Kazan is an amazing and ancient city of Russia, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan. Here the national traditions of the mysterious East and the modern West are mixed together. Christian churches and Muslim mosques coexist on the streets, and futuristic skyscrapers rise among historical buildings. It is in Kazan that the most famous Russian water park is located, where not only children, but also adults want to go.
If you are going to Kazan, then this article will help you choose a route. In it you will find the top attractions with addresses, as well as current prices and photos.
Before reading, be inspired by the beauty of this beautiful city by watching a short video about Kazan (3:42)
See a cathedral and a mosque in one Kremlin
In the Kazan Kremlin, an Orthodox shrine stands across the road from a Muslim one. The key to the mix of cultures is the city's history. Kazan grew under the rule of the Volga Bulgaria and the Golden Horde, and in the 15th century it became the capital of the Kazan Khanate. In 1552, Ivan the Terrible took it, and on the site of the destroyed Khan’s fortress with mosques, a white-stone Kremlin with the Annunciation Cathedral appeared. Now it is the oldest Orthodox church in the Middle Volga region. Catherine II reconciled religions, and since then Kazan has officially become multi-religious.
In 2005, a stone's throw from the Annunciation Cathedral, also inside the Kremlin, the amazingly beautiful Kul-Sharif Mosque was erected - they say it replicates the former main Khan's mosque. Anyone can go inside, no matter who believes what. Just don’t forget to wear shoe covers, which are sold at the entrance, and cover your head and shoulders with a scarf. After watching the light beautifully filter through the stained glass windows in the prayer hall, go down to the ground floor to the Museum of Islamic Culture. Admire the ornate Arabic script in the handwritten Koran, appreciate the national women's costume of the 19th century, and examine the compass used to calculate the direction to Mecca.
River walks
What to do in the evening in Kazan if you are tired from daytime walks? Go on a boat excursion! You will relax on board, admiring the lights of the evening city. Excursion walks along the Kazanka River are organized during the navigation period from the pier of the Riviera GRK. The route includes walks lasting from 40 to 80 minutes along the sights of the central part of Kazan: the Kazan Family Center, the Kremlin Embankment, the Palace of Farmers, the Millennium Bridge and the Kazan Arena stadium. Pleasure boats run until 22:00.
Check if the Syuyumbike tower is falling
The Kazan Kremlin has its own leaning tower - Syuyumbike. Over several centuries, its spire has deviated from the vertical by almost two meters, and this can be seen at first glance. In general, Syuyumbike is a mysterious place, no matter how you look at it. It is still not known when it was built: either during the time of the Kazan Khanate, or in the 16th–18th centuries. There are many legends associated with the ancient watchtower. The saddest and most romantic is about Ivan the Terrible, who, having captured Kazan, wanted to marry Queen Syuyumbike. The beauty agreed, but asked for a tower as a gift, which was supposed to be built in 7 days, and on the wedding day she threw herself down from this tower.
The Syuyumbike Tower looks most dramatic at sunset, when the red bricks glow red in the slanting rays of the sun. You can’t get inside, but it’s a pity: the view from above is gorgeous. But you can walk around Syuyumbike freely and without fear: in the 1990s the foundation was strengthened, and the slope of the tower stopped increasing.
Kremlin embankment
An embankment stretching for 1.5 km along the Kazanka River connects the Kremlin and. Its landscaping was significantly improved by the millennium of the capital. Now the embankment has become no less popular place for walking than the street. Bauman.
The territory is divided into several thematic zones and age zones. There is an alley of creativity, arts, and a nursery where there is a nursery for children. Also on the embankment there are carousels, a steam locomotive, a free library, lanterns, fountains, flower beds, interesting and original benches, cafes, and events are held regularly. In addition to a relaxing holiday, guests are offered sports equipment for rent, and in winter there is an ice skating rink, admission to which is free for children under 12.
Walk along Kazan Arbat
The pedestrian street Bauman - Kazan Arbat - starts right from the Kremlin. Take a leisurely stroll along it, looking at the intricate ancient buildings. Signs with explanations will help you distinguish the Solomin-Smolin mansion from the Karetnikov house, and you won’t be able to pass by the bell tower of the Epiphany Cathedral anyway: it can be seen from the Kremlin itself. Also on Bauman Street there is a bronze copy of the carriage in which Catherine II rode around Kazan.
