The Sviyazhsk Island-grad Open-air Museum is located 60 km from Kazan, washed on all sides by the Volga, Sviyaga and Pike rivers. How to get to Sviyazhsk by train, bus, car, boat. What to see on Sviyazhsk Island in 1 day. The history of the island from Ivan the Terrible to the present day.
- How to get there
- Excursions
- When is the best time to go
- Attractions
- Museums
- What to do
- Where to stay
- History
How to get to Sviyazhsk from Kazan 2024
You can get to Sviyazhsk from Kazan both by water and by land. Depending on the type of transport, the trip will take from 30 minutes to 2 hours. We sailed to Sviyazhsk on a motor ship.
Type of transport Travel time Ticket price Train+bus 1.5 hours 140₽ Bus 1.5 hours 200₽ Car 1 hour Motor ship 2 hours 164₽ Meteor round trip 1 hour 900₽ River excursion 3.5-7 hours from 2000₽
Kazan-Sviyazhsk train and bus to the museum-reserve
- year-round, travel time 1.5 hours
Trains from Kazan depart from the Central railway station Kazan-1 (Forecourt 1a). Travel time by train from Kazan to Sviyazhsk station is 1 hour and 15 minutes schedule.
Sviyazhsk Railway Station is located 8.5 km from the museum island. There is a bus from it to the museum-reserve, the schedule of which is coordinated with the train schedule (4 round trips). The journey time by bus is 20 minutes.
Bus stop at the museum parking lot. You can also take a taxi from Sviyazhsk Railway Station to Sviyazhsk Island City.
Transfer to Sviyazhsk and back — the driver will pick you up from Kazan and comfortably take you to Sviyazhsk. Along the way, you will admire the waters of the Kuibyshev reservoir, the Volga and Sviyaga rivers, and Innopolis. On the island you will have 2 hours of free time for self-inspection.
Bus Kazan-Sviyazhsk
- year-round, travel time 1.5 hours
Buses run from Kazan to Sviyazhsk on weekends (Saturday and Sunday). Departure from Yuzhny bus stations (Orenburg ave. 207) and Stolichny (Devyataeva str. 15) schedules and tickets.
From Kazan to Sviyazhsk by car
- year-round, travel time is 1 hour
The distance from Kazan to Sviyazhsk is 64 km by car. From Kazan, drive along the M7 highway to the turn at the interchange near the village of Isakovo, then turn to Sviyazhskoye and to the island-city of Sviyazhsk. Free parking is available downstairs in front of the main entrance. Entry to the territory of the museum-reserve is prohibited.
The ship Kazan-Sviyazhsk
- during the navigation period, the travel time is 2 hours
Motor ships from Kazan to Sviyazhsk run from May to November, depending on weather conditions. Information and schedule in the group of the River port of Kazan vkontakte, reference phone: +7 (843) 2330808. Our ship left Kazan for Sviyazhsk at 9:00, and returned from Sviyazhsk at 15:00.
Kazansky Rechnoy Vokzal is located at ul. Devyataeva 1. You can get to it by buses and trams. Motor ships to Sviyazhsk depart from suburban berths. An adult ticket starts from 164 rubles. For children under 5 years old — free of charge, up to 10 years old — 50% discount.
We sailed on the two-deck motor ship “Moscow”. It was a hot sunny day and we were driving back and forth upstairs. The only drawback is the hard seats without backs. There are more comfortable seats in the lower closed cabin.
The route of the ship from Kazan up the Volga to Sviyazhsk: Kazan – Verkhny Uslon – Pechishchi – Morkvashi Embankments – Morkvashi village – Dachnaya – Rudnik – Sviyazhsk.
Excursion to Sviyazhsk by boat, back by bus
Meteor Kazan-Sviyazhsk
- during the navigation period of 1 hour
Meteors Kazan-Sviyazhsk run from the River port of Kazan from suburban berths. The cost of a round-trip meteor ticket: adult 900 rubles, children 600 rubles. Flight schedules and tickets are available online in the VKontakte group of the Kazan River Port.
River tour to Sviyazhsk island
River excursions to Sviyazhsk Island are held during the season. They are very popular, so you need to book places in advance:
- Motor boat tour
- Boat tour
Excursions to the island-city of Sviyazhsk from Kazan
Sviyazhsk is a popular tourist destination, excursions to the island city from Kazan are held daily. You can travel with a group on a tour bus or individually by a guide’s car. Most of the routes include the Raifa Theotokos Monastery and the Temple of All Religions. The cost of excursions to Sviyazhsk starts from 2000 rubles. book online.
Vladislav about the excursion “Island-city of Sviyazhsk”
A very interesting informative tour! The island itself, restored and improved by the government of Tatarstan, deserves great respect. On the way, the guide gives a complete historical picture of the formation of Sviyazhsk, in Sviyazhsk itself — a detailed overview of monuments and structures. It is definitely necessary for all tourists coming to Kazan to visit.
