Ufa (Russian: Уфа́ oo-FAH) is the capital of Bashkortostan.

Understand

Ufa
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D       45     −10 −19       37     −8 −18       26     0 −11       34     11 0       37     20 7       58     25 12       61     26 14       60     23 11       53     17 6       62     8 0       53     −2 −8       51     −7 −15 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation+Snow totals in mm Average of Ufa
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D       1.8     15 −1       1.5     18 0       1     31 12       1.3     52 32       1.5     68 44       2.3     76 53       2.4     78 56       2.4     73 52       2.1     62 43       2.4     46 33       2.1     29 17       2     20 6 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation+Snow totals in inches

Ufa is one of the largest (with over a million residents) and most beautiful cities in Russia.

The city was founded in 1586.

Get in

Flights arrive at Ufa International Airport (UFA  ^IATA). There is at least one flight a day to Moscow and to St. Petersburg. There are also flights to Turkey.

Airport lies southeast of the city and not so far from the city center. A taxi from the train station to the airport takes about 25-35 minutes and can cost $15-25. Public transportation to and from the airport is uncomplicated, as there is direct bus service between the airport and the city center.

Get around

There are mashrutkas and buses that go all over the city and run very frequently. These can be hard to figure out if you can't read Russian so look up the route on yandex before heading out. Pay right before getting off, not as you get on. The drivers will make change for 50 or 100 ruble notes.

See

Statue of Salavat Yuliev - In the summer there are beautiful gardens around the statue and in the winter there are huge ice slides.

Victory Park - Park dedicated to the Great Patriotic War located in the Chorney Kofka part of Ufa. It has many monuments, artillery guns and a tank.

The House Museum of Lenin - Dostoevsky, 78 - Entry: 25 rubles.

Buy

Mega is a huge mall outside of the city with an Ikea, Ashan Hypermarket, H&M, and many other stores.

Eat

Budget

Mado Bistro ul. Lenin 16, just opposite to McDonald's, offers meals for about 200R and is recommended by Lonely Planet.

Tasty Tramcar in the square outside of Guest's Yard (mall) on Lenin, only in the summer. Good cheap schwarma and donuts. The schwarma is like a Russian burrito. ~70 rubles per person.

Lido Pushkin, 94 or Mendeleev, 201b - cheap tasty crepes. Don't eat anything from the hot bar.

In the summer there are good places for schashlik everywhere, usually in squares or outside of malls. ~300 rubles per person.

Mid-range

Indochina ul. Communist 80, - a great Chinese restaurant, one of the few places in Ufa where you can get something that is spicy. They have normal Western-style Chinese dishes such as egg rolls, sweet and sour pork, etc. and a few unusual things as well. ~500 rubles per person

BeerBerry ul. Komsomol 140, - European and Japanese food and good beer, and the wheat beer is particularly good. The menu has pictures so it's easy to order if you don't speak Russian. ~600 rubles per person

Raisins ul. Gogol 60/1 - Great Uzbek food and reasonably priced hookahs. They have belly dancers and live Eastern music on some nights. ~500 rubles per person.

Brau Haus ul. 50 years of October 19, inside of "Flames of Ufa" entertainment complex. European restaurant and microbrewery. Good dark beer, sausages and other food. On weekends they have live music but there's a 200 ruble per person entrance fee, and the music is not that good. ~500 rubles per person without the entrance fee.

Splurge

McHighlander ul. Karl Marx 24/1 - Scottish themed restaurant and microbrewery. Good Scottish eggs and it has excellent decor. ~800 rubles per person

If you are in business and want to have a nice dinner, go to LaRuch restaurant as it is not cheap but is really nice.

Nice Ufa restaurants are Svoya companiya, Gedza, Japonika, DelMar, 1st Kalyannaya, Jet, A Kafe, Prospect.

Sleep

There are several nice hotels in Ufa: President Hotel, Bashkortostan Hotel, Amaks-Tourist Hotel and Azimut, but the best are Eurasia Hotel, President Hotel and Bashkortostan Hotel as they are the most comfortable. President Hotel is located in the city but in the forest zone. Bashkortostan Hotel located in the historical part of the city on Lenina Street.

Lime Ufa offers short term apartments.

• 1 Holiday Inn Ufa, 2 Verkhnetorgovaya Square, ☏ +7 347 216-47-56, info@hiufa.com. 193 comfortable and modern rooms and suites, restaurants and cafes, flexible conference and banquet facilities and gym. First hotel in Russia with Open Lobby Concept. (updated Nov 2015)