Khabarovsk is the largest city in Russia's Far East and the administrative capital of Khabarovsk Krai. It sits on the Amur River close to the Chinese border, roughly 800 km north of Vladivostok. The city has a surprisingly pleasant centre — wide tree-lined boulevards, a long riverside promenade, and a clutch of interesting museums reflecting the region's frontier history. It is also a major hub for the Trans-Siberian Railway and a gateway for travel to northeast Asia.
The Grodekov Regional Museum is the Far East's best museum of regional history and ethnography, with exceptional collections on the indigenous peoples of the Amur basin. The Cathedral of the Assumption on the bluff and the central boulevard of Ulitsa Muravyova-Amurskogo are the city's defining landmarks.