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Samara is a major city in Samara Oblast, Russia, on the left bank of the Volga at its great bend, famous for its long Volga embankment, Stalin's Bunker, the upright Soyuz rocket of the Samara Space Museum, Zhigulevskoye beer and the wooded Zhiguli Mountains across the river.
Founded as a fortress in 1586, Samara grew into a rich merchant city on the Volga trade. As Kuibyshev from 1935 to 1991, it became the wartime reserve capital of the Soviet Union and later a centre of the space industry, where Soyuz rockets are still built today.
Visitors stroll the embankment and the old merchant streets, tour the bunker and museums, and take boats across the river to the Zhiguli hills. Summer is the best season, with beaches, river cruises and long warm evenings on the Volga. The old town also keeps many wooden houses and Art Nouveau mansions from its merchant era.
The Samara Embankment is a long promenade beside the Volga in Samara, lined with beaches, cafes, sculptures and fountains for several kilometres. Locals come to walk, cycle and swim in summer, and the sunsets over the forested Zhiguli hills across the river are famous. It is the heart of city life.
Stalin's Bunker in Samara is a secret shelter built in 1942, about 37 metres underground, for Stalin while the government was evacuated to the city, then called Kuibyshev. He never used it, and it stayed hidden until 1990. Guided tours lead down to the meeting room and his office.
Glory Square in Samara crowns the high bank of the Volga, with the Monument of Glory, a tall column topped by a worker holding wings, unveiled in 1971. An eternal flame honours the fallen of the Second World War. Steps lead down through parkland towards the river embankment.
Kuibyshev Square in Samara is one of the largest city squares in Europe, framed by the Samara Opera and Ballet Theatre and lined with trees. It hosts parades, concerts and winter fairs, and a large statue of the revolutionary Valerian Kuibyshev stands in front of the theatre.
The Samara Space Museum displays a real Soyuz rocket standing upright on a tall pedestal, a striking landmark of the city where these rockets are built. The museum below shows spacecraft parts, a descent capsule and the story of Soviet and Russian spaceflight. It is popular with families.
The Alabin Museum is Samara's main museum of regional history and nature, founded in the 1880s and named after Peter Alabin, a former mayor. Its galleries cover the Volga region from prehistoric times, with fossils, archaeology, folk crafts and the city's later history. Allow about two hours.
Iversky Monastery is an Orthodox convent founded in 1850 on the Volga bank in central Samara, close to the old brewery. Its domed churches rise above walled gardens, and the nuns welcome quiet visitors. Women should cover their heads, and modest dress is expected.
Pokrovsky Cathedral in Samara is an Orthodox church built in the 1860s on Leningradskaya Street and remains one of the main working churches of the city. Its rich interior is filled with icons and frescoes. Services are held daily, and quiet visitors are always welcome.
Strukovsky Garden is the oldest public park in Samara, laid out in the mid-19th century on the high bank of the Volga in the historic centre. Shady paths, flower beds, a fountain and old trees lead down towards the river, and summer evenings bring music and strollers. It is a pleasant place to rest.
The Zhiguli Brewery in Samara was founded in 1881 by the Austrian businessman Alfred von Vacano on the Volga bank, and it gave its name to Zhigulevskoye beer. Its old brick buildings still stand, and locals queue at the brewery's outlet to buy fresh beer. It is a true local tradition.
The Zhiguli Mountains are the wooded hills on the far bank of the Volga opposite Samara, inside the great river bend known as the Samarskaya Luka. Part of a national park and nature reserve, they offer hiking trails, cliffs and wide views of the river. Boats and buses make easy day trips.
Shiryaevo is a village on the Volga in the Zhiguli hills, reached from Samara by river boat in summer. The painter Ilya Repin made studies here for his famous Barge Haulers on the Volga, and a small museum tells the story. Hilltop paths give fine views over the river and the hills.
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