Krasnodar is the capital of Krasnodar Krai in southern Russia, with a popolulation in 2018 of just under 900,000. Its main industries are based on agriculture and food.

Understand

In the 18th century Russia expanded south under Catherine the Great, driving out Ottoman Turkey from control of the areas north of the Black Sea. The city that grew up here was called Yekaterinodar, Catherine's Gift, and became a diverse, entrepreneurial, attractive settlement. It was fought over in the Russian civil war, and since the Bolsheviks won, they got to rename it "Krasnodar", gift of the Reds. In 1942 / 43 it was occupied by the Nazis, with much destruction and death. However many of the old town buildings have been restored, though no-one could mistake the city's landmark hyperboloid tower for tsarist architecture.

Get in

By plane

• 1 Krasnodar International Airport (KRR  ^IATA) (is 12km east of the city centre). International flights are available to/from Dubai and Vienna. Domestic flights are available to most major cities in Russia.  

From the airport, trolleybus 7 (1 hour) and minibuses 53 and 15 (40 minutes) operate service to main train station. Buses 1 and 1A operate service to the city centre. A taxi from the airport to the city centre should cost RUB500.

By train

Several trains per day operate between Krasnodar and the Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk (RUB650, 3 hours), Rostov-on-Don (RUB600, 3-4 hours), and Volgograd (RUB900, 14-16 hours).

By bus

Buses operate approximately every 3 hours between Krasnodar and the Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk (RUB350, 3.5 hours). Buses operate hourly to the Russian resort town of Anapa (RUB350, 3.5 hours). There are 6 buses per day to/from Rostov-on-Don (RUB400, 4-6 hours). There is also a daily bus to Sochi (6 hours).

Get around

By public transportation

Krasnodar has a dense network of trams, trolleybuses, city buses, taxis, the boat across the Kuban river and marshrutkas. Public transport fees are generally approximately RUB30.

See

Krasnaya (Red) Street is the main street of the city. Part of the street is closed to vehicles during evenings, when it becomes the center of nightlife.

Theater Square has largest splash fountain in Europe.

Museums

• 1 The Krasnodar Regional Art Museum Of Kovalenko, 13 Krasnaya St, ☏ +7 861 262-95-04. 
• 2 Krasnodar Regional Showroom of Fine Arts. Includes many famous works of Kuban and Russian and European artists from as early as 16th century. 
• 3 Museum of Military Technologies Oruzhie Pobedy, v. Popular with kids that like to climb on the tanks. 

Monuments

• Monument to Catherine the Great
• Sculpture of Walking Dogs - Mira 35 - Built in 2007, it was inspired by a famous Russian poet that commented on the number of dogs in Krasnodar.
• Monument to Shurik and Lida
• Monument of Cossacks writing a letter to the Turkish Sultan
• Monument to Kuban Cossacks
• Monument Avrora
• Monument A.S. Pushkin
• Obelisk In Honor Of The 200th Anniversary Of The Kuban Cossack Army
• I.E. Repin Monument
• Monument A.V. Suvorov

Religious Buildings

• St. Catherine's Cathedral
• Alexander Nevskiy Cathedral
• St. George's Church
• St. Elijah Church
• Holy Trinity Cathedral
• Chapel of Alexander Nevskiy
• Church of St. Nicholas
• Church of the Holy Libor
• St. Kazan Church

Do

• Climb the steel lattice hyperboloid tower built by Vladimir Grigorievich Shukhov in 1928. The tower likely wouldn't pass a safety inspection in most first world countries, but it is the best place to get a view of the city. The tower is near the circus.
• Watch football at Krasnodar Stadium. The home team is FC Krasnodar who play in the Russian Premier League, the top tier of Russian football. It was opened in 2016 with a capacity of 34,000. It's on the northeast edge of the city, 4 km from Krasnodar-1 main railway station (further out than the old "Kuban" Stadium). Take a bus to Vostochno-Kruglikovshaya Street.

Parks

• Rozhdestvenskiy Park of Culture and Leisure
• The Solnechny Ostrov (Sunny Island) Park
• Safari Park - Includes a zoo, but the animals are treated poorly
• Chistyakovskiy Grove Park
• Botanical Garden of Professor I. S. Kosenko
• City Botanical Garden
• Park of the 30th anniversary of the Victory
• City Park of Culture and Leisure
• Marshal Zhukov's Park
• Training Botanical Garden
• Park Druzhby
• Lynx Zoo

Theatres

Most are on Krasnaya Street

• Drama Theatre - Gorky, Ploshchad' Oktjabr'skoj Revoljucii, 2. 
• Children’s Puppet Theatre
• Philharmonic Hall
• Operetta Theatre

Cinema

• Avrora Kino, Krasnaya St 169. Built in 1967. Two movie screens, including one with a capacity of 1,200. Also includes a cafe and pizzeria. 

Entertainment complexes

Around 20 entertainment complexes are open 24 hours/day. These complexes usually include bowling alleys, shopping centers, video arcades, casinos, and restaurants.

Water amusement parks

• Equator
• Aqualand

Aquarium

• Ocean Park Aquarium, 161 Stasova St, inside Galaktika Mall. A 3,000 square meter aquarium. There are several tanks of fish to look at, including a tunnel-tank that patrons can walk under, allowing tiny sharks to swim over your head. It is best to visit during feeding time when the carnivorous fish make a gruesomely interesting scene. Be sire to feed the turtles in the koi pond -Use the RUB10 vending machine to purchase fish food. RUB400. 

