Perm - city in Russia

Perm (Russian: Пермь pyehrm`) is a city in Perm Krai, Russia.

Understand

Many pass through Perm on the Trans-Siberian Railway; however, few stay here, unless they are looking for a break from train travel. Highlights of the city include a walk along the Kama River, art museums and shows, and a visit to the nearby Gulag museum.

Perm is a large industrial city on the Kama river banks, at the western foothills of the Ural Mountain range. With a population of approximately 1 million people, Perm is the most populous city and the administrative capital of Perm Krai. Its name is derived from the same place as the "Permian" period, meaning "Far-away Land". Like Yekaterinburg, the city was founded in 1723 by Vasily Tatishchev, who was sent by Peter The Great to exploit the vast amounts of ores found in the region. From 1940 to 1957, the city was called Molotov (Мо́лотов), after Vyacheslav Molotov, the minister of foreign affairs under Stalin. The city is bifurcated by the Kama River. Perm was known as the "Gateway to the Gulag" and the horrors of the Gulags are on display at a nearby museum.

During Soviet times, Perm was a manufacturing center for artillery and weapons, some of which are on display at an outdoor museum. It was a "closed city" and was inaccessible by foreigners and most non-residents. It was "hidden" and did not appear on Soviet-made maps. Gorbachev opened the city in 1990 and Perm modernized rapidly.

Get in

By plane

• Bolshoye Savino Airport (IATA: PEE also known as Perm International Airport), 57.916667°, 56.026667°, +7 342 294-97-71. There are regular to flights to many major Russian cities including Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kirov, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Samara, Ufa, and Yekaterinburg as well as international flights to Bishkek and Dubai.

Bus #42 operates every 9 minutes between the airport and the bus station (Автовокзал) in the southwestern part of the city. Bus #35 also operates to/from the airport.

By train

When searching timetables and fares on RZD, enter "Perm 2" as this is the main station for Perm. There are several daily trains to Moscow (20 hours, ).

• Perm II railway station (Станция Пермь-II). Main station, also known as Perm-Zaimki. 2021-09-21
• Perm I railway station. Smaller central station used mostly by regional trains. 2021-09-21

By bus

The central bus station of Perm is on Shosse Kosmonavtov opposite the central market. There are daily buses to/from Ekaterinburg, Kazan, Izhevsk, Chelyabinsk, and many cities in Perm Krai.

By car

Although Perm lies on the "Siberian Trakt", the main motorway from Moscow to Siberia, the local roads are of poor quality, similar to most of Russia.

By boat

Perm is accessible through its Kama river port. Passenger transportation is limited to recreational cruises to Chaikovsky, Kazan, Moscow, St. Petersburg and Volgograd. Cruise companies tend to sell return tickets only.

Get around

Perm stretches 25 km along the Kama River; travelling the entire distance by bus or tram requires several transfers. Therefore, it can be hard to get around.

Tram and bus tickets each cost and can only be purchased from the driver or conductor. Transfers require the purchase of a new ticket.

Public transport operates 05:30-00:30.

See

• PERMM (Perm Contemporary Art Museum) (Пермский музей современного искусства), 24 Gagarina Boulevard, 58.0127°, 56.2789°, +7 342 2199172. 12:00-21:00. The first and the only contemporary art museum in Russia.
• Perm State Art Gallery, Komsomolsky Prospekt, 4 (the crossing of Komsomolsky Prospekt and Monastyrskaya Street), 58.0163°, 56.2345°, +7 342 212-2250, contact@permartmuseum.ru. Tu-W, F-Sa: 10:00-19:00; Th: 12:00-21:00; Su: 11:00-19:00; M: Closed. One of the largest museums of arts in Russia. 2019-04-28
• Motovilikha open-air museum, Year 1905 Street #20 (At the intersection of Year 1905 Street & Lifanova Street, east of the city center, near the river), 58.035639°, 56.310183°, +7 342 260-59-76. An impressive outdoor collection of warfare made in the city's Motovilikha factories. Includes tanks, scud launchers and ballistic missiles that can be climbed upon.
• Diorama Museum (Музей-Диорама), Ul. Ogorodnikova 2, 58.04099°, 56.32011°, +7 342 267-55-82. W-Su: 10:00-18:00; M-Tu: Closed. Museum detailing the armed uprising in Motovilikha in December 1905.
• Other places in this guide: https://dlink.maps.me/catalogue?id=84e91e30-0833-4366-a717-fd81c9c0722f&name=Perm%20holidays&ref=webeditor (dead link: January 2023) (en)

Do

• Perm Opera and Ballet Theater, Petropavlovskaya st., 25a, 58.015975°, 56.246052°, +7 342 212-30-87. One of the oldest and famous opera and ballet theaters in Russia, offers high-standard opera and ballet events.
• Olympia Swimming Pool & Spa, Mira st., 41, 57.97656°, 56.18697°, +7 342 2567892. Clean, modern and big swimming pool (50x25m) with diving board swimming pool 75 minutes of entry: From

Festivals

• The International Diaghilev Festival (Diaghilev Festival), 25а, Petropavlovskaya st., 58.015975°, 56.246052°. May – June. The festival presents different genres and art movements, styles and formats. Ancient music, research of contemporary music tendencies, extraordinary interpretations side by side with academic performances. Night events are followed by early morning concerts. The festival lasts about two weeks and occupies various city venues. From to . It's advised to buy tickets in advance, as tickets for the most popular performances may be sold out on the first day of availability. 2019-04-28
• Flahertiana International Documentary Film Festival, +7 342 241-38-02. September or October.
• White Nights in Perm. Daily performances in June.
• Arabesque. Annual ballet competition.
• Snow, Ice and Fire Festival. The festival includes an international ice and snow sculpture competition with teams from all over the world competing. February.

Buy

With the city quickly developing, new shopping malls appear everywhere. Definitely worth seeing is the always crowded Central Bazaar, with uncountable kiosks and market stands, as well as huge market halls. The bazaar is located opposite the central bus station, at the very beginning of Kosmonavtov avenue. Perm also has a Chinese market, with mostly clothing being sold.

• Semya (Family) Shopping Mall, Revolution street, 13. 10:00-midnight. Includes a cinema and plenty of entertainment for children.
• Iceberg, Popova street, 16. 10:00-21:00. 60 stores with clothing, electronics and a beauty salon.
• Tczemlyanika (Wild Strawberry), Parkovy avenue, 17. 10:00-21:00. A large discount centre.

Eat

There is plenty of Russian, Georgian, Azeri, and Uzbek food in Perm.

Budget

• Sufra, Monastyrskaya st. 14, multiple locations, 58.01463°, 56.22800°, +7 342 259 07 80. Good Azerbaijani food. Mains:
• Blinnaya Skovorodka (literally: "Blini Skillet"). A chain of restaurants serving the famous Russian crepes.

Mid-range

• Grill-Tavern Montenegro, Maksima Gorkogo, 28. Excellent meat restaurant - cooked in a variety of methods.

Splurge

• Karin Restaurant @ Hilton Garden Inn, 45 B Mira Street. High-end fusion cuisine.

Drink

There are many cafes in the city, all of them serving food specialities. One of the most popular bars are the Coffee City chain (Кофе Сити).

• Augustine, Komsomolskiy prospekt, 32, 58.00965°, 56.24097°, +7 342 212-75-04. Brewery with Bavarian food.

Sleep

Budget

• Hostel P (Хостел П), ul. Lenina, 67 (in the city centre), +7 342 214-78-47. Hostel has laundry, chill-out room, kitchen and friendly staff. Dorm bed:

Mid-range

• Amaks Premier (Отель Амакс), 43 Monastyrskaya str., +7 342 220-60-60, +7 342 212-24-94, +7 342 220-60-94, info@amaks.perm.ru. 163 rooms. The staff speak many foreign languages, including English, Italian and French. The Kama boulevard, central shopping street Komsomolsky Prospekt and the "Chaikovsky" Opera & Ballet Theater are on walking distance. The hotel has a large bar/restaurant, with a very affordable a la carte menu, next to its modern bowling facilities. Small swimming pool with sauna/banya in the basement. From
• Astor Hotel, 40, Petropavlovskaya St, +7 342 212-2-212, booking@astorhotel.ru. A 17-room 3-star hotel. Single: From ; Double: From
• Gabriel Hotel (Габриэль Отель), Permskaya, 78a, +7 342 210-12-30. Single: From ; Double: From
• Hilton Garden Inn Perm (Отель Хилтон Гарден Инн Пермь), 45B, Mira street, +7 342 -227-67-87, hotel@hgip.ru. From
• New Star Hotel (Новая Звезда), Gazety Zvezda (ул. Газеты Звезда), 38-Б (east from the railstation Perm II), +7 342 -220-68-01, info@newstar.perm.ru. Upscale hotel. Since the building is among the tallest in the area, the top floors offer panoramic views over Perm's skyline. Single: From ; Double: From
• Prikamye Hotel (Отель Прикамье), Komsomolskiy pr., 27 (Next to Hotel Ural), +7 342 270-02-40, info@prikamie-hotel.ru. Although the hotel is quite large it has few facilities.
• Ural (Отель Урал), 58, Lenin street, +7 342 -218-62-20. Perm's largest hotel. Apart from a wide choice of room classes, the hotel offers a wide range of facilities. Although parts of the hotel have been renovated, it still has a grey Soviet look.
• Holiday Inn Perm (Жемчужина), Gagarina Blvd. 65-A / ул. Бульвар Гагарина, 65-А, +7 342 261-90-91. A 10-storey building. From

Connect

Stay safe

Reckless drivers are probably the biggest safety threat. Pickpocketing is common in the crowded public transport and in the Central and Chinese Bazars. Occasional drunkards may be somewhat annoying but rarely pose any menace. It is wise to stay out of city parks, Balatovo Park, during the night.

Cope

Be prepared for cold weather from November to March. Despite cold temperatures outside, nearly all indoor spaces and public transportation are well heated.

Go next

• Kungur is the next stop on the Trans-Siberian Railway going eastward, 50 km from Perm, and is famous for its Ice Caves.
• Khohlovka Museum (Архитектурно-этнографический музей Хохловка), с. Хохловка, Пермский край (46km north of Perm), +7 342 299-71-81. 10:00-18:00. A museum of wooden architecture.
• The Gulag Museum at Perm-36, village Kutchino, Tchusovskoi region (100 km northeast of Perm city), +7 919-492-5756. 10:00-17:00. Prison camp Perm-36 was closed in 1988, and later turned into the only genuine Gulag museum in Russia. There is a small cinema and a few exhibitions describing life in the high security area and in the special treament area.