The Golden Ring of Russia is a theme route over a ring of cities northeast of Moscow, the capital of Russia.

These ancient towns, which also played a significant role in the formation of the Russian Orthodox Church, preserve the memory of the most important and significant events in Russian history. The towns have been called «open-air museums» and feature unique monuments of Russian architecture of the 12th–18th centuries, including kremlins, monasteries, cathedrals, and churches.

Many travelers to Russia find the “Golden Ring” of cities to be one of the most fascinating regions of the country. At one time called Zalesye, or “Beyond the Forests,” this historic and important collection of places northeast of Moscow serves as the ancient heart of this great country, where old whitewashed city walls and venerable churches with golden onion-domes define the world’s picture of medieval Russia.

Cities included

• Sergiyev Posad
• Pereslavl-Zalesskiy
• Rostov Velikiy
• Yaroslavl
• Kostroma
• Suzdal
• Vladimir