Sakha · Russia
Yakutsk travel guide
Yakutsk is a city in Sakha, Russia, home to about 312,000 people.
- Best months
- June to August
- Nearest airport
- YKS8 km · Platon Oyunsky Yakutsk International Airport
- Currency
- RUBRussian ruble
- Time zone
- Asia/Yakutsk
- Language
- Abaza, Adyghe, Aghul
About
About Yakutsk
Yakutsk is the capital and largest city of Sakha, Russia, located about 450 km (280 mi) south of the Arctic Circle. Fueled by the mining industry, Yakutsk has become one of Russia's most rapidly growing regional cities, with a population of 355,443 at the 2021 census.
The Yakut are a Turkic people who live in Yakutsk region in the Far East. A detachment of Cossacks under the command of Pyotr Beketov founded the city as the Lenskii fort, on the right bank of the Lena River, which grew into (and changed its name to) Yakutsk in 1647. As one of the most important Russian outposts in eastern Siberia, Yakutsk became the economic and administrative center of the region—a base for probes (and later scientific expeditions) into the Far East and the extreme North.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Yakutsk
See
Take note: Yakutsk is far off the beaten path in Russia for international tourism. Consequently, you should expect all museum exhibits to be explained only in Russian. Fortunately some exhibits (like the cryogenically preserved mammoth head) don't require too much explanation!
- Mammoth Museum
- Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Yakutsk University
- National Art Museum
- Underground Laboratory of the Institute of Cryogenics
- Yakutsk Historical and Cultural Museum of the Northern peoples, Em. Yaroslavskovo
- Art Gallery
- Government Literature Museum, P.A. Oiyunskovo
- House-Museum of the Political History of Yakutia
- International Museum of Khomus Music
- Memorial House-Museum of Maksim Ammosov
- Museum of Music and Folklore of the People of Yakutia
- Numismatic Museum of the Yakutsk State University
Do
- Oyunskovo Sakha Academic Theater
- The Suorun Omollona State Theater of Opera and Ballet
- The Pushkin State Academic Russian Dramatic Theater
- The Estrada Theater, the Charont Musical Salon
- Theater of Humor and Satire
- The Kulakovskovo Cultural Center
- Circus
- The Orto-Doidu Zoo
- Ysyakh
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of Yakutsk to stay in
In spite of the fact that Guesthouse Sanaa still shows up on many hotel listing sites, it has been closed for several years.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Hotels in Yakutsk
2 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel Lena | 0.8 km | |
| Tygyn Darkhan Hotel | 0.2 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Yakutsk
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Yakutsk are June to August. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 26 °C; July is the wettest, with about 45 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Yakutsk: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Platon Oyunsky Yakutsk International Airport (YKS), about 7.6 km from the city centre in a straight line.
Getting around
Bus is the basic mode (and really the only mode) of public transport within Yakutsk. A well developed network of marshrutkas can take you to practically anywhere in the city. A few suburban routes to the nearest inhabited localities also run from the main bus station.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
YKS · Platon Oyunsky Yakutsk International Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Yakutsk
Eat
Most Yakutians do not often eat out in restaurants. When they do, it is most often for special occasions such as for weddings, birthday celebrations, and so on. Most of the local restaurant customers will tend to be the younger generation who were born after 1970. Traditional Yakutian food is simple and extremely bland. Soups are probably the most common items, and most Yakutians will have soup at least once during the day. Salads are very common, and almost always made with mayonnaise. Mayonnaise, as everywhere in Russia, is used everywhere and on everything. Yakutian delicacies include fish, reindeer, and young horse. Pork is the most common meat, but sausages and kolbasa are very common.
Stay safe
The center of the city, where you'll find the hotels, cultural activities, and the principal sights, is quite safe at any time of the day. The central streets are well lit and frequently patrolled by the police (who are probably more trouble than any actual criminal activity downtown). Do not drink in public at night or you will have problems with the police. There are street robberies/pickpocketing (especially on public transport), but such crimes are very rarely violent or even overt. Demonstrate the minimum level of prudence and you should not have any troubles.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Yakutsk: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Yakutsk?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Yakutsk are June to August. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 26 °C; July is the wettest, with about 45 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Yakutsk?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Platon Oyunsky Yakutsk International Airport (YKS), about 7.6 km from the city centre in a straight line.
What currency is used in Yakutsk?
Russian ruble (RUB).
Nearby
Destinations near Yakutsk
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.