If you have two or three spare days in Moscow, Kazan is the single best add-on to your trip. The thousand-year-old capital of Tatarstan sits where Europe meets Asia on the Volga River, and its UNESCO-listed Kremlin — where a grand mosque and an Orthodox cathedral stand side by side — is one of Russia's most striking sights. This guide covers how to get there from Moscow, what to see in one to two days, and what to eat. (Not to be confused with Kazan Cathedral — that's a church; this is the city of Kazan.)
How to get to Kazan from Moscow
Kazan is about 800 km east of Moscow. You have three realistic options, and for a weekend the plane is usually the smart choice.
| Option | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Plane (fastest) | ~1 h 25 min | Frequent daily flights from SVO, DME and VKO to Kazan (KZN); from around 3,500 RUB. Best for a 2-day trip |
| Train (overnight) | ~11-14 h | Comfortable day and overnight services from Moscow's Kazansky station; choose the branded "Tatarstan" (002Й) or the double-decker (023/024) and save a hotel night |
| Car (M-12 "Vostok") | ~8 h | The new M-12 toll highway makes driving fast; good if you want to stop en route |
Book flights and trains early — for tips on paying with a non-Russian card (Visa and Mastercard don't work inside Russia), see our guide on buying flights with a foreign card. A pre-booked private transfer makes the airport-to-centre leg painless.
What to see in Kazan
The Kazan Kremlin (UNESCO)
Start at the Kazan Kremlin, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the symbol of the city. Inside its white walls, the vast blue-and-white Qolşärif (Kul Sharif) Mosque — one of the largest in Europe — stands a short walk from the Orthodox Annunciation Cathedral, a rare, powerful image of Tatar Muslim and Russian Christian cultures coexisting. Don't miss the leaning Söyembikä Tower, Kazan's answer to Pisa.
Bauman Street and the old town
Bauman Street is the city's lively pedestrian spine — cafés, street performers, souvenir shops and historic facades. From there, walk the Kremlyovskaya Embankment along the water, and if you have time, visit the colourful Temple of All Religions just outside the centre and the atmospheric Old Tatar Quarter around Lake Kaban.
