World Cup city guides: what to see in Samara?

The long-awaited World Cup 2018 is just around the corner. Tickets have already been bought, vacations have been approved, and a group of fan friends are eagerly anticipating your trip together. In our series of guides, we’ve gathered the most useful information about the cities that are hosting the World Cup: local’s best tips, unusual places and the most recommended sights to visit. We tell you how to remember this trip for a long time and what to see outside the stadium.

Today Samara is in the center of attention – its historical center, the perennial problems with traffic jams, the subway that you will never get anywhere on, and the beautiful embankment. We promise not to forget about the brewery, the legendary bar “At the Bottom” and places to buy souvenirs.

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

To begin with, let’s immediately “shoot off” about how to get to the city from the railway station. The instruction is incredibly simple and therefore ingenious: get off the train, get out of the station building and… hurrah, you are actually within walking distance of the historical center of the city. And here, as in a classic fairy tale, whether you go left or right, you will still come to the bus stop, and if you go a little higher, you can reach the streetcar tracks.

Now let’s see how to get to the city from Kurumoch airport. Do not even count on a sensible aeroexpress, the trains do go to this area and even stop in the vicinity of the airport, but two (!) times a day. The pleasure costs 150 rubles. So if you are lucky enough to arrive at the right intervals, you can take advantage.

• The same electric train. Samara – Kurumoch Airport (8:56 and 15:40) and Kurumoch Airport – Samara (13:04 and 20:20).
• Bus.

• Marshrutka. In addition, every 15-20 minutes from the “air gate” to Samara you can be taken by marshrutka № 392 and 406. The price of the question: 50-60 rubles.
• Cab. I think it is not necessary to explain that a cab directly at the airport will cost you 2-3 times more expensive than if you order it in advance online. Of the services that are available in Samara – Get Taxi / Uber / Yandex.Taxi. In my experience, thanks to “Yandex.Taxi” you can move around the city at the lowest rates. In addition, you can use the local cab “Leader”. You can make an order through the application, on the website or by phone number: 0807 (MTS) / 0271 (Megafon) / 0585 (Beeline). The cost of the trip can be calculated in the calculator on the website.

Where to live in Samara?

Samara is no stranger to anything human, so if you have not yet puzzled over the search for housing, you can safely go to the popular service for booking apartments Airbnb. True, every third apartment on request will be called something like “Housing for guests of the 2018 FIFA World Cup” And most of them look like the owners are ready to move in with their parents and friends for a week, leaving their permanent home at your disposal.

The price varies from 1000 rubles for a room and from 3000 for the whole apartment.

Tip: you should not settle down too close to the stadium, as it will be not so expensive to get to it from any point of the city, and it would be silly to deprive yourself of the opportunity to walk along the evening central streets of Samara (the stadium itself is on the outskirts).

Now let’s go through what Booking service offers us. To be fair, I will warn you that Samara is not very well equipped with hotels, and numerous hostels were built in a hurry and for the World Cup, so I can’t say that these options should be considered in the first place. Here are some good hotels that we found in our search:

On average, the price tag for a hotel in Samara will be a bit more expensive than for an apartment. If you’re traveling with a group of friends, it’s a good way to save money to rent an apartment.

How to get to the stadium in Samara?

You can see the bus schedule here. The guests of the championship will be able to get to the stadium in two ways: by bus and by high-speed streetcar.

Transportation network

Now let’s deal with the transportation inside. Locals almost all without exception use “Double Gis”, and it must be said that it really does not fail in Samara. With the help of this unpretentious application you can find out how to get from one point of the city to another using public transport, find the nearest stop, find out how long before the bus or streetcar you need arrives. I hope that they will make an update for the World Cup, as a significant part of the city will be closed for the work of the mundial headquarters.

The two most common modes of transportation are the streetcar and the shuttle bus. Nobody will wait for a bus at the bus stop, because marshrutkas run more often and more regularly. The price of the question – 25 rubles (for the shuttle bus), pay at the exit, and similarly for the streetcar, pay the controller.

Recommended to visit

• Embankment. Some compare it with the coast of Cannes, and it’s no joke. Taking an evening stroll along the bank of the Volga River or sitting right on the beach sounds like a good plan. In addition, the beach has soccer fields, volleyball fields, turnstile areas, and a basketball court, all of which are publicly accessible.

