Severomorsk

Severomorsk is a closed military city and the second largest one in Murmansk Oblast.

Understand

View over Severomorsk.

As the administrative base of the Russian Northern Fleet this port town along the Kola Bay is usually out of reach for tourists. However, with 65,000 inhabitants there are still a few activities going on that are not directly related to the military.

Get in

This is the tricky bit, as the military status of the city imposes heavy restrictions. Getting in is a bureaucratic nightmare and you will be denied entrance without a very good reason to visit. Application forms in Russian can be found here. So, don't expect to just hop on the bus and assume things will be fixed on their own when arriving at the checkpoints. They won't.

Russian citizens may visit the city if they join a guided tour, provided the necessary permit is obtained at least 30 days before the start of the tour; your tour company will handle all the necessary paperwork for you. Foreigners are not eligible to join the tours.

The nearest train station is in Murmansk, 25 km (16 mi) away, only freight traffic continues all the way to Severomorsk. Night trains arrive in Murmansk from all of northwestern Russia and also Moscow.

Driving is easy since Severomorsk is situated at the very end of the M-18 highway that goes all the way from Saint Petersburg.

See

Military vessels stationed at harbour, with the Heroes of Severomorsk monument in foreground.

• 1 Severomorsk City & Naval History Museum (Музей истории города и флота), ul. Safonov, 15, ☏ +7 81537 4-71-46, info@smigf.ru. T-Su 11:00-13:00 and 15:00-18:00. Has a large collection of items and photographs regarding the history of the Russian Northern Fleet.  
• 2 Monument to the Heroes of Severomorsk (Памятник Героям-Североморцам, защитникам Заполярья). A smaller cousin of the Alyosha statue in Murmansk. Dedicated to the sailors of the Northern Fleet.  

Sleep

There are only a few accommodations in town, general consensus seems to be that the smaller Flagship Hostel is the better one.

• 1 Flagship Hostel (гостиницы Флагман), pl. Primorskaya, 1, ☏ +7 81537 48037. Mini-hotel located on fourth floor, shared bathrooms. From 1500 руб. 
• 2 Hostel Vayenga, ul. Lomonosova, 2, ☏ +7 81537 48475. 
• 3 Hotel Severomorsk, Murmanskoye Shosse, 17/6, ☏ +7 953 300-31-31. A complimentary breakfast is available here, and there's a restaurant. Other than that, it's pretty nondescript. $18. (updated Apr 2021)