We come to Kazan with pleasure time after time and already know the city and its surroundings well. Based on our walks and trips, we have compiled a complete overview of the sights of the capital of Tatarstan: both super popular and little-known to tourists. Find out what you should definitely see in Kazan and what is better to miss! Use our routes for independent walks for 1, 2, 3 and 4 days. We provide prices, addresses and advice.
Discount on excursions
When traveling, we buy excursions on the Tripster website - there is a huge selection and real reviews from tourists, so it's easy to choose a good guide and an interesting program. In addition, you will receive a 500 RUB discount on your first excursion by registering using this link.
Guide map
For your convenience, we have made an author's guide to Kazan in the form of an offline map for smartphones. Download our guide if you need to have all the marks and descriptions of Kazan sights at hand, but there is no time or desire to manually copy this information. This convenience will cost you 200 ₽.
What to see in Kazan in 1 day
The first day should be devoted to classical Kazan. If you don't stay anywhere for a long time, you will have time to see the main sights in one daylight:
- Kazan Kremlin (Kul-Sharif mosque, Syuyumbike tower, Annunciation Cathedral). If you have time, you can go to the Natural History Museum, but there you will spend at least two hours.
- Kremlin Street (Alexandrovsky and Chernoyarovsky passages, Peter and Paul Cathedral, Ushkova's House).
- Bauman Street with the bell tower of the Epiphany Cathedral of two million bricks.
- Old Tatar settlement, a fountain on the Kaban lake and the chak-chak museum.
We also recommend taking a tour by car in the evening Kazan or by bus - the city looks completely different at this time.
What to see in Kazan in 2 days
The second day in Kazan, tourists usually visit lesser-known sights and museums:
- The Farmers' Palace and the Kremlin Embankment.
- Museum of Socialist Life.
- Museum of Happy Childhood.
- Family center "Kazan".
If you are interested in non-touristy Kazan, I advise you to walk along the historic streets and look at the beautiful architecture. Read about which streets to walk on below.
You can have fun with children in the "Ekiyat" puppet theater. Next door is the super-tourist "Tugan Avylym", but I do not advise you to waste time on this bad taste.
What to see in Kazan in 3 and 4 days
On days 3 and 4 in Kazan, you can go to the surroundings - on your own or with a guided tour:
- Island-city of Sviyazhsk. It will take about 5-7 hours.
- Raifsky Mother of God Monastery.
- Temple of all religions.
- Innopolis.
- Tatar avyly is an ethnic village.
- House-Museum of Tsvetaeva in Yelabuga.
- Blue Lakes.
- Bolgar - Northern Mecca (it is more convenient to go with an excursion).
If you are driving your car, you can combine Innopolis and Sviyazhsk. The next day, go to the Temple of All Religions early, while there are no tourists, and then go to the Raifa Monastery. On the way back, you can swim in the Blue Lakes. Unfortunately, we did not get there, because a large-scale repair of the road was underway, and the entrance was blocked by a sign.
Well, now I'll tell you more about everything!
Kazan Kremlin
What should be seen in Kazan for those who came for the first time? We went straight to the main attraction - the ancient white-stone Kremlin. Inside the powerful walls there are civil buildings, the fabulous Kul Sharif mosque, the "falling" Syuyumbike tower, the Manezh exhibition hall, the tombs of the Tatar rulers, Christian churches of the 10th-19th centuries and several museums, of which the most interesting are the Museum of Natural History and the Hermitage -Kazan ".
The Kul-Sharif Mosque is a remake, but, admit, it is a beautiful remake, well, very harmoniously blended into the architecture of the ancient Kremlin. So beautiful that you can take pictures to the holes! Everything inside is also very beautiful. A lot of light passes through the stained glass windows, and you can endlessly admire the paintings.
It's nice to walk around the Kremlin. There are observation platforms from where you can admire panoramic views: free ones are located behind the Annunciation Cathedral and to the left of the Syuyumbike tower, if you look at its gates, and paid ones are behind Kul-Sharif, in the Preobrazhenskaya tower. From there, views open on two sides at once. The entrance costs 50 rubles.