Take a break at the Kazan Cat, also bronze. They say that local cats are so good at catching mice that Empress Elizaveta Petrovna even called them to serve in the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. And for a long time there was a story among the people about the Kazan Cat, who “came to life” when the mice were carrying him to bury him and ate every one of them. In the old days, this story was often depicted in popular popular comics.
Author's excursions
For those who value their time and want to fully immerse themselves in the atmosphere and history of a place, I would recommend taking advantage of the author’s excursions (group and individual). There are both standard and very unusual. Most with reviews will make it easier to choose.
Take a look at the selected author's excursions below, perhaps you will like something. First of all, pay attention to the individual tour “Why you should love Kazan” as well as the group inexpensive sightseeing tour “Sightseeing tour of Kazan with a visit to the Kremlin.”
Prices for excursions in Kazan →
Delve into the past at the National Museum
The promenade along Bauman Street would be well complemented by the National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan. It is located in the beautiful Gostiny Dvor building opposite the Kremlin Spasskaya Tower. Get ready for a thoughtful inspection: you cannot cover the history of Tatarstan from the Stone Age in 10 minutes.
Try to guess on what occasion Bulgarian girls wore all these rings, pendants and twisted bracelets. Don't miss the tarkhan label of Khan Sahib-Girey - the only authentic document from the times of the Kazan Khanate. There is also a real carriage of Catherine the Great, a copy of which you took photos in on the street. But a stuffed beluga as long as a Lada Kalina is best avoided by particularly impressionable people.
First impression
As soon as we exited the metro near the Kazan Kremlin, a downpour and a sweeping wind hit our faces. The closest place where we could take shelter and get directions to the hotel was the Central Department Store, where we were the first visitors that day.
Due to the violent weather, there were few people on the street, but their faces were distinguished by a confident calm, absence of fuss and tension, despite the morning of a weekday. And this first impression turned out to be correct; people here are really much calmer than in their native Tula.
Take a selfie at the Farmers' Palace
On the way to the Kazanka embankment, take a photo with the palace in the background and get ready for a holivar on Instagram. The pompous building with columns, domes and a giant bronze tree on the facade was built in 2010 for the Ministry of Agriculture of Tatarstan. While inside they are counting the wheat and potato harvests, outside they can’t agree on whether the Palace of Farmers is beautiful or terrible and whether it harmonizes with the Kremlin. To form your own opinion and at the same time find the best angle, take a walk in the park in front of the palace. At the end of August - September you will immediately find the Kazan Autumn opera festival in the open air.
Transport in Kazan (fare for 2021)
Public transport in Kazan is well developed and runs exactly on schedule.
We recommend traveling by ground transport (buses, trolleybuses, trams, minibuses). The fact is that ground transport runs much more often than the metro. There is only 1 metro line and 10 stations in Kazan. Therefore, there are few trains and they run at long intervals.
The cost of a ticket for one trip (for 1 person) on the metro, bus, and any other public transport costs 25 rubles.
At the end of August 2021, we stayed in Kazan for 2 days, the cost was:
- train tickets (round trip) – 10,800 rub.
- Hotel Crystal – 2520 rub.
- costs for 1 day - 3823 rub.
- costs 2 days – 2499 rub.
Total: 19642 rub.
Fall in love with echpochmaki and chak-chak
Kazan smells like echpochmaks: thick-sided triangles with meat, potatoes and onions can be bought in any store. But it’s better to go to a restaurant when you’re really hungry. Echpochmak paired with meat broth-shulpa or tokmach noodle soup warms you up at once. For the main course, order the most delicate Tatar pilaf, or just go for a walk! – more baked goods, on which the entire Tatar kitchen is based. Unleavened flatbread kystyby, folded in half and filled with mashed potatoes, golden bakken with pumpkin, round elesh with chicken or closed multi-layer pie gubadia - whatever you choose, we warn you: it will be difficult to stop the feast.
