Kazan sits where the Kazanka river meets the Volga, and the Tatars who live there like to say that their city is Russia's third capital, a claim made with a straight face and a little provocation. It is the capital of Tatarstan, a republic of about four million people with its own language, a Muslim and Orthodox Christian population that lives side by side, and a food culture that sets it apart from the rest of the country. The Kremlin, on a hill above the river, was added to the World Heritage list in 2000, and holds both the Annunciation Cathedral, built after Ivan the Terrible's conquest in 1552 by masters from Pskov, and the Qolsarif mosque, with its blue minarets, rebuilt in the 2000s on the site of the one destroyed in the conquest.
The leaning Soyembika Tower, a slim brick tower, is the city's emblem, and it carries a legend about a queen who threw herself from its top rather than marry the conqueror. Beyond the Kremlin, the pedestrian Bauman Street, lined with shops, cafes and a statue or two, leads to the old Tatar quarter across the Kaban lake, where wooden houses with carved eaves and mosques give a feel of another time. In the evening, the long promenade along the river and the great Millennium Bridge glow with light.
A day ride out of Kazan takes in the broad river country of the Volga. The roads run across rolling farmland, with wheat fields and birch woods in every direction, and the main highways are wide and in decent condition, though trucks are thick. Out on the minor roads, the surface may break up, with potholes after winter, and villages have speed bumps. In summer the days are warm and long, and thunderstorms can roll in late in the afternoon. Autumn gives clear air and golden leaves, while winter brings deep cold, with snow and ice that make riding impractical.
Kazan has many fuel stations, shops and hotels, and traffic in the centre is heavy at rush hour, so aim to leave early. Try echpochmak, a triangular pastry filled with meat and potato, and chak-chak, a dessert of fried dough strands bound in honey, and tea is always served strong and sweet. The people are famously hospitable, and a cafe stop turns into a conversation easily. Check the current travel advice for the region before you go, as conditions and rules for visitors can change.