If you come to Kazan in your own car, the guide can go to Sviyazhsk in your car — this format of the tour is also popular and will cost less.
When is it better to go to Sviyazhsk
Sviyazhsk Island is open daily, about 700 thousand tourists visit it every year, most of them come in the summer. Before the trip, check the weather forecast and dress properly — it is always windy on the island.
The museums of Sviyazhsk are open every day. In summer (end of April — end of October) from 9:00 to 18:00, in winter (November — end of April) from 9:00 to 16:30. On holidays, the work schedule is reduced by 1 hour.
Assumption Cathedral and Trinity Church are open from May 1 to September 30 from 9:00 to 17:30 in dry weather.
The last Wednesday of each month is a sanitary day in the Sviyazhsk Museum-Reserve. According to UNESCO recommendations, any site on the island may be closed to the public without prior notice and explanation of the reasons.
The tour of the island-city of Sviyazhsk takes from 2 hours, depending on how many places you want to visit. We went around and examined everything in 3.5 hours.
There are several restaurants, cafes and grocery stores on the territory of Sviyazhsk. Fresh pastries are sold at monasteries.
Sights of Sviyazhsk
The State Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve “Ostrov-grad Sviyazhsk” is a landmark of national importance. There are more than 40 cultural heritage sites on its territory. All of them are marked on the tourist scheme “Island-city of Sviyazhsk”, which we took for free in the info tent of Kazan.
The tourist information center of the island-city of Sviyazhsk (TIC) is located at the entrance to Sviyazhsk from the side of the highway (Embankment of the Sviyagi River, 10). Information boards with a map are installed throughout the island. When visiting the facilities of the Russian Orthodox Church, shawls and skirts are given on the spot.
The Mother of God-Assumption Monastery
The Monastery of the Virgin of the Assumption was founded in 1555 and revived in 1997. The monastery is surrounded by a kilometer-long fence, giving it the appearance of a Kremlin. In the Assumption Cathedral there are unique frescoes of the second half of the XVI century. The Assumption Cathedral and Monastery are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The architectural ensemble of the monastery complex
- Fence and gate Church of the Ascension of the Lord
- Assumption Cathedral
- St. Nicholas Refectory Church
- The Archimandrite Corps
- Monastic College
- Fraternal Building (St. Herman’s Church)
St. John the Baptist Monastery
The convent in Sviyazhsk was founded in 1551, after the revolution of 1917 it became a men’s monastery. The architectural ensemble includes the buildings of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, which was abolished after a fire in 1795.
The complex of St. John the Baptist Monastery
- Trinity Church
- St. Sergius Church
- Cathedral of the Icon of the Mother of God “Joy to All Who Mourn”
- Fraternal buildings
- Pilgrim’s House
The Church of St. Konstantin and Elena
The Church of Saints Constantine and Elena is the only surviving church of Sviyazhsk in the XVI-XVIII centuries. The first rector of the church was Father Herman, the founder of the Theotokos-Assumption Monastery.
Sviyazhsk River Station
The beautiful red brick building of the Sviyazhsk River Station was built in 2011. There is a cafe inside, and they plan to open another information office for tourists arriving by motor ships. In the park in front of the station there is an exact replica of the Paul I boat.
Museums of Sviyazhsk
Entrance tickets to the museums of Sviyazhsk cost from 120 rubles, they can be bought online or on the spot at the ticket offices. Discounts for privileged categories of citizens.
It is profitable to buy combined tickets: single, special, artistic, military-historical, historical-archaeological, complex (saving 20-35%). Prices on the website of the Island-Grad Sviyazhsk Museum-Reserve.
The first Tuesday of each month is a free day of visiting the objects of the museum—reserve for individual visitors without excursion service.
The Museum of the History of Sviyazhsk
It consists of 4 buildings. The interactive exposition of the museum tells about the history of the island-city from its foundation to the present day. Here you can see a life-size statue of Ivan the Terrible, a model of Sviyazhsk of the XVI century.
Civil War Museum
The museum is located in the house where Leon Trotsky lived and worked in the summer of 1918. The museum is dedicated to the Civil War and Trotsky’s role in the Kazan operation.
In one of the rooms there is a mock-up of the Nizhniye Vyazovye station with an armored train. In another room, Trotsky’s office has been recreated, where he sits at a desk (Trotsky’s figure was reconstructed according to the dimensions sent by his grandson from Mexico).
Art Gallery
The gallery occupies two floors of the former vocational school building. On the ground floor there are 4 large-scale canvases from the Sviyazhsky Cathedral on biblical themes. The ascent to the observation deck is 350 rubles.
The Museum of the artist Gennady Arkhireev
The museum presents 30 paintings by an outstanding native of Sviyazhsk, Gennady Arkhireev (1949-2007), who is called the Kazan Van Gogh. The artist’s wife also donated his personal belongings and household items to the museum.