After lunch there is dessert, so leave room for honey chak-chak and the airy sweetness of talkysh kaleve. A good place for tasting is the House of Tatar Cooking restaurant on Bauman Street. Kazan residents themselves adore it, so it’s better to book a table in advance. Across the road is the “House of Tea” canteen: it is believed that this place has the best echpochmaks in the city. The interiors are straight from the USSR, but the prices will please even students.
Where to eat?
I have already revealed the secret that you can snack on local baked goods literally at every step. In addition, we decided to go to one of the most famous restaurants in Kazan, “Bachelor's Shelter”.
Great place, no wonder they praise it. Dinner for three with desserts without alcohol will cost about 2 thousand rubles, the food is delicious, the service is excellent, I recommend it.
And one more place, or rather a chain of restaurants, that has sunk into my soul is the “Old Barn”. They are, without exaggeration, the gods of marketing. Fast, very tasty, very affordable. While you are waiting, the administrator will come up to you and ask if everything is okay, if you need anything. On a sheet of newsprint, which is laid on the table under the dishes, there are: funny jokes, time standards for service (from 2 to 15 minutes for different types of dishes and requests) - they checked, everyone complies, a little advertising, telephone numbers and emails for feedback from manual and something else, I even took this piece of paper as a souvenir. Everyone would work like that. I hope this network will flourish, take over the whole world and show other establishments how to work!
Go underground
On the Kazanka River there is an island no larger than a helipad, and on it there is a strange structure in the shape of a truncated pyramid with columns and porticoes. This is a temple and monument to the soldiers who fell during the capture of Kazan and were buried in this place. In Soviet times, the Temple in honor of the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands was completely destroyed. Over the past ten years, it has been sluggishly restored, and most often it is closed.
If you come on Sunday at noon, when the caretaker is in the temple, there is a chance to see the most interesting part - the underground. You are led through dark galleries to the central hall - the church-tomb of St. Elijah of Murom, where in ringing silence stands a small altar and a sarcophagus with the skulls of soldiers. The atmosphere is more invigorating than espresso. Even if you see a lock on the door, don’t be upset: it’s better to look at the view of the Kazan Kremlin from the temple.
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Sviyazhsk
Not far from the capital of Tatarstan, where the Sviya River flows into the Volga, there is a historical and architectural complex. It is located on an island that in ancient times was called Round Mountain, since the shores here are steep and protrude above the water.
In a relatively small area there are several monasteries and temples, built mainly in pre-revolutionary times and delighting lovers of antiquity with Old Russian architecture.
It is noteworthy that after the Bolsheviks came to power, the island and monasteries were used mainly as forced labor colonies.
Since July 2021, Sviyazhsk, along with numerous ancient and modern buildings, has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, which proves the historical significance of the complex for humanity.
Ride the red bus to the Temple of All Religions
To try on the role of a tourist-by-all-the-rules, board a red double-decker bus. Double deckers - almost like in London - ply the main attractions of Kazan from morning to evening. On board you are provided with headphones for the audio guide and blankets if it’s cold. The best part is that you can get off at stops and walk as much as you want, and then get on the next bus - the ticket is valid for one or two days. The most convenient place to start your journey is at the first stop – Tukay Square.
An option for the budget conscious is to ride regular city buses, especially since they are also red. On No. 37 and No. 47 you can get from the center to the Zarechye district. There, wander through the Kozya, Yagodnaya and Admiralteyskaya settlements and look into the ancient Zilantov Monastery. From there, on No. 45, it is a stone's throw to the Temple of All Religions - a church, mosque, pagoda and synagogue in one building. Get off at the stop “Poselok Staroe Arakchino”, this is the final one.
Embankments
The embankment of Lake Kaban from the Salimzhanov side
- Location: Lake Kaban How to get there: walk from the Tukaya Square metro station (500 meters).
The embankment of Lake Kaban from the Salimzhanov side is modern and has become a favorite vacation spot among Kazan residents. Near the shore is the tallest fountain in the city, which gives the Kazan embankment the appearance of the Zurich embankment, only there are not enough swans. With the arrival of twilight, the lights and music turn on near the water. On the embankment you can rent a catamaran or boat and enjoy the amazing views and atmosphere.
