Kazan: attractions, souvenirs, prices

Where to stay

Kazan offers a wide range of places to stay.

Double rooms in apart-hotels on Pushkina 26 and Cho will cost 3,600-4,000 rubles, a room on the shore of Lake Kaban in the three-star TatarInn hotel will cost from 2,000 rubles per night. Among hostels, pay attention to StereoHostel (from 420 rubles per bed) in the quiet center of the city next to Lyadsky Garden and Geography (from 400 rubles per bed) on the Bulak channel near the railway station.

If you want to stay in a historical place, choose "Nogai" (3,500-5,000 rubles per night) - the hotel occupies the constructivist building of the Press House on the pedestrian street Bauman. You can also consider Kazan Palace by Tasigo (from 8,500 rubles per night) - a five-star hotel in a building built at the beginning of the 20th century, which previously housed the Shamovskaya hospital.

There are some pretty good options on Airbnb, too. A night in a minimalist apartment near Bulak will cost 3,300 rubles, in a studio near the center of the Kazan family - 1,930 rubles, in an apartment with designer renovation in a residential area of the city - 2,690 rubles.

What sights of Kazan to see

Kazan Kremlin

A must-see item on the program for those who come to Kazan for the first time. On the territory of the white-stone Kremlin, which has been protected by UNESCO since 2000, there are the main Kazan sights - the Spasskaya Tower, the Syuyumbike Tower, the Kul-Sharif Mosque and the Annunciation Cathedral. The Khazine gallery with a collection of works by Tatarstan artists and the Hermitage-Kazan Center, the first branch of the State Hermitage in the country, have been opened in the building of the former Junker School.

Let's tell you more about some of the sights on the territory of the Kremlin.

Tower Syuyumbike

The seven-tiered "falling" tower (it deviates from the vertical axis by almost two meters) is the most recognizable symbol of the city. Since the middle of the 19th century, its name has been associated with the name of the proud queen Syuyumbike. According to a popular legend, in order to save local residents from the troops of Ivan the Terrible, she agreed to marry the Russian tsar, but with one condition: if he builds a high tower in seven days. When the structure was ready, Syuyumbike threw herself down from the upper tier, not wanting to be with Grozny. In memory of the queen, the tower was named after her.

Kul Sharif Mosque

The snow-white mosque was built in 2005 in memory of the Kazan Khanate's multi-ministerial mosque, which was lost in 1552 during the assault by the troops of Ivan the Terrible. It received the name of the Kul-Sharif Mosque in honor of the imam who led the defense of Kazan. The interior design of the dome of the mosque refers to the image of the Kazan cap of Ivan the Terrible - a headdress created for the tsar in honor of the capture of Kazan. The interior is decorated with stained glass windows, mosaics, Iranian carpets and a massive Czech glass chandelier made according to the sketches of Tatarstan artists.

Blagoveshchensky cathedral

Sights of Kazan: Cathedral of the Annunciation

The Annunciation Cathedral, built in the middle of the 16th century, is the largest object of the Kazan Kremlin and the oldest architectural monument of the city, which has survived many fires and several reconstructions. In different years, the Cathedral of the Annunciation was visited by Peter I, Catherine II, Nicholas I, Alexander Pushkin, Sergei Rachmaninov and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko.

Bauman street

A noisy attraction street with everything you need for promenades - shops, cafes, souvenir shops, monuments, musicians and artists. On the bell tower of the Epiphany Cathedral, in which the Epiphany Cathedral of the legendary opera singer Fyodor Chaliapin was baptized, there is an observation deck from where you can see the main city attractions - from the Kremlin's Spasskaya Tower to Lake Kaban.

Old Tatar settlement

In the middle of the 16th century, Ivan the Terrible evicted the Old Tatar settlement of the Tatars from the upper part of the city to the shore of Lake Kaban, where the Old Tatar settlement was formed. Today tourists come here to feel the national Tatar spirit: to look at the carved wooden houses and preserved merchant estates to the sounds of the adhan from the first stone mosque in Kazan, al-Marjani. It was built by the First Cathedral Mosque of Mardzhani in Kazan by the decree of Catherine II at the end of the 18th century.

Kaban lake embankment

The public space, designed by the Russian-Chinese architecture consortium Turenscape + MAP, has received numerous awards in the field of urban improvement. It is pleasant to walk here, ride a bike and have picnics on the pier overlooking the Old Tatarskaya Sloboda.

Kremlin embankment

The Kazanka embankment, strewn with thousands of bulbs, is one of the city's main Instagram locations. It begins at the walls of the Kremlin, passes at the foot of the former Lenin Memorial and ends under the Millennium Bridge. In addition to restaurants, in summer there is a rental of cruiser bicycles, electric scooters and velomobiles, and in winter - a fabulous town and skating rink.

Where else to go in Kazan

Center for Contemporary Culture "Smena"

This cultural center, housed in a former hay dryer building, is the initiator of important events in the city, from lectures by scholars to the book festival, which takes place twice a year. Inside Smena there is a gallery, a bookstore, a vinyl store, a coffee shop and showrooms.

