Peter and Paul Cathedral

Museum of 1000 years of Kazan

It's an awful long walk all the way out to this new museum (if you are getting cold and tired hop on any of the buses heading up the hill and get off at the theatre), housed in the Kazan National Cultural Centre. However along the way you will gain a real insight into the city's growth as you pass the many beautiful historic old buildings and imaginative new ones which make up this diplomatic area of the city. This museum was built to honour Kazan's millennial birthday in 2005 and a collection of ancient artifacts, scriptures, pictures and maps trace the city's history. Behind the museum is a great view out over the Kazanka river.

National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan The building which houses this museum is an impressive example of the grand 18th Century architectural style which was brought to Kazan during Peter the Great's reign. Inside is a museum mostly dedicated to Tatar arts and crafts and culture over the last few centuries.

Peter and Paul Cathedral

Decorated in the so-called Naryshkin style, this beautiful 18th Century cathedral was built to commemorate Peter the Great's visit to the city in 1726. Featuring a vibrant and distinctive exterior decoration - the roofs are covered in bright blue and white tiling while the peachy walls are decorated with bright baroque floral patterns - it's a rare example of the Russian baroque movement. The lower chapel based in the tower was used in the winter (it is smaller and has no windows). The upper part of the church (reached by climbing the steep stone staircase) has tall ceilings and unusually for an Orthodox church - windows which let in a special ethereal light effect at certain times of day. The highlight of the cathedral is its huge iconostasis covered in precious metals and stones and the view over the town from the top of the church steps.