Museum of Tree Archaeology
The modern interactive museum of tree Archaeology “Tatarskaya Slobodka” was built on the site of a real archaeological excavation in 2010. Animated characters move and make sounds. There are about 4,700 exhibits in total. An excursion is held every hour (included in the ticket price).
Exhibition hall “Old Water Tower”
A place for temporary exhibitions of artists and craftsmen working in various techniques (photography, painting, crafts).
What to do in Sviyazhsk
In addition to museums with attractions, the Sviyazhsky Museum-Reserve organizes interesting leisure activities for adults and children.
Ethnographic complex “Horse Yard”
It is located on the site of the former horse yard of the Assumption Monastery. Here you can ride horses in the arena or in a carriage around the island. Souvenirs are sold and workshops are held in the Craft Settlement.
We went into the blacksmith shop and made a personalized horseshoe — a memorable gift for the wedding anniversary. The cost of such a master class is 250 rubles. A photo point “I love Sviyazhsk” has been installed in the stable yard and a tavern has been opened.
The complex of historical reconstruction “Lazy Torzhok”
The atmosphere of the Middle Ages is created by reenactors representing the life and crafts of medieval Sviyazhsk. You can shoot with a bow or crossbow, fight in a jousting tournament, take pictures in historical costumes.
In the “Lazy Torzhok” they sell Sviyazhsk souvenirs, hold master classes of ancient crafts. You can also eat in a historical setting, sitting on massive wooden benches.
The Garden of Reflection
We accidentally went into a kindergarten, which turned out to be a “Garden of Reflections”. Around its perimeter there are plaques with statements of famous people — philosophers, poets, writers.
“Live as if you have to say goodbye to life now, as if the time left to you is an unexpected gift”
Marcus Aurelius
Apple trees brought from the Yasnaya Polyana Museum-Reserve grow in the Garden of Reflections. Sviyazhsk has a direct connection with the history of the Tolstoy family – the ancestors of Lev Nikolaevich served as voivodes here in the XVII-XVIII centuries. This is described at the stand “The Tolstoy Family and Sviyazhsk”.
There is also a children’s leisure center “Skazka” in Sviyazhsk, where interactive educational programs for children aged 3-12 years are held (Uspenskaya str. 20).
Where to stay in Sviyazhsk
Sviyazhsk is a residential island with a population of about 250 people. There are several hotels for tourists and pilgrims. In the evening, all museums are closed and the island city is empty.
Staying in Sviyazhsk overnight, you will enjoy the silence and leisurely walk around all the sights. In summer, the demand for accommodation is very high, book accommodation in Sviyazhsk online where possible, you need to write and call other places directly.
- Mansion on Eleninskaya — double and family rooms near the river station, beautiful view from the windows, shared kitchen and living room, toilet/shower on each floor.
- The house of the merchant F.T. Kamenev is a hotel in a historical building of the XIX century. 8 double rooms of the standard, junior suite, suite category.
- The guest house is an inn, a spacious house with a view of the river, a kitchen, free Parking.
- The monastery hotel “Pilgrim’s House” is located on the territory of St. John the Baptist Monastery, 54 economy class rooms: shared and separate. Phone for booking: +7 (927) 424-99-30.
- The Sviyaga Hotel is a budget hotel with 7 rooms, facilities on the floor. Phone for booking: +7 (906) 323-59-64.
The history of the island-city of Sviyazhsk
There is an opinion that the island-city of Sviyazhsk was the prototype of the fabulous island of Buyan. In fact, Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin was in Sviyazhsk after writing The Tale of Tsar Saltan, but that’s how he imagined it.
Sviyazhsk was built in 1551 by order of Ivan the Terrible to protect Kazan. The wooden fortress city was completely made in Uglich, then dismantled and floated down the Volga. Sviyazhsk city was built in a new place in 4 weeks.
In the middle of the XVI century, the Sviyazhsk fortress surpassed the Novgorod, Pskov and Moscow Kremlin in defensive dimensions. With the growth of the number of churches and monasteries, Sviyazhsk turned from a military into a spiritual center of the Volga region.
In 1918, the ancient county town found itself in the middle of a Civil War. Leon Trotsky came to Sviyazhsk to lead the Bolshevik struggle for Kazan. On his orders, every tenth Red Army soldier was shot.
During the Stalinist repressions, the island was turned into a Gulag and a place of exile for prisoners of war. In 1937-1948, 5,000 convicts died in the Sviyazhsk colony. From 1953 to 1994, a psychiatric hospital operated in the premises of the Assumption Monastery. A monument to the victims of political repression has been erected near the monastery wall.
In recent years, Sviyazhsk has become a popular tourist center. Extensive restoration work has been carried out, churches and historical buildings have been restored, and museums have been opened. On July 9, 2017, the architectural ensemble of the Sviyazhsky Assumption Monastery was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
English 
Russian 
German 
Polish