About Kazan

Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, is the fifth-largest city in Russia by population. As of 1 January 2025, it had 1,329,825 residents. The city sits on the left bank of the Volga, at the mouth of the Kazanka, and shares the same time zone as Moscow.

For a traveller, Kazan appears as a point where two worlds merge: Russian and Tatar. Here the white-stone Kremlin, bell towers and merchant mansions stand alongside mosques, chaikhanas, echpochmaks and azu. These cultural layers are not split across different streets — they coexist within a single urban skyline: above the Kremlin Hill, the domes of the Annunciation Cathedral rise at the same time as the minarets of Kul Sharif.

Where the city sits and what it consists of

Kazan lies on the left bank of the Volga, just above the point where the Kama flows into it. The city stretches along both banks of a tributary — the Kazanka River. The historic centre with the Kremlin, Bauman Street and Millennium Square is on the right bank, while the left bank holds the trans-river districts with Ak Bars Arena, the Kazan family centre and the Rivyera water park. Between them lies the wide channel of the Kazanka and a series of bridges, which give the central part of the city an almost island-like composition. Everything here is compact, and even without a car you can easily walk past the main sights in a single day.

Within the centre of Kazan, several key reference points stand out. The Kremlin Hill with its white walls and the minaret of Kul Sharif is the high note, visible from most of the embankments. From the Kremlin walls, pedestrian Bauman Street runs south — about 1.9 km to Tukay Square. This is a sort of “Kazan Arbat” with street musicians, souvenir stalls, cafés and a replica of Catherine II’s carriage. On the other side of the fortress, the Kremlin Embankment stretches along the Kazanka for about a kilometre and a half. It is a single promenade strip, reconstructed for the 2013 Universiade.

To the south of the Kremlin, near the Kaban Lakes, the Old Tatar Quarter begins — the historic Tatar core with colourful 19th-century merchant houses, the Al-Marjani Mosque and museums of everyday life. Beyond this big five — the Kremlin, Bauman Street, the embankment, Freedom Square, the Old Tatar Quarter — Kazan grows quieter. Here you find residential blocks, the trans-river Admiralty Quarter with the remains of Peter the Great’s shipyard, and the Kirov district with the Temple of All Religions in Staroye Arakchino.

What Kazan is known for

The main sight that brings many people to Kazan for the first time is, without a doubt, the Kazan Kremlin. Since 2000, it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list as a rare example of a Tatar fortress that has preserved both the remains of a pre-Islamic citadel and layers from the Russian 16th–19th centuries.

Within the walls stand the Annunciation Cathedral, founded in 1561 by the order of Ivan IV and built by masters from Pskov, and the Kul Sharif Mosque, opened in 2005 for the city’s millennium. It holds about 1,500 people, and another ten thousand can fit on the adjoining square.

Next to it stands the brick Söyembikä Tower, 58 metres tall, with a noticeable tilt of nearly two metres from the vertical. It is one of the “leaning” towers of the world, and the city tells many legends about it.

The second pillar of the city’s reputation is cuisine. Kazan is considered one of the clearest culinary capitals of domestic tourism. There is no need to go searching for “national cuisine” here — it sits on every route.

Echpochmak is a triangular pastry filled with chopped beef, potato and broth. It is sold in any bakery of the Bahetle chain and at the Tea House on Bauman Street. Chak-chak, an honey dessert made of fried dough, is best tasted at the Chak-Chak Museum in the Old Tatar Quarter. Azu Tatar-style, eleş, gubadiya and qıstıbıy are served at Tatarskaya Usadba, Tugan Avylym and dozens of halal cafés around the quarter.

The third important storyline is sport and major events. For the 2013 Universiade, the city rebuilt its embankments and public spaces; for the 2015 FINA World Championships and the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Ak Bars Arena for 45,000 spectators was built.

Since then, Kazan has regularly hosted major tournaments and festivals, and in summer one of the republic’s main holidays — Sabantuy — draws crowds here. In 2026, it was held on 20 June at the main venues: the hippodrome, the forest park by Lake Lebyazhye, and the groves in Derbyshki and Mirny.

Kremlin, Bauman, the embankments: how to walk through the centre

If you are visiting for the first time, the route through the centre almost builds itself. Spend the first day on the Kremlin: entry to the grounds is free, you only pay for the museums. Climb up to the Söyembikä Tower, look into the Kul Sharif Mosque and walk to the south-western corner of the Kremlin — from there you get the best view of the Kazanka, the Millennium Bridge and the trans-river districts with the Bowl.

After that, the centre offers a simple walking logic. From Millennium Square you can head south down Bauman Street to Tukay Square, past the 74-metre bell tower of the Epiphany Cathedral and the monument to Chaliapin. Or you can turn the other way and come out onto the Kremlin Embankment. The embankment along the Kazanka stretches for almost a kilometre and a half. It runs past bike rentals, cafés and workout zones, and ends at the bridge to Ak Bars Arena. In winter this same strip turns into the longest urban ice rink in Russia.

