Things to do in Samara
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Stalin’s Bunker
Stalin’s Bunker, built nine storeys below the Academy of Culture and Art, never actually served its intended purpose, as Stalin decided to stay in Moscow to direct events. Unfortunately, the administration is pretty Stalinist to individual tourists – it is almost impossible to get in during the summer period when all excursion slots are booked by cruise companies. In winter, you need to call in advance to arrange a visit.
reviewed
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Kipyatok
This funky restaurant recreates the golden age of the Russian culinary arts – the early 20th century – when chefs put innovation ahead of ethnic tradition. Inventive dishes such as chicken fillet stuffed with pumpkin and pickles, or pork with cedar nuts and lemon skins are complemented by home-made kvas and mors.
reviewed
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Samara Art Museum
The Samara Art Museum exhibits mainly Russian art, including works by artists who came to the region to paint. Look for Boyarishina, given by Surikov to a local doctor who treated him when he fell ill. The museum also holds an impressive collection of early Malevich.
reviewed
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Lutheran Church
Reminiscent of a medieval German basilica, the Lutheran Church was built by a growing German population, who settled here from the 1760s under Catherine the Great’s agricultural development program. This church often hosts concerts on Sunday afternoons.
reviewed
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Pokrovsky Cathedral
The Pokrovsky Cathedral, built in 1860, was once resplendent in gold, marble and artistry. Apparently these riches proved their value during the 1920s famine, when they were sold to Finland for 32 wagons of bread for Samara residents to eat.
reviewed
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Ploshchad Slavy
Ploshchad Slavy is a memorial to Samara's role in WWII. The shiny 53m-high statue of a worker holding a pair of wings symbolises the city's aviation-related contributions: local factories produced the IL-2, known as the 'flying tank', during WWII.
reviewed
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Catholic Church
After the suppression of Polish uprisings in the Russian empire in 1830, a small group of Polish exiles settled in Samara. In 1902 this community built the Gothic Catholic Church.
reviewed
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Zhiguli Brewery
Head to the eastern side of the Zhiguli Brewery, built by Austrian aristocrat Alfred von Wakano in 1881, and fill your bottle with fresh local beer .
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Alabin Museum
The massive Alabin Museum has exhibits on regional palaeontology and archaeology, including dinosaur fossils found in the Zhiguli Hills.
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Iversky Women’s Monastery
The Iversky Women’s Monastery, founded in 1850, was home to 360 nuns, mostly daughters of local merchants.
reviewed
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Ulyanov Family House-Museum
The Ulyanov family house-museum is where Vladimir Ilych and his family lived for three years from 1890 to 1893.
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U Palycha
This Samara institution is highly recommended for the Russian cuisine. There’s live Russian folk music every night.
reviewed
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St George Cathedral
On the east side of the square, the St George Cathedral honours the heroes of the Great Patriotic War.
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Marlin
If you did not guess from the name, the fish tanks inside are a dead giveaway to this restaurant's speciality. The menu offers such delicacies as steamed lobster and sashimi, but we recommend the tried and true Russian favourites straight from the Volga.
reviewed
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Prichal
The friendly Azeri place by the cruise-ship pier does great kebabs and dolma and catfish baked in foil. We also enjoyed kofta with plum inside, but hesitated to try khan-dolma – liver, kidneys and heart in a film of fat.
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Synagogue
When the synagogue was built in 1903, it served over 1000 people, the largest Jewish community in the Volga region. The building was turned into a bread factory during Soviet times and now stands abandoned.
reviewed
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P
Samara Intour
Most useful for joining trips, known as zhigulyovskaya krugosvetka, to the Samara Bend. Also organises bicycle and rafting trips, and can help to book a Volga beach resort in the Samara area.
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Alliance Tour
Four-day bicycle tours of the Zhiguli Hills start at R4500. Also available are safaris in UAZ jeeps and caving expeditions in the Zhiguli hills. Pricing for foreigners is dual and arbitrary.
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Yakitoria
This Moscow chain is spreading the love of sushi, with outlets popping up all over Russia. If you must eat raw fish in the middle of Russia in the middle of the night, you can.
reviewed
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Papa Vito
High ceilings and tall windows overlooking pl Slavy make this pleasant Italian restaurant a popular lunch spot. The menu features salads, pastas and a huge selection of pizza.
reviewed
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Children’s Art Gallery
The landmark Engineer Klodt’s House, looks like a fairytale castle and is now occupied by the Children’s Art Gallery.
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La Cucaracha
Claims the best Mexican food east of Moscow. Although some dishes have funny Russian nuances, the guacamole does not disappoint. Live Latin music plays most nights.
reviewed
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Paper Moon
This artsy club–bar–restaurant with its funky design attracts Samara’s bohemians. Concerts and poetry readings take place almost daily.
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U-Ra
U-Ra does excursions to Zhiguli that are heavy on all things mystic and esoteric, also city tours and trips to theme parks.
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