Pskov is the largest city and administrative capital of Pskov Oblast. One of the oldest cities in the country, it has preserved many unique architectural monuments of the 12th-16th centuries.

A unique ancient Russian city, it is striking in the number of old churches, walls, towers and other defensive fortifications, but the inimitable Pskov architecture is even more memorable: light and concise in its temple version, impressive in the fortification, and every time bizarrely asymmetrical. In Pskov there are some of the oldest monuments of fresco painting in Russia, ancient stone chambers and, of course, churches, most of which are at least 500 years old. It is part of the Silver Ring of cultural and historical centers of Northwestern Russia.

Get in

By plane

• 1 Pskov Airport (Аэропорт Псков PKV ^IATA). It has flights from Moscow Domodedovo airport three days a week, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  

By train

From Saint Petersburg

There are daily long-distance trains departing from Saint Petersburg's Vitebskii Station to Pskov. Also there is a commuter train (elektrichka) departing from Baltiskii Station six days a week (no schedule on Tuesdays). The train departs at 07:25 and arrives to Pskov at 11:30, this train usually has a lot of passengers so if you want to have a seat by the window (or any seat at all, for that matter) make sure to arrive beforehand. As of 2012 the ticket costs 464 руб.

From Moscow

A daily night train leaves Moscow each evening at 16:55 from the Leningradsky station and arrives to Pskov the next day at 07:30.

From Luga

There are two daily commuter trains and also the commuter train and both long-distance trains from Saint Petersburg make a stop in Luga

From Minsk

A long-distance train departs from Minsk twice a week, on Monday and Thursday.

• 2 Pskov railway station (Псков-Пассажирский). (updated Jul 2019)

By bus

• 1 Bus station, 21 Vokzalnaya st. Direct connections available with Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Velikiy Novgorod, Smolensk, Kursk, Minsk, Vitebsk, Novopolotsk, Pinks, Tallin. (updated Sep 2023)

There are several daily bus routes from Saint Petersburg. The travel times given below are according to schedule, and of course they are subject to change due to road work and weather conditions.

• From bus station №2 you can ride on one of the several long-distance buses which make a stop in Pskov. The cost of the ticket is 420 руб as of 2012. The travel time is around 5 hours and 20 minutes. This bus station is at Naberezhnaya Obvodnogo Kanala 36, close to Obvodny Kanal metro station.
• There is a dedicated bus service between Saint Petersburg and Pskov run by a local company. Tickets must be booked in advance by phone call or through the web-site and the price is 500 руб as of 2012. The buses depart from Park Inn Pulkovskaya hotel, close to Moskovskaya metro station. The travel time is 4 hours.
• Ecolines operates two routes to Pskov. The buses depart from Vitebskii train station, close to Pushkinskaya metro station, Ecolines office is located there as well. The travel time is around 5 hours.

There are 2 buses per day to Novgorod, 4hrs ride, costs 470 руб.

By car

When driving, Pskov is along the highway, linking Saint Petersburg with the border to Belarus.

See

View of Krom (Pskov's kremlin)

Pskov Krom up close

Many churches and fortresses in Pskov have been listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List as the Churches of the Pskov School of Architecture.

• 1 Pskov Krom (Pskov Kremlin). A citadel dating back to the Middle Ages. The site includes the so-called Dovmont's city, impressive remains of the 13th-century Pskov excavated and turned into a sort of an open-air museum. 
• 2 Pskov Museum, ul. Nekrasov. 7. Hosted in Pogankin's Palace, built in the late 17th century, and was one of the largest stone buildings in the area. The museum hosts a large collection of silver, art and religious icons. 
• 3 Trinity Cathedral (Троицкий собор) (Inside the Kremlin). Founded in 1138 and rebuilt in the 1690s. 
• 4 Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Saviour (Спасо-Преображенский собор Мирожского монастыря). A former cathedral and monastery now functioning as a museum. The 12th-century Byzantine-style frescos depicting biblical scenes are among the few who survived the Mongol expansion into Eastern Europe. Adminnsion 200 руб. 
• 5 Pskov-Caves Monastery (Pskovo-Pechersky Monastery), ☏ +7 811 4822145. The oldest functioning monastery in Russia. 

Eat

• 1 Sergievskaya Dining, Oktyabr'skiy Prospekt, 19, ☏ +7 811 273 71 24. Daily 07ː30-23ː00. Here you can enjoy a bowl of solyanka (a spicy/sour soup with meat or fish or mushrooms and brine) or some syrniki (cheese pancakes) along with some kompot to wash it down. Cheap prices. (updated Apr 2021)

Sleep

Budget

• 1 Petrovsky (Петровский), Ulitsa Gogolya, д.33. Hostel with basic amenities. US$18. (updated Apr 2021)
• 2 Hostel60, Ol'ginskaya Naberezhnaya, building 9a, Pom. 5, ☏ +7 921 609-00-00. Clean hostel with a very light breakfast. US$22. (updated Apr 2021)
• 3 Guest House na Velikoy, Krasnoarmeyskaya Ulitsa, 2, ☏ +7 921 703-00-10. This one has exceptional presence on the Valikaya River, allowing you to view the skyline of Pskov on the other side. US$11. (updated Apr 2021)

Mid-Range

• 4 Kolos Hotel, Ulitsa Krasnykh Partizan, 6, ☏ +7 811 272-32-56. It is kind of like everything you would imagine in a basic hotel, including a basic breakfast. US$31. (updated Apr 2021)

Splurge

• 5 Zolotaya Naberezhnaya, Sovetskaya Naberezhnaya, 2. A cheery 19th century riverside building houses this hotel giving it some allure, and stay comes with breakfast. US$36. (updated Apr 2021)
• 6 Dvor Podznoyeva, Glavnyy Korpus, Ulitsa Nekrasova, 3 В, ☏ +7 811 279-70-00. Probably about the only hotel with an indoor pool in Pskov, this upscale hotel has easy access to the art museum and has a restaurant with wine service and breakfast available for a surcharge. US$46. (updated Apr 2021)

Connect

Consulates

• Estonia (Pskov office of the General Consulate of Estonia), Narodnaya street, 25, ☏ +7 8112 725-380, fax: +7 8112 725-381, Consulate.Pskov@mfa.ee. 
• Latvia, Narodnaya street, 25, ☏ +7 8112 720-237, +7 8112 741-052, fax: +7 (8112) 724-056, consulate.pskov@mfa.gov.lv. M-F 09:30-16:00. 
• Netherlands (Representation at the Consulate of Estonia), Narodnaya street, 25, ☏ +7 8112 725-380, fax: +7 8112 725-381, Consulate.Pskov@mfa.ee. 

Visa centers

• France and Slovenia (French and Slovenian visa service provided by the Consulate of Latvia), Narodnaya street, 25, ☏ +7 8112 720-237, +7 8112 741-052, fax: +7 8112 724-056, consulate.pskov@mfa.gov.lv. M-F 09:30-16:00. 

Go next

• Mikhaylovskoye Museum Reserve — a village once owned by the poet Alexander Pushkin, together with the preserved neighbouring estates, is now turned into a huge museum complex.