Astrakhan

Astrakhan is in the south-east of European Russia, in the Caspian Lowland, in the lower reaches of the Volga river. The region is a part of the Southern Federal District and is a border region: by land it borders on Kazakhstan, and on Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan by sea. The Volgograd region and the Republic of Kalmykia are the Astrakhan region’s neighbours within the Russian Federation.
The area of the region is 49,000 m². The region consists of 11 rural areas, 442 villages and settlements. Besides the regional center there are 5 towns in the region – Akhtubinsk, Kamyzyak, Znamensk, Kharabali, and Narimanov.
Over 1 million people live in the Astrakhan region. Half of them live in the regional center, Astrakhan City.
Astrakhan is famous for its cultural traditions, dating back to the remote past. Representatives of over 140 nations and nationalities live here. All world religions have found here their adherents. A native, poet Velimir Khlebnikov called Astrakhan the triangle of Christ, Mohammed and Buddha.
In spite of its multinational structure, Astrakhan has always been and still remains one of the most politically stable regions of Russia.

By plane

• Narimanovo airport

  phone: +7 8512 393317
  address: Aeroportovskiy proyezd (Аэропортовский проезд), 1
  This is class III international airport with capacity of 400 passengers per hour. Air carriers “Siberia”, “UTair”, “Airflot”, “Avianova”, “AZAL”, “SKAT” perform regular flights to Moscow, Baku, Aktau, Yerevan. There are international and charter flights to Turkmenistan (Turkmenbashi), Ukraine, Kazakhstan (Alma-Aty) and other CIS and foreign countries. It is planned to organize domestic flights to Saint-Petersburg and Voronezh.

By bus

• Astrakhan Bus Station

  phone: +7 851 2214444
  address: Ulitsa Anri Barbyusa (улица Анри Барбюса), 29в

By train

• Train Station

  address: Ulitsa Vokzalnaya, 1
  from May to September Direct trains run from Moscow via Volgograd to Astrakhan every other day. Linked by rail to the east (Atyrau and Kazakhstan) and the south (Makhachkala and Baku). There are more direct trains to Saint Petersburg, Baku, Kiev, Brest.

By boat

• Port of Astrakhanin the summer, a lot of domestic Russian cruise ships operate lines from Moscow to Astrakhan. The journey takes approximately 10 days along the Volga, but this is an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experience.

By car

Transport network of the region is constituted by over 7,000 km of automobile roads, 65 active ferries and 275 bridges. International transport corridor E-40 “West-East” crosses Astrakhan region. It links Western and Eastern Europe with Kazakhstan, Central Asia and China through the south of Russia (Rostov-on-Don, Volgograd, Astrakhan).
Besides, roads M-6 “Kaspiy” Moscow (Kashira) – Astrakhan, Astrakhan – Elista – Stavropol, Astrakhan – Atyrau (Kazakhstan) play an important role in the transport infrastructure of the Astrakhan region.

Public local transport is mainly provided by trolleybusses, busses and minibuses which is called marshrutkas.
Astrakhan districts
1. Kirovskiy (Кировский)
2. Sovetskiy (Советский)
3. Leninskiy (Ленинский)
4. Trusovskiy (Трусовский)

Bridges

• New BridgeTaking E40/P22 Road over the Volga River.

• Northern BridgeTaking E40 Road over the Volga River.

• Old BridgeTaking A154 Road over the Volga River.

• Magnitogorskaya Bridge

  address: Ul. Magnitogorskaya
  Bridge over Kutum.

• Ivanovskiy BridgeOver the First of May canal.

Astrakhan tourism has a clearly defined trend – fishing and hunting. Our region occupies 25-30% of Russian market for fishing and hunting, which have already become the brand of the Astrakhan region. At the same time other kinds of tourism are developing, such as cultural and educational tourism, eco-tourism, cruises, business travelling and event tourism.

Kremlin

• Astrakhan Kremlin

  address: Ulitsa Tredyakovskovo (ул. Тредиаковского), 2

• Artillery Tower

• Assumption Cathedral

  phone: +7 8512 444647, +7 8512 443947

• Cathedral Trinity

• House of Archbishop

• Guardhouse

• Cyril Chapel

• Crimean Tower

• Zhitnyaya tower

• Nikolaj Gate Tower

Museums

• Astrakhan Regional Museum

  phone: +8 512 525062
  address: Ul. Sovetskaya (ул. Советская), 15
  - Exhibitions: "Nature of the Astrakhan region", "Fishes of the Volga- Caspian basin", "Living history of the earth", a unique archaeological exhibition "Gold of Nomads ", "Astrakhan in the XIX.-early.XX centuries", "Astrakhan in the XX century", "Astrakhan governor" and an ethnographic exhibition "History and Culture of the Astrakhan region ". Armory Hall extra cost!

• Picture Gallery of Dogadin

  address: Ul. Sverdlova (ул. Свердлова), 81

Others

• Armenian House

  address: Ul. Sovietskaya (ул. Советская), 9
  This building is the council of the Astrakhan Region.

• Indian House

• Novodevichy Monastery

  address: Ul. Sovietskaya (ул. Советская), 29

• Black Mosque

  address: Ul. Z. Kosmodemyanskoy (З. Космодемьянской улица) 48, Ul. Musy Dzhalilya 22

• Red Mosque

  address: Ul. Spartakovskaya (Спартаковская), 62

• White Mosque

  address: Ulitsa Bera (улица Бера), 15
  1809-1810.

• Our Lady of Assumption

  address: Ulitsa Babushkina, 81
  Roman Catholic church (1778).

• Monument to Peter the Great

  address: Prospekt Gubernatora Anatoliya Guzhvina

• Cathedral Prince Vladimir

• Church of St. John

• Ribnii Rinok Selenskie Isady

  address: Intercession Square,3a
  Close to the train station and bus terminal. Here you can find every sort of smoked, dried (vyalenaya) and other fish at very affordable prices. In particular, such Astrakhan delicacies: smoked sturgeon, Balyk from the beluga, etc.

• State Opera and Ballet Theatre

  address: Ul. Maksakovoy (ул.М. Максаковой), 2

*

Akademia Piva

Cozy beer restaurant in the city centre with its own brewed beer. Offers bottled and about a dozen draught beers. Russian and European cuisine.

• Azimut Hotel Astrakhan

  phone: +7 851 232-68-39
  address: Kremlevskaya str., 4, Astrakhan
  242 rooms, 3 stars. Free wi-fi, 24/7 reception desk and other facilities. Credit cards accepted (including American Express).

• Park Inn Astrakhan

  phone: +7 851 229 0120
  address: Ulitsa Anri Barbusa, 29

• Hotel Privetleviy

  address: Ulitsa Borisa Alexeeva 65a
  5 rooms,

Consulates

• Iran

  phone: +7 851 239-5602, +7 851 239-5603
  address: Zhelyabova street, 3

• Kazakhstan

  phone: +7 851 225-1885
  address: Akvarelnaya street, 2B

River cruises down the Volga operate during the summer months (early May to end of September). Dozens of boats operated by different companies run from Moscow to Astrakhan. One way or return cruises may be reserved to/from practically any city along the Volga. Turflot.ru and infoflot.ru are several sites that offer tours.
Sample price for cruise: Moscow to Astrakhan (one-way) with three daily meals is approximately US$500.