• Historic Center. Unusual facades of the very old Samara: estates, wooden houses and a huge number of kitties in the yards.

• Drama Theater. Beautiful and impressive building from postcards and magnets. You should visit it and make a photo.
• Glory Square. Spacious and beautiful square with a view of the Volga and the embankment. Crowns the composition of the square monument 13-meter sculpture, depicting a worker, raised on outstretched arms stylized wings of the plane. For many years, starting from the 40s, Samara has been the center of Russian aircraft building, that’s why the image of a worker-aircraft builder was chosen as the image of the city’s glory.

• Kuibyshev Square. The largest square in Europe, where the Samara Opera and Ballet Theater is located. An ideal place to ride a bicycle or rollerblade, though you’ll have to either go down to the embankment or walk to Leningradskaya Street to get to the nearest rental shop.

Important: during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Kuibyshev Square will be home to a fan zone for fans, which can accommodate up to 30,000 people.

• Rook. The opening of the monument was timed to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Samara. The vessel is a symbol of the city, whose history is inextricably linked with the great Volga River.
• Zhigulyov Brewery and bar “At the Bottom”. One of the oldest breweries in Russia, founded in 1881 by A. von Vakano, a native of Austria. Here you can taste not only the original varieties of foamy drink, but also go on a tour and watch the production process.
• Local Arbat – Leningradskaya Street. Tourist alley in the historical center of Samara. The street appeared in Samara in the XIX century, since then it has changed its name several times. Here are located mansions of XIX-XX centuries and modern buildings. Some of these buildings still retain their historical names.

What to try in Samara?

If there are no problems with what to see in Samara, the city is not famous for unique dishes like Tatar chak-chak or Tula gingerbread. But put the following few items on your checklist.

• Beer. Taste and enjoy. Buy it on tap in small stores or right near the brewery in the legendary bar “At the Bottom”. By the way, it is so legendary that you will hardly want to sit in it because of the specific atmosphere (this is not craft beer houses of Moscow and St. Petersburg), but we advise you to visit and see it. The place is a cult after all.

In Samara you can buy alcohol from 8:00 to 23:00 local time.

• Fish and crayfish. If you went for beer in “At the Bottom”, then next to the historical building of the brewery you will easily find small trade rows with fish delicacies, there you can also try to buy crayfish on weight.

• Ice cream. For those who have a sweet tooth or who came to the match with their family, we recommend you to try local ice cream from the factory “SamPo”. It is tasty, natural and straight from the factory. Branded ice cream stalls can be found around the waterfront.
• Delicious and invigorating coffee. Following in the footsteps of the famous blogger Ilya Varlamov, you can stop by one of the Travelers Coffee shops. In his report on his trip to Samara Varlamov noted that the coffee there is on the level. We couldn’t agree more.

Where to eat in Samara?

Here are a few more tips on where to eat delicious food and in a nutshell about each of them.

• Cafe Benjamin is a cozy cafe near the center. Not expensive business lunches on weekdays, burgers, pasta, sandwiches and several breakfast options. See the menu.
• Nebrugge – tasty European cuisine, not far from Samarskaya Square, good bar list, quiet atmosphere. Steaks, beer, comfort. Learn more.
• Khachapuri – colorful cafe with Georgian cuisine. Tasty pastry is available, business lunches are available. See the menu.
• Maximilians is a Bavarian restaurant. They brew beer in their small brewery, 30% discount on the whole menu is available daily from 11:00 to 16:00. Live music plays at weekends. View Menu.
• Three Stags is one of the many popular restaurants located right on the central embankment. It positions itself as a beer restaurant. All summer long if you buy one drink, the second one is free. See the menu.

Souvenirs: what to bring from Samara?

• Paraphernalia of the local soccer club “Krylya Sovetov”. Where to buy: at the railway station, at the stadium, at the airport.
• Beer. Where to buy: at the Zhigulyovsky brewery. See at the link.
• Candy “Rodnye Prostory” and “Samarskaya pomadka”. Where to buy: in any supermarket.

Plan your trip in advance, we hope that it will bring you extremely positive emotions! In the next issue we will tell you about Nizhny Novgorod and reveal the secret of the most delicious shawarma you will ever taste.