Set amid peaceful marsh and lakelands a 15-minute bus ride south of the Veliky Novgorod town centre, the picturesque St George’s Monastery makes for a relaxing excursion. Founded in 1030 by Yaroslav the Wise, the monastery functions as a theological school. It features the heavily reconstructed Cathedral of St George and a clutch of 19th-century add-ons.

　　Catch bus 7 or 7A (R22 one way), which depart on the opposite side of the road from the tourist office.