The Kazan Kremlin is a white-stone fortress dating back to the foundation of the city in 1005. The unique complex includes many historical monuments and museums such as the Kazan branch of the Hermitage, or the 'Khazine' gallery with works created by Tatar artists in the 19th-21st centuries. Learn more about the museums and tours on the official website (Ru).
The Kremlin area is free to visit and open every day! Find the main entrance at the Spasskaya tower. Get directions.
Bauman Street is the main street of the city, connecting Kazan Kremlin with Tukay Square. This pedestrian zone is the most popular place of the city for walking, a place to encounter street shows. Along the street you can find many souvenir shops, and some nice cafés and restaurants. Get directions.
Zilantov Monastery (Ru) is one of the oldest monasteries on the Volga River. It was founded by Ivan the Terrible on the occasion of the capture of Kazan in 1552. The golden domes of this peaceful place can be noticed from many points across the city.
See the official website (Ru) for more info. Get directions.
One of the symbols of Kazan, the falling tower Suyumbike is a legendary construction. There is no clear information about the time it was built, some believe around the 17-18th century, or even earlier in the 16th. By the legend, it was built in a week’s time by Ivan the Terrible's artisans, after he conquered the city in 1552.
The tower is open every day! Get directions.
The Mardjani Mosque is the oldest mosque of Kazan, built in 1770 in traditional Tatar architectural style combined with provincial baroque. It was the first stone mosque built in Kazan after it got captured by Ivan the Terrible in 1552. The mosque is a centre of Tatar-Muslim spirituality in Tatarstan. Get directions.
The main museum of Tatarstan was founded in 1894. It is located in the gorgeous Gostiny Dvor building (Ru). The museum treats the life in Tatarstan through time, in a very thorough and diverse way, ranging from big fish from the region to golden coins, local costumes and carriages.
The museum is closed on Mondays. See the official website (Ru) for visitor info. Get directions.
The Monument of Mussa Jalil (Ru) represents a chained man, naked, but with pride in his eyes and embodying strength and courage. This stylish monument was erected in 1966, in memory of Mussa Jalil, who was awarded Hero of the Soviet Union for his underground resistance fighting during WWII. The Tatar poet got cruelly executed in a Nazi prison in 1944. Get directions.
Gorky Park (Ru) is a popular park situated on the territory of what used to be called 'Russian Switzerland' due to its slopes and trees. The wooded area includes a cool rope park called 'Sky Park', hidden away in the trees. Take your rest in one of the relaxing chairs in the fountain area. Please note that there are no entrances on the West side. Get directions.
The Temple of All Religions is an unusual temple as it is not a religious building, but an architectural symbol of common spiritual heritage of humanity. It includes amongst others an orthodox church, a mosque, a synagogue, and a pagoda.
The temple is free to visit and open every day! See the official website (Ru) for more info. Get directions.
The ground floor of this central building is occupied by the large cosmetics store 'Zolotoye Yabloko' (which translates as 'golden apple'). See the official website (Ru) for more info about Zolotoye Yabloko.
The top floors are occupied by the Finnish department store Stockmann (Ru). Both stores are open every day! Get directions.
The beautiful Qol Sharif Mosque became iconic for Kazan, right after it was built in 2005. It is constructed after the model of the historical mosque that was located here in the 16th century. The name is given in honor of the last imam of the original mosque, Qol Sharif.
The mosque is open every day (on Fridays from 12h till 14h closed for worshipping). Get directions.
This museum uses interactive tours to show guests all about the most famous national dish, chak-chak! The museum is located in a beautiful former merchant's house.
Tours are better to be reserved in advance via the official website (Ru). Open every day! Get directions.
The gorgeous Raifa Monastery (Ru) is situated in a pine forest near a lake, 27 km from Kazan. The place was founded early 17th century by the monk Filaret. The main relic of the monastery, preserved since 1661, is the Georgian icon of the Mother of God.
See the official website for more background info. Get directions.
This is the house where Vladimir Lenin lived with his mother and sisters in 1888-1889, after returning from exile for his participation in revolutionary activities. It is one of the oldest museums in Russia, containing personal belongings, documentaries, rare photos, and books revealing details of Lenin’s life.
The house is closed on Mondays. See the official website (Ru) for visitor info. Get directions.
This new palace of marriage became one of the symbols of Kazan right after its opening. The remarkable design of the Family Center (Ru) symbolizes a cauldron ('Kazan' translates as 'cauldron') on top of a flaming fire.
