Practicalities

Business Travel.
The best business center in town is in the five star Hotel Mirage. Space is limited but the facilities are first class with hi-speed internet, printer, scanner and fax. The hotel also boasts high quality conference facilities. There are four halls, the largest of which holds 180 people ($875 for 6 hours) while the smallest holds 20 people ($400 for 6 hours).
Address: Moskovskaya Ul., #1a. Tel: 278-0505.
Email: info@mirage-hotel.ru, Website: www.mirage-hotel.ru.

A little cheaper but almost as good are the business facilities at the Shalyapin Palace Hotel. There are two conference halls, the larger of which holds up to 150 people and costs 15000 rubles ($555) for half a day, plus a small meeting room for up to 20 people that is rented at 4000 rubles ($148) for half a day. There is also a business center offering the full range of services where you can bring your laptop and work.
Address: Universitetskaya Ul., #7/80. Tel: 238-2800. Website: www.shalyapin-hotel.ru.

Cheaper still is the business center, more like an internet cafe, at Hotel Shushma. This hotel also has a small conference room holding up to 20 people for 500 rubles ($18) an hour.
Address: Narimanova Ul., #15. Tel: 292-9821. Website: www.shushma.ru.

Emergencies.
In case of an emergency itÕs best to contact the manager of the hotel where youÕre staying, or the local police. The operators of emergency services speak Russian only:
01 ø Fire
02 ø Police
03 ø Ambulance

If you lose your credit card you should dial the Moscow numbers listed in the Practicalities/Money section.

Health.
The chances of finding an English-speaking doctor in Kazan on short notice are minimal and there are no Western clinics in the city. If you get sick you should try to get to Moscow. If thatÕs not possible then try one of the public hospitals or clinics.

There are many pharmacies around the city and you wonÕt have much trouble finding one no matter what area youÕre in. The 36-6 chemists are quite good and there are a couple of central ones at Baumana Ulitsa, #70 and Pushkina Ulitsa, #21 (Tel: 236-6999; open 10:00-21:00). There is a 24 hour pharmacy at Tatarstan Ulitsa, #3/2 (Tel: 292-2002). And another one at Vosstaniya Ulitsa, #58 should you happen to be on the north side of the Kazanka River.

Internet Access.
There is only one real internet cafe in the center of Kazan, but you can also use the limited services at the post office and telephone office.

Internet Salon on Marksa: Really, this place is good for sending emails and not much else,

although you can connect your camera and burn CDs or print things out. The internet runs at an unbearably slow speed and there are download limits. But it is popular with Kazan teenagers playing networked computer games. One hour on the internet (or an 8MB download limit ø whichever expires first) costs 36 rubles ($1.30).



Address: Karla Marksa Ul., #35. Tel: 264-3172. Open Sun-Tue, Thur 9:00-21:00, Wed, Fri 9:00-22:00, Sat 8:00-22:00.

Main Post Office: Only has one computer and it is often busy. But the cost is only 30 rubles ($1.10) per hour and you can also do scanning, printing and CD-burning for equally low fees.
Address: Kremlevskaya Ul., # 8. Open Mon-Fri 8:00-19:00, Sat-Sun 9:00-18:00.

Phone Office: This place boasts twice as many computers as the post office, but sadly two is still not enough and there are queues. The price here is also 30 rubles ($1.10) for an hour.
Address: Corner of Pushkina Ulitsa and Profsoyuznaya Ulitsa. Open Mon-Fri 8:00-21:00, Sat-Sun 10:30-18:00.

Money Issues.
There are plenty of ATMs around the city. Obviously you can find them inside the major shopping centers GUM and TsUM (see Section "Shopping" for addresses) and in the foyers of the major hotels such as the Mirage, Shalyapin Palace and even the Tatarstan (see Accommodation page for addresses). The ATM opposite the McDonalds express window (Baumana Ul., #72a) is easy to locate at any time of day or night as is the one at Ipoteka-Invest Bank (Baumana Ul., #29). And there are many others around.