Even more than a walk around the Kremlin, I like a walk around it. So you can feel its inaccessibility and greatness, admire the symmetry and color combination.
We go around the Kremlin to the left, from the "Kremlin" station, and go inside through the Taynitskaya tower. All tourists come through the main entrance - the Spasskaya Tower. You do not need to pay for a walk around the territory, but entrance to museums is paid - from 150 to 250 rubles, depending on the museum. Single ticket - 800 rubles. You can check prices and buy tickets online on the official website.
If you want to learn the history of the Kremlin and listen to interesting legends, take a guided tour. There are some great programs on the Tripster service:
Kremlevskaya street
What to see in Kazan for lovers of architecture and history? The Kremlin Street is beautiful - here you get the feeling that you are transported to St. Petersburg. On the street you can see architectural monuments of the late XIX - early XX centuries - Chernoyarovsky and Aleksandrovsky passages, Ushkova's House. It stretches for 1 km from the Kremlin to the campus.
Interesting excursions are held along the street:
Old Tatar settlement
To understand what the Tatar capital looked like a century and a half ago, it is worth taking a walk through the Old Tatar settlement. Local residents were expelled here after the capture of Kazan by Grozny. As a result, a unique area with national architecture was formed. Here Kazan is revealed in a new way: wooden houses, daisies on the gates, old mosques built by wealthy merchants, and a pleasant atmosphere. Good fellows from Kazan that they keep the heritage so carefully. The most beautiful streets are the pedestrian Kayuma Nasyri and the parallel Shigabutdin Mardzhani street that runs along the lake.
There is also a literary museum of the national poet Gabdulla Tukay. From the mosques I advise you to see: Burnai, Zengar, Apanaevskaya, al-Marjani.
The settlement is located in the south of the Vakhitovsky district. You can walk on it yourself for free or take a guided tour:
Lower Kaban lake and fountain
Lake Nizhniy Kaban was greatly ennobled: they built a walking area right on the water, made a light and music fountain in the lake, decorated the Theater Square with fountains and flowers, erected a monument "Riddles of Shurale". All this attracts many tourists. By the way, pay attention to the roof of the theater!
The light and music fountain is the main attraction of the lake. It was erected in honor of the 1000th anniversary of Kazan. A spectacular show accompanied by modern and national music is staged in the evenings during the warm season. The best view of the fountain opens from the corner of Teatralnaya Square, next to Marsel Salimzhanov Street.
The picturesque lake is within walking distance from the Ploschad Tukaya metro station.
Walk to the lakes on your own or take the "Old Tatar Sloboda and the Secrets of Lake Kaban" excursion.
Bell tower of the Epiphany Cathedral
This is the main skyscraper in the center of Kazan (74 meters). The construction of the bell tower a hundred and a half years ago took 2 million bricks and 50,000 rubles. It turned out soundly - every brick and every ruble was worth it.
They are allowed to visit the observation deck for 100 rubles. Interestingly, the entire bell tower is simply stuffed with security cameras, as if it were the Pentagon. Why such vigilance? To our question, the caretaker only bowed her head bitterly and whispered: "Oh, I had to, I had to! If you only knew what lewdness they used to do there before."They were curious about which ones, but the woman could not bring herself to talk about it. A deep wound, you see.
Address: Baumana, 78, building 2. Open from 10:00 to 19:00. Lunch from 12:00 to 13:00. Entrance is 100 rubles. We advise you to meet the sunset there.
Peter and Paul Cathedral
All ornamented, built in the Naryshkin Baroque style, the Peter and Paul Cathedral surprises! We are used to the fact that churches and temples are quite austere on the outside, but this cathedral is the complete opposite. Inside, it is also richly decorated, but the 25-meter gilded iconostasis is especially impressive. By the way, Pushkin, Dumas Sr. and Chaliapin visited the cathedral.
Address: st. Musa Jalil, 21. Admission is free. Try to get to the bell tower - it was closed during our visit.
