Central Novosibirsk: by the opera house and the metro
Tsentralny district of Novosibirsk: Lenin Square, Krasny Prospekt and both metro lines. Pros, cons and three addresses we scored.
Contents 9 sections
What the district is like
Tsentralny district is Lenin Square with the opera and ballet theatre, Krasny Prospekt and the blocks around them. City hall, the banks, the main theatres, old merchant houses and Stalin-era ensembles are all here.
It is small in area and has fewer residents than any other district of the city. By day, though, half of Novosibirsk comes here to work and study.
Errands on foot
Both metro lines meet in the centre: you change between them at Krasny Prospekt and Sibirskaya, and Ploshchad Lenina station sits by the opera. From here any district with a metro station is within reach without a car.
Shops, cafes, clinics and schools are a short walk away. The green spots are Central Park and the Pervomaisky and Narymsky squares. There are not many of them, but they are well kept.
What we measured
We scored a building on Krasny Prospekt, one on Gogol Street and one on Krylova Street: the main street of the city and two addresses in the residential blocks east of it.
| Address | Score | Groceries | Station or stop | School | Park | Noise and air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red avenue, 36, Novosibirsk | 85.8 | 5 min | 5 minPloshchad Lenina | 4 min | 1 min | −1.0 |
| ulitsa Gogolya, 13, Novosibirsk | 87.1 | 2 min | 5 minSibirskaya | 3 min | 10 min | −1.0 |
| ulitsa Krylova, 26, Novosibirsk | 86.2 | 8 min | 6 minSibirskaya | 3 min | 6 min | −1.4 |
Map numbers match the table rows. Use the plus button to zoom in.
The address on the avenue and the one two blocks away share the same metro yet lose different amounts to noise. Why is explained on How the score works.
Who it suits
- People who work in the centre.
- Students and young professionals.
- People without a car.
- Newcomers to the city.
What it costs you
Krasny Prospekt is clogged with cars and you can smell the exhaust. Housing is expensive. New buildings are wedged between old ones, and a courtyard can lose its sun and its parking overnight. Infill construction is the complaint residents raise most often.
The housing
Stalin-era buildings on the avenue and around the opera, brick blocks from the sixties, panel buildings from the seventies and concrete towers from the last twenty years stand side by side. One block can hold three eras.
What to check
Find out which way the windows face, and look at the city plans for the neighbouring plots. In winter, see whether the courtyard is cleared of snow. Measure the walk to the metro entrance rather than to the station on the map: the exits are spread unevenly.
Without a car
A car is needed less in central Novosibirsk than anywhere else in the city. Both metro lines are close and buses run along Krasny Prospekt. In a Siberian frost it matters most of all that the station is near and you do not stand waiting at a stop.
Neighbours
Northwards Krasny Prospekt leads into Zaeltsovsky district, with its pine forest and the zoo. To the south-east, past Kirova Street, begins Oktyabrsky district with new complexes by the Ob.