The Ivanovo Region is the second smallest region in Russia after the Kaliningrad Region. It is surrounded on all sides by historical regions of Russia - the Kostroma, Nizhny Novgorod, Yaroslavl and Vladimir Regions.

  Several small historical cities are situated in the region, such as Plyos, Palekh, Kineshma and Shuya. The oldest city in the region is Yurievets which was founded in 1225. The region's administrative centre is Ivanovo which, although included as part of the Golden Ring of historical Russian cities, has less to offer tourists than its more famous Golden Ring neighbours. The city is more famous for its nicknames of the 'City of Brides' and 'Russian Manchester', due to its textile trade which caused an influx of women looking for work. Less well known is that the Ivanovo Region also claims to have the 'City of Grooms' - Teykovo, which according to the census of 2010 had 730 men aged between 16 and 18 for only 270 girls of the same age!  The Andrey Tarkovsky Zerkalo film festival is held annually in Ivanovo. The famous director was born in the Ivanovo Industrial Region and there is a museum in his honour in Yurievets.

  The railway network in the region is not that developed and so it is easier to travel around the region by bus or even by river as there are river stations along the Volga in Kineshma and Yurievets and quays in Plyos and Puchezh.