Pskov's strongest suit is medieval architecture — the city has more pre-16th-century churches than anywhere else in Russia outside Moscow and Novgorod, and most of them are still standing. The Krom dominates the centre, but the outer rings of fortification walls, the riverside monasteries, and the small whitewashed churches scattered through the old town reward a full day of walking.
The Mirozhsky Monastery, across the Velikaya from the kremlin, contains the best-preserved Romanesque-style Byzantine frescoes in Russia, painted in the 12th century and covering almost the entire interior of the cathedral. Getting there is part of the pleasure — a short walk over the river and through the park.