Currency exchanges are less common but the rates they offer arenÕt too bad. There is one on the main street at Ipoteka-Invest Bank (Baumana Ul., #29) and another in the entrance to the restaurant Fish (Universitetskaya Ul., #10/48). There is also one at the Mirage Hotel (Moskovskaya Ul., #1a), but the rates arenÕt quite as good there. Generally they take only $US or Euros.

Open Hours and Peak Hours.
Shops are generally open from 10:00-21:00 on weekdays but often have shorter hours on weekends, or at least on Sundays (usually 10:00 or 11:00-20:00). 24 hour shops are few and far between so can be awkward to reach. But kiosks are generally open until 11pm or midnight and there are plenty of them around. Office hours are generally 9am or 10am to 6pm.

Cafes and restaurants are usually open from midday until midnight. But there are some that open earlier (around 10am) and/or close a bit later (around 2am). ItÕs not easy finding places to eat for breakfast or for a late night snack. If you want to eat late at night your best bet is to go to one of KazanÕs clubs, which almost always have a restaurant in the same complex. There is a nice, central, 24 hour restaurant at the club Sahara.

There is never a lot of traffic in Kazan and most public transport never gets overly crowded, with the exception of the taxi vans. During peak hours (8am-10am & 5pm-7pm) the trams are a good option as their speed isnÕt affected as much by traffic.

Post Offices and Courier Services.
If you want to send something by post from Russia, you can do it either through the government post offices or by courier services - the difference is price and speed. The state post office is cheaper but very slow and sometimes unreliable. Even if you pay extra to send things by priority air mail, they can still take two weeks to reach Europe.

The Main Post Office also has an ATM and offers faxing, photocopying, internet and telephone services for low prices.

They even offer a telegraph service for old-fashioned types. There is a versatile shop inside selling film, batteries, shampoo, soap, rewritable CDs, toiletries and stationary. And, of course, you can buy stamps and send your mail from here. There are many other post offices around Kazan which offer only mailing and sometimes telephone services.











Address: Kremlevskaya Ul., #8. Open Mon-Fri 8:00-19:00, Sat-Sun 9:00-18:00.

Courier Services are much more reliable and fast but also far more expensive. A letter will take about three or four days to reach Europe and cost around $50 to send. Packages will cost more, depending on their weight.
UPS: Karla Marksa Ul., #35. Tel: 264-5377. Fax: 238-7273.
DHL: Peterburzhskaya Ul., #50. Tel: 570-7000.
Federal Express: Universitetskaya Ul., #17. Tel: 517-1027.
Pony Express: Nikolaya Ershova Ul., #35a, Office 26. Tel: 272-3213.

Safety.
Kazan seems to be a very safe city. The people are very friendly and hospitable. The center of the city is well lit at night and in general there doesnÕt seem to be the same sort of aggressive restlessness that often plagues cities of KazanÕs size. Exercise the usual amount of caution: stick to the main streets at night; if carrying large amounts of money then make sure it is well secured, etc.

It seems fairly safe to flag down any car to use as a taxi. However, you will often find that cars with more than one person will stop for you and it is not advisable to use them, especially if you are alone. That said, I took a taxi with four young men at night through KazanÕs back streets and no harm came to me. Use your discretion ø thereÕs no need to take any more precautions than you would elsewhere.

Shopping.
Baumana Ulitsa is the main shopping street. Strolling along here you will find all manner of shops, large and small, as well as specialty outlets for things like mobile phones and SIM cards, Kodak shops for photo development and pharmacies.

GUM is a fairly standard

shopping center on the corner of Baumana and Pushkina streets. There are a few brand name shops such as Nike and Dior, lots of other clothing outlets, as well as shops selling souvenirs, jewelry and accessories. A highlight of the center is the interesting art stalls on the second and third floors. There is a bar called Evrazia on the fourth floor which looks more like a fast food outlet. Also has an ATM near the entrance on the first floor.









