Kazan, Russia

Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. It at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the right to brand itself as the "Third Capital" of Russia. In 2009 it was chosen as the "sports capital of Russia".

The Kazan Kremlin was declared a World Heritage Site in 2000. Major monuments in the Kremlin are the 5-domed 6-columned Annunciation Cathedral (1561–62) and the mysterious leaning Soyembika Tower, named after the last queen of Kazan and regarded as the city's most conspicuous landmark.

Also of interest are the towers and walls, erected in the 16th and 17th centuries but later reconstructed; the Qol-Şarif mosque, which is already rebuilt inside the citadel; remains of the Saviour Monastery (its splendid 16th-century cathedral having been demolished by the Bolsheviks) with the Spasskaya Tower; and the Governor's House (1843–53), designed by Konstantin Thon, now the Palace of the President of Tatarstan.

Next door, the ornate baroque Sts-Peter-and-Paul's Cathedral on Qawi Nacmi Street and Marcani mosque on Qayum Nasiri Street date back to the 18th century.

Things to See & Do

* Kazan Kremlin
* Bauman Street
* Suyumbike Tower
* Kul Sharif Mosque
* State Hermitage Museum in Kazan

General Information

Cruise Season – March - Dec
Currency – Ruble (RUB)
Language – Russian
Population – 1,143,546 approx
Land Area – 425.3 km²
Electricity – 2 round pins European style.
Time – UTC plus two four hours
International Country Telephone Code – + 7

Port Location – The port is located on the Volga River.

Travel Links - The airport in Kazan is the headquarters for Tatarstan Airlines, which serves several cities in Russia and flies some charter flights to destinations like Turkey and Egypt. In addition to Tatarstan Airlines, Aeroflot, S7, SkyExpress, and UTAir fly between Kazan and Moscow, and Rossiya Airlines also flies to Kazan from Saint Petersburg. Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines are the two international carriers which currently have scheduled flights to Kazan.

Kazan is easy to reach by train, as it is a major station stop for several west-east trains. Depending on the train, travel from Moscow's Kazan Station can be as short as 11 hours. A direct train from St. Petersburg's Moscow Station takes 25 hours.

There are two bus stations in Kazan — Central and Southern. Bus routes connect Kazan with all districts of Tatarstan, Samara, Ufa, Tolyatti, Orenburg, Ulyanovsk, Cheboksary, Sterlitamak, Buzuluk, Baki and Aktobe.