The landscape around Belgorod is defined by white chalk outcrops — the source of the city's name, which means "white city" in Russian. The Seversky Donets River winds below the chalk bluffs north of the centre, and the combination of white cliffs, river meadows, and black earth farmland creates a striking and distinctive landscape quite unlike anything further west.
The chalk hills are most dramatic north and east of the city, where erosion has carved the white rock into gullies and exposed faces. Local walking paths follow the river and climb the bluffs; this is not dramatic alpine scenery but it has a quiet, spacious beauty and is the best reason to get out of the city centre on foot or by bike. The river itself is clean enough for swimming in summer.