The panoramic terrace on the roof is open in summer season from 10h till 19h. A small admission fee is charged. Get directions.
Kremlyovskaya Street is one of the oldest and most beautiful streets of Kazan, connecting Kazan Kremlin with the campus of Kazan University. The street is famous for its historical buildings with an aristocratic touch, such as the Aleksandrovsky Passage (Ru), the Chernoyarovsky Passage (Ru), or Ushkova's house. Get directions.
The Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral is a striking example of Russian baroque. It is unique in its ornamental decor and bright-colored walls. The cathedral was built in 1726, in memory of the visit Peter the Great paid to Kazan, shortly before his Persian campaign.
The cathedral is open every day. Get directions.
In front of the famous Agricultural Palace (Ru), there's a nice open green zone with soft grass. It's a popular place for picture sessions, or just lying in the grass on the warmer days! The place is also used for festivals, such as the Opera festival on the Day of the City on 30 August (see Extra Streetwise on our map for more info). Get directions.
The Cathedral of the Annunciation (Ru) is an outstanding monument of Russian architecture from the 16th century, considered to be the oldest surviving monument of the Kremlin. For this the Annunciation Cathedral had to survive several fires and the turbulent Soviet times, in which it was threatened to be dismantled due to a shortage of construction materials! Open every day. Get directions.
The Apanaevskaya Mosque (Ru) was built in the same period as the nearby Mardjani Mosque, end of the 18th century. The looks of the mosques are comparable, both designed in a Tatar style mixed with Russian baroque, and decorated primarily with miniature elements. Get directions.
Bauman Street is a very pleasant street for walking. The West end of this shopping area contains some luxury clothes stores, such as Armani. The remainder of the area is mostly filled with souvenir stores, selling typical Tatar items, such as a tubeteika hat. Get directions.
Since the end of the 19th century, the Bell tower of the Epiphany Cathedral (Ru) has been the tallest bell-tower of Kazan, and actually also one of the tallest Orthodox bell-towers in Russia. For the best view over Kazan, climb its top at 74 meters!
The bell-tower is open every day until 18h. Get directions.
The Millennium Park (Ru) was founded in 2005, the year of the Millennium of Kazan! As the park is still rather new, you will find here mostly lawns and young trees, but also a good number of benches. The fountain in the centre consists of a bowl in the form of a cauldron (in Turkish 'kazan') supported by zilants (mythological creatures in Tatar legends that look like dragons). It refers to the legend about the foundation of Kazan, on a place inhabited by snakes and ruled by a snake king named Zilant. Get directions.
Typical flea market, held in the open air. It is a place to find classical Soviet and Tatar items, like coins, stamps, medals and military items, paintings, books, samovars, cameras and radios.
This little market is held on Sundays from 8-15h. Get directions.
This Mosque was built to commemorate the thousandth anniversary of the Islamization of the Volga Bulgars in 1922. It was the first mosque built on the other side of the Kaban Lake. Shortly after the construction was completed in 1926, it needed to be shut down under Soviet rule. Get directions.
The puppet theatre of Kazan is already more than 80 years old. Since 2012 it is located in this fairytale building. The big hall of Ekiyat (Ru) provides seating for 250 people, the small hall for 100. The puppet theatre is an excellent choice for children, though there's even one show in their repertoire pointed at adults..!
Please note that the performances are in Russian or Tatar. Have a look at the official website (Ru) for ticket info. Get directions.
Sviyazhsk town was founded in 1551 by Ivan the Terrible as a fortress for the conquest of Kazan. Nowadays it's a lovely and quiet place full of old churches in different architectural styles and various museums.
You can get to the island by boat from Kazan port, but also by bus or by train. Get directions.
The central shopping area of Kazan is made up of the three malls Gum, Koltso and Respublika (websites in Russian). Koltso is the most famous mall in the centre of Kazan, offering mainly local brands. It is a good place for your daily needs, with a Tatar grocery store in the basement. On the top floor there's a cinema and food court. Locals often use the entrance of Koltso Mall as their meeting point for walks around the city. Open every day! Get directions.
The building of the National Library was designed in 1908 by Karl Mufke. It represented a marriage gift from the son of a chemical plants owner to his bride, Zinaida Ushkova. Each room is decorated uniquely in its own style.
