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Why visit Irkutsk?

Irkutsk is a historic city in eastern Siberia, on the banks of the Angara River, the only river that flows out of Lake Baikal. Founded in the seventeenth century, it grew wealthy on the fur and tea trade, and later became home to exiled Decembrists, whose houses are now museums. Today it is one of the main stops on the Trans-Siberian Railway and the usual gateway to Baikal, the deepest lake in the world.

Walk the old streets to see wooden houses with lace-like carved window frames, some leaning gently with age. The 130th Quarter is a restored area of wooden buildings with cafés and shops, and the Angara embankment is pleasant for an evening stroll. The Volkonsky House-Museum tells the story of the Decembrists and their families in Siberia. On the road to the lake, the Taltsy open-air museum gathers old Siberian wooden buildings, and the village of Listvyanka on Baikal's shore is about an hour away by road. Summer, from June to August, is the ideal time for the lake, while February and March bring thick clear ice and frozen landscapes. Before you travel, check your government's current travel advice and visa rules, and note that foreign Visa and Mastercard cards do not work in Russia.

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