Public transport in Kazan

Overview

Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, is served by a compact and modern public-transport network built around a single metro line, supplemented by buses, trolleybuses and trams. The Kazan Metro (Russian: Каза́нский метрополите́н; Tatar: Казан метросы, romanized: Qazan metrosı) opened on 27 August 2005, making it the newest rapid-transit system in Russia and the seventh to open in the country. It is operated by the municipal company MetroElektroTrans (МетроЭлектроТранс).

For a visitor, the system is easy to use end to end. The metro runs daily from 06:00 to 00:00, with trains every five minutes at peak times and an end-to-end journey of roughly 22 minutes. All information and announcements are given in three languages — Russian, Tatar and English — so you can navigate without speaking Russian. Signage at major stations is bilingual, and the system was the first Russian metro to offer English announcements.

Ground transport (buses, trolleybuses and trams) generally runs from about 06:00 to 22:00, with intervals lengthening in the evening. Many stops have electronic boards showing route numbers and arrival times, and vehicle positions can be viewed on maps and mobile apps. Note that marshrutkas (minibuses) have been discontinued in Kazan, so you will rely on full-size buses, trolleybuses, trams and the metro.

The network

Kazan's public transport combines a metro, suburban and long-distance rail, surface transit and seasonal river boats.

Metro — Central Line (Центральная линия, Tsentralnaya liniya): The only operating metro line, shown in red on maps. It runs north–south across the city with 11 stations and about 16.8 km of track. From south to north the stations are: Dubravnaya (Дубравная), Prospekt Pobedy (Проспект Победы), Gorki (Горки), Ametyevo (Аметьево), Sukonnaya Sloboda (Суконная Слобода), Ploshchad Tukaya (Площадь Тукая), Kremlyovskaya (Кремлёвская), Kozya Sloboda (Козья Слобода), Yashlek (Яшьлек), Severny Vokzal (Северный Вокзал) and Aviastroitelnaya (Авиастроительная). Ametyevo is the only above-ground station, built on a glazed flyover over a road valley. Kremlyovskaya is the main tourist station, giving direct access to the Kazan Kremlin, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as the Qol Sharif Mosque, the Annunciation Cathedral and the Söyembikä Tower. Ploshchad Tukaya and Kremlyovskaya sit at opposite ends of Bauman Street, the main pedestrian street, with the line running beneath it.
Second metro line — Volzhskaya Line (Волжская линия, Volzhskaya liniya): Under construction since 2019. It is planned to have 12 stations in total, with the first four stations of the initial section (about 5.4 km) expected to be completed around 2027, creating the system's first interchange.
Suburban and long-distance rail: Kazan has two major railway stations. Kazan-1 (Old Station, Казань-1) is the downtown terminus for long-distance and suburban trains, about a 10-minute walk from Kremlyovskaya metro station. Kazan-2 (New Station, Казань-2, Восстание Пасс.) lies in the northern part of the city next to Severny Vokzal metro station. A suburban train also runs to Yoshkar-Ola (about 3.5 hours).
Trams and trolleybuses: Both operate as part of the same surface network and fare scheme as buses. Trolleybus routes 20 and 21, for example, link Ploshchad Tukaya metro station with the central bus station area.
Buses: Buses are abundant and cheap and form the backbone of surface transport, though you need basic Russian to read signs or ask where buses are headed, and system maps are hard to find. Bus 97 connects the city with the area around Prospekt Pobedy metro station and the airport side of town.
Ferries and river boats: The riverboat terminal (Казанский речной порт) sits on the Volga near the central bus terminal. Local boat services operate seasonally, generally from the beginning of May to late September or early October. Hydrofoils sail from Bolgar twice daily, boats to Sviyazhsk depart from pier 8, and the most frequent connection is the shuttle to Verkhny Uslon village on the opposite bank.

Tickets & fares

Kazan uses a flat-fare system, and fares are approximate and change, so always check current prices locally. The following figures come from recent sources and should be treated as a guide rather than a guarantee.

