivan Pavlov
After walking through Ryazan’s streets, you can visit museums which uncover the uniqueness of the town. The most wonderful one, mixing natural beauty and history, is called the Memorial Museum-Estate of Academician Ivan Pavlov (known for the Pavlov’s Dog experiment), who was born in Ryazan. This is my special recommendation, as here one can get acquainted with the scientist’s heritage along with the beauty of his garden, which is especially picturesque in September and October.
Address: 25 Ulitsa Pavlova
Opening hours: 10 am–5:30 pm, holidays: 10 am–5 pm, the last Friday of every month is a sanitation day
Tickets: RUB 100 (for students)
The Aroma of Time Salon
Another must-visit place is the Aroma of Time salon. Not everybody knows that it was in Ryazan that the world-famous cosmetologist Max Factor (born Maksymilian Faktorowicz) opened his first beauty salon. The museum features multiple exhibitions and events for those who are fond of perfumes. Guests can try their hand at aroma-making and have fun getting to know the fragrant side of Ryazan. It is a good idea to register in advance.
Address: 1 Ulitsa Koltsova
Opening hours: 12 pm–6 pm
Tickets: RUB 600 (excursion), RUB 900 (workshops)
The Ryazan VDNKh Park
Another highlight is the Ryazan VDNKh Park. Readers may already be familiar with VDNKh in Moscow, and in Ryazan the concept is the same: guests can admire and read about the achievements of Soviet Ryazan. You can also have delicious meals in the Zerno pasta bar and take pictures of old-school Soviet cars.
Address: Ryazan, Alleya RVDNKh
Tickets: free entrance
Konstantinovo
Ryazan welcomes guests to explore not only the city itself but beyond it—with wide fields full of flowers and pine forests with berries and mushrooms. Sergey Yesenin, one of Russia’s most famed poets, was born on the bank of the Oka River. In Konstantinovo, tourists can walk through the same places as the poet did and admire the same amazing views and natural landscapes that inspired his works. Sometimes festivals are held here, offering tourists a chance to take part in Russian folk dances and songs.
The Sky of Russia Hot-Air Balloon Festival
My last-but-not-least recommendation is for those who are interested in both sports and regional culture. In honour of the first international hot-air balloon competition held in Ryazan, the city hosts the Sky of Russia hot air-balloon festival. Every year, thousands of people from all over the country visit the festival to watch and take pictures of dozens of balloons. The event also includes food courts, souvenir markets, and incendiary music to make guests feel warmly welcomed. The details of the festival change each year, so it is better to check the location and opening hours on the website (in Russian).
Tickets: free entrance
This list of Ryazan tourist attractions is far from complete, but it is a good start to your journey through this ancient city I love with all my heart.
Tourists can travel from Moscow to Ryazan by car, by train from Kazan station (Komsomolskaya metro station) to Ryazan-1/Ryazan-2 stations or by bus from Kotelniki station (Kotelniki metro station) to Ryazan-1/Ryazan-2 stations. The trip takes around three hours by train and three to five hours by car or bus.