this year’s party Russian football super cup will be held for the first time in Kazan, at the Ak Bars Arena. On July 15, the champion of Russia “Zenith” and the owner of the Cup of the country CSKA will meet here. The capital of Tatarstan is already preparing to welcome fans and we have produced a city guide. We tell you how to get to Kazan, where to live there, what to eat and how to spend your free time.
how to get there
from moscow
head of press service for the OneTwoTrip trip planning service
“The fastest and easiest way to get to the capital of Tatarstan is by plane: a round-trip ticket on the weekend of July will cost about 9,000 rubles, the flight is direct, the flight takes 1 hour 35 minutes” .
Another option is to take the train. Although it is cheaper (a one-way ticket costs from 1,600 rubles), it is much longer: you will spend 11-13 hours on the road. It will take about the same amount to travel by regular bus (one-way tickets also cost about 1600 rubles) or by private car (drive along the M7 highway through Nizhny Novgorod).
From Saint Petersburg
Direct flights also fly from the northern capital to Kazan – 2 hours 15 minutes in the air – and you are there. Tickets for the weekend, when the game is played, now cost about 15,000 rubles.
You can get there cheaper by train: a trip on the Volga brand train will cost from 6,800 rubles (one way), you will spend a day on the road. There is also an option on the bus, it is even cheaper (from 4000 rubles per ticket) and a little faster (21 hours 20 minutes).
millennium bridge
Photo: www.istockphoto.com
Where you can relax, in addition to the sea and the beach, we tell you about it in the link:
Rest at height: 5 most beautiful places in Russia for mountain lovers
Where to stay
There are many accommodation options in Kazan, from cheap hostels to hotels of large global chains. On the weekend the game is played, there are free rooms in these hotels near the stadium.
Capslock Hostel (score 9.2 out of 10) with futuristic single pods instead of traditional beds in a dormitory. The cost of the night is 1500 rubles. Apart-hotel “Berison Mayakovsky” (rating 9.9 out of 10). Many different room options, from modest studios to junior suites. The cost of the night is 5600 rubles. Four-star hotel “Riviera” (rating 10 out of 10) with a water park and a spa complex. The cost of the night is 14,300 rubles.
What to see in the city
In a day or two you will have time to get acquainted with Kazan and lay out your routes for further travel; almost all guests return here.
It is worth starting from the heart of the city – Kazan Kremlin. All the iconic places have gathered here: the Kul-Sharif mosque (the largest in Russia), the famous Syuyumbike leaning tower, the governor’s palace, the Annunciation Cathedral. Also the Museum of Islam, the Tatarstan Museum of Natural History and even a branch of the Hermitage. In general, you can easily spend the whole day on the territory of the Kremlin, or take a couple of photos and go further.
kul sharif mosque
Photo: www.istockphoto.com
For example, walking kremlin embankment. Here, along the banks of the Kazanka River, there is a large pedestrian zone equipped with numerous cafes and attractions. Here you can see one of the most controversial places in the city: Farmers Palace. The building, which appeared in 2007, is considered by some to be an ugly new version, while others consider it a valuable addition to the image of Kazan. We recommend coming here in the late afternoon, when the façade and the 20-meter bronze tree in the central part are beautifully illuminated.
Many tourists are attracted to the central pedestrian bauman street – a kind of local Arbat, where cafes, souvenir shops and various interesting buildings are located: John the Baptist Monastery, Drama Theater. Kachalova, National Bank of Tatarstan and Press House. At the intersection of Bauman and Musa Jalil streets, in a strange roundabout, the symbol of Kazan, a bronze kazan cat, with which tourists like to be photographed.
Ministry of Agriculture and Food (Palace of Farmers) in Kazan
Photo: www.istockphoto.com
If you love the adventures of the boy who survived, check out the Rodina shopping center at 44/8 Bauman street: there is an interactive exhibition “The world of Harry Potter”, where you can look at Diagon alley and take a photo on the platform 9 ¾.
