Perm

Many travelers pass through Perm on the Trans-Siberian Railway; however, few stay here, unless they are looking for a break from train travel. Highlights of the city include a walk along the Kama River, art museums and shows, and a visit to the nearby Gulag museum.
Perm is a large industrial city situated on the Kama river banks, at the western foothills of the Ural Mountain range. With a population of approximately 1 million people, Perm is the most populous city and the administrative capital of Perm Krai. The name of the city is derived from the same place as the "Permian" period, meaning "Far-away Land". Like Yekaterinburg, the city was founded in 1723 by Vasily Tatishchev, who was sent by Peter The Great to exploit the vast amounts of ores found in the region. From 1940 to 1957, the city was called Molotov (Мо́лотов), after Vyacheslav Molotov, the minister of foreign affairs under Jozef Stalin. The city is bifurcated by the Kama River. Perm was known as the "Gateway to the Gulag" and the horrors of the Gulags are on display at a nearby museum.
During Soviet times, Perm was a manufacturing center for artillery and weapons, some of which are on display at an outdoor museum. It was a "closed city" and was inaccessible by foreigners and most non-residents. It was "hidden" and did not appear on Soviet-made maps. Gorbachev opened the city in 1990 and Perm modernized rapidly.

By plane

• Bolshoye Savino Airport

  phone: +7 342 294-97-71
  There are regular to flights to many major Russian cities including Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kirov, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Samara, Ufa, and Yekaterinburg as well as international flights to Bishkek and Dubai.

Bus #42 operates every 9 minutes between the airport and the bus station (Автовокзал) in the southwestern part of the city. Bus #35 also operates to/from the airport.

By train

When searching timetables and fares on the RZD website, enter "Perm 2" as the station for Perm. There are several daily trains to Moscow (20 hours, ).

By bus

The central bus station of Perm is on Shosse Kosmonavtov opposite the central market. There are daily buses to/from Ekaterinburg, Kazan, Izhevsk, Chelyabinsk, and many cities in Perm Krai.

By car

Although Perm lies on the "Siberian Trakt", the main motorway from Moscow to Siberia, nearby roads are of poor quality, similar to most of Russia.

By boat

Perm is accessible through its Kama river port. Passenger transportation is limited to recreational cruises to Chaikovsky, Kazan, Moscow, St. Petersburg and Volgograd. Cruise companies tend to sell return tickets only.

Perm runs for 25km along the Kama River and traveling the entire distance by bus or tram requires several transfers. Therefore, it can be hard to get around.
Tram and bus tickets each cost and can only be purchased from the driver or conductor. Transfers require the purchase of a new ticket.
Public transport operates 05:30AM-12:30AM.

• PERMM (Perm Contemporary Art Museum)

  phone: +7 342 2199172
  address: 24 Gagarina Boulevard
  The first and the only contemporary art museum in Russia.

• Perm State Art Gallery

  phone: +7 342 212-2250
  address: Komsomolsky Prospekt, 4
  One of the largest museums of arts in Russia.

• Motovilikha open-air museum

  phone: +7 342 260-59-76
  address: Year 1905 Street #20
  An impressive outdoor collection of warfare made in the city's Motovilikha factories. Includes tanks, scud launchers, and ballistic missiles that can be climbed upon.

• Diorama Museum

  phone: +7 342 267-55-82
  address: Ul. Ogorodnikova 2
  Museum detailing the armed uprising in Motovilikha in December 1905.
• Other places in this guide: https://dlink.maps.me/catalogue?id=84e91e30-0833-4366-a717-fd81c9c0722f&name=Perm%20holidays&ref=webeditor (en)

• Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre

  phone: +7 342 212-30-87
  address: Petropavlovskaya st., 25a
  One of the oldest and famous opera and ballet theaters in Russia, offers high-standard opera and ballet events.

• Olympia Swimming Pool & Spa

  phone: +7 342 2567892
  address: Mira st., 41
  Clean, modern and big swimming pool (50x25m) with diving board swimming pool

Festivals

• The International Diaghilev Festival

  address: 25а, Petropavlovskaya st.
  The festival presents different genres and art movements, styles and formats. Ancient music, research of contemporary music tendencies, extraordinary interpretations can be found side by side with academic performances. Night events are followed by early morning concerts. The festival lasts about two weeks and occupies various city venues.

• Flahertiana International Documentary Film Festival

  phone: +7 342 241-38-02
  September or October.

• White Nights in PermDaily performances in the month of June.

• ArabesqueAnnual ballet competition.