The Old Tatar Quarter is the third must-see. From Tukay Square to Kayum Nasyri and Shigabutdin Marjani Streets is a 15–20 minute walk. Wooden houses from the 19th century, restored for the Universiade, have survived here, along with the embankment of Lake Nizhny Kaban with its new pedestrian section and dozens of spots where it makes sense to stop and eat something local. On the southern shore of Kaban stands the Al-Marjani Mosque — the first stone mosque of Kazan, built in 1766–1770 with the personal permission of Catherine II, who visited the city in 1767.

Economy, science and the “new” city

Kazan is a major industrial centre and at the same time the university capital of the Volga region. The main building of Kazan Federal University stands on Kremlyovskaya Street. Tens of thousands of students study at KFU, and you can feel it in the density of cafés, bookshops and coworking spaces around Freedom Square. The Musa Jalil Theatre of Opera and Ballet and the Tatar State Conservatory also rise here. The centre’s evening life largely revolves around this cultural hub.

For technological development, the city has Innopolis. This young satellite town lies 40 kilometres south-west of Kazan. It was conceived as a Russian IT campus and today it is a self-sufficient ecosystem with a university, a technology park and developers’ offices.

From the centre of Kazan it is easy to make day trips not only to Innopolis but also to the UNESCO heritage sites: the island town of Sviyazhsk (about 60 km down the Volga) and the capital of medieval Volga Bulgaria — Bolgar (about 180 km).

How to get there and how to get around

There are three ways to travel from Moscow to Kazan, and each has its own appeal:

Plane: the flight takes about an hour and a half. Base fares start from 3,500 ₽. Kazan Airport (KZN) is 26 km from the centre. You can reach Kazan-1 railway station by aeroexpress (about 30 minutes) or bus No. 197.
Train: six or more services run daily. Travel time is 11–14 hours. Seated tickets start from 1,212 ₽. The overnight train remains one of the most popular options.
Car: since December 2023, thanks to the M-12 “Vostok” highway, the drive from Moscow to Kazan has been cut to about 6.5 hours.

Inside the city, you have at your disposal:

Metro: one line with 11 stations, opened in 2005 for the city’s millennium.
Surface transport: an extensive network of trams and buses. Fares can be paid with the “Kyrlay” card or a bank card.
Taxis: inexpensive, with an average fare across the centre of 200–350 ₽.

An honest tip: the historic centre of Kazan is compact, and between the Kremlin, Bauman, the embankment and the Old Tatar Quarter it is often faster and more pleasant to walk.

Seasons and atmosphere

Kazan has a moderately continental climate with clearly defined seasons. Summer here is mild: in July the daytime temperature reaches about +25 °C, with nights around +16 °C. By mid-month the Volga is ready for swimming.

Winter is snowy and cold: in January, daytime temperatures hit −6 °C and nighttime down to −12 °C. By December the city transforms: the illuminations come on around the Kremlin and Bauman, the ice rink on the embankment is flooded, and Ak Bars matches are played at the Tatneft Arena.

By May it is already almost summery: the air warms up to +18 °C, and navigation on the Volga starts at the beginning of the month. September holds at +17 °C and gathers fans of “golden Kazan” without the crowds. The quietest and cheapest months to visit are April and October. The weather can be changeable then, but hotels offer more available rooms.

A particular feature of Kazan is that there is no strict division between tourist and ordinary zones. Crowds of visitors and KFU students always walk along Bauman Street in the evening. In a café near Freedom Square you will most likely meet more locals, and at a restaurant in the Old Tatar Quarter you will hear both Russian and Tatar at the next table. This is what creates the main feeling of Kazan: the cultural double layer is not shown off — it is simply part of daily life.

Who Kazan is for

Kazan offers several scenarios at once for different kinds of travellers.

For a short weekend: the classic “Kremlin + Bauman Street + embankment + Old Tatar Quarter” route covers nearly all the main points.
For families with children: the Rivyera water park, the longest urban ice rink in winter, the Bowl sports complex with a view of the Kremlin and the Kyrlay amusement park will not leave anyone bored.
For food tourism: the concentration of national cuisine in one district and dozens of culinary master classes will immerse you in the world of Tatar dishes.
For a winter trip: the illuminations, hockey matches and the residence of Kysh Babay, the Tatar Father Frost, create a festive mood.

Among the 528 hotels in the catalogue you will find an option for any taste and budget: from the three-star Irbis from 5,500 ₽ to boutique projects such as Nogay from 21,630 ₽. It will be convenient to browse and compare offers on the hotels in Kazan page.