Address: Baumana Ul., #51. Open 10:00-21:00 daily.

TSUM: Like the Hotel Tatarstan it looks very impressive

from the outside but inside is an ugly, overpriced, non-event with ancient escalators and Sheremetyevo airport style ceilings. On the bright side it has everything you could possible need in one location. It doesnÕt have any brand-name shops or chain stores, but just different outlets and stalls named after whatever they sell.


Address: Kirova Ul., #2. Tel: 292-1138. Open 9:00-22:00 daily.

Detsky Mir: A large, three-storey department store in the city center. Lots of different goods are on sale here: clothes, accessories, jewelry, cosmetics, toys and so on. Much the same as its counterpart in Moscow.
Address: Pushkina Ul., #2. Tel: 292-5234. Open 9:00-19:00 daily.

Ramstor: A hypermarket selling groceries and a large selection of household goods. Food costs more here than you will pay in markets but has the convenience of shopping trolleys and being able to serve yourself.
Address: Narimanova Ul., #170. Open 9:00-23:00 daily.

Central Market: Well worth checking out even if you donÕt need any

supplies. In the main building fruit, vegetables, dairy products and meat are for sale as well as some delicious, locally made treats such as fresh honey. A walk around the stalls seeing whatÕs on offer is an experience in itself. Outside the main building the stalls sprawl out onto the streets where all manner of food, household goods, CDs/DVDs and assorted knick-knacks can be bought.









Address: Mezhlauk Ul., #13. Open 8:00-17:00 (closed Mondays).

Telephones.
The international phone code of Russia is "7", the code of Kazan is "843". If you call to Kazan from abroad, you should dial the international access number (usually 00 or "+"), then the code of Russia "7", then Kazan (843), and then the 7-digit city number. If you call to Kazan from any place in Russia, dial 8, wait for a tone, then dial the Kazan code (843), and then the 7-digit city number. If you dial a Kazan number inside Kazan, just dial the 7-digit number, without any prefixes. The calls inside the city are free, except in hotels (check how much they charge).

The best place to make calls is at the Main Post Office (see section 7 for the address). To make a phone call, first queue for the operator, pay an advance for a call (about 50 R) and then they'll tell you what cabin to go to make a call. Once your call is finished, you can get back the money you paid, if you haven't used it all already.

But if you plan to stay in Kazan for a longer period it is very cheap to buy a SIM card with any of the local operators: MTS, Beeline or Megafon are the main ones. SIM cards cost about $3 or $4 and usually come with a few dollars of phone credit. If you already have a Russian SIM card with one of the main networks it will also work in Kazan, though you will be charged slightly higher Ôinternal roamingÕ tariffs.

Kazan Web Resources.
www.tatar.ru
A great resource that covers all of Tatarstan, with a section devoted especially to Kazan. Listed on the site is just about every contact you could need, whether youÕre going to Kazan on business or for pleasure. It has contacts of all government agencies, shops, hotels, travel agencies and so on. There are also links to job advertisements, real estate agencies, guides to Kazan nightlife, business information and maps of Kazan. The site is in Russian, Tatar and English, though the English translation is not as comprehensive.

www.kazan1000.ru
A site dedicated to KazanÕs 1000 year anniversary in 2005. There isnÕt actually a lot of information on the site but it gives some information about KazanÕs history, some of the city sights and the celebrations that were held for the 1000 year anniversary. Most of all it shows how proud locals are of KazanÕs heritage. The site is in Russian, Tatar and English, but once again the English translation isnÕt as comprehensive.

e-kazan.ru
A useful little site with news from Kazan as well job and real estate listings, and contacts for shops and travel agencies. But it is best used as a guide to Kazan nightlife (http://e-kazan.ru/recreation/) where you can find information about movies, clubs, concerts, festivals and whatever else is happening in the city. Only in Russian.

www.vipkazan.ru
Pretty much the same as Òe-kazanÓ, thereÕs not a whole lot of useful information on this site, but it does feature news from Kazan and has some nightlife listings.

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