Guidebook for Samara
Sightseeing
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 bunker was built nine storeys below the Academy of Culture and Art. Entry is by guided tour (in Russian), best booked a day in advance, though on some days you can simply turn up. The entrance is located behind the building, in the courtyard.
Ulitsa Frunze, 167
167 Ulitsa FrunzeSamara 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 bunker was built nine storeys below the Academy of Culture and Art. Entry is by guided tour (in Russian), best booked a day in advance, though on some days you can simply turn up. The entrance is located behind the building, in the courtyard.
Food Scene
This warm, welcoming restaurant offers authentic Georgian food and wine to an adoring public. Evening reservations are a must. Here's the place to sample kuchmachi (chicken innards, and walnuts and pomegranate seeds), khachapuri (fresh-baked bread filled with an egg), khinkali (meat dumplings) and many other favourites, all washed down with litres of red wine. The staff can help you choose.
Ulitsa Kuybysheva, 79
79 Ulitsa KuybyshevaThis warm, welcoming restaurant offers authentic Georgian food and wine to an adoring public. Evening reservations are a must. Here's the place to sample kuchmachi (chicken innards, and walnuts and pomegranate seeds), khachapuri (fresh-baked bread filled with an egg), khinkali (meat dumplings) and many other favourites, all washed down with litres of red wine. The staff can help you choose.
The ‘Old Flat’ is a total delight: a rabbit warren of tiny rooms all done up in peak Soviet-era kitsch. In keeping with the theme, the eclectic menu draws on old communist classics, such as the hamburger served with an egg on top, as well as more demanding fare. A meal to remember.
Ulitsa Samarskaya, 51
51 Ulitsa SamarskayaThe ‘Old Flat’ is a total delight: a rabbit warren of tiny rooms all done up in peak Soviet-era kitsch. In keeping with the theme, the eclectic menu draws on old communist classics, such as the hamburger served with an egg on top, as well as more demanding fare. A meal to remember.
The perfect central spot, just off pedestrianised Leningradskaya ul, to grab a coffee or cake and connect to the web via the free (and reliable) wi-fi. It's also possible to order food, mainly salads and sandwiches, though the strong suit here is coffee.
Ulitsa Kuybysheva, 95
95 Ulitsa KuybyshevaThe perfect central spot, just off pedestrianised Leningradskaya ul, to grab a coffee or cake and connect to the web via the free (and reliable) wi-fi. It's also possible to order food, mainly salads and sandwiches, though the strong suit here is coffee.
Drinks & Nightlife
Samara's own Zhiguli Brewery, 2km north of the centre along the embankment, offers a couple of diverse drinking options. Most popular on a warm day is to bring an empty plastic water bottle and fill it from a small shop inside the brewery and then walk along the river. You can also purchase smoked and salted fish to eat as a snack.
Volzhskiy Prospekt, 4
4 Volzhskiy ProspektSamara's own Zhiguli Brewery, 2km north of the centre along the embankment, offers a couple of diverse drinking options. Most popular on a warm day is to bring an empty plastic water bottle and fill it from a small shop inside the brewery and then walk along the river. You can also purchase smoked and salted fish to eat as a snack.
Arts & Culture
Easily the most important cultural attraction in the city, the Samara Art Museum exhibits mainly Russian art, including works by those 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 Kazimir Malevich works.
Ulitsa Kuybysheva, 92
92 Ulitsa KuybyshevaEasily the most important cultural attraction in the city, the Samara Art Museum exhibits mainly Russian art, including works by those 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 Kazimir Malevich works.
The Repin Museum in Shiryaevo, north of Samara, has a nice selection of Volga River paintings, including some Repin reproductions. The appeal lies less in seeing the art, however, than in experiencing this quintessential Volga village.
Sovetskaya Ulitsa, 14
14 Sovetskaya UlitsaThe Repin Museum in Shiryaevo, north of Samara, has a nice selection of Volga River paintings, including some Repin reproductions. The appeal lies less in seeing the art, however, than in experiencing this quintessential Volga village.
Ploshchad' Kuybysheva, 1
1 ploshchad' KuybyshevaThe main venue for ballet, classical concerts and opera.
Samara was one of Russia’s space program hubs during Sovietism. It was the place where the Vostok rocket – the first model of rocket to be launched into space – was assembled and the museum has an authentic one erected out front to honour this. Rotating exhibitions explain the different scientific and technological facets concerning space exploration and rockets, while the permanent collection houses rocket and technological artefacts and interactive sections demonstrating the presented technology.
Prospekt Lenina, 21
21 Prospekt LeninaSamara was one of Russia’s space program hubs during Sovietism. It was the place where the Vostok rocket – the first model of rocket to be launched into space – was assembled and the museum has an authentic one erected out front to honour this. Rotating exhibitions explain the different scientific and technological facets concerning space exploration and rockets, while the permanent collection houses rocket and technological artefacts and interactive sections demonstrating the presented technology.
Parks & Nature
Volga Waterfront.
Samara's beaches are perhaps the city's biggest attraction. In the summer they are packed with locals and holiday-makers soaking up the sun and swimming in the enticing waters of the Volga. The facilities on the beach are better than you would expect with change rooms, toilets and beach volleyball nets. If visiting Samara in summer then a swim is a must. Otherwise, traversing the full length of the beaches via the waterfront esplanade makes for a lovely stroll. Along the way you will come across many stalls selling souvenirs and other goods, numerous summer cafes boasting cheap beer and food and some of Samara's most famous sights including the Zhigulevsky Brewery.
Volzhskiy Prospekt, 50
50 Volzhskiy ProspektVolga Waterfront.
Samara's beaches are perhaps the city's biggest attraction. In the summer they are packed with locals and holiday-makers soaking up the sun and swimming in the enticing waters of the Volga. The facilities on the beach are better than you would expect with change rooms, toilets and beach volleyball nets. If visiting Samara in summer then a swim is a must. Otherwise, traversing the full length of the beaches via the waterfront esplanade makes for a lovely stroll. Along the way you will come across many stalls selling souvenirs and other goods, numerous summer cafes boasting cheap beer and food and some of Samara's most famous sights including the Zhigulevsky Brewery.