• Snow, Ice and Fire FestivalThe festival includes an international ice and snow sculpture competition with teams from all over the world competing. February.

With the city quickly developing, new shopping malls appear everywhere. Definitely worth seeing is the always crowded Central Bazaar, with uncountable kiosks and market stands, as well as huge market halls. The bazaar is located opposite the central bus station, at the very beginning of Kosmonavtov avenue. Perm also has a Chinese market, with mostly clothing being sold.

• Semya (Family) Shopping Mall

  address: Revolution street, 13
  Includes a cinema and plenty of entertainment for children.

• Iceberg

  address: Popova street, 16
  60 stores with clothing, electronics, and a beauty salon.

• Tczemlyanika (Wild Strawberry)

  address: Parkovy avenue, 17
  A large discount center.

There is plenty of Russian, Georgian, Armenian, and Uzbek food in Perm.

Budget

• Sufra

  phone: +7 342 259 07 80
  address: Monastyrskaya st. 14, multiple locations
  Good Azerbaijani food.

• Blinnaya Skovorodka (literally: "Blini Skillet")A chain of restaurants serving the famous Russian crepes.

Mid-range

• Grill-Tavern Montenegro

  address: Maksima Gorkogo, 28
  Excellent meat restaurant - cooked in a variety of methods.

Splurge

• Karin Restaurant @ Hilton Garden Inn

  address: 45 B Mira Street
  High-end fusion cuisine.

There are many cafes in the city, all of them serving also food specialties. One of the most popular bars are the Coffee City chain (Кофе Сити).

• Augustine

  phone: +7 342 212-75-04
  address: Komsomolskiy prospekt, 32
  Brewery with Bavarian food.

Budget

• Hostel P

  phone: +7 342 214-78-47
  address: ul. Lenina, 67
  Hostel has laundry, chill-out room, kitchen and friendly staff.

Mid-range

• Amaks Premier

  phone: +7 342 220-60-60, +7 342 212-24-94, +7 342 220-60-94
  address: 43 Monastyrskaya str.
  163 rooms. The staff speaks many foreign languages, including English, Italian and French. The Kama boulevard, central shopping street Komsomolsky Prospekt and the "Chaikovsky" Opera & Ballet Theater are on walking distance. The hotel has a large bar/restaurant with a very affordable a la carte menu next to its modern bowling facilities. Small swimming pool with sauna/banya in the basement.

• Astor Hotel

  phone: +7 342 212-2-212
  address: 40, Petropavlovskaya St
  A 17-room 3-star hotel.

• Gabriel Hotel

  phone: +7 342 210-12-30
  address: Permskaya, 78a

• Hilton Garden Inn Perm

  phone: +7 342 -227-67-87
  address: 45B, Mira street

• New Star Hotel

  phone: +7 342 -220-68-01
  address: Gazety Zvezda (ул. Газеты Звезда), 38-Б
  Upscale hotel. Since the building is among the tallest in the area, the top floors offer panoramic views over Perm's skyline.

• Prikamye Hotel

  phone: +7 342 270-02-40
  address: Komsomolskiy pr., 27
  Although the hotel is quite large, it has few facilities.

• Ural

  phone: +7 342 -218-62-20
  address: 58, Lenin street
  Perm's largest hotel. Apart from a wide choice of room classes, the hotel offers a wide range of facilities. Although parts of the hotel were thoroughly renovated, it still has a grey Soviet look.

• Zhemchuzhina (Pearl)

  phone: +7 342 -261-90-91
  address: Gagarina Blvd. 65-A / ул. Бульвар Гагарина, 65-А
  A 10-story building opened in 2008.

Reckless drivers are probably the biggest safety threat. Pickpocketing is common in the crowded public transport and in the Central and Chinese Bazars. Occasional drunkards may be somewhat annoying but rarely pose any menace. It is wise to stay out of city parks, Balatovo Park, during the night.

Be prepared for cold weather from November through March. Despite cold temperatures outside, nearly all indoor spaces and public transportation are very well heated.

• Kungur is the next stop on the Trans-Siberian Railway going eastward, 50km from Perm, and is famous for its Ice Caves.

• Khohlovka Museum

  phone: +7 342 299-71-81
  address: с. Хохловка, Пермский край
  A museum of wooden architecture.

• The Gulag Museum at Perm-36

  phone: +7 919-492-5756
  address: village Kutchino, Tchusovskoi region
  Prison camp Perm-36 was closed in 1988, and later turned into the only genuine Gulag museum in Russia. There is a small cinema and a few exhibitions describing life in the high security area and in the special treament area.