Buy

Bazaars

• Vostochniy Rinok, 161 Stasova St. This outdoor assortment of booths offers the best in fresh produce and other domestic products. Be prepared to haggle/bargain, especially over non-produce items. 

Shopping malls

• Galaktika, 182 Stasova St (#10 tram north to the end of the line (Khladokombinat stop)). A more Western-style shopping experience. Galaktika includes hundreds of clothing stores, sports stores, computer stores, and an "Okey" store (which is comparable to a Walmart). Galaktika also features an aquarium, a respectable food court, and other diversions. 

Eat

Krasnodar has many restaurants, pubs, eateries, sushi bars, hookah bars, pizzerias, coffee/tea houses and fast food places. The predominant Krasnodar cuisine is a mix of south Russian, Georgian, Armenian and Greek flavors with emphasis on fresh local grown produce minimally spiced and mostly flavored by parsley, dill and cilantro.

Budget

• Lyubo-Dorogo. A popular local cafe chain. Appetizers: RUB90-280; Main courses: RUB150-350; Desserts: RUB70-110. 

Fast Food

There are several American fast food restaurants including Subway (5/2 Zipovskaya St, 149 Krasnaya St, 39 Krainyaya St, 38 Mira St), McDonald's (100 Dzerzhinsky St), and KFC (104 Uralskaya St)

Mid-range

• Borshberry, Krasnaya St 182. A great place to have borsch and beer. 
• Stan, Kubanskaya Naberezhnaya St 15 (Along the river), ☏ +7 918 330 1616. Traditional food and atmosphere. Live traditional music. Food prepared on an open fire. 
• Shanti, Ural'skaya St 79/1 (SBS Megamoll), ☏ +7 861 201-92-88. The best place to have delicious food, fun and entertainment. Karaoke and night club. 

Splurge

• Skotina, Suvorova St 64, ☏ +7 861 299 9594. Meat restaurant ans steakhouse with a great selection of wines and craft beers. 

Drink

Many popular bars are clustered off the southern end of Krasnaya (Red) Street.

• Amsterdambar, Krasnoarmeyskaya ul. 64, ☏ +7 861 251 1698. 
• Grey Bear Pub, Stavropolskaya St 133. The slogan here is 'beer, beef, and sport'. 
• Killfish, Krasnoarmeyskaya ul. 52, ☏ +7 800 333 0977. 
• McKey Pub & Restaurant, Krasnykh Partizan 218, ☏ +7 861 259 6635. Irish pub with a great atmosphere and beer selection. 
• Mr. Drunke Bar, Krasnoarmeyskaya ul. 58, ☏ +7 861 299 9594. 
• Sgt. Pepper's Bar, ul. Chapaeva 94, ☏ +7 861 944 1399. 

Sleep

Budget

Hostels

• Bla Bla Hostel, Rashpilevskaya ul. 106 (In the centre of the city), ☏ +7 861 221 2993, blablahostels@gmail.com. Dorm bed: RUB500. 
• Like Hostel Krasnodar, Dlinnaya ul. 128 (In the centre of the city), ☏ +7 928 258 4777. Dorm bed: RUB500. 
• Shukov Hostel, Kalinina 468 (In the centre of the city), ☏ +7 989 275 4288, booking@svhostel.ru. Modern and clean hostel. 24-hour front desk, free WiFi, trendy rooms with lockers and sockets. Orthopedic mattresses, linen and towels. 

Hotels

• 1 Greek House Hotel, ul. Ryleeva 165 (10-minute walk from Krasnodar city centre), ☏ +7 861 221 2993. Check-in: 12:00, check-out: 12:00. Free WiFi and simply furnished accommodation. Each room is air conditioned and offers a flat-screen cable TV. Free private parking for guests. 24/7 reception. Refreshing drinks and snacks are served at the Greek House's bar. RUB1,500. 

Mid-range

• Grand Hotel Uyut, ul. Vorovskogo 118 (Along the river; near the bridge of kisses), ☏ +7 861 226 7272. Modern hotel. RUB3,000. 
• Mozart Hotel, ul. Kubanskaya 188 (Along the river; near the bridge of kisses), ☏ +7 861 255 1001. RUB2,800. 
• Savoy Petit, ul. Kostyleva 193 (In the centre of the city), ☏ +7 861 226 7272. Wood floors, flat screen TVs, indoor pool, and a 24-hour restaurant with couches. 

Splurge

• Hilton Garden Inn Krasnodar, 25/2 Krasnaya St (10-minute walk from Krasnodar city centre), ☏ +7 861 210 2030. 4-star hotel. Free Wi-Fi, fantastic breakfast buffet, large rooms, free laundry room, work-out centre, free mini-bar, air conditioning, comfortable beds and modern bathrooms. RUB6,000. 
• Intourist (Интурист), Krasnaya ul. 109 (In the centre of the city), ☏ +7 861 268 5200. contentA 14-story hotel with a glass facade. Restaurant on the top floor. RUB5,500. 

Connect

Consulates

• Italy (Honourary Consulate), Stavropolskaya street 134, 1 floor, ☏ +7 861 267-6496, fax: +7 (861) 239-6659, consolatoSR@investa.ru. 

Go next

• Novorossiysk - Black Sea port city
• Rostov-on-Don
• Volgograd
• Anapa
• Sochi