Historic streets
If you are interested in non-touristy, casual Kazan, we advise you to walk along the streets of Profsoyuznaya, Karl Marx, Gorky, Dzerzhinsky, Shchapov, Butlerov, Galaktionov, Mayakovsky - in general, in these areas. You will see the city as tourists hardly know it. There are beautiful merchant houses hiding here, art school students write in the open air in cozy gardens and parks, sparrows and pigeons bathe in fountains, and local residents rush about their business. Quiet, calm, authentic. Pay special attention to the house of Kekin, Ushkova, Chukashin, the Hermitage garden and the Lyadskoy garden.
Take a guided tour of old Kazan to discover what the city was like before the revolution. If you are interested in architecture, you can find out the year of construction, architect and style at how-old-is-this.house.
House of Ushkova
This is probably the most beautiful house in Kazan! Eclectic, like many merchant houses in the city, it is beautiful not only on the outside, but also on the inside. The interiors of the house in the styles of Gothic, Empire and Chinoise, a winter garden with rare plants, stained glass windows by the French master Charles Champignol are impressive even from photographs. It's amazing how all this has survived! Now the building houses the National Library. You can get inside only with a guided tour, but, unfortunately, we did not have time.
You need to sign up for an excursion in advance by calling 8 (843) 238-79-00. Saturday and Sunday are days off. Price - 300 rubles. The last tour takes place at 16:00. Address: Kremlin street, 33.
House Kekin
The eclectic apartment building of the millionaire merchant Kekin is a massive and remarkable building from 1903-1905. The architecture combines neo-Gothic, and Moorish motives, and modern. The architect was Heinrich Rusch, who designed a lot of things in Kazan, for example, the bell tower at Bauman and the Aleksandrovsky passage. It is curious that this was the first building in Kazan, during the construction of which electric light was used, so the work did not stop even at night.
Address: Gorky, 8 / Galaktionova, 9.
Chukashev's house
Not far from Kekin's house, opposite the Lyadsky Garden, there is another eclectic miracle of Kazan. Its architecture combines Baroque, Rococo and Art Nouveau. The house was built in 1908 and belonged to the merchant brothers Chukashev. Now the State Committee for Tourism is located there.
Address: Gorky, 19.
Mergasovsky house
The beautiful but crumbling Mergas House is a monument of constructivism. This is the first constructivist building in the city and the first high-rise building with running water. The house was built in 1928, but people from there were resettled only recently, when it was given emergency status. Now you cannot get inside, it is surrounded by a fence. It is unclear whether they will restore it - I hope so.
Address: Dzerzhinsky, 18.
Lyadsky garden and "Marusovka"
If you are tired of long walks around the city, we advise you to sit at the fountain in the Lyadsky garden and watch the swimming sparrows and pigeons drinking water, bask in the sun or cool down in the shade of the trees - depending on the weather. The garden is pleasant and picturesque, with plein airs for beginner artists.
Well, then take a look at "Marusovka" - this is a restaurant with a cozy summer veranda. As far back as 100 years ago, Marusovka was called a hot area where beggar students, prostitutes and other dark personalities lived. Gorky once lived here. In the story "My Universities" he writes: "And now I live in a strange, cheerful slum -" Marusovka ", probably familiar to more than one generation of Kazan students."
Address of "Marusovka": Shchapova, 37, at the corner of Lyadsky garden.
It is pleasant to hide from the hustle and bustle in the Hermitage - a quiet green oasis in the middle of the city, more like a forest park. There are no cafes and attractions, here you can relax your soul.
The garden was founded at the end of the 19th century. Many trees grow here, most of which have bent trunks. According to urban legend, the plant anomaly is caused by the difficult past of this place. In the middle of the 19th century, a noble estate stood here, and its despotic owner punished the serfs for the slightest offense, brutally killed, and buried the bodies in the courtyard of his house.
The park is located in the Vakhitovsky district of the city, on Shchapova street. The entrance is free.
