Volga embankment
Moored boats.
Sergey A. Demidov — CC BY 4.0 · Sergey A. Demidov — CC BY 4.0 · Sergey A. Demidov — CC BY 4.0 · Sergey A. Demidov — CC BY 4.0 · Sergey A. Demidov — CC BY 4.0
Plyos is a small town in the Privolzhsky District of Ivanovo Oblast, on the right bank of the Volga River, about 49 km in a straight line south-east of Kostroma and 70 km north-east of the city of Ivanovo. It has fewer than two thousand people. Plyos was founded in the 12th century and a fortress followed a few years later; a border post of the Grand Duchy of Moscow was set up here in 1410, and it was granted town status in 1925. It later became famous among painters, above all Isaac Levitan, who spent several summers here painting its views, and today the town has the Plyos State Museum-Reserve. Old wooden houses and small stone mansions are scattered over green hills that slope down to the Volga, white churches stand on the heights, and a quiet embankment runs along the river where boats moor. From the hills a wide view opens over the river, the forests and the far bank, the same scenes that drew the painters. Walking around town is free. Summer is the best time to visit, the town is small enough to see on foot in half a day, and the embankment gets busy at summer weekends. The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to Russia, and non-Russian bank cards may not work, so read the current advice before you plan.
Moored boats.
On the hills.
Over the river.
Right bank of the Volga, Ivanovo Oblast, Russia
Half a day on foot.
In summer.