Real Krasnodar: the pros and cons of the city as they are

Krasnodar is a unique Russian metropolis: Rosstat calculated that over the past 10 years its population has grown 1.4 times, and in 2020 the St. Petersburg Institute Urbanika named Krasnodar the most comfortable city in the country. Why do people from all over Russia move to the Kuban capital, is it really so pleasant to live here, and how can the main city of the most popular tourist region attract travelers? The “subtleties” were sorted out on the spot, carefully weighing all the pros and cons.

1. Transport accessibility

Good

• A major international airport receives flights from 50 airlines.
• Two railway stations: for long-distance trains and commuter trains.< /li>
• Two bus stations.
• Easy to reach by car along the M-4 Don highway.

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2. Prices

Good

• Many catering establishments with affordable prices: a coffee sandwich, a business lunch in a cafe or lunch in a canteen will cost 200–300 RUB.
• A large selection of taxi services, affordable prices for trips – 8-10 RUB per 1 km, from 150 RUB in the city.
• You can spend the night in a hostel for 300-500 RUB.

Bad

• Krasnodar is the leader in real estate price growth in 2021. Over the year, housing here has risen in price by 1.5 times, now 1 sq. m costs about 100 thousand RUB.
• High prices in restaurants: dinner for two is more than 2000 RUB.
• Affordable southern fruits and vegetables are rather a myth: even in season they are not less than in the center of Russia.
• Expensive excursions: around the city – from 900 RUB, to the mountains – from 3000 RUB per person.

3. Urban infrastructure

Good

• A well-developed network of public transport covers the entire city, you can get to any point of Krasnodar without traffic jams by tram.
• Many supermarkets of federal and local chains, dozens of shopping centers. In 2019, Krasnodar ranked first in the country in terms of the number of retail spaces per capita.

Bad

• Krasnodar is notorious for its traffic jams: it is among the top ten Russian cities with the busiest roads. There are 400 thousand registered cars in the metropolis.
• The roads are narrow and broken, there are not enough interchanges and parking lots.
• Public transport is often overcrowded, and runs very rarely after 20:00.
• Old stormwater pipes cannot cope with the load; the private sector, the outskirts are built up with dull high-rise buildings.
• Social infrastructure does not keep up with population growth: there are not enough kindergartens, schools and clinics.

4. Tourism infrastructure

Good

• Excursion bureaus and private guides offer walking, bus, tram, bicycle tours around the city and beyond.
• Useful information for travelers is collected in the tourist information center on the street. Gogol. Here they will help you book a hotel, find a guide, rent a car, you can immediately sign up for an excursion.
• Convenient location: it is not difficult to get from Krasnodar to the mountains or the sea. The nearest Black Sea beaches are 1.5 hours away, in Dzhubga, in 3 hours you can drive to the Lago-Naki plateau.

Bad

The only operating water park, Niagara, is located outside the city, 8 km from the center.

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  kgpbz.com

5. Choice of hotels

Good

• A wide range of accommodation options: from guest houses to five-star hotels of world brands.
• Prices are the same as the average for Russia : standard double room in a 3* hotel – 2000 RUB, in a 4* hotel – from 3000 to 5000 RUB.

6. Service

Good

• Polite and friendly staff in hotels.

Poor

• Taxi drivers are rude and do not always know the city well, some include traffic jams in the price.
• Poor service at the airport: check-in queues, slow service, rudeness during security checks.

7. Entertainment and attractions

Good

• In the city center, beautiful historical buildings have been preserved – ancient buildings and temples.
• Many parks and squares, the most famous is the city Krasnodar park with a stadium, an observation deck, a climbing wall and a skate park, fountains and ponds.
• There are literary, art and historical museums, theaters, several modern cinemas.
• Cute examples of urban sculpture.

Bad

• Among the architectural There are quite a few remakes of Krasnodar sights.
• Many truly valuable architectural monuments are in disrepair.

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    Anton Zaitsev

8. Holidays with children

Good

• Many cafes have a children's menu and children's rooms.
• Lots of entertainment: amusement parks, entertainment centers, safari park , planetarium, children's theaters.
• Local travel agencies organize children's tours with competitions and quizzes.

Bad

• In summer it is very hot and humid.
• Difficult environmental situation: in the air – automobile exhaust and allergenic pollen of weeds, in water – effluents from industrial enterprises.

Total

To visit the capital of the Kuban as a tourist is not bad at all: it is convenient to get here, it is not difficult to find a good hotel here and there is something to see. But living in an overpopulated southern metropolis is not very comfortable – the urban infrastructure is not yet able to cope with migration flows, and it is this point that has gained the most minuses. But in general, according to our calculations, the pros still outweigh – 22 against 18. Don't believe me? Come to Krasnodar, see for yourself!