There is an opportunity to look at Kazan from a height on the observation deck on the fourth floor. family center “Kazan”. The building itself is unusual: it was built in the form of a large bowl, around it are sculptures of leopards and mythical creatures of zilants: the first symbolizes the power of the republic, and the second maintains family unions. The park offers a beautiful view of the river and the Kremlin embankment on the other side.
If you don’t get tired after walking, check out one of the most unusual places in the city: Museum of Happy Childhood. Those who were born and raised in the USSR will be able to take some nostalgic photos. On the ground floor you will find things familiar to Soviet schoolchildren, and a lot can be touched or tried. On the second floor there is an exhibition “Life Line” – here you can follow the life path of a boy of the 1970-1980s. Toys, magazines, clothes, and also personal belongings of celebrities that they donated to the museum.
Kazan Family Center
Photo: www.istockphoto.com
What to see outside the city
If you have the opportunity to stay in Tatarstan, we advise you to spend a few days outside the city.
For example, you can go on vacation. blue lakes. True, swimming even in summer will not work. The beautiful blue water is very cold, but it is pleasant to walk and barbecue in the reserve (there are specially designated areas for this).
We tell you where you can practice windsurfing and see bears in the link:
Traveler’s Choice: Top 5 Places With Beautiful Lakes In Russia And Beyond
We also recommend that you come to see the unusual island city of Sviyazhsk. There are unique architectural ensembles included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Mostly churches and monasteries. They are all very beautiful. There are also several museums and an art gallery on the island. Here you can spend an interesting day. The journey from Kazan by bus will take two hours.
For national fun, go to ethno-people Tatar avyly. Here you can get acquainted with the history of the Tatar people, look at royal huts and craft workshops, take part in master classes and activities unusual for a city dweller. For example, you will be taught to mow the lawn with a real scythe or to harness a horse. The ethnic village is located 50 km from Kazan, on the way to Sviyazhsk.
Assumption Cathedral on the island of Sviyazhsk
Photo: www.istockphoto.com
Another interesting excursion can be done in beer museum. It is located in the city of Chistopol (1.5 hour walk from Kazan). The guide will tell you about the history of Kazan brewing and the White Kremlin brand, take you around the brewery and show you the main workshops. At the end, of course, everyone will have a tasting of five varieties of branded sparkling drink.
Where to eat
Traditional Tatar cuisine leaves few indifferent. As souvenirs, chakchak and talkysh-kaleve are usually brought from Kazan, and echpochmaks (triangles made of dough with meat filling) and beshbarmak (lamb with dough and vegetables) are tried in local cafes.
Photo: www.istockphoto.com
We recommend having lunch or dinner at one of the following establishments:
Cafe “House of Tea” (Bauman St., 64) is an inexpensive and pleasant establishment on the local Arbat. It’s been running since Soviet times, so the interior may look rustic, but this is where the locals come to dine. In the cafe you can try all the traditional dishes of Tatar cuisine, the network of cafes “Kystyby” – pleasant establishments where Tatar dishes are prepared. Quick, tasty and cheap. The nearest cafeteria to the stadium is located on st. Yamasheva, 76; brasserie “Beerpoint” (Musina st., 1) – an excellent bar with a large selection of beers and delicious steaks. It is located near the stadium, it is better to reserve a table in advance on weekends; the popular restaurant “Bachelor’s Shelter” (Chernyshevsky St., 27a) – a huge menu, there are dishes of different cuisines: from Tatar to European and even Japanese; Beerhouse (Astronomicheskaya St., 10) is one of the best beer restaurants in the city. On the menu, in addition to sausages and steaks, there are Tatar dishes. It is better to reserve a table in advance, the pub is very popular.
Where is it better to catch catfish, pike, zander, read in the material:
Where to go fishing with your family in summer? Most of the fishing places in the Astrakhan region.
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