In summer the library is not open on Fridays, and the rest of the year it is closed on Saturdays and Sundays instead. Guided tours are being offered here. Get directions.
Leninsky Sad is an old park with flowers and nice heart-shaped benches, popular with young people. Centrally you can find the oldest fountain of the city, 'The Fountain of Love', installed in 1894. Get directions.
This eclectic monumental building is a bit confusing next to the old Kremlin. It may appear historical too, but the Palace of Farmers (Ru) was completed only a few years ago. The main catch here is the massive wrought-iron tree inside, a popular spot for pictures. Get directions.
A very shaded and green place just in front of the University of Kazan. The beautiful environment is nice for having a rest (if there are not too many students!). In the middle of large shared benches, there's a statue of Lenin the student, looking at his Kazan University. Get directions.
The history of the Kamal Theatre began in 1906, when the first play in Tatar language was shown. Today the theatre is located in this particular piece of architecture from 1987. The repertoire includes works by Tatar playwrights as well as classical pieces translated into the Tatar language.
See the official website for ticket info. Get directions.
This small museum is filled with real attributes from the Soviet era. Interesting detail is that it is located in a former communal apartment for 20 people, built in the middle of the 19th century. You can feel the spirit of Soviet times, exploring and touching the remarkable objects here.
The museum is open every day! Get directions.
Krylya Sovetov (Ru) is a big park in Soviet era style, containing a number of busts of outstanding aircraft designers along the main promenade which leads you to a big central monument of Lenin. The park is equipped with sports- and playgrounds, and it’s possible to rent bicycles and roller-skates there. Get directions.
The magnificent building of the Kazan Art School is another piece of beautiful architecture by the architect Karl Mufke, who had also designed the Ushkova House in Kazan. The school was built early 20th century in the pseudo-Russian style. Get directions.
This religious complex in the very heart of the city dates back to the late 17th century. It consists of the Nikolsky Cathedral (Ru) and the Church of the Intercession, a bell tower and a chapel. Since 1946, this is the main cathedral of the city.
Have a look at the official website (Ru) for a full background. Get directions.
Malaya Krasnaya Ulitsa is a very calm and green street with a couple of high-end clothes stores. In this little shopping area you'll find stores like VIP, Rich and Paul & Shark. Get directions.
The Fine Arts Museum (Ru) is located in a beautiful 19th century mansion. The permanent exhibition shows art from the 15th century up to the present day, including Russian and European fine art from the 16-19th centuries, and early 20th century Russian avant-garde.
The museum is closed on Mondays. See the official website (Ru) for further visitor info. Get directions.
A wide and open green field around the Family Center, guarded by statues of dragons. The place along the waterside is good for walks and sunbathing in summertime. The area is also a popular place for festivities, such as the Festival of Ukha (fish soup), held in September. Get directions.
The Galeev Mosque (Ru) was built in 1801 following approval of Catherine the Great. It put an end to the religious intolerance in Kazan. In 1883 the imam of this mosque, Galimjan Barudi, opened the Madrasa 'Muhammadiya' which marked the beginning of education in secular sciences. Get directions.
MEGA is one of the most popular malls in Kazan, due to the fact that you can nearly find everything here. Besides the large number of popular international clothes stores, you can also find an IKEA here, a food court and a Bahetle (a hypermarket of Tatar food).
The mall is open every day! See the official website for more shopping info. Get directions.
This garden from 1870 with its tall trees, is a nice place for a walk. You'll find here a fountain, two playgrounds, and various monuments. The best-known monument of Lyadsky Garden (Ru) is the one devoted to Gavrila Derzhavin, a Russian poet. Get directions.
The Kazan Railway Station is a gorgeous building from the late 19th century. It is a perfect welcome in the capital of Tatarstan, with the main pedestrian Bauman Street within walking distance. Get directions.
Victory Park (Ru) consists of a green part with a lake, and a memorial site with an impressive exhibition of military equipment. When the park was founded in the 1970s, there were 1,418 trees and shrub seedlings planted here, a number that corresponded to the days of the Great Patriotic War. The park is great for roller-skating, and particularly nice for children. Get directions.
This church was built in 1912 as the second Old Believers' church in the close proximity, after the black-domed Pokrovsky Cathedral (Ru). It is one of the marks left by the large community of Old Believers in the Kazan of pre-revolutionary times. Get directions.
