In recent years, Kazan has become one of the favorite destinations for domestic tourism. True, trips are usually limited to one city, while the Republic of Tatarstan has many interesting and unusual places that deserve a visit. We are sharing with you a selection of locations, traveling through which you can spend a whole week in the region. Enough for a full vacation, the impressions of which will stay with you for a long time.
Kazan
The capital of the republic is not only historical buildings and mosques, but also a comfortable, developing metropolis with an infrastructure convenient for life. The city has many parks and loft spaces, landscaped embankments and a huge variety of stylish cafes and restaurants.
To explore the city leisurely, allow two to three days. Of course, first of all, tourists visit the heart of the city – the Kazan Kremlin with the Kul-Sharif Mosque, the Leaning Syuyumbike Tower and the Annunciation Cathedral, as well as the pedestrian Bauman Street, the eclectic Temple of All Religions and the modern Palace of Farmers. However, in Kazan there are many other places worth visiting, the names of which are not well-known.
For example, the National Library of Tatarstan, located in the house of Zinaida Ushkova: inside you can see elegant stained glass windows, interiors in the Moorish style and a grotto hall, similar to a cave, entwined with plants. We also recommend visiting the national complex “Tugan Avylym”, Starotatarskaya Sloboda; Peter and Paul Cathedral, built in the Naryshkin Baroque style; Sunday flea market in Tinchurina Park and several historical mosques: al-Marjani, Galeevskaya, Belaya, Burnaevskaya, Apanaevskaya and Azimovskaya. These locations will allow you to imagine how multinational and interesting the history of Kazan is.
How to get there:You can get to the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan by train or bus. The fastest way to get to Kazan is by plane. Travel time will be 1 hour 35 minutes. In September, you can purchase a round trip ticket for 2,600 rubles*.
Where to stay: in the modern four-star hotel NEO Kazan Palace by Tasigo – from 10,250 rubles per night with breakfast*.
Blue Lakes
The natural reserve in the vicinity of Kazan, which is called the pearl of Tatarstan, includes three lakes – Bolshoye Goluboe, Maloe Goluboe and Protochnoye. The water really amazes with its bright, heavenly hue: it’s all about the high concentration of sulfates, so swimming in such reservoirs has a beneficial effect on health. True, not everyone can decide to do this: even in summer, the water temperature rises only to 5–7 degrees. Nevertheless, there are many people who want to dive all year round, and diving fans often come here. However, it’s nice and easy to stroll through the territory of the reserve: it is a dense mixed forest in the middle zone, in which you can see rare species of plants and animals.
How to get there: from the center of Kazan to the Blue Lakes you can take a taxi or use public transport: bus No. 40 runs from the Severny Vokzal metro station, and bus No. 20 from the Aviastroitelnaya metro station.
Where to stay: at the three-star Transit Hotel – from 2,500 rubles per night*.
Bulgarian Museum-Reserve
200 kilometers south of Kazan is the ancient settlement of Bolgar (Bulgar), a monument of medieval Muslim architecture from the mid-13th to 14th centuries, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is better to come here accompanied by a guide, otherwise you risk simply not learning the interesting history of the disappeared culture of Volga Bulgaria. In the pre-Mongol period, Bolgar was an important trading point connecting Ancient Rus’ with the East, then it turned into the capital of the Northern Ulus of the Golden Horde.
There are several objects on the territory of the settlement. Some have been preserved in the form of ruins, others have been painstakingly restored: here there is a settlement from the times of the Golden Horde, and the ruins of the Khan’s bathhouse, and a mysterious structure called the Black Chamber, and a mausoleum, and a Cathedral Mosque with a preserved minaret. The tour ends with a visit to the White Mosque, a modern complex built in 2012 as part of the Cultural Heritage program in strict accordance with the canons of Islamic architecture.
How to get there: It’s better to get here as part of an organized excursion. The bus from Kazan runs twice a day from the Yuzhny bus station: at 10:00 and 17:00.
Where to stay: at the Regina Hotel – from 2,950 rubles per night in a superior room with breakfast, and in the summer – in a former archaeological tent camp right next to the architectural complex*.
Sviyazhsk
This small settlement is called the Russian Mont Saint-Michel: Sviyazhsk is located on an island at the confluence of the Sviyaga River with the Volga. Despite its rather modest size, the settlement can boast of several UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the entire architectural ensemble of the Assumption Monastery is included in the list. Other attractions here are also of a religious nature: St. John the Baptist and Trinity-Sergius monasteries, the wooden Trinity Church of the 16th century, the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Makaryevskaya Hermitage. The village has several museums – the history of Sviyazhsk, the archeology of wood, the Civil War, as well as an art gallery. Many travelers also visit the craft settlement Horse Yard, where art studios and pottery workshops are located.
