Bolshaya Pokrovskaya Street

The principal pedestrian street of Nizhny Novgorod runs from near the Kremlin toward the theatre square, lined with restored merchant houses, banks and shops from the city's prosperous trading centuries. Nicknamed the local Arbat, it is a place for strolling and café-sitting among facades in classical, art nouveau and eclectic styles. Bronze sculptures of everyday characters dot the route and draw photographers. Street musicians and seasonal markets add to the atmosphere of the old commercial city.