Vladikavkaz sits at the foot of the main Caucasus range where the Terek River begins to widen onto the plains, and the mountains are so close that on a clear day the peaks fill the entire southern horizon. The city is the capital of North Ossetia–Alania and has around 300,000 inhabitants — a proper city, with theatres, universities, and a lively street scene centred on the long pedestrian boulevard along the river.
The old city centre has some fine imperial-era architecture, the striking Mukhtarov Mosque on the Terek riverbank, and a good national museum covering Ossetian history and ethnography. The Prospekt Mira — Peace Prospect — is the main promenade, pleasant for evening strolls. The city's best feature, though, is simply that it is the gateway: base yourself here and the mountains are 30-60 minutes by road.