The white-colored mansion of the Kazan City hall was originally erected for the Noble Assembly. Secular receptions and balls were organized here, as well as concerts of outstanding artists like Shalyapin, Mayakovsky and Rachmaninov. It is a showpiece of Tatarstan, often used for official events. Get directions.
The Kazan Arena was built for the 2013 Summer Universiade, equipped with the largest LED facade in the world. It is the home ground of football team Rubin Kazan. The stadium, with seats for over 45,000 fans, was one of the stages of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Book a stadium tour and get to know all! Get directions.
The Bornay Mosque was built in 1872 in a style called 'national romance eclecticism'. It was shut down under Soviet rule, but reopened in 1994. Reputed to be the 'foreign' mosque, as most of the believers here are said to be immigrants. Get directions.
Konstantin Vasilyev was a 20th century Russian symbolist painter, who turned himself to painting mythological and epic scenes. The themes are familiar for fairytales and Slavic and Scandinavian epos. The gallery exhibits 160 works of Vasilyev.
Open every day except on Monday. Get directions.
The Nurulla Mosque was built in 1845-1849, with ornaments common to medieval Volga Bulgaria and the Middle East. Once the mosque was better known as 'Sennaya', due to its location near a former haymarket ('seno' means hay). Get directions.
This old park, described in Leo Tolstoy’s story After the ball, nowadays contains playgrounds and a workout zone. The lake turns into an ice rink in wintertime. Black Lake (Ru) is also known for its Arch of Love: standing on opposite points, you can hear what your friend is whispering. Get directions.
Moskovsky Market is a very basic market, with most stands in the open air. It is a place to find fresh food and flowers, or cheap and simple clothes.
The market is open from 7-18h. Closed on Mondays. Get directions.
The only synagogue in the city of all religions, Kazan. The Jewish community of Kazan was officially established in 1897, but this synagogue was constructed only in 1915. After being closed under Soviet rule, it reopened in 1997.
Today the synagogue is not only a place for worshipping, but also a library and a charitable foundation. Get directions.
Historical complex of educational buildings dating back to 1804. The main building of Kazan University includes museums, an anatomic theatre, mechanic and nuclear physics laboratories, a botanical garden, and an astronomical observatory. The stylish benches behind the building of the observatory provide a nice city view.
See the official website for more info. Get directions.
The Church of the Holy Cross was built in 2008 in the style of classicism. It is designed around the facade of the former church at this location. Research during the construction turned out that the damaged building of the former church had been used as a place for experiments by the aviation institute during the Great Patriotic War (WWII). Get directions.
Korston is the World Trade Center of Kazan. It's a multifunctional complex offering a variety of stores, restaurants and bars – the restaurant Extra Lounge offers an amazing panoramic view from the roof. The complex also boasts an entertainment area with a cinema, bowling, billiards, and a hotel with conference halls. See the official website for further info. Get directions.
A tiny and calm garden, famous for its fountain with a monument of three male figures holding a globe – it symbolizes the glorification of labor around the world. Benches around this fountain allow for a rest, and taking a closer look at this monument. Get directions.
The Kazan Riviera complex consists of a big aquapark, outside pools and a beach, a hotel with an observation deck and this ferris wheel. The wheel contains 36 cabins, each one dedicated to one of the great cities in the world.
Visit the official website to learn more about the facilities of Riviera. Get directions.
For over 80 years this venue has been fascinating youngsters with theatre. Nowadays the Kazan State Youth Theatre (Ru) offers shows for all ages, mostly in Russian. The remarkable theatre building was constructed in the second half of the 19th century, and belonged first to a noble family and was later home to the merchant's assembly of Kazan.
See the official website (Ru) for ticket info. Get directions.
The Hermitage Garden (Ru) is a very green place built on a hill, late 19th century. An extremely cruel landowner used to have his manor there, beating his serfs with whips to death and digging them in the garden... The legend says that their souls still roam amidst the tall trees of Hermitage Garden. Get directions.
Smena is located in a former 19th century warehouse building. The cultural center contains a lecture hall, a bookshop and two gallery spaces. It offers exhibitions, lectures, book presentations, documentary films and many other cultural projects.
Smena is open every day! See the official website (Ru) for more info. Get directions.
The Evangelical-Lutheran Church of St Catherine (Ru) was built between 1862 and 1865 in an eclectic style with elements of Gothic architecture. The church reopened in 2003, after being confiscated by the Soviet authorities in 1929. Get directions.
