Flights to Kazan
Kazan is 1.5 hours from Moscow. Up to 15 flights daily. From St Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Sochi — direct flights every day.
Kazan is more than the Volga. Two worlds in one city.
Best fares
Hotels in Kazan
The best hotels are in the centre near the Kremlin and Kazanka embankment. Prices 30–40% lower than Moscow.
Districts of Kazan
When to visit Kazan
Kazan welcomes year-round. July — Sabantuy, the main Tatar festival. Winter is cosy and festive.
Ready-made tours to Kazan
What you need to know before you go
Transport
Metro — one line. Yandex Go more convenient for journeys. Buses — 28 ₽. Kazan is compact: Kremlin, Bauman, Old Settlement — all walkable.
Cultural respect
Kazan is a Muslim city. In mosques — headscarf for women, covered shoulders for men. Locals appreciate respect for traditions.
Tatar cuisine
Echpochmak, chak-chak, kystybyy, peremyach, katyk, kumis. Tugan Avylym — with theatre. Kolkhoz Market — for delicacies.
Connectivity
All operators work. Sales.Travel eSIM — from 4 € per week, QR activation. Current plans on the eSIM page. Wi-Fi everywhere.
Must-try experiences
UNESCO 2000. Kul Sharif Mosque and cathedral in one kremlin. Söyembikä Tower — leaning 1.9 m.
The white-stone kremlin on a hill — the only place in the world where a mosque and an Orthodox cathedral share the same foundation. Enter free through the Spassky Tower: azure domes of Kul Sharif Mosque, 16th-century Annunciation Cathedral, Söyembikä Tower leaning 1.9 m. Inside — a museum of Tatar history and panoramic views over the Kazanka.
Kazan's Arbat. 1.5 km, cauldron of happiness, Kazan Cat monument, cafés and theatres.
One and a half kilometres of pedestrian pleasure from the Kremlin to Black Lake. Rub the cauldron of happiness — they say your wish comes true. Photograph the Kazan Cat by the Town Hall. Drop into Tasty Coffee, try Tatar pastries at Katyk and don't miss the chak-chak shop with tastings.
Ethnographic restaurant in the Old Settlement. Tatar cuisine + folk songs and dances.
'Native Village' — a wooden ethnographic complex in the Old Tatar Settlement. Order echpochmak with lamb, balish — a large Tatar pie, tokmach soup and chak-chak for dessert. On Fridays and Saturdays — live performances by Tatar musicians and a folk dance ensemble. Book a table in advance.
UNESCO. Ivan the Terrible's fortress 30 km away. Ferry from Kazan, 16th-century monasteries.
Ivan the Terrible built this fortress in 24 days in 1551 — the pieces were prepared near Uglich and floated down the Volga. Now the small island (900 metres long) is a UNESCO site with monasteries, wooden churches and remarkable silence. The ferry from Kazan river port takes 40 minutes. Bring a picnic — the best view of the Volga and Sviyaga confluence.
Kazan's oldest mosque, 1767. Kazan Baroque. Near the Old Tatar Settlement.
The only mosque in Kazan to survive Soviet times. Built in 1767 under Catherine II — the first mosque permitted in Russia after the conquest. Architecture — a blend of Tatar Baroque and Classicism. Entry free (Friday — Muslims only). Nearby — the Old Tatar Settlement quarter with 19th-century wooden mansions.
2018 World Cup stadium. Behind-the-scenes tour: dressing rooms, VIP boxes, pitch. Rubin matches in season.
One of the most beautiful 2018 World Cup stadiums — a pristine white bowl on the Kazanka riverbank seating 45,000. The behind-the-scenes tour takes 1.5 hours: dressing rooms, mixed zone, VIP boxes and stepping right onto the pitch. Home to Rubin — buy a match ticket early, the atmosphere created by Kazan fans is an experience in itself.
July: horse racing, kurash wrestling, treats. Enter Tatar culture from within.
Sabantuy ('plough festival') — the main Tatar folk festival held in early July. The City Hippodrome transforms into a vast festival: horse races, belt wrestling kurash, sack races, climbing a pole for prizes. Thousands of Kazan residents in Tatar costumes, treats of peremyach and chak-chak. Entry — free.
The Volga region's best market. Homemade chak-chak, balish, horse meat, kumis, Tatar curd kort.
Kazan's main market has existed since the 1920s. Everything here is authentic: kort — dried Tatar curd you won't find in supermarkets; homemade chak-chak in parchment; horse sausage kazylyk; kumis from the barrel. Come before noon — the richest selection. Two floors: lower — meat and dairy, upper — dried fruit, honey and Tatar sweets.
Hermitage exhibitions in Kazan. Kremlin embankment, contemporary exhibition centre.
The St Petersburg Hermitage's satellite is located right inside the Kazan Kremlin. A contemporary building with permanent and temporary exhibitions from the main museum's collection. Exhibitions change every 3–4 months — check the schedule before your trip. After the museum — a walk along the Kremlin embankment with views of the Kazanka and Volga confluence.