Sights and entertainment of Tatarstan

In addition to attractions in the city of Kazan there are many interesting tourist places throughout the Republic of Tatarstan. This, for example, the famous ancient city of Bulgarians, a unique island-city of Sviyazhsk, Raif monastery, etc. most of these places can be visited with excursions, which are offered in all travel agencies of the city. Some of them, unfortunately, are not so popular that group excursions are organized there, and you can visit them only by private car or by commuter transport. Read more about all the interesting tourist places of the Republic of Tatarstan outside Kazan, ways to get to them, cost and opening hours.

Raifa monastery

Raifa Bogoroditsky monastery (or simply Raifa) near Kazan in Tatarstan has the status of an object of cultural heritage of the Russian Federation and is the largest of the 9 operating monasteries of the Kazan diocese, and one of the largest in Russia. It is surrounded by a picturesque pine forest, on the shore of Lake Sumy, which are part of the Raifa section of the Volga-Kama Reserve.

The monastery is an attractive sightseeing tourist destination, which is most often visited in the form of a one-day bus tour from Kazan, or in the form of an independent trip by car or bus. It is also an important place of pilgrimage.

Tourists here are interested in a unique architectural ensemble, more than four hundred years of history of the monastery itself, and, of course, the atmosphere of this place. As they say in such cases, this place is very "salted". You can freely walk around the monastery, go to the temples, of course, observing the rules of behavior and clothing. Be sure to look at the vodosvyatnaya chapel, to which water is supplied from the consecrated artesian well – the Raif spring. The chapel is located in the courtyard of the monastery and is accessible to all comers. You can not only drink consecrated water, but also collect it with you. Read more about the Raif monastery and photos here.

Island-city of Sviyazhsk

Sviyazhsk is an island city located near the mouth of the Sviyaga river, 60 kilometers from Kazan. It appeared in the middle of the XVI century as a military fortress, and today it is a unique monument of Russian antiquity, the historical, architectural and Art Museum "Island-City Sviyazhsk", and one of the most visited sights of Tatarstan. Tourists are interested in its history, unique atmosphere, the spirit of Orthodox culture, architectural monuments, authentic frescoes of the XVI century. Here every street, every house has its own history.

Most of those who come to Sviyazhsk are tourists vacationing in Kazan. You can buy in the travel agencies of the city an excursion by bus or boat, or come here yourself. Access to the island is free, and visits to individual museums are paid extra. Usually one day is enough to see all the sights and museums, but some tourists stay here longer, for which there is all the necessary minimum tourist infrastructure: several hotels, cafes and restaurants, shops. Learn more about Sviyazhsk and photos here.

The Great Bulgarian

Great Bolgar (Bulgar) – ruins of an ancient city on the banks of the Volga River near the modern city of Bolgar, 180 kilometers from Kazan (Bolgar on the map), one of the main attractions of Tatarstan. In 2014, it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

This is a very interesting and large-scale attraction, which is definitely worth a visit during a trip to Tatarstan. Usually Bulgars are visited in the form of excursions from Kazan, but this place is worthy of an independent visit from the neighboring regions of Tatarstan. A full and detailed inspection of all its attractions and museums with excursion accompaniment can take two days, while ordinary tourists have half a day to see the most interesting places here.

On the territory of the ancient city, the Bulgarian state historical and architectural museum-reserve was created, a kind of open-air museum, which includes many historical monuments, architecture, museums. Access to the territory of the Museum-Reserve is free, entrance to individual attractions and museums is paid. In addition to the attractions on the territory, beyond its borders there are also several must-visit places: small town, White Mosque, bread Museum. Read more about the Great Bulgarians and photos here.

Yelabuga

Elabuga is a small provincial town in the Republic of Tatarstan, 210 kilometers from the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, Kazan, on the banks of the Kama River (Yelabuga on the map of Russia). The city is quite small, the population is only 73 thousand people, but along with Kazan it is one of the oldest settlements in the Republic. Officially celebrated its millennium in 2007, although its history is associated with the events of an entire archaeological era, called the ananyin culture and dating back to the IX-III centuries BC. A more modern history of Yelabuga is associated with the names of poetess Marina Tsvetaeva, artist Ivan Shishkin, and writer Nadezhda Durova.

Yelabuga can hardly be called the center of tourist attraction. There is a very poorly developed tourist infrastructure, few hotels, almost no entertainment for tourists. However, due to the presence of unique attractions Yelabuga is one of the best provincial cities in Russia for sightseeing tourism, and has good prospects to become a popular tourist destination. In the meantime, Yelabuga is visited by very few tourists, and most of them are enthusiastic travelers trying to find new interesting places and attractions for themselves.

You can see the whole city and its sights in 2 days, you should not linger here for tourist purposes. Learn more about Yelabuga here.

Chistopol

Chistipol (Chistipol, Chistay) - a city in the Republic of Tatarstan on the banks of the Kama River, 140 kilometers from Kazan (Chistopol on the map of Russia. The city is small, the population is slightly more than 60 thousand people, while it is a moderately visited tourist place.

In Chistopol, tourists rarely stay for long. Most often it is visited in the form of a bus or river excursion from Kazan for one day, or road travelers make a stop on the way. Indeed, Chistopol is a worthy place for an excursion visit accompanied by a guide, but self-inspection of local attractions will hardly be exciting. The set of interesting places of Chistopol includes several museums, monuments, temples and mosques, but you will not see anything outstanding or original here. The architecture of the city also stands out little among other provincial cities.

Despite all the rave reviews and descriptions of Chistopol on tourist sites selling tours and excursions to this town, we would recommend very carefully studying the reviews and descriptions of its attractions on independent sites before deciding on an independent trip or excursion here. Once again, there is something to see from the sights, and excursions to this city from Kazan are offered for good reason, just keep in mind that sophisticated and independent tourists may be somewhat disappointed. Learn more about Chistopol here.

Blue lakes

Blue lakes in Tatarstan – one of the few natural attractions worthy of tourists. Moreover, a protected nature reserve was formed around the lake. There are three blue lakes, the most popular of which is the Big Blue Lake.

Lakes are of karst origin, so the water in them is always crystal clear and always cold. Unusual color is given to them by mineral deposits on the bottom. The water itself is very mineralized, as is the mud that is used by the local sanatorium for treatment. However, do not rush to drink water and smear yourself with mud from the bottom, this can not be done, and you are more likely to cause harm to health. The lakes have no tributaries, are fed by springs, and therefore the water here throughout the year is kept in the area of +4℃. This, by the way, is one of the reasons why walruses like to swim here, including in summer.

On the shore of the lakes there are changing rooms and bridges for swimming, around nature and relatively clean air. In general, this is a wonderful place to come here for a few hours to relax and admire the unusual wonder of nature.

If you want to stay here longer, there are several Glades for setting up tents and making a fire in mangalas, but you can not do this on the shores of the lakes themselves. Learn more about blue lakes here.

Sights of Tatarstan on the map