Ekaterinburg

Ekaterinburg is one of the largest and most industrialized cities in Russia. His story began in 1723, but initially it was built not as a city, but a plant around which people began to settle. Soon the mint began to work here, the railway was laid and the life began to boil. Now the city is a home to almost 2 million people.

Ekaterinburg is rich in museums, architectural and historical monuments. All the teaching and cultural life of the country is concentrated here, and the diplomas of local universities are one of the most prestigious and various as well. That’s why there are a lot of active youth on the streets, students contribute to the city – organize festivals, exhibitions, Biennale. Getting here, the guests of the city run their eyes, because you need to see everything in a short time.

Planning a trip to Ekaterinburg, tourists should be prudent – take some both light and warm things. There is a very unpredictable climate due to the peculiar location of the Ural Mountains – the terrain is open for the invasion of the Arctic cyclone. In summer here the temperature can rise to +30 in the morning, and by the evening drop to +5 degrees Celsius.

In total during the World Championship – 2018 the city plans to meet more than 100,000 tourists, this number includes residents of the nearest cities, who have tickets for the match or who want to visit the fan zone. There will be fans of the teams of Egypt, Sweden, Japan, France, Peru, Senegal, Mexico, Uruguay from foreigners. Guests will create the most comfortable conditions for staying in Ekaterinburg, all signs, information stands and even menus in restaurants will be translated into their native language.

In the central park of culture named Mayakovskogo city authorities have equipped a fan zone with a capacity of 17,000 people, where fans who do not have tickets for the stadium can view live broadcasts of all matches for free. For low-mobility citizens will equip the hotel stand.

The police and medical team are going to be on duty on the territory. Place temporary restaurants, fast food points with drinks, tents with souvenirs, including the official attributes of FIFA. Children can play on the court with a swing.

Moreover, an entertainment program has been developed. For the audience will perform and local artists, and long known: Spleen, Bi-2, Zemfira, Dolphin.

Where will the matches be hosted?

Four matches of the group stage at the stadium “Ekaterinburg Arena” will be hosted in the city. It was opened in 1956, but to fully meet the FIFA standards, it was completely restored. From the former facade left only a few external walls and cash desks – they are listed in the cultural heritage of the city. Now the capacity of the stadium is up to 35,000 people.

The new stadium started its’ work in April and has already conducted several test matches – all the fans are happy. Passage of the control point takes an average of one minute per person, here they ask you to get all the keys, mobile phones and trifles from your pockets, in order to pass the examination with a metal detector. However, the organizers ask guests to come 2 hours before the game, because of a large number of people, a queue may arise.

In total, the stadium can be accessed through 20 entrance doors, it is necessary to scan the ticket at the entrance. Halls under the tribune are located next, all of them are decorated in a minimalist but very popular nowadays style “loft”, there will be points with food and drinks on the sides of the aisles. To get to the topmost stands, you can use the elevator.

All stands are covered but, in case of a cold snap, you can warm up in heated halls on the 2nd and 5th floor. You can also grab a snack in the restaurant overlooking the field. VIP-guests are equipped with special skyboxes, closed booths for viewing the game, with a capacity of up to 15 people. Individual tickets are not sold there. It is not difficult at all to orient yourself at the stadium, there are many pointers, duplicated in different languages. Moreover, the stewards will always be at your service and will gladly help with navigation. Commission FIFA, which came in the spring to take the object, put the stadium rating “excellent.”

Getting to the “Ekaterinburg Arena” does not make tourists any troubles. The stadium is located in the central area of the city, so almost all the transport goes here. Guests are advised to take bus routes № 2, 21, 24, 25, 27, 28, 48, 61, 64 or trolleybuses № 3 and № 7. The needed stop is called “Central Stadium”, go from it to the destination no more than 5 minutes.

Also, special shuttle buses will run around the city in the days of the matches, they will carry fans to the stadium and fan zone. The shuttle numbers you need are 1AFS, 1SP, 2SP. A passage in all modes of transport upon presentation of the ticket and fun-ID is free.

Where to stay?

The guests of the city are already ready to meet about hundreds of hotels of different classes and about 7 dozen hostels. The most expensive hotel is Hyatt Regency. Here it is necessary to give for the night at least 14,000 rubles, not counting breakfast. The most expensive suite with a double bed here is 23,600 rubles. Here everything for the guest: massage, hammam, solarium, Jacuzzi, sauna, one indoor and one outdoor pool, nightclub, billiards, gym, spa. Guests are offered services of a nanny, laundry, conference room, shoe cleaning. There are separate rooms for non-smokers, all furniture is hypoallergenic.

If you want inexpensive accommodation within walking distance from the stadium – take a look at the hostel “Around the World”. In total there are 22 rooms and each one is stylized for its country of the world. If you travel with the company, it is convenient to rent an entire room by the number of people: there are one, two, three, four, five, six-bedrooms. Each one has free Wi-Fi and cable TV. The cost of accommodation also includes printing, scanning, use of the sauna, washing machines, ironing facilities, safe, coffee and tea in the kitchen. The lodging house in the six-bed room will cost only 500 rub. per a person, in a single – 1200 rub. A double room here costs 1600 rubles.

