Image by Tim Makins / Getty Images

Volga Region

The Volga (Волга), one of Europe’s great rivers, winds for some 3530km through Russia’s heartland and has been a part of the continent’s longest ‘highway’ since time immemorial. The stretch of the Volga between Nizhny Novgorod and the Caspian Sea forms a rich and fascinating cultural region with over a dozen different ethnic groups, most notably the Volga Tatars. Travelling along or alongside the river you encounter spectacular hilltop kremlins in Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan and Astrakhan, bombastic architecture in Volgograd, numerous lively provincial capitals and picturesque stretches such as the Samara Bend. This natural beauty culminates in the magnificent Volga Delta south of Astrakhan, a vast region of reeds and waterways. West of the Volga River, Kalmykia takes in a windswept area of steppe that is home to the Buddhist Kalmyks, who originate from western Mongolia.

Explore Volga Region

0

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Volga Region.

  • Monument

    Mamaev Kurgan

    Known as Hill 102 during the Battle of Stalingrad, Mamaev Kurgan was the site of four months of fierce fighting and is now a memorial to Soviet fighters…

  • Historic Building

    Stalin’s Bunker

    Samara hides a creepy piece of WWII history. This was the place Stalin was to be relocated to in the event that the Germans took Moscow. The never-used…

  • Historic Site

    Kremlin

    Built on remnants of an earlier settlement, Nizhny Novgorod’s magnificent kremlin dates to 1500–15 when Italian architect Pyotr Fryazin began work on its…

  • Museum

    Memorial Apartment of Andrei Sakharov

    The nondescript flat where dissident scientist Andrei Sakharov, father of Russia's hydrogen bomb, spent seven years in exile after protesting the 1979…

  • Museum

    Rukavishnikov Mansion

    This exhibition space is located inside a 19th-century mansion once belonging to the Rukavishnikov merchant family. You can wander through the rooms on…

  • Cable Car

    Cable Car

    Connecting Nizhny Novgorod with the unattractive settlement of Bor across the Volga, this cable car offers a spectacular 13-minute ride. In winter there…

  • Historic Site

    Kremlin

    The kremlin on top of Zayachy Hill is a peaceful green haven. Its walls and gate towers were built in the 16th century using bricks from the ruins of the…

  • Historic Site

    Kazan Kremlin

    Kazan’s striking kremlin is home to government offices, pleasant parks, museums, the enormous Kul Sharif Mosque and other religious buildings. Among the…

  • Museum

    Chak-chak Museum

    Interactive museum dedicated to traditional Tatar food and drink, particularly sweet 'chak-chak', balls of dough that are baked in honey and served on…

  • Museum

    Goncharov Museum

    Writer Ivan Goncharov grew up in this three-storey house, which today is one of Ulyanovsk's most important museums. It tells the story of the house itself…

  • Museum

    Soviet Lifestyle Museum

    Kazan's most unusual museum, packed with Soviet knick-knacks, is proof that Russia's socialist epoch fostered a lively contemporary cultural scene –…

  • Mosque

    Kul Sharif Mosque

    The Kul Sharif Mosque was completed in 2005 and is named after the imam who died defending the city against the troops of Ivan the Terrible in 1552. The…

  • Church

    Assumption Cathedral

    Dating from 1698–1720, the Assumption Cathedral dominates the kremlin grounds and is decorated inside with attractive frescoes.

  • Museum

    Engels Regional Museum

    The highlight of the Engels Regional Museum is not its military hardware, which hammers home the point about what WWII was about (ie defeating Germany),…

  • Historic Site

    Old Tatar Settlement

    This assemblage of historic timbered buildings, dating mainly from the 17th and 18th centuries, marks the quarter where ethnic Tatars were forced to live…

  • Cemetery

    Rossoshka Memorial Cemetery

    This reconciliation cemetery, near the village of Rossoshka, 35km northwest of Volgograd, marks the final resting place of some 20,000 fallen Soviet…

Top experiences

Whether it’s a guided tour of a historic landmark, private tasting of local delicacies, or an off-road adventure — explore the best experiences in Volga Region.

  • Activities