The first thing that strikes your eye as you step off the train at the central railway station is an array of neon letters, Nizhny Novgorod.

The city is divided into two parts - the "old" city located on the northern bank of the Oka River and the "new" industrial town, on the other side of the river.

The new town has a metro line, fortress-like GAZ buildings and "masterpieces" of Ilya Golosov, a famous Soviet 1920s architect known for Soviet-style department stores, ugly-looking apartment blocks and other assorted remnants of communist town-planning.

But this part of the city also houses a remarkable memorial to Russia's ancient architecture – the Gordeevka church, also dubbed the little sister of the city's main Stroganov Cathedral.

The best starting point for a sightseeing stroll is Sovietskaya Ulitsa. The street leads to Lenin Square with its bizarre Lenin statue. The square is a good place to enjoy a splendid panorama of the Oka river, its piers, wharves and the city's ancient monuments, including the Annunciation Monastery on the other side of the river.

Behind Lenin's statue are the pavilions of Nizhny Novgorod's famous fair and the church which served as a model for the Isaak Cathedral in St.Petersburg and Christ the Savior Cathedral (Moscow). From here you may cross the Oka using Kanavinsky Bridge.

You can feel the air getting cleaner as you approach Nizhny Novgorod's Kremlin and view the unforgettable curves of Stroganov Cathedral in the distance. The church deserves to be rated as one of the 17th century's best examples of romantic architecture.

The unique Stroganov baroque takes its name from the family who commissioned the cathedral and numerous others in the same style in several cities of Northern Russia. Stroganov baroque resembles Naryshkin baroque, but is far more intricate.

Enter the cathedral and note its magnificent golden altar lined with columns decorated by stucco vines. Note the beautiful iron stairway leading to the gallery. Incidentally this cathedral was a favorite of Valery Chkalov, Russia's famous pilot, the first to fly from Russia to America over the North Pole.

The Kremlin is one of the most stunning pieces of architecture in the city. Glance up at the towers and rampart walls, built between the 15th and 17th centuries, enjoy breathtaking slides down the icy hills (don't forget a piece of thick cardboard to slide down the hill on) and note the female sentry guards by the eternal flame, outside Arkhangelsk Cathedral.

Be sure to visit the art gallery (open daily, except Monday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) exhibiting priceless icons and paintings. View the portrait of Emperor Franz-Joseph (Berezin), works by Goncharov, Larionov, Somov and Tintoretto, Woman in Yellow (Malyavin) and The Russian Venus (Kustodiyev). Remarkably, Kustodiyev wrote his hymn, extolling the Russian female's beauty, when he was almost paralyzed. Nizhny Novgorod's art gallery deserves a visit by itself.

Other Kremlin sites include a modern, simple but ominous Soviet-style building which used to house the party's CPSU regional committee and a memorial to Russia's national hero Kuzma Minin, leader of the home guard, who defeated the Polish invaders. The square beside the Kremlin has a lovely panorama of the Volga and a well-designed statue of Valery Chkalov inscribed "To A Great Pilot of Our Time."

Next, walk down the embankment to the Pechora monastery. You will have to make a detour via Rodionova street to bypass a huge ski-jump, or, take a taxi for about 30 rubles.

The Pechora monastery has not fared well. However, the dilapidated air of its buildings makes them appear even more exotic. The Roman style is clearly evident in the belfry, while the main church and small chapels around it are more reminiscent of the modern Spanish architect Gaudi. On your return, note the unusual modern buildings on Belinsky street.

You need to spend at least a weekend in Nizhny Novgorod. I recommend the Oktyabrskaya hotel, (bed and breakfast for two costs 1,000 rubles) located at 9, Verkhnevolzhskaya Nab - a 7-minutes walk from the Kremlin (for reservations call 8-312-32-0670). The restaurant Gardinia Aurant across the street from the hotel offers prolific, cheap meals. Nearby there is also an American fast-food joint offering a meal, including a starter, glass of beer, a plate of soup and a choice of fried chicken or pork with mushrooms for less than 200 rubles. And for devoted lovers of Guinness there is an Irish bar at the Minin and Pozharsky square.

The train, No 38, departs daily from Moscow's Yaroslavsky Railway Station at 11:25 p.m. and arrives in Nizhny Novgorod at 6:50 a.m. the following day. Train No 37 departs daily from Nizhny Novgorod's Moskovsky Railway Station around 9:30 p.m. and arrives in Moscow at 5:30 a.m. the following day. A single ticket costs 200 rubles.