Volga Region

The Volga Region, (Russian: Поволжье pah-VOHL'-zh'yeh) is the large region of Russia in the Volga Basin, centered along the Volga River.

Regions

Upper Volga (Chuvashia, Kirov Oblast, Mari El, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Udmurtia)

Middle Volga (Mordovia, Penza Oblast, Samara Oblast, Tatarstan, Ulyanovsk Oblast)

Lower Volga (Saratov Oblast, Volgograd Oblast, Astrakhan Oblast)

Cities

• Nizhny Novgorod - the administrative centre of the region
• Izhevsk - the capital of Udmurtia
• Kazan - the capital of Tatarstan and the largest city in the region with rich history.
• Kirov - the fur capital in Kirov Oblast
• Penza - the centre of Penza Oblast
• Samara - the auto-producing capital
• Saratov - the capital of Saratov Oblast
• Volgograd — a large city more famously known as Stalingrad, which houses a gargantuan monument/museum on the site of the battle
• Ulyanovsk - the birthplace of Lenin, pseudonym of Ulyanov.
• Astrakhan - a southern city located on the shore of the Caspian sea at the Volga estuary.

Other destinations

• Mamaev Kurgan — just above Volgograd, the site of the Battle of Stalingrad now is a massive complex of monuments to the 20th century's most important battle
• Samarskaya Luka

Get in

River cruises down the Volga operate during the summer months (early May to end of September). Dozens of boats operated by different companies run from Moscow to Astrakhan. One way or return cruises may be reserved to/from practically any city along the Volga. Turflot.ru and infoflot.ru are several sites that offer tours.

Sample price for cruise: Moscow to Astrakhan (one-way) with three daily meals is RUR 15,000 (approximately 500USD). Without meals, approximately RUR 8-9,000.