The streets between Soviets Square and the Uda river preserve much of Ulan-Ude's 19th-century mercantile character. Two-storey stone warehouses, painted wooden townhouses with carved window frames, and the colonnaded former trading rows give a sense of the trans-Mongolian tea trade that once made the town wealthy.
The most rewarding short walk is down Lenin Street and along Kuibyshev to the river. Many buildings now house cafes, shops and museums. The pedestrianised central stretch — sometimes called Arbat — is the busiest in the city on weekend evenings.