It is easy to recover from the capital of Tatarstan to travel to any region of Russia by water, land, air. Where to go from Kazan for 1 day on your own, if you prefer a quiet unhurried vacation? Feel free to choose any small city of the republic, a remote rural settlement and enjoy silence, freedom from everyday fuss.
The main thing is to understand how you want to spend this day, make a list of attractions that you want to see. You can always make adjustments to it and travel again, because the number of unique objects near the capital of Tatarstan is constantly increasing.
Innopolis
A trip to an amazing city of the future can be made near Kazan. The University of the same name is located in Innopolis. Today it is the smallest city in Russia. It occupies an area of more than 2 km², but it is worth visiting just to see the world transformed with the help of computer technology.
It was originally proposed that an IT village be built here. Then the authors of the project were inspired by the example of Singapore. And as a result, a miracle city with a population of 400 people has grown in 3 years. At its base is a capsule with a letter to future generations. The city has cozy park areas.
You can ride an unmanned taxi along the streets of Innopolis. Golf, skiing, shooting competitions are popular in the city. Innopolis has a huge sports center with a swimming pool, a large number of playgrounds. Hiking along its streets is a special pleasure due to harmonious architectural and planning solutions.
Blue Lakes
Natural monuments with similar names are found in different parts of Russia. Kazan is separated from the complex of three unique reservoirs by 20 kilometers. Lakes of karst origin are located on the territory of the reserve of the same name.
The water in them has all shades of blue. Reservoirs attract the attention of diving fans. However, the water in them is never higher than +8 ° C, so bathing without prior hardening can turn into a cold. Residents and guests visit the Blue Lakes mainly for one purpose: to improve their health.
A layer of silt and mud at the bottom of reservoirs has unique healing properties, helps to get rid of severe skin pathologies. The fauna in the vicinity of the lakes is not rich, here you can see water scorpions, snakes, beavers. Benches and gazebos for rest are installed near the reservoirs. Visiting the lakes and the reserve is free.
Sviyazhsk
Distance between this village and the capital of Tatarstan: 60 kilometers. About 500 years ago, an island city-fortress was founded here. The history of Sviyazhsk is closely connected with the name of Ivan the Terrible. On the territory of the island there were a large number of monasteries.
Many temples and church buildings were destroyed during the years of Soviet power, however, the buildings that have survived to this day impress with their power. Today Sviyazhsk serves as a major Orthodox center.
Its main attractions are cathedrals and temples. There is a museum on the island dedicated to the history of the settlement. People come to Sviyazhsk to bow to the memory of the repressed. The village has a very gloomy bloody past, but a special peace is felt on the territory due to the stunning beauty of nature.
Raifa Monastery
The history of the monastery began over 400 years ago. The monastery is located next to the lake of the same name, it is named after the Christian martyrs. The unique architectural ensemble resembles an impregnable fortress. Initially, its buildings were wooden, but after the fire, the monks began to build stone buildings.
Temples on the territory of the monastery correspond to the canons of classicism and neo-Russian styles. In pre-revolutionary times, there were more than 15 churches here. Today the architectural ensemble consists of 4 temples.
The miraculous icon of the Virgin “Georgian” is kept in the monastery, pilgrims from all over Russia come to pray to it. On the territory of the monastery there are monuments to Christian saints, including Sergius of Radonezh. There is a large flower clock on the central square of the monastery-fortress.
Temple of All Religions
The International Center for Spiritual Unity was built in the 90s of the last century. The building is considered the only one in the world. It is not intended for worship. The temple is visited by tourists just to admire the unique structure. Its architecture harmoniously combines elements of various styles.
Visiting the temple is free. Halls dedicated to Jesus Christ, Catholicism, the religion of the ancient Egyptians are constantly working here today. The 16-domed building houses an art gallery and a theater hall.
The interior of the temple is decorated in accordance with the canons of monumentalism. The walls of the halls of the center are decorated with paintings, carvings, objects of arts and crafts.
Ethnographic village “Tatar avyly”
The open-air museum in the village of Isakovo is open daily. His visit is paid. The atmosphere of an old Tatar village with its farmsteads and workshops has been recreated on the territory of the complex. In “Tatar avyly” you can learn a lot about the life of merchants, blacksmiths, weavers, potters, peasants.
Utensils, tools, furniture in houses are authentic. In the village there is a mill built by the hands of women and children during the Great Patriotic War, a wooden mosque recreated according to an old project, there is a well with crystal clear water.