After a recent makeover, the Äcem Mosque with its 51-meters minaret, looks elegant and flawless again. Built in 1890, the mosque is relatively rich in decoration and ornaments. In Soviet times, it was in use as a cinema and a school for projectionists. Get directions.
Yuzhnyy (Ru) is a large mainstream mall with a mixture of popular international brands and local brands. This mall also includes an AUCHAN hypermarket, a cinema, and a children's playground. Open every day! Get directions.
The Tikhvinskaya Church (Ru) is the only Orthodox church situated in the Tatar part of Kazan. It was built in the second half of the 17th century, and given to the Kryashen community in 1997. The Kryashens form a subgroup of the Volga Tatars, confessing Christianity. Get directions.
Park Uritsky (Ru) is a nice park with tall pines, famous for its lake and canal with lovely bridges. It's a favourite place of newlyweds and couples. For children there's a playground with slides and swings. Active types can try out the sports ground which offers a tennis court and work-out equipment. Get directions.
Park House is a large shopping mall where you can find a great number of mainstream brands. The mall further includes an AUCHAN hypermarket, a Mediamarkt electronics store, and on the second floor a cinema and a food court.
See the official website for more shopping information. Open every day! Get directions.
The Pokrovsky Cathedral (Ru) is the main 'Old Believer' cathedral in the Volga region, built between 1905 and 1909. The Old Believers form a branch in Orthodoxy which rejected the reforms of Patriarch Nikon in the 1650s. Under the Soviet regime the church was used as a city archive. It is currently being renovated. Get directions.
This market is divided into two parts .The East side is a market hall offering mainly fresh fruit, vegetables, seafood, meat and flowers. The West side is a traditional market, largely in the open air, offering generally very simple items, and some true collector's items.
The market is open every day from 7-19h. Get directions.
The Karl Fuchs Garden (Ru) consists of a small and calm park with some benches, and a steep green slope towards the Kazanka River. The park was created in 1896, in memory of the famous Kazan scientist Karl Fuchs, who is considered to be the first researcher of the life and culture of Tatars living in Kazan. Get directions.
As one of the biggest theatres in Russia, the Tatar Opera and Ballet Theatre (Ru) is the very place to explore Russian ballet and opera in Kazan. The theatre is named after the famous Tatar poet Mussa Jalil. Its repertoire includes international masterpieces, Russian classics, as well as outstanding works by Tatar composers.
See the official website for ticket info. Get directions.
The Kazansko-Bogoroditsky Monastery (Ru) was built in the 16th century, on the place where the highly regarded icon of Our Lady of Kazan was found. Nowadays a copy of the icon is kept here, still attracting hundreds of pilgrims a day. The monastery is currently in the process of reconstructing the main cathedral, which was destroyed in the 1920s. Get directions.
One of the original settlements of Kazan was situated here, on the territory of Sosnovaya Roscha. Today it's a forest-like park with tall pines and love benches. Due to its close location to the House of Culture of Chemists, the playgrounds here are framed in a chemic theme. Get directions.
The TSUM in Kazan is an original Soviet-style mall with a calm and nice atmosphere, offering a number of clothes stores of big international brands as well as local brands. TSUM also sells shoes, accessories, sports equipment, electronics and music instruments. On the ground floor there's a large supermarket.
The mall is open every day! See the official website (Ru) for more shopping info. Get directions.
The special atmosphere of the 1930-40s can still be felt in this museum, as those were the days when the young Russian writer Vasily Aksenov lived here. The 19th century building also hosts a mini-hotel and a jazz-café with summer terrace, all in line with the last will of the famous writer.
The museum is closed on Sundays. Get directions.
The biggest green space of Kazan is the place for long walks in summer and cross-country skiing in winter. On its territory you can also find various cafés, an event stage, and some recreational areas including a large rope town for children. Get directions.
This shopping area consists of a big mall, Tandem, and separately a small mall Avenue (websites in Russian). Tandem offers a wide range of stores, with a stronger focus on local brands. It further includes a cinema, a bowling, a fitness center, and an entertainment zone for children. Avenue contains some clothes boutiques and a cosmetics store. The stores here are open all week! Get directions.
The Church of St Barbara (Ru) was founded in the end of the 18th century, and rebuilt several times afterwards. It is famous for its holy icons and the fact that the famous opera singer Feodor Chaliapin has sung here in his teens. Get directions.