Lake Kaban embankment
Embankment of the Kazanka River
- Location: st. Fedoseevskaya, 1.
- How to get there: Kremlevskaya metro station, buses No. 22, No. 28, “89.
One of the most picturesque places in the city. Festivals, creative evenings and other events are held here. There is an equipped sports ground and a wide variety of attractions for children and adults, as well as an outdoor library. The embankment is suitable for active recreation: roller skating, scooters, bicycles, running and leisurely walks. In winter, the embankment turns into a fairy tale city. Fairs are held there and the largest skating rink in Kazan is filled. Do not deny yourself an evening walk along the embankment: at the end of the day you can relax and enjoy the atmosphere of the city.
Embankment of the Kazanka River
Return to your happy childhood
To feel nostalgic, go to the Museum of Socialist Life - in a former communal apartment with brick walls, things from the 70s to 90s are collected. Wander among vinyl records, cotton Santa Clauses, shopping bags, jeans and cup holders. Look through the “Pioneer Songbook” and remember how they rewound cassette tapes with a pencil and tore the corners of triangular milk cartons. Also, turn the dial on your phone and play table hockey - in this museum you can touch and try everything. If you weren’t even in the project in those years, come anyway: you’ll feel the atmosphere and understand why your parents were fans of the Soviet “Battleship” machine gun.
It’s also good to indulge in fond memories at the Museum of Happy Childhood. This branch of the Museum of Social Life contains dolls, cars, Cheburashka fur coats, school textbooks, calculators and soda machines. Take a photo as a pioneer at an old desk and look at Sergei Shnurov’s briefcase in the original.
Admire the architecture of the Staro-Tatarskaya Sloboda
Rebuilding Kazan in his own way, Ivan the Terrible evicted all the Tatars beyond the Bulak channel - this is how the Old Tatar Settlement appeared. Now this is the city center, but not pretentious, but homely. Start your walk from Kayuma Nasyri Street, which is lined on both sides with brightly patterned houses. Take a look at the al-Marjani mosque, it was built by 1770 with the personal permission of Catherine II. The Apanaevskaya mosque is only a year younger.
The embankment of Lake Nizhny Kaban is an ideal place for a relaxing walk, especially at sunset. Once you’ve had enough of admiring the evening lights, go to the “Tatar Estate”. Previously, this was the Sabitovs’ house, and now it is a hotel, a souvenir shop and, most importantly, a restaurant. The signature dish is lamb meat in a wood-burning oven: it is impossible not to finish the huge portion, even if after this you remind yourself of the Syuyumbike Tower.
Map with sights of Kazan
If Moscow is the political capital, St. Petersburg is the cultural capital, then Kazan is the capital of hospitality. She greets visitors with such cordiality that you want to return there again and again. Everyone should visit Kazan at least once in their life. Such a journey through ancient streets and modern centers will not leave anyone indifferent.
Attractions in KazanKazan
What interesting places would you like to visit in 2021 in the brightest city of Tatarstan? Leave comments and reviews, and share your impressions of the thousand-year-old capital.
Have a blast at the water park
If your eyes are already dazzled by the sights, it’s time to have some fun at the Riviera water park. The yellow and green slides will appeal to lovers: you can ride them together. On the orange one, hold your swimming trunks or swimsuit tightly: the speed is off the charts. Extreme sports enthusiasts decide to descend from the red one, which is called “Kamikaze” for a reason. You can take a breather in the pool, from time to time swimming up to the bar for juice or a Mojito.
Riviera is a good place to relax with the whole family. While adults take a steam bath or swing on one-and-a-half meter waves, children shoot at the pirate fortress with a water cannon and slide down gentle slides. One thing: the place is wildly popular, so it’s better to come on weekdays.
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One-time events
Since the city is filled with Russian and foreign tourists during the winter holidays, the entertainment industry is trying hard to please everyone.
Therefore, it’s worth looking at concert posters before your trip: both local and metropolitan stars are happy to perform at Kazan venues. Plus, city authorities are working hard, organizing fairs and various celebrations, for Maslenitsa, for example.
Considering that all this takes place against the backdrop of snow-covered architectural monuments, the events become even more colorful.