The Champion Hostel is a 10-minute walk from the Ekaterinburg Arena. There are separate rooms for men and women, with a total capacity of 10 people each. There are bedrooms for two people with separate and double beds. The guests note the cleanliness of the kitchen and the rooms, as well as the hospitality of the administrators. In the lounge area, there are 6 sofas, a bar for 10 people, two TVs, an X-box, hot and cold water coolers. Guests can use the hairdryer, iron, washing machine. A bunk in a 10-bedroom costs 450 rubles. For traveling couples, there will be a double room with a large bed. The cost of this is 1800 rubles per day.

Where to go?

First of all, look for the Red Line in the city and follow it. This is a specially designed route for tourists. The line formed a vicious circle, with a total length of 6.5 km. Walking along the marked sidewalk, you can see 35 major sights of the city. All of them are numbered. And if you download the guide from the official website of the project, you can explore the city on your own without resorting to the help of guides.

Temple-on-blood. This temple was opened relatively recently, in 2003, but since then it has become one of the main attractions of the city. It is built on the site of the house of Ipatiev, the place where the family of the last Emperor Nicholas II lived and was shot. First, there was a simple wooden cross for a long time, then a small chapel was built, and only at the beginning of the 21st century, it was decided to rebuild a large temple in memory of the tragic events.

The structure is built in Byzantine style and consists of two tiers. Lower symbolizes the basement in which the royal family was killed. Here, not far from the altar, a room-museum was set up, which tells about Nicholas II and his last days of life. The upper tier resembles a lamp, which never fades. It rises to 60 m and is crowned with 14 bells, the mass of the largest 5 tons. The tragedy is also reminiscent of the facing of the church with red and burgundy granite.

The central and oldest square in the city. It arose even a little earlier than Ekaterinburg itself, at the time when only the plant was built. Its’ name was received after the revolution of 1905, the Bolsheviks came out here for the first political demonstration. They attacked the Cossacks and killed several innocent people. Since then, it was here that the key events for the city resembled the leaders shouting from the stands, the monuments on the pedestal were changing one by one, building, dismantling, exploding, and again building churches and temples.

This is the only place in the city where the paving slab of the 19th century was preserved. Here are the main city holidays, fairs and folk festivals. On ordinary days, you will hardly find something interesting – the local just park their cars on the square.

Observation platform in the business center “Vysotsky”. There is an observation deck with a panoramic view of the city on the 52nd floor of a modern business center. At an altitude of 186 meters, the Ekaterinburg whole can be seen as in the palm of your hand. Everyone can take an audio guide and without the help of a real guide to get acquainted with the sights of the whole city within a radius of 25 km. The area is located outdoors, so do not forget to bring warm clothes as at this altitude it is usually too windy and colder than the bottom.

On the first floor, there is a museum of Vladimir Vysotsky, he is obligatory to visit all the fans of the actor and just curious people. And there is a monument to the artist and his wife at the entrance. The project was approved by their son – Nikita Vysotsky.

The ticket price for visiting the museum is 350 rubles, preferential (children, invalids, pensioners) – 250 rubles.

Yeltsin’s center. It is a modern interactive museum, where in a simple and understandable form is told about the life and government of the first Russian president. It is divided into 7 periods of Yeltsin’s life and each is illustrated by a separate hall. Collected documents, photos, videos, (among them are the New Year greetings), reports about the attempt of a coup are kept here. With your own eyes, you will see the famous “nuclear suitcase” and visit the Kremlin office of the ex-president.

Guests of the older generation come here to recall the youth, the children come here to get acquainted with the person who changed the course of the country’s history. Despite numerous scandals that the museum is involved in juggling and distorting historical facts, visitors argue that the history of modern politics in the museum is presented exactly as they remember it.

There are conference rooms, co-working grounds, a bookstore, an amusement park for children in addition to the halls with exhibits. It is here that exhibitions are held, shows of scientific films, lectures, and festivals. Yekaterinburgers mark an important role in the formation of the cultural and scientific life of the city.

Park “Green Grove”. It is believed that it is one of the oldest parks in the city. On average, local trees for 140-150 years – this is an ideal place to hide from the city’s heat. The green massif was stretched in the center of 24 hectares. In the grove there are many avenues and shops, where you can relax and feed the squirrels, they are not afraid of people here, run up close and eat from hands. Therefore, if you plan an excursion, be sure to grab something edible for these rodents. Be sure to take your children with you as far as there are many recreational areas here.

Nearby is located the Novo-Tikhvinsky Monastery, it is considered to be one of the largest in Russian Federation. Its’ main building is the Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky – a monument of architecture of classicism.

Note!

Visiting Ekaterinburg shouldn’t be only due to the upcoming World Cup matches, it is a huge city with a rich history and interesting sights. They created a comfortable atmosphere for studying historical heritage, which served as an example to the whole world.

In addition, gastronomic festivals often take place in this city. In the fresh air, you will be able to eat potstickers, freshly brewed beer or at least fast food. Also, modern art exhibitions are regular in Yekaterinburg, here it is worthwhile to come to the fans of drama, poetry and modern cinema.