2.5-Hour Irkutsk City Walking Tour

Irkutsk is often called "Siberian Paris" in old books, and bloggers call it similar to Barcelona. Start your tour at noon from Moscow gates. Moscow gates, which are now reconstructed, used to be the historical point of city entrance of all travelers and merchants of the past.

See the Monument to the founders of Irkutsk afterwards. Irkutsk was founded in 1661 by cossacks, built the first ostrog (wooden kremlin) here. This is the place of many inportant events for the city. Continue your walk to the Main Square. The main square of the city was built on the place of swamp, is surrounded by buildings of different times of the Old and New Histories. Next is the Old houses of Zhelyabov street. Vtorov mansion, Rogal House, museums and hotels, old and new buildings of Irkutsk. Flea market and city fire of 1879. After that you will see Karl Marx street, which is the main street of the city and used to be a part of ostrog wall, the border of the town.

Next the tour will visit Kazan church. Called by some tourists Notre-Dam de Kazan, this church has very beautiful and impressive decoration. Walk to Old Town and see the protected Gryaznova street, saved part of the medieval wood and stone Irkutsk. See also the Raising of the Cross Church. This unique church combines elements of Orthodox Christianity and Buddhism. See a restored part of Old Town area, which was newly built several years ago and has many historical buildings before your tour ends.