Kazan (Russian: Каза́нь kuh-ZAHN) is the capital of Russia's republic of Tatarstan and the center of the world Tatar culture.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
With a population of about 1.3 million (2011 census), rich history, deep culture and strong economic influence. Kazan holds the title of "The Third Capital of Russia" (after Moscow and Saint Petersburg), taking this title from the competing Nizhny Novgorod. By many measures, Kazan has the one of the highest standards of living in Russia only after Moscow and St. Petersburg. In the 2010s, Kazan earned the reputation of a sports city due to its investments in this domain. In 2018 it staged several games in the FIFA World Cup Finals.
Much of the city centre is walk-able, and the main attractions for tourists - the Kremlin and Bauman Street - are only for pedestrians. Public buses are abundant and cheap, but you need basic Russian to read the signs or ask where the buses are headed. Bus system maps are hard to find. Taxis are available and operate mostly an on-call service, rather than plying the streets for fares. They also congregate at taxi stands in obvious places such as the railway stations. A great option is to install the "Yandex-Taxi" app. It is an easy way to get a reliable taxi for a fixed price. Payment can be made by cash or credit-card.
1 Kazan Kremlin, Ulitsa Kreml (ул. Кремль). Daily 08:00-22:00. The Tatar fortress here was destroyed by Ivan the Terrible when he captured the area in 1551. Over the next century, it was rebuilt in Russian style as a magnificent Kremlin, with new fortifications and a cathedral. It nowadays also contains a mosque, museums, galleries, shops and cafes, and is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Enter through the white clock tower (Spasskaya Tower) at the top of Kremlyovskaya Street. Unlike Moscow's Kremlin, you're free to enter and stroll, but you pay for individual sites within the complex.
Kazan offers a lot of various events you can visit during your stay here - international opera and ballet festival, different types of music festivals, popular singers concerts and many other interesting things to do. A must-see event in Tatarstan is a national holiday Sabantuy - Tatar summer festival, which is celebrated in the beginning of June. In summer 2013 four double-decker buses began circulating along their routes in Kazan by "City Sightseeing" company.
Self-caterers can find a large supermarket (one of the Bakhetle chain) in the TsUM building across from the Mirage Hotel. Please note that the Tartarian cuisine has a lot of meat to offer. It is not always easy to find fish or vegetarian food. Dobraya Stolovaya (shown on Google Maps as "soup restaurant"). 07:30-21:00. Chain of very cheap self-service cafeterias. Food is everyday Russian style. 14 locations around the city, those central are at 21 Baumana St, and 13 Yakhina St near Kazan-1 railway station. 100 руб. (updated Jun 2018) 1 Dom Chaya (Tea House), 64 Bauman St.. M-Sa 09:00-20:00, Su 09:00-18:00.
Agafredo. A chain of reliable, inexpensive coffee places. Breakfast for 140 руб gets you coffee or tea, fresh squeezed juice, pancakes or toast, a few vegetables, and then eggs and meat. Lunch is Italian-style. Free wifi, non-smoking sections. Branches are:6 Galyaktyonova St, just off Pushkinskya St, opposite Kazan Federal University, 09:00-00:0017 Chernyshevskogo St, central off Baumann St, 08:30-00:00.28 Chistpol'skaya St, north of river, 08:00-23:00 (updated Jun 2018) IQ Intellect Cafe: see IQ Bar below. 1 Skuratov, coffee roasters, 5 Pushkina St, ☏ +7 986 929-50-56. daily 06:55-23:05. Coffee, frappes, yogurt, snacks. Pasta 200 руб, mains 300 руб.
Since the '70s, Kazan has long the reputation of being one of the least safe city of Russia. The "Kazan phenomenon" of street gangs even became a journalistic and sociological concept. However, since the late 1990s, situation change fundamentally. Kazan has become host city for a lot of large international events. As a result, there was a modernization of police, so crime rate decreased significantly. For example, during the World Summer Universiade in 2013, a lot of citizens and guests shared their impressions, that they felt safe like never before, even walking in the city centre in the night.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
In Jul, Kazan typically sees ~26°C daytime highs and 5 rainy days.
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