World Cup city guides: what to see in Kazan?

World Cup city guides: what to see in Kazan?

What to see in the capital of Tatarstan, where to buy the most delicious chak-chak and what is the best way to travel around the city.

Our huge country will very soon open its doors to soccer fans from all over the world. And we continue to tell you about the most interesting places in the cities hosting the 2018 FIFA World Cup so that you can plan your summer trip wisely. Next in line is the sunny capital of the Republic of Tatarstan – the city of Kazan.

How to get from the airport and from the railway station in Kazan?

The railway station in Kazan is located right in the center of the city: coming out of it, you will get to the local TSUM. It takes 20 minutes to walk to the Kazan Kremlin, as well as to the Kremlinskaya metro station.

As for the Kazan airport, you can get there in three ways:

Where to live in Kazan?

Again, Kazan is no exception, and here, just like in other major cities of the world, the best way to book accommodation is to use the Airbnb apartment booking service. Prices for a good apartment start from 1 thousand rubles per day.

If renting a whole apartment is not your option, let’s go through what hotel booking service Booking.com offers us.

In Kazan, as everywhere else, the cost of staying in a hotel will cost you more than renting an apartment. The most convenient way for you and your wallet is to go together with friends and rent an apartment.

How to get to Kazan Arena?

You can get to the stadium from the railway station by bus #74 or #10.

You can learn more about how to get to the stadium here.

Transportation network

In Kazan, as in almost anywhere in the world, 2gis and Google Maps will help you with transportation. The most common modes of transportation are buses and metro. The price of a ticket for public transportation (both ground and metro) is 25 rubles. Intervals of subway movement differ from Moscow – in rush hour it is 6 minutes, in the rest of the time – up to 12-15 minutes, so it is more convenient for locals to use ground transportation.

Recommended to visit

• Marriage Palace. This place is considered the main place for crowds of tourists, and not for nothing – a huge and unusual palace in the form of a bowl, which appeared in 2013, attracts even foreigners. Many couples come here from other countries to seal their marriage in this palace. In the upper part of this “cauldron” (at a height of 32 meters) is a viewing platform – the entrance is only 50 rubles. Address: 4 Sibgata Khakim St., Kozya Sloboda metro station.

• Kazan Kremlin. Perhaps, one of the must-see places in the city. There are the residence of the President of Tatarstan, the National Historical Museum, and the famous Kul-Sharif Mosque. To visit each place in the Kremlin you need to buy a separate ticket – prices are available here. Address: Kazan Kremlin, Kremlinskaya metro station.
• Local Arbat – Bauman Street. It became a pedestrian street in 1986. Now this street is a 1.5 km long entertainment center with cafes, restaurants, souvenir shops and even a monument to Fyodor Chaliapin. In local cafes you can taste all the delights of Tatar cuisine: chak-chak, echpochmak, peremyach, vak-balish and other dishes. Address: Bauman St., metro stations “Kremlin”, “Ploshchad Tukai”.

• Embankment. Another place that will not leave you indifferent due to its beauty. The embankment has a length of about 1.5 km, starts at the Kazan Kremlin and ends near the National Cultural Center “Kazan”. Along the embankment there are 2 pedestrian paths, a wide lane for rollerblading and bicycles. Many cafes, bars and pavilions are located under the cascade of the embankment, and there are also illuminated fountains. Address: 1 Fedoseevskaya Street. You can read about everything that happens on the embankment here.
• Riviera Water Park. Perhaps the main water park in the country is located in Kazan. If you came to this city for a few days and can afford to allocate a whole day (or at least half of it) to visit the water park, do not hesitate! More than 50 attractions, SPA-zone, summer corner – it seems to be the best way to unload after a hard trip. You can buy a ticket to “Riviera” for 2 hours, 4 hours and the whole day – depending on this, prices for adults vary from 550 to 1050 rubles. The water park constantly holds various promotions and discounts (for example, birthday boys get a 30% discount for visiting). Address: Fatykh Amirkhan Ave. 1, Kozya Sloboda metro station. You can learn more about prices here.
• Millennium Park. A huge park in the center of Kazan, which was opened in 2005 for the thousandth anniversary of the city, is the main place for walks for locals and guests of the city. The huge territory with fountains, green trees and monuments is an ideal place for summer selfies. Address: Ostrovskogo St., Ploshchad Tukai metro station.

• FUN24. If museums, monuments and palaces are not for you and you just want to have fun, you will like the main indoor park with attractions of the Volga region. The main “plus” of this entertainment center is that you pay only for admission (299 rubles for the whole day) and for this cost you get unlimited entertainment – bowling, billiards, rollerdrome and much more. Address: 46 Mazita Gafuri St., Ploshchad Tukai metro station. Read more about prices and entertainment here.

What to try in Kazan?

Tatarstan is famous all over the world for its unique dishes. We have gathered for you the most famous ones and “must haves” to try:

• Chak-chak. Kazan is impossible without chak-chak, and chak-chak is impossible without Kazan. You can buy this sweet treat in almost any store – everywhere it will be fresh and locally produced. If you are very much hooked on this dish, you can even go to the Museum of chak-chak, where you will have a tour and a tea party (all information about the museum can be found here).
• Echpochmak. The second most popular national Tatar dish is triangular patties with meat. You can try them in almost any cafe, for example, in “Dom Chaya” on Baumanskaya Street.
• Peremyach. Another national dish – an analog of our belyash. You can try it in any cafe with national cuisine.
• Katlama. There are probably no analogs of this dish in our country – katlama is a meat roll cooked on steam. You can try it in the same “House of Tea” on Baumanskaya Street, or in the cafe “Medina” in the Old Tatar Sloboda.

Where to eat in Kazan?

We have collected for you the best places where you can try local cuisine and not only:

• “Tyubeteika ” chain of stalls – there you can take a couple of echpochmak, peremyacha and other pastries of Tatar cuisine.
• “Alan Ash ” – a network of cafes with national cuisine. According to locals, the best cafes of this chain are located in the Old Tatar Sloboda (8, Marjani St.), as well as in the gallery of cuisines of the peoples of the world (43, Butlerova St.).
• Cafe “Chak-Chak ” is a cozy and inexpensive cafe on the pedestrian Bauman Street, one of the favorite establishments of the locals. Learn more.
• “Dobraja canteen ” is a favorite place of all students. A chain of cafes where you can have a dense lunch for about 150 rubles. Learn more.
• Craft bar “Tor Hop ” – if you have already tried everything from the local cuisine and just want to drink delicious craft beer with burgers, then come to “Top Hop” on Bauman. The average check is up to 700 rubles. Read more.

Souvenirs: what to bring back from Kazan?

• Tyubeteika is the main souvenir for all guests of the capital of Tatarstan and at the same time an element of national dress. Where to buy: train station, souvenir shops, Bauman Street.
• Chak-chak – we have already mentioned this dish many times, which will look great as a souvenir. Where to buy: any supermarket, Chak-Chak Museum.
• Kazylyk is another national dish. Kazylyk is a sausage made of horse meat, which is simply adored by the locals. If you want to surprise your loved ones, this souvenir is what you need. Where to buy: the central market.

We hope that from our guide you have learned a lot of useful things and now you will be able to plan your future trip wisely, so that only positive emotions remain from it.