This is a lovely article discussing Veliky Novgorod, one of the oldest cities of Russia. In 862 Novgorod became the first capital of the state of Russia and the city is a historical treasure trove. Veliky Novgorod also has a Kremlin as Moscow has, but it is a bit different and certainly worth seeing.

You can see Veliky Novgorod as part of our St Petersburg tours. You can also take our special Veliky Novgorod tour to really take in everything this small city has to offer.

– A few miles from St. Petersburg, bathed by the waters of the Volkhov River, stands the city that was the birthplace of the Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff The train empties, pouring onto the platform groups of people laden with packages.

Veliky Novgorod is about 110 miles from St. Petersburg and around 310 miles from Moscow, by car along the road that connects Moscow to St. Petersburg.

Long an important commercial hub, Veliky Novgorod, throughout the centuries, has become a meeting place for European and Asian merchants, growing culturally and becoming a major educational center of the country.