Metro single ride: A single journey costs about 46 roubles (one source lists 35 roubles, and another gives a range of 27–55 roubles depending on payment method).
Metro payment methods: You can pay with tokens bought at the cash desk or from vending machines, with smart cards, or with contactless bank cards (Visa, MasterCard, Mir), NFC and the SBPay app. A token is inserted at the turnstile.
Metro smart cards and passes: The metro sells smart-tokens valid for one day and smart cards (passes) valid for several trips or a specified length of time. One source describes a smart card costing about 45 roubles for the card plus about 27 roubles per trip, sold for 1–49 trips. Multi-ride tickets such as 10-ride and 20-ride cards offer more economical prices.
Discounted fares: Discounted fares are available for pensioners, students and children. Children under 7 travel free — arrange this with the controller at the entrance rather than taking a child through the turnstile with you.
Ground transport fares: Paying cash to the driver or conductor costs about 35 roubles. A transport card brings the trip down to about 27–30 roubles, but the card itself costs about 75 roubles to buy and must be topped up; one card cannot pay for several people. A contactless bank card gives you the same reduced rate as a transport card and is the recommended option for tourists.
Where to buy: Metro tickets are sold at station ticket machines and manual counters. The ground-transport "electronic transport card" is purchased at post offices or JSC Gorpechat kiosks and topped up at post offices, Bank of Tatarstan, Bank of Kazan and Eleksnet terminals.
Tourist options: A hop-on hop-off double-decker tourist bus covers the major sights on a 15 km ring route with 10 stops, taking about 1 hour 15 minutes. Tickets are bought from the driver on boarding: adults about 900 roubles, children aged 5–15 about 800 roubles, and under-5s free. The ticket is valid for two days (48 hours) and includes an audio guide in nine languages, headphones and a city map. It runs May–October 10:30–21:00 and November–April 10:30–19:30, with intervals of up to 30 minutes. Main boarding points are Tukaya Square and May 1 Square in front of the Kremlin entrance.
Bike rental: The Veli'k city rental scheme operates from April to October with seven automated stations in the tourist centre. A subscription costs about 30 roubles for one day or 50 roubles for three days, purchased online, with your user number and PIN sent by SMS. The first 30 minutes are free, the next hour costs about 50 roubles, and subsequent hours about 150 roubles per hour.

From the airport

Kazan International Airport (KZN) lies southeast of the city, quite far from the centre, and is served by several public-transport options.

Aeroexpress train: Aeroexpress trains run from the main railway station, Kazan-1, with roughly a two-hour interval. Travel time is about 20 minutes, and a second-class ticket cost around 200 roubles in 2013 — treat this as an outdated figure and check current prices.
Bus 97: Bus 97 links the airport area with Prospekt Pobedy metro station, which is about 15 minutes from the city centre. The ride takes roughly 40 minutes, but the bus runs on a somewhat irregular schedule between 05:30 and 18:00 with 30–40 minute intervals.
Taxi plus metro: You can take a taxi to the nearest metro station, Prospekt Pobedy, and continue into the centre by metro. A taxi from the railway station to the airport takes about 60–90 minutes and starts from around 600 roubles when ordered in advance, though it can run well above 1,000 roubles if you hail a random cab at the terminal without bargaining.

Etiquette & customs

Kazan's transit follows the general customs of Russian and former Soviet metro systems, with a few local touches.

Escalators: Stand on the right and keep the left side clear for people walking past.
Queuing: Queues are generally orderly; wait your turn at ticket counters and board in an organised way.
Priority seating: Seats near the doors are reserved for the elderly, disabled passengers, pregnant women and those with small children. Offer your seat if someone needs it.
Quiet and consideration: Keep noise down, avoid loud phone conversations and be mindful of other passengers, especially at peak times.
Eating and drinking: Avoid eating and drinking on the metro; it is not the done thing and can attract the attention of station staff.
Rush hour: Trains run every five minutes at peak times, but carriages fill up. Let passengers off before you board and move down the carriage rather than blocking the doors.
Security and photography: Security is taken seriously. Stations are fitted with CCTV cameras and each has its own police group for public order. Professional photography is prohibited in the metro.

Official links

Survival terms

Subway/metro — метро (metro) — metro
Ticket — билет (bilet) — ticket
Line — линия (liniya) — line
Entrance — вход (vkhod) — entrance
Exit — выход (vykhod) — exit
Transfer — пересадка (peresadka) — transfer
Single fare — одна поездка (odna poyezdka) — single ride/fare
Day pass — проездной на день (proyezdnoy na den) — day pass

Before you travel, download a route-planning app and check the current metro fare and operating hours on the official Kazan Metro site, since prices and schedules change and the sources here may be out of date.