• Understand
• Get around
• See
• Do
• Learn
• Work
• Buy
• Drink
• Contact
• Stay safe
• Get out

Krasnoyarsk (Красноярск) is a city in Eastern Siberia, Russia. It's located on both banks of the Yenisey River.

[edit] Understand

Krasnoyarsk, a view from paraplan

Like in most cities of ex-USSR, it's quite difficult to go without some knowledge of Russian. However, people under the age of 40 with higher education might be capable of speaking some English. But don't expect English from hotel workers or maintenance staff in tourist places, policemen, salesmen and taxi drivers.

[edit] Get in

It's not very easy to get into Krasnoyarsk from abroad, so one is adviced to fly to Moscow, Novosibirsk or Irkutsk first.

[edit] By plane

There are several planes every day from/to Moscow (airp. Domodedovo) to the local airport Emelianovo (Емельяново). There are also flights from most of the largest Russian cities, and a few regular flights from abroad — Beijing, Tianjin, Harbin, major cities of the nearest ex-USSR countries (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan). KrasAir is a monopolist in the region, so you should check its web-site www.krasair.ru for currently available flights.

Krasnoyarsk, Railway Station

Secondly, Krasnoyarsk airport Tcheremshanka (Черемшанка) serves regional flights only, usually between Krasnoyarsk and northern parts of Krasnoyarsk Krai.

[edit] By train

Krasnoyarsk is located on the Trans-Siberian Railway, so every day dozens of trains pass the Krasnoyarsk railway station. It takes about 12-14 hours to get to Krasnoyarsk from Novosibirsk and Irkutsk, minimum 60 hours from Moscow and Vladivostok.

[edit] By car

There is a road connecting Vladivostok and Moscow, which passes through Krasnoyarsk. However, Russian automobile roads are not very suitable for long-distance travels — no motels, no eateries, and the low quality of the roadbed does not permit fast driving.

[edit] By bus

Buses are available only from the nearest cities in the region and from the neighbouring Khakassia region. They arrive to the main bus station, located in the northern part of the city, which is known as Vzletka (Взлетка). To date directions and current time tables are not available on-line. A usual price for a trip up to 400km is about 200-300 rubles (8-12USD).

[edit] Get around

There is a good network of public buses, which are indeed very cheap (10 roubles since September 2007, per trip, regardless the distance). In large buses the conductor walks among the passengers and gets paid once he (or, more often, she) comes by a newly entered passenger. In a minibus (marshrutka маршрутка) the conductor sits by the driver and gets paid before passengers exit. The conductor can be determined by a roll of tickets in the hand, a belt purse and, if a bus is crowded, loud demands for payment. However, without a local consultant it's rather difficult to plan a way because route maps are not usually available on the bus stops, though there is a very comprehensive software map of Krasnoyarsk (in Russian) which is able to calculate routes automatically.

Numerous taxi carriers have appeared during the last years. Booking by phone is possible (but unlikely your English will be understood) as well as hitching on the streets. In Russia it's a very common case when any driver who wants to earn some money stops near your risen hand, but in Krasnoyarsk you're strongly advised to use only authorized carriers, usually booked on the phone (it's a very safe city, but do not risk without necessity — many licensed drivers are available there). Their cars must be marked with a chess-board-like ornament on the top, and usually have some advertisements on the doors.

Usually taxis are cheap as well (even if not using a meter) and honest, however seeing a foreigner some drivers can try to make you pay through the nose. Half-a-city drive should not be more than 150 rubles (6USD), if you suspect cheating, demonstrate your intent to complain to the driver's boss.

[edit] See

Krasnoyarsk is a very old beautiful city, established by Russian Cossacks (military servants) in 1628. It's name consists of two words — Krasnyi (red, because of clay reddish soil) and Yar (steep bank). Views of Yenisey River and the nearby Sayan Mountains covered by taiga forest are quite picturesque.

Krasnoyarsk, Forest Reserve Stolby. Peria (Feathers) rock

• Stolby Nature Reserve (Заповедник Столбы, or Pillars in English ) is famous among alpinists all over the world. Stolby covers an area of 470km² (181 square miles) with numerous giant granite rocks formations up to 100m high, many of very extraordinary shapes: Ded (Grandfather or Дед), Babka (Grandmother or Бабка), Slon (Elephant or Слон), Peria (Feathers or Перья). The last one is the most dangerous rock, which has already taken tens of climbers' lives. Stolby is a major rock climbing location, many local climbers intentionally do not use any belaying equipment and call their extreme sport "stolbizm", which is known around the world as solo climbing. You should take a bus to the 'Bazaikha' (Базаиха) or 'Turbaza' (Турбаза) — currently it's number is 50a - and then walk 7 km through the forest to the First Pillar (Pervyi Stolb or Первый Столб). Most of the distance goes upwards, the last 400m are extremely steep and because of that are called Pykhtun (Panter or Пыхтун).

There is also a cable car that travels to the Reserve. Check the web-site[1] for more details.

• Divnogorsk city (Дивногорск, means "Wonderful Mountains") — 40 km West, half an hour by river (only in summer) or by train from the main rail station (железнодорожный вокзал). The views to the river and mountains are excellent. A major hydroelectric dam is located there, during water discharge in summer it looks fantastic.

• Karaulnaya Gora (Караульная гора) — a hill topped by the Paraskeva Pyatnitsa Chapel is a symbol of the city — it is depicted on the 10 ruble note. The surrounding area is known as the local Harlem (populated with criminals and drug-trafficers), so you should not try to walk there.

• Vasily Surikov Museum is a museum of the most famous local historic painter, where he lived before moving to Moscow to become a member of the National Academy of Arts. It is a two-story wooden house, built by the painter's father. The house is located on Lenin (Ленина) street in the Central district.

Krasnoyarsk Regional Museum is Egypt-style ex-private building

• Krasnoyarsk Regional Museum has been restored recently. It has very good exhibitions on the history of the Siberian region and many archeological findings.

• Andrey Dubensky Monument is located near the Yenisey River split on the top of hill. The Cossack leader Andrey Dubensky founded the stockaded town by order of the Tsar Mikhail Romanov during the 17th century. The monument was established in 2003 for the 375th anniversary of the city.

• Flower monuments are located all over the city. Large figures (2–5m) made of flowers can be seen only in summer. The first figure is Bear, it stands near the City Hall or Мэрия (city government building famous for its adopted Big Ben). Also there are Giraffes (a family of them in fact, standing on Lenin street behind the Regional Government building — the Grey House or Серый дом), Rooster (near the Theater of Musical Comedy or Театр Музыкальной Комедии), Elephants (a family, on the Kopylov Копылова street).

• Zoological park Roev Ruchey (зоопарк Роев ручей)[2] is located near the entrance to Stolby Nature Reserve (you should alight one bus stop after). It is a very good zoo, where animals live in good conditions and give local children and adults something to smile about throughout the whole year. Its animal collection is one of the richest in Russia. The most famous inhabitant is a polar bear, Sedov, presented by the governor of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Alexander Khloponin, in 2003.

[edit] Do

Krasnoyarsk Hydroelectric Power Station

• The summer of 2006 has been very interesting due to the overflow of water in Yenisey river. On the Hydroelectric Power Station Dam there was a huge waterfall, a really exciting view! If you're lucky to arrive to the city at the time of the water discharge, consider yourself strongly advised to travel to Divnogorsk (Дивногорск) and see it.

• The Night of Ad(vertisement) Eaters occurs every year in June in the local Opera Theater. The collection of advertisement trailers by Jean-Mari Boursicot is presented to the local elite. The tickets are usually quite expensive (100+USD), but the event is worth it.

• City day is in June — a very exciting carnival with different topics each year.

• Different local and international events are always held in the building of the Cultural/Historical Center (former Lenin Museum), all open to the public and often free: fine art and photo exhibitions of modern artists, art-house and independent movie festivals, museum nights (exhibitions and performances of young local artists), wax figure exhibitions, moving exhibitions from other cities, etc.

[edit] Learn

Krasnoyarsk, Communalnyi bridge (Коммунальный мост) is the main bridge over the Yenisey river

Next to Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk is the second most prominent scientific and educational center of Siberia with more than 30 higher education facilities, many of which are the branches of the Russian Academy of Science, and about 200 high schools. The most notable higher education institutes are:

• Krasnoyarsk State University (Russian abbreviation is KGU), founded in 1963 as a division of Novosibirsk State University, became a standalone university in 1969

• Krasnoyarsk State Technical University (Russian abbreviation is KGTU), founded in 1956

• Krasnoyarsk State University of Education (Russian abbreviation is KGPU), founded in 1932

• Siberian State Technological University (Russian abbreviation is SibGTU), the oldest in the city, founded in 1930 as the Siberian Institute of the Forest

• Siberian State Aerospace University (Russian abbreviation is SibGAU), founded in 1960

• Krasnoyarsk State Medical Academy (Russian abbreviation is KrasGMA), founded in 1942

Similarly to Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk has a special city district called Akademgorodok (Academic Town in Russian) where many of the institutes are located. There, in the Institute of Biophysics, the experiment on ecological isolation of human beings called "Bios", similar to the US experiment Biosphere 2, has been successfully held in 1973-1985.

[edit] Work

Like any industrial center, Krasnoyarsk has a large number of employment opportunities. However, salaries are low (up to 500 USD/month is 'good', 1000+USD/month is 'very good'; higher salaries are availble for top-managers or business owners only).

[edit] Buy

The one unique thing you're advised to buy is cedar nuts, because the Siberian region is the only region where the authentic variety of this delicacy can be purchased. Throughout the rest of the world cedar nuts are extremely expensive.

Other goods are the same as all over Russia. Chinese clothes could be slightly cheaper on the Chinese market.

[edit] Eat

Well, it's difficult to stay hungry in Krasnoyarsk. However, perhaps fortunately, you will not find any chains, like McDonald's or KFC there.

The only places you're strongly adviced NOT to visit - any restaurants near the Railroad Station, and the local Market-Place ('Колхозный рынок', which is located at the end of Diktatury Диктатуры street), because they are traditionally occupied by local and visiting criminals — that is unless, of course, you yourself are a criminal looking to socialize.

[edit] Budget

A number of cheap bars serving sandwiches served are spread all over the city. Just stop in any one and you'll find hospitable people (you will, however, need to understand some Russian to get very far in these venues).

• Venezia, Mira (Мира) street crossing Surikova Сурикова street. One of the best restaurants serving Italian cuisine. To the left of a large shopping mall called Dom Byta (Дом быта). Be careful not to miss the well hidden small door.

[edit] Mid-range

• 100 Povarov (100 поваров), on Mira (Мира) street. Russian for "100 Cooks", this is the place to eat a lot for an average price.

Also there are a number of excellent Chinese restaurants on Mira street near the Theater of Musical Comedy, where real Northern Chinese Cuisine can be found.

[edit] Splurge

• Center (Центр), Mira street (near the Technological University campus). Serves European food.
• Bavaria' (Бавария), on the Square near the Opera Theater. German cuisine.
• Balkan Grill (Балкан Гриль) is behind Krasnoyarsk Opera theater, serves delicious authentic! cuisine of South-Eastern Europe.

[edit] Drink

Numerous night clubs can be found in all parts of Krasnoyarsk, but it's better to avoid those located in suburbs (the clientele can be unpleasant), or very expensive luxury clubs and restaurants (frequented by local criminals).

• Oxygen (Оксиген) a night club located near the Railway station, so if you leave at night it's better to phone for taxi first, but not walk around

• Planet Krasnoyarsk (Планета Красноярск) on Predmostnaya Ploschad is the most famous (and actually the largest) night club

• Nirvana (Нирвана) is to date the best night club with famous DJs and pop-star visitors. It is a 15 minute drive from downtown (15 Kirenskogo st. ул. Киренского 15) and surrounding areas may not be very pleasant to walk at night.

Most cinemas have night clubs as well. Actually, it quite difficult to find several adjacent blocks without at least one night club or disco.

NOTE: if you get in any night club, either luxury or villag-ish, watch out for drug traffickers! They can be found in ALL night clubs, but usually don't disturb those who don't want to contact them.

[edit] Sleep

Generally speaking, the closer to the center, the safer. Although Krasnoyarsk is a very safe place, you're not advised to look for accommodation in the suburbs; local lumpens won't make your stay pleasant. The Right Bank is mostly "lumpenized" except for the Predmostnaya Ploshchad' (Bridge Square, or Предмостная площадь); on the contrary, the Left Bank is nice except for the most distant districts.

You're strongly advised to book your accommodation beforehand (better by phone, and don't expect to find any English-speaking staff), because there are not many hotels in Krasnoyarsk, most with no on-line booking service and no English-speaking personnel. Don't expect to find Internet and hair-dryers, but be ready to meet insects and to go without hot water, unless you choose the most expensive hotels.

[edit] Budget

There is no budget accommodation in the city. The cheapest hotels are from 50USD per night, which is hardly a budget level. On the Railway station, some elderly women can suggest rooms in their own flats for ~10USD per night—accept at your own risk (elderly women may have young sons).

[edit] Mid-range

[edit] Splurge

Krasnoyarsk's two luxury hotels cost from 130USD per night, which is hardly worth it. However, you're safe from insects, and their location is quite convenient.

• .

[edit] Contact

The international code for Russia is +7, Krasnoyarsk code is 391-2 (for other cities of the region the last number varies).

Public phones are not very common. International phones can be found in the post offices, where you prepay your talk to a cashier.

Mobile phones are carried by almost everyone, including children. Prepaid SIM cars with Russian federal number are sold for many national and local telecommunication providers: BeeLine (Билайн), MTS (МТС), YeniseyTelecom (Енисей Телеком), Megafon-Krasnoyarsk (Мегафон-Красноярск), all around the city. The mobile standard is GSM 900/1800, however some operators still provide the DAMPS service. SMS usually costs around 1 rouble (~5 US cents), one minute of talk is around 5 roubles (~20 US cents). Since July 2006 you cannot be charged for incoming calls (unless you're using the roaming), but sometimes you need to pay a fixed price of 50 US cents for a call. For the beginning of 2008 there was a pretty good coverage from all of the major cellular providers in the city neighborhood, though do not expect the phone to work in deep uninhabited valleys as well as far from relatively large towns.

Internet cafes are not common, but Mobile GPRS in Russia is usually very cheap — 5-10 roubles (20-50 US cents) per 1 MB. There are many local ISP's who offer high-speed Internet connection via ADSL, Ethernet, Wi-Fi and Wellcom (IMT-MC 450) but they all require signing an end-user agreement and very unlikely accept foreign passports and understand English as well. Modem access (usually 40-56 kbps) are much easier to buy: Internet cards can be bought in any post office and some supermarkets, they contain login, password and the ISP modem phone number.

[edit] Stay safe

Though generally safe for the experienced traveler, Krasnoyarsk can be a tricky destination for someone not familiar with the region and culture. The downtown areas are pretty much safe all night, but in the suburbs it's highly recommended not to walk alone after dark. If you are 15-30 years old, the neighborhood of student dormatories (living blocks without balconies, usually 9-storey), the inside of living districts and street cafees can be dangerous for you even at day due to the chances to meet drunk bullies who can be easily provoked, for example, by your unusual or unathletic look. Other places of higher risk are large marketplaces and the railway station: be sure to keep your cash out of view and out pickpockets' reach.

Avoid asking the police for help unless it is really necessary. If possible, communicate with the hotel staff and security first, because communication with local policemen may be unpleasant due to both the language barrier and their usual rudeness — or even dangerous, especially for non-European-looking foreigners (although police in Krasnoyarsk is far from being as dangerous as in Moscow and Saint Petersburg). Sadly, this is a national problem in Russia: there is not much difference between police and criminals.

[edit] Get out

The easiest way to travel from the city is to fly to Moscow first, and then to wherever necessary. However, there are some flights from the local airport Emelianovo to China and the nearest ex-USSR countries, or through Novosibirsk and Irkutsk which can be easily reached by train.

The neighboring region of Khakassia with its major city Abakan is 400km West, reachable by car (M-54 road) and everyday train from the railway station.

The next stops of note on the Trans-Siberian Railway are Achinsk to the west towards Novosibirsk and Kansk to the east towards Irkutsk

During the summer there are 1–2 week cruises to the Northern part of the Krasnoyarsk Krai to the mouth of the Yenisey. Everyday connections exist only for the city of Divnogorsk, located 40km west, near the Krasnoyarsk Hydroelectric Power Station.

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