The centrepiece of the tower-studded, white-walled, 18th-century kremlin is the glorious 1686 St Sofia Cathedral. Less eye-catching from the outside, but with splendid arched ceiling murals, is the Intercession Cathedral. Between the two is a 1799 bell tower, built for the Uglich bell, which famously signalled a revolt against Tsar Boris Godunov. The Kremlin prison is now the Castle Prison Museum, where you can get a sense of the grim life behind bars in both tsarist and Soviet times.
The elegant Arkhiereysky Mansion was closed for renovations when we visited and will eventually be reopened as an Orthodox history museum.
Wooden stairs lead beneath the kremlin’s Pryamskoy Vzvoz (gatehouse) to the wonderfully dilapidated old town full of weather-beaten churches and angled wooden homes sinking between muddy lanes.