Vakhitovsky, Kazan: living in the historic centre
Vakhitovsky, Kazan: the Kremlin, Bauman Street, the university and the Old Tatar Quarter. Who the centre suits and three scored addresses.
Contents 9 sections
What the district is like
Vakhitovsky is the historic centre of Kazan. It holds the Kremlin, pedestrian Bauman Street, the university on Kremlyovskaya Street, the Old Tatar Quarter by Lake Kaban, the theatres and the main museums.
For visitors the name means the postcard centre. For the people who live here it also means ordinary blocks behind the showpiece streets: courtyards, schools, and old houses next to new apartment complexes.
Errands on foot
In the centre everything is close. Groceries, cafes, pharmacies and banks run in an unbroken line along Bauman and Peterburgskaya streets. The only line of the Kazan metro crosses the district, with Kremlyovskaya, Ploshchad Tukaya and Sukonnaya Sloboda stations.
For a walk there are the embankments of Lake Kaban and the Kazanka River, Black Lake Park and the Hermitage garden. Schools and universities are everywhere, so during term the streets are full of students.
What we measured
The three addresses are on Bauman Street, Kremlyovskaya Street and Peterburgskaya Street: the pedestrian street, the university hill and the business quarter by a metro station.
| Address | Score | Groceries | Station or stop | School | Park | Noise and air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baumana Street, 44, Kazan | 84.4 | 1 min | 11 minKremlyovskaya | 8 min | 10 min | −1.2 |
| Kremlyovskaya Street, 18 k5, Kazan | 81.9 | 8 min | 9 minPloshchad Gabdully Tukaya | 6 min | 6 min | −4.1 |
| Peterburgskaya Street, 1, Kazan | 87.6 | 1 min | 2 minPloshchad Gabdully Tukaya | 8 min | 4 min | −1.2 |
Map numbers match the table rows. Use the plus button to zoom in.
All three are central and differ little; the interesting comparison is with other districts of Kazan. How the score works sets out the method.
Who it suits
- Students and university staff.
- Professionals who work in the centre.
- Newcomers who want to learn the city before choosing for good.
- People who do not need a car.
What it costs you
Prices are among the highest in the city. Bauman Street and the area around the Kremlin see tourists all year, especially in summer and on holidays. Many buildings are old and in mixed condition, and parking is hard to find.
What to check
If you are renting, come to a viewing on a weekend evening: a street that is calm on weekdays may turn out to be where the whole city strolls. Look at where the windows face and what occupies the ground floor. If you are buying, ask when the building went up and what its floors are made of. The centre sits on hills, so a short line on the map can be a steep climb.
The housing
It is a patchwork. Merchant mansions converted into flats stand beside Stalin-era blocks near Black Lake, Soviet five-storey buildings and new complexes on the sites of demolished quarters. The Old Tatar Quarter keeps its two-storey wooden and brick houses, though few of them are homes.
Without a car
Central Kazan is the best place in the city to live without one: the metro, the buses and the walking routes all meet here.
Neighbours
Across the Kazanka, over the bridge, begins Novo-Savinovsky district with its new buildings. South along the metro line lies Gorki. Both cost less than the centre and have a direct way into it.