Is it possible to visit the Golden Ring in a week?

It's doable, but it all depends on how you plan your time. I did a week trip around the Golden Ring back when I was a second-year student and managed it. The main cities - Sergiev Posad, Pereslavl-Zalessky, Rostov Veliky, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Ivanovo and Suzdal - are usually visited in a loop from Moscow. If you're not tied to a schedule and you're ready for a packed itinerary, then a week works. I'd recommend picking your route right away: either a bus tour (fast, but you get exhausted) or a train with stops (slower, but better for actually seeing things).

The main thing is don't try to see everything. Each city has monasteries, museums, lakes, architecture, but in a week you can realistically see 3-4 main places without rushing. Here's what I did: two days in Yaroslavl (there's a lot there), a day in Suzdal, a day in Kostroma, a day in Rostov and Pereslavl. The rest of the time I just moved between cities. Pro tip - book accommodation ahead of time, especially in Suzdal, it's pricey and fills up fast. And definitely check the museum schedules, a lot of them are closed on Mondays.

If you're in a hurry and want to cover as much ground as possible - go for an organized tour, it'll be faster and you won't have to deal with transport headaches. But honestly, I think it's better to spend a week relaxed than to rush around like crazy.