On the territory of “Tatar avyly” there is a bathhouse, which, like 100 years ago, is heated in a black way, there is a petting zoo, a cafe serving dishes of national cuisine. The museum regularly hosts children's holidays, creative events, interactive games.
Bulgarian
The ancient city in the south-west of Tatarstan has now been turned into a historical and archaeological complex. His visit is paid. The cost of excursions depends on the length of the route. It is better to initially buy a single entrance ticket in order to see maximum sights in 1 day.
The first people in this region began to settle in the Neolithic era. Bolgar constantly became the scene of hostilities, belonged to different states. Naturally, on its territory you can see a variety of monuments.
The complex has a developed infrastructure, there are cafes and sports equipment rentals, a large number of museums are open. The expositions are devoted to the history of writing, crafts, biographies of great people. The largest printed Koran in the world is stored in Bolgar.
On the territory of the complex there are ancient tombs, fragments of defensive fortresses, Muslim and Christian religious buildings, a miraculous well, whose water is considered healing.
Yelabuga
People began to settle in this area more than 1000 years ago. Fragments of ancient buildings, ancient mosques, Christian temples have been preserved here. In the historical part of the city there are merchant and noble mansions, buildings of pre-revolutionary educational institutions, houses where great Russian scientists, poets, writers, artists lived.
Monuments to Vladimir Bekhterev, Ivan Shishkin, the first Russian female officer Natalya Durova were erected in Yelabuga. The house-museum of Marina Tsvetaeva operates in the city. Among the famous sights of Elabuga is the Devil's Settlement, whose first fortifications were built by the Finno-Ugric tribes.
The Nizhnyaya Kama National Park is also located here, where meadows, deciduous and spruce forests “meet” in one area. Wild boars, lynxes, roe deer, otters, beavers, martens, squirrels, more than 200 species of rare birds live in the protected area. The entrance to the national park is paid.
Cheboksary
It will not be a problem to get to the capital of the Chuvash Republic. Distance between cities: 158 kilometers. Museums are one of the business cards of Cheboksary. In them you can see large expositions dedicated to various wars, folk crafts, works of fine art, famous public and political figures.
There are 6 theaters and a philharmonic society in Cheboksary. Among the famous city attractions: the monument “Protected Mother”, monuments to Saints Peter and Fevronia, heroes of the novels of Ilf and Petrov. In Cheboksary there are sculptures of outstanding scientists, cosmonauts, revolutionaries.
The city is famous for its parks, squares, there are 7 large specially protected natural areas, including the famous Botanical Garden with an area of 177 hectares.
Yoshkar-Ola
The capital of the Republic of Mari El is rich in museums, where you can learn a lot of interesting things about the history of the city, the life of the Mari, the development of Russian art, the production of ceramics, and the manufacture of cheeses. The city is famous for its culinary traditions.
Almost every cafe and restaurant in the republic serves dishes of the Mari national cuisine. Representatives of different religions live in Yoshkar-Ola. The city has a mosque, many temples of various Christian denominations. Local residents perform their rituals in it, worshiping pagan gods, the spirits of nature and ancestors.
On the streets you can meet real tribal shamans, and the townspeople will not be surprised by this fact. The main attractions of Yoshkar-Ola are located in the historical part of the city. Pre-revolutionary houses and mansions are well preserved.
A copy of the famous Tsar Cannon, a clock with an icon of the Mother of God and moving sculptures have been installed in the capital. The squares of Yoshkar-Ola can be safely compared with museums, open-air art objects. They contain unique architectural objects, statues of the Virgin Mary, the Archangel Gabriel, clocks with moving figures of the apostles.
The city has a large number of parks, squares, sports facilities, buildings built in the styles of Gothic, Eclecticism, Classicism, Art Nouveau, Baroque. Fans of a healthy lifestyle are happy to come to the capital of the republic to take part in races and other mass events.
Chistopol
The cozy old city, 134 kilometers from Kazan, surprises travelers with its silence, cleanliness, homeliness. Its history is closely connected with the names of Russian, Soviet writers and poets: Boris Pasternak, Arseny Tarkovsky, Alexander Fadeev, Marina Tsvetaeva.
In Chistopol there are several large museum complexes united in a single system, monuments to home front workers, children of war, defenders of the Fatherland who did not return from the battlefields. Temples, mosques, old mansions, modern high-rise buildings form a harmonious architectural ensemble.
In Chistopol there are 2 parks with numerous attractions for children. The Ice Palace is open in the city, where colorful performances are regularly held. Tourists call the central square the heart of Chistopol.
Here it seems to many that time has stopped at the turn of the century, when there were no two world wars and revolutions.