# Bauman Street, Kazan > Kazan's main pedestrian street, running from the Kremlin to Tukay Square. It's free and open around the clock. In about an hour you pass the Epiphany bell tower and the Chaliapin statue, the Kazan Cat and Catherine the Great's carriage. Plenty of shops and cafés — but for a proper meal, step into a side street. Web page: https://yesgo.io/russia/kazan/bauman-street - City: [Kazan](https://yesgo.io/russia/kazan), Russia - YesGo score: 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 1 h - Opening hours: Open 24/7, every day; shops and cafés keep their own hours - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Free - Open: 24/7 — it's a public street - Metro: Kremlyovskaya at the Kremlin end, Ploshchad Tukaya at the other — neighbouring stations on the same line - From the train station: Walk along Chernyshevskogo Street, ≈ 10–15 min - Length: ≈ 1.3 km (some guides say almost 2 km) - Bell tower climb: Not always open — check hours and price at the cathedral - Payment: Foreign Visa and Mastercard cards don't work in Russia — bring roubles in cash - Time needed: ≈ 1 hour at a stroll, 2 with a café stop - Coordinates: 55.78722, 49.12167 - Facts checked: 29.10.2026 ## Key facts - **Kremlin to Tukay Square** — the street runs from Millennium Square by the Kremlin to Tukay Square (source: English and Russian Wikipedia: Bauman Street) - **1897** — the Epiphany bell tower was completed — then the tallest building in Kazan (source: Russian Wikipedia; Tonkosti travel guide) - **1930** — renamed after the revolutionary Nikolay Bauman, who came from Kazan (source: English and Russian Wikipedia; Great Russian Encyclopedia) - **1552** — Ivan the Terrible's army blew a breach in the Kremlin wall — hence the old name Prolomnaya, “Breach Street” (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **Nogai Road** — the street's name back in the days of the Kazan Khanate (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **1731–1756** — the stone Epiphany Church was built — the singer Feodor Chaliapin was baptised here (source: English Wikipedia; Tonkosti travel guide) - **1999** — the Chaliapin statue by the bell tower was unveiled, for his 125th birthday (source: Tonkosti and Sputnik8 travel guides) - **2009** — the Kazan Cat statue appeared outside the Hotel Kazan (source: Tonkosti travel guide; Cyclopedia) - **1767** — Catherine the Great visited Kazan — a copy of her carriage stands on the street (source: Russian Wikipedia; Tonkosti travel guide) - **722 km** — to Moscow, says the “Kazan Zero Meridian” compass set in the paving (source: Russian Wikipedia) ## Things to see on Bauman Street, from the Kremlin end - **Monastery of St John the Baptist** — right at the start, facing the Kremlin. - **St Nicholas Cathedral** — white, with a baroque bell tower, at No. 5. - **The Kazan Cat** — outside the Hotel Kazan. Legend says Kazan cats were sent to St Petersburg to catch mice in the Winter Palace. Rubbing the cat for luck is the local habit. - **Catherine the Great's carriage** — a copy of the one she rode into Kazan in 1767, by the Kachalov Theatre. - **Kachalov Drama Theatre** — Kazan's Russian drama theatre, in a 19th-century building rebuilt several times. - **The “Zero Meridian” compass** — set in the paving, with distances to the North Pole, New York and Moscow. - **Epiphany bell tower** at No. 78 — the street's landmark. Next to it stands the **Chaliapin statue**: the great bass was baptised in this church. - **The clock at Tukay Square** — Kazan's classic meeting point at the far end. ## How to get to Bauman Street 1. Take the metro to Kremlyovskaya for the Kremlin end, or to Ploshchad Tukaya (Tukay Square) for the other end. 2. They're neighbouring stations on the same line — walk the street one way, ride one stop back. 3. From Kazan's main train station (Kazan-Passazhirskaya), walk along Chernyshevskogo Street towards the Kremlin — about 10–15 minutes. 4. At the Kremlin end, walk up through the Spasskaya Tower into the [Kazan Kremlin](https://yesgo.io/russia/kazan/kazan-kremlin). ## Is Bauman Street worth it? Yes — as the way into the Kremlin. It takes about an hour, costs nothing, and lines up Kazan's best-known statues and a fine bell tower on a single walk. It's lively in the evening, when the lights come on and street musicians play. Don't expect hidden gems: much of it is souvenir shops and chain cafés. Treat it as a pleasant stroll between the metro and the Kremlin, not a destination on its own. > **Bring cash in roubles** Visa and Mastercard cards issued abroad have not worked in Russia since March 2022 — in shops, online or at cash machines. Bring roubles or exchange money at a bank in Kazan for souvenirs, cafés and the metro. ## A short history One of Kazan's oldest streets, it followed the **Nogai Road** in the days of the Khanate. After Ivan the Terrible's army blew a breach in the Kremlin wall in 1552, it became **Prolomnaya** — “Breach Street” — and later Bogoyavlenskaya, after the Epiphany Church. Before the revolution this was the city's commercial heart, lined with banks, shops and hotels. In 1930 it was renamed after **Nikolay Bauman** (1873–1905), a revolutionary born in Kazan. Trams and later trolleybuses ran here; today it's pedestrians only. ## Where to eat on Bauman Street Dozens of cafés line the street, from chains to Tatar places serving echpochmak (triangular meat pies) and chak-chak, the honey-soaked dough dessert. On the street itself you pay for the location — a block away the same food is calmer and usually cheaper. Chak-chak and souvenirs are sold almost everywhere. Compare a couple of shops before buying: prices vary. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Starting at the Kremlin end, finishing at Tukay Square - [ ] An hour for the street, 2–3 more for the Kremlin - [ ] Comfortable shoes — it's all cobbles - [ ] Roubles in cash - [ ] Phone charged for the cat and the carriage - [ ] Coming back after dark to see it lit up ## Bauman Street vs the Kremlin and Kul Sharif | | Bauman Street | Kazan Kremlin | Kul Sharif Mosque | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | Pedestrian street | Fortress, museums, cathedral | Kazan's main mosque | | Entry | Free | Grounds free, museums paid | Free | | Open | 24/7 | Day and evening | Daytime, except prayer times | | Time needed | ≈ 1 h | 2–3 h | 30–45 min | | Best time | Evening, lit up | Daytime | Sunset, from outside | You don't have to choose: Bauman Street leads straight to the Kremlin, and Kul Sharif stands inside it. Short on time? Walk the street in the evening and give the day to the Kremlin. ## Kazan's historic sights compared Every historic sight in Kazan rated by YesGo. - [Kul Sharif Mosque](https://yesgo.io/russia/kazan/kul-sharif-mosque) — YesGo score 73/100 (Yes, go) · 40 min · Free (museum 250 ₽) - [Kazan Kremlin](https://yesgo.io/russia/kazan/kazan-kremlin) — YesGo score 71/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h · Grounds free; museums 200–800 ₽ - [Söyembikä Tower](https://yesgo.io/russia/kazan/syuyumbike-tower) — YesGo score 66/100 (Yes, go) · 15 min · Free, outside only - [Kazan Federal University](https://yesgo.io/russia/kazan/kazan-university) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · Outside free, museums from 350 ₽ - [Bauman Street](https://yesgo.io/russia/kazan/bauman-street) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free - [Sviyazhsk](https://yesgo.io/russia/kazan/sviyazhsk) — YesGo score 32/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · Island free, museums 1,000 RUB - [Raifa Monastery](https://yesgo.io/russia/kazan/raifa-monastery) — YesGo score 28/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free ## Central Kazan in half a day Bauman Street, the Kremlin, Söyembikä Tower and Kul Sharif Mosque — all on foot. 1. [Bauman Street](https://yesgo.io/russia/kazan/bauman-street) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free 2. [Kazan Kremlin](https://yesgo.io/russia/kazan/kazan-kremlin) — YesGo score 71/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h · Grounds free; museums 200–800 ₽ 3. [Söyembikä Tower](https://yesgo.io/russia/kazan/syuyumbike-tower) — YesGo score 66/100 (Yes, go) · 15 min · Free, outside only 4. [Kul Sharif Mosque](https://yesgo.io/russia/kazan/kul-sharif-mosque) — YesGo score 73/100 (Yes, go) · 40 min · Free (museum 250 ₽) ## Good to know Many Russian cities have a Bauman Street — this is the one in Kazan. Signs and metro maps use Cyrillic: Bauman Street is “улица Баумана”, Kremlyovskaya is «Кремлёвская», Tukay Square is «Площадь Габдуллы Тукая». ## Tips - Walk it twice: by day on your way to the Kremlin, and again after dark for the lights. - Start at the Kremlin end and you'll finish right at Ploshchad Tukaya metro. - Get your photo with the cat and the carriage in the morning, before the queue. - Eat a block off the street — quieter and usually cheaper. - After the Kremlin, see [Kul Sharif Mosque](https://yesgo.io/russia/kazan/kul-sharif-mosque) — inside the Kremlin, a 10–15 minute walk from the start of the street. ## Questions ### Is Bauman Street free? Yes. It's a public pedestrian street, free and open 24/7. ### What is there to see on Bauman Street? The Epiphany bell tower and Chaliapin statue, the Kazan Cat, Catherine the Great's carriage, St Nicholas Cathedral, the Kachalov Theatre and the Zero Meridian compass. ### Where is the Kazan Cat statue? Outside the Hotel Kazan on Bauman Street, at the corner of Musy Dzhalilya Street. It has stood there since 2009. ### Which metro station is closest to Bauman Street? Kremlyovskaya at the Kremlin end and Ploshchad Tukaya at the other — neighbouring stations on the same line. ### How long does it take to walk Bauman Street? About an hour at an easy pace with stops; around two if you sit down in a café. ### How long is Bauman Street? About 1.3 km according to Wikipedia; some guides say almost 2 km. ### Is Bauman Street worth visiting? Yes, as the walk into the Kremlin. It isn't worth a special trip on its own — it's a stroll, not a museum. ### Can I pay by card on Bauman Street? Cash and Russian Mir cards work. Visa and Mastercard cards issued abroad don't work in Russia, so bring roubles. ### Who is Bauman Street named after? Nikolay Bauman (1873–1905), a revolutionary born in Kazan. The street took his name in 1930. ## How we checked The street is free and open around the clock, so there are no official prices or hours. Facts are checked against at least two sources. Sources disagree on the length — about 1.3 km (Wikipedia) or almost 2 km (guides) — so we show both. The year it became pedestrian is given as 1986, 1987 or 1996, and the bell tower's height as anything from 62 to 74 m, so we leave both out. Whether the bell tower viewing deck is open, and its price, isn't confirmed by the cathedral — marked “verifying”, as is the walking time from the station. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Bauman Street; Wikidata Q1593247 - Russian Wikipedia: Улица Баумана (Казань) - Great Russian Encyclopedia: Nikolay Ernestovich Bauman - Tonkosti travel guide: Bauman Street; Chaliapin monument - Tripster journal: Bauman Street — what to see on Kazan's main pedestrian street - Sputnik8: Chaliapin monument; Epiphany bell tower - Visa and Mastercard statements, March 2022 — suspension of operations in Russia --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.