Tatar theater named after Galiaskar Kamal

The theater on the Kaban Embankment is worth a visit to get acquainted with the classics of Tatar drama - for example, the production of "Blue Shawl" by Karim Tinchurin. The performances are held in Tatar, but for those who do not speak it, there are headphones with dubbing in Russian. The theater building in the form of a sailing ship with gallery decks is one of the most striking examples of Soviet modernism in Kazan. The upcoming performances are scheduled for the end of August, follow the poster on the website.

Profsoyuznaya street

Quiet Profsoyuznaya, resting on the Kremlin, is the opposite of Bauman Street and an ideal place for a bar tour. Over the past five years, the street has overgrown with dozens of good establishments, which is why Profsoyuznaya is often called Kazan Rubinstein. "Salt" is loved for good music and brunch, Fomin Bar & Shop - for a large selection of craft beer on the taps, Pesky - for coffee brewed in cezv and on the sand. La Niña is known for its bar list, referring to the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries, and the Kultura restaurant is worth a look for delicious dishes of European and Russian cuisine.

Sotsgorod

The microdistrict, built in the 1930s near an aircraft plant for its employees, was once a depressed outskirts of Kazan, but has experienced a renaissance in recent years. A metro station was built here, the Wings of the Soviets park and the Lenin Palace of Culture, where the international festival of science fiction, tolkien studies and role-playing games Zilantkon, has been held for 30 years. Residential buildings and public buildings in the Stalinist Empire style were designed by the best Soviet architects, and two years ago Sotsgorod announced the Sergo Ordzhonikidze Village as an interesting place. By the way, in one of the houses of Sotsgorod - st. Lyadova, 5 - lived the scientist Sergei Korolev.

Creative laboratory "Corner"

The independent platform works with verbatim and documentary filmmaking, supports local directors and playwrights, brings performances of independent theaters to Kazan, arranges readings and festivals, and even involves the townspeople in the theatrical process as actors. The Ugla repertoire includes a variety of performances: from Mergasovsky, dedicated to the eponymous constructivist building in the center of Kazan, to Karina and Drona about high school students, staged by the creator of the post theater Dmitry Volkostrelov based on a play by Minsk playwright Pavel Pryazhko. While the "Corner" is not working, you can follow the news here.

Werk

A musical art space on the territory of a former furniture factory, founded by members of the Izolyenta community and the Watch Me Visuals association of media artists. Werk hosts electronic music parties and festivals. While the space is closed, you can follow the news on Instagram.

Waterpark Riviera"

The water park on the bank of the Kazanka is a place of attraction for tourists from the regions closest to Tatarstan. Inside there are 50 slides and attractions, swimming pools, SPA-zone and aquabar. To find out about the resumption of the water park, follow the news on the website.

Bars and cafes

An ideal place for breakfast with a view of the bell tower of the Epiphany Cathedral and Kazan University is the Early Bird cafe. In addition to good coffee, the menu includes cereals with fruits, cheese cakes, bagels, hearty bowls, light soups and desserts.

In the quiet center of the city there is a gastronomic bistro "Artel" with a pleasant interior, "complex" dishes and a good bar card. For fans of Asian cuisine - Cho, a democratic institution where you can enjoy pho and tom yam soups, try bao with different fillings, spring rolls and other dishes. For Tatar fast food, you should look at Tyubetey, where you will find a wide selection of traditional treats - from echpochmak to kystyby.

For exemplary cocktails, we recommend going to Relab - an institution opened by the best bar manager of 2019 according to the international Barproof Awards, Artur Galaychuk. And for a homely atmosphere - in the "House of Tea", a time-tested cafe on the pedestrian street Bauman.

What to bring from Kazan

National treats

Tatar national food is a souvenir approved by thousands of Kazan guests. The main local sweetness of chak-chak - pieces of dough fried in deep fat and poured with honey - are taken away in boxes. But tourists unfairly forget about the most time-consuming Tatar dessert talkysh kaleva (pyramids of sugar-honey threads melting in their mouths) and kosh body (pieces of crispy fried dough in powdered sugar).

You can find these and other sweets in any of the shops of the Bakhetle chain. Other options for national treats include Tatar tea with oregano, balm based on 24 herbs "Bugulma" and dried sausage from horse meat kazylyk.

Traditional clothing

Pay attention to the skullcaps - the national headdress. Men are most often made of velvet and decorated with gold embroidery, women are miniature in size and decorated with beads and ribbons. Tatars have always been famous for their leatherworking, so traditional ichigi boots or slippers with national chuyaki patterns of amazing beauty will also be a good gift.

Souvenirs and accessories

The tourist information center on Baumana has stands with souvenirs of the official Visit Tatarstan brand: from socks and cases for smartphones to backpacks and suitcase covers with Tatar ornaments. Another democratic version of the souvenir is Pinspace metal badges with Kazan symbols.