How to get there: there is a bus from Kazan to Sviyazhsk, departing from the Yuzhny and Stolichny bus stations.
Where to stay: at the “Mansion on Eleninskaya” – from 2,500 rubles per room per night*.
Raifa Mother of God Monastery
The Raifa hermitage and the monastery standing on it are located just 30 kilometers from Kazan. Even travelers far from religion come here to look at the luxurious architecture and take a walk near the picturesque Lake Sumy. This is the largest monastery on the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan. It was founded in the 17th century. Despite the fact that in Soviet times this place suffered the unenviable fate of all religious buildings – repair shops, a prison for political prisoners and a colony for juvenile delinquents were located on its territory – the buildings were painstakingly restored and returned to their historical appearance.
How to get there: from Kazan you can take a bus from the Severny bus station.
Where to stay: at the “Object 784” hotel – from 2,700 rubles per night*.
Ethnographic Museum “Avyly Tatars”
An open-air ethno-village is an opportunity to get to know the Tatar people better. The museum’s buildings cover the period from the 15th to the 20th centuries and represent the life of various layers of society of those times – peasants, artisans, merchants. Here you can see a variety of tools, from a loom to a windmill, and even try to work on them yourself.
Tatar Avaly often hosts interesting events – Sabantui and folklore festivals, guests can ride a cart, take a steam bath, take part in master classes on pottery and leatherwork, plowing the land with a horse-drawn plow, threshing flour, haymaking, carving on wood. In the store and cafe at the museum you can try traditional Tatar delicacies – kazylyk (horse sausage), dried goose and katyk, as well as buy farm products.
How to get there: Tatar Avaly is located 50 kilometers from Kazan and 10 kilometers from Sviyazhsk, on the territory of the village of Isakovo. The easiest way to get there is by taxi: there is one bus per day from Kazan from the Stolichny bus station.
Elabuga
This small town is located among forests on the high bank of the Kama, 200 kilometers from Kazan. Elabuga is known as an example of well-preserved merchant architecture of the 19th century. There are many interesting museums in this city, for example, the house of the artist Ivan Shishkin, many of whose works were painted from local landscapes. In addition, it is worth visiting the estate of the cavalry maiden Nadezhda Andreevna Durova, the memorial complex of Marina Tsvetaeva (she spent her last years in Yelabuga), the Museum of District Medicine named after V. M. Bekhterev and the Tavern Museum-Theater. Another interesting location is the Devil’s Settlement, the remains of a fortified citadel on the banks of the Kama River, where you can see a 10th century tower.
How to get there: You can get from Kazan to Yelabuga by bus with a transfer in Naberezhnye Chelny (departure from the Vostochny bus station) or by train to Mendeleevsk, and then by taxi.
Where to stay: at the Blackberry Hotel, located in a merchant’s house – from 3,000 rubles per night*.
Nizhnyaya Kama National Park
This nature reserve is located near Yelabuga, Nizhnekamsk and Naberezhnye Chelny: it consists of forests and meadows on the banks of the Kama and the Nizhnekamsk reservoir. Not only scientists and botanists from all over the country come here, but also tourists who want to take a break from civilization in a beautiful and calm place. Basically, Nizhnyaya Kama attracts lovers of fishing and ecotourism: here you can take part in mowing and collecting hay. There are several routes throughout the park: if you do not plan to stay at a camp site in the forest, but still want to take a break from noisy cities, you can come to the Nizhnekamsk Nature Reserve for a few hours or a day.
How to get there: from Yelabuga you can take a taxi to the national park.
Mount Lobach
The landscape reserve is located in the Kama-Ustinsky district of Tatarstan, on the right bank of the Volga, opposite its confluence with the Kama River. The height of Mount Lobach is 136 meters. It is considered a geological and historical monument: traces of the settlement of ancient people of the Paleolithic era and trenches from the Civil War are preserved here. A visit to the mountain can be combined with a visit to Yuryevskaya Cave, the longest in the Middle Volga region. It was in the vicinity of Lobach that the artist Ilya Repin painted the painting “Barge Haulers on the Volga”. The Kama estuary near the mountain is a popular place for fishing and camping.
How to get there: Mount Lobach is located next to the settlement of Kamskoye Ustye, which can be reached by bus No. 529, departing from the Kazan railway station -2.
Where to stay: at the Kamsky Trophy hotel in the village of Kamskoye Ustye – from 5,500 rubles per night*.
*Prices are provided as of mid-September and are valid at the time of publication.
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