Astrakhan Kremlin

Astrakhan sits at the top of the Volga delta near the Caspian, and the kremlin was raised there between 1580 and 1620 to hold the river mouth after the khanate fell. The walls are white limestone and brick, and much of the stone was taken from the ruins of Sarai-Batu, the Golden Horde capital upriver, which was quarried for the purpose - so an older city is physically inside this one. Seven towers survive, including the Trinity gate and the Red gate, which can be climbed. Inside stands the Assumption cathedral of 1710, tall, white and two-tiered with an arcaded gallery, generally counted among the best Russian baroque churches outside the capitals, and beside it a bell tower of 1910 that leans slightly. The setting is the point too: this is the delta, hot in summer, with the river splitting into channels below and the steppe beginning behind.

What you actually see

• The recycled stone - walls built from the ruins of the Golden Horde capital upriver.
• The 1710 cathedral - the tall two-tiered Assumption with its arcaded gallery.
• The leaning bell tower - the 1910 tower that settled off vertical.
• The delta position - a fortress at the head of the Volga delta near the Caspian.

When to go

April to June and September to October. Summer is very hot; midsummer is uncomfortable for walking the walls. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Summer heat is severe and shade inside the walls is limited. Museums in the towers are small and ticketed separately. The city around it is worn in places. Mosquitoes are heavy in the delta season.

Nearby

The Volga channels run below; the delta and the lotus fields are south.