A cheat note for foreign guests: what to see in Ekaterinburg if you have only one day

Every year thousands of tourists from all over the world are coming to Ekaterinburg. The Ural capital is ready for the massive arrival of people from different countries: for example, nameplates of public transport stops and menus in restaurants are translated. But we understand that it still might be difficult to get around in an unknown city. That is why E1.RU has prepared a series of materials for guests.

За перевод мы благодарим партнера проекта — лингвистический центр «Талисман».

When in Rome, the Colosseum is a must to visit, in Paris — the Eiffel Tower, in Barcelona — the la Sagrada Família. Where is it necessary to go in Yekaterinburg to see the sights? We have selected ten places on the map of the Ural capital which are really worth visiting. Get a camera and start your search for impressions.

Plotinka

This dam over the Iset River is in the heart of the city, on Lenin Avenue. The dam with the quay around is a favorite local place for walking. In the summer, musicians play here, you can buy coffee and hot corn, or take a ride in a powerboat around the City Pond. On the northern side of the Dam is a beautiful view of the city.

If you go along the avenue through the subway, where people with guitars (and sometimes drums) will definitely be present, you can find yourself inside a waterfall. Right in front of it there is a piece of rhodonite, one of many stone blocks in the Historical Square (the area between Lenin Avenue and Malyshev Street, one block south). An open-air stone exhibition demonstrates the underground treasures of the Urals.

In the summer, colorful light fountains dance to music, some people skate around, and there are also open dance lessons. If you go up the stairs, you will see an ancient water tower (now it is a city museum) and a monument to the founders of Yekaterinburg — Vasily Tatishchev and Wilhelm de Gennin.

Time: you can walk along the Plotinka Dam for a long time. But to enjoy the water and the beautiful view, half an hour will be enough.

Temple on the Blood

In 1917, the history of the Russian monarchy came to its end in Yekaterinburg — it was here that Emperor Nicholas II and his family were executed. It happened in the basement of the engineer Ipatiev's house. This building was demolished in the 90's. However, at the exact location of the Ipatiev's House a majestic temple was erected, which is open for everyone.

In front of the Temple-on-the-Blood there are sculptures of the royal family. At any time of the year, especially in spring and summer, numerous newlywed couples come to the church. Even if the newlyweds do not come for a blessing, they are always photographed against the temple and the view that opens from its top. Below by the river you can see the bronze figures of Peter and Fevronia — the patron saints of family, love and loyalty. The green slope next to them nicely is framed by apple trees, densely blossoming in May.

Address: Tsarskaya St, 10

Time: it will take 40 minutes to go to the temple, take a walk in its surroundings and take nice photos.

There are many beautiful sights in Yekaterinburg, that are worth to visit and take a picture. One of the most impressive views is here at the height of 186 meters. The viewing platform on the first skyscraper of the city, named after Vladimir Vysotsky, is located at the level of the 52nd floor, in the 54-storey building. When the weather is good, visitors can view the city within a radius of 25 kilometers.

From the observation deck in "Vysotsky" you can understand how diverse Yekaterinburg is. Older small houses on its streets are interspersed with new buildings in the spirit of high-tech; here and there are parks and public gardens, church domes, stadiums, squares. The city river beautifully glistens like a silver ribbon. You can study the city for a long time yourself, or you can go on a virtual tour. The audio guide will tell you about most interesting places and history of