Cheboksary

Cheboksary (Russian: Чебокса́ры chee-bahk-SAH-ree) is the capital of Chuvashia in the Volga Region of the Russian Federation. About 600,000 people live here and in the nearby satellite city Novocheboksarsk.

By plane
Cheboksary airport is served by various local airlines on Russian Yakovlev Yak-42 jet and Antonov An-24 turboprop. There are regularly scheduled flights from Moscow and other destinations. Cheboksary is also about a four-hour drive from Nizhny Novgorod, a city with international air connections through Lufthansa on an Airbus A319 aircraft. Lufthansa also flies its A319s to Kazan, which is a two-hour car ride away as well. Microbuses may be hired to get to Cheboksary from Kazan, but it is strongly recommended to seek transportation with acquaintances.

By train
The railway network is developed and accessible all year. One of the largest railway junctions of Russia, Kanash, is in the center of the Republic. Via Kanash, the rail system connects Cheboksary with the major industrial centers of Eastern Siberia, the Urals, and Moscow. Express trains present a low-cost, comfortable way to travel. Express trains to and from Moscow are available everyday, and the easy overnight journey is approximately 14 hours each way.

By car
Autos, trucks, and buses carry the majority of transportation, as the Republic ranks fourth in highway density in all of Russia. Cheboksary is on one of the main highways of the Russian Federation leading from Moscow to the industrial areas of Tatarstan, the Southern Urals, and Siberia.

By ship
The Volga river connects Cheboksary with Nizhny Novgorod, Yaroslavl, Moscow, and the northern regions of Russia. By using river-sea vessels, it is possible to get from Chuvash riverports all the way to Saint Petersburg, Novorossiysk (on the Black Sea), Astrakhan, and ports situated on the Danube river. However, the river is frozen from December through April.

Public transportation
Cheboksary is covered by an extensive system of trolleybuses, autobuses, and minibuses. There are several official taxi agencies, but also many so-called "gipsy" taxis, which are privately owned. The latter can be a convenient way of getting around, but also potentially dangerous and thus not recommended. Official taxis cost less than two dollars for travel between most points within the city.

By boat
Cheboksary is a frequent stop on many boat tours that travel up and down the Volga. A boat tour to the major cities along the Volga is highly recommended.

See

 * Monument to the Patron Mother
 * Vvedensky cathedral (1657)
 * Saint-Trinity monastery (1566)
 * Cheboksary Prison. The oldest prison in Russia was built by order of Tsar Ivan IV of Grozny, First there was a wooden prison, then a brick building was built in 1648.
 * Tractor Museum
 * Brewing Museum
 * Chuvash National Museum
 * Museum of Chuvash Embroidery
 * Chuvash Art Museum
 * Ivan Vasilyevich Chapaev Museum

Do
Like many Russian cities, Cheboksary possesses excellent cultural opportunities. There is an Opera-Ballet Theatre, a Philharmonic Orchestra, and numerous theaters (showing productions in both Russian and Chuvash languages). However, a very popular gathering place for the locals is the zalev (bay), in the middle of the city. There people gather to stroll, visit cafes, and socialize. Cheboksary also has beautiful boardwalks and beaches along the Volga River, where people swim in the summer. There are also heated pools, health clubs, and museums (including Russia's only beer museum).

Take a walk

 * Merchant Efremov Boulevard (pedestrian zone)
 * The Red Square
 * Cheboksary Bay Embankment
 * Volga Embankment

Cheboksary has 7 beaches:


 * Central
 * Afanasievsky
 * Novoselsky
 * Zaovrazhny
 * Levoberezhny
 * Sunny Beach
 * Chuvashia

Parks and squares:


 * Ethnopark "Suvar"
 * "Amazonia" park
 * "Victory" park
 * Lakreevsky forest
 * Children's Park named after A.G. Nikolaev
 * Square named after V. I. Chapaev
 * Square named after. Konstantin Ivanov
 * Belka (squirrel) Park
 * Сadet square
 * Park-Hotel "Usad'ba" (manor)

Theaters

 * Chuvash Opera and Ballet Theater
 * Chuvash Drama Theater
 * Chuvash State Puppet Theater
 * Chuvash Theater of the young spectator named after Sespel
 * Chuvash State Philharmonic Society
 * Russian Drama Theater
 * Cheboksary Chamber Theater
 * "Stanislavsky.com" theater

In summer:

 * Windsurfing
 * Kitesurfing
 * Sapsurfing
 * Wake park
 * Rent of boats and catamarans
 * Rent an aquabike and a boat
 * Scooters, Bicycles, Roller Skates
 * Tennis and Pinpong
 * Equestrian clubs and bases
 * Cheboksary Aero Club
 * Laser Tag
 * Quests
 * Banana riding in summer
 * Belka rope park

in winter:

 * Ice skating
 * Skiing and snowboarding
 * Slopes and slides for sledging and tubing
 * Snowmobile trails
 * Banana riding in winter

Festivals

 * "AKATUY" is a national holiday of agriculture
 * International Fireworks Festival "Hĕlhem"
 * "Green Gold" beer Fest
 * "The land of brewers"
 * Republic Day of Chuvashia
 * Сity day of Cheboksary
 * Cheboksary International Film Festival

Souvenirs
Souvenirs from Cheboksary reflects Chuvash culture and ethnic colour. You can buy items with national ornaments and scenes from Chuvash folk tales. Embroidered textiles are a local speciality, as are beer related items such as wooden mugs. Chuvash specialties also include, a beautiful wood embroidery as seen on the image at the right.


 * Clothes, shawls, shoppers, bags and cases with national Chuvash embroidery
 * Silver jewelry in the national style with ornaments
 * Cheboksary Knitwear
 * Сhuvash matryoshka
 * Cheburashka
 * Chuvash honey
 * Balsam "Parne"

Eat
There are many restaurants and cafes throughout the capital city, and excellent dishes can be found at the Restaurant Emilia, the Hotel Rossia, and Favorite.

It is worth trying the dishes of local national cuisine:


 * Meat ball "Shartan"
 * Meat pie "Huplu"
 * Meat broth "Shurpe"
 * Sweet dessert "Yovach"
 * Dumplings "Huran kukli"
 * Okroshka "Uyran yashki"

Drink
Ask someone in Russia about Chuvashia and they will likely respond with a comment about beer, as the republic has been a center of hops growing and beer brewing for hundreds of years. There are two beer manufacturers in Cheboksary, Buket Chuvashii and Yantar, as well as Russia's only beer museum.

Sleep
Hotel Volga and the Ibis Cheboksary Center in Cheboksary provide clean rooms and friendly service at a reasonable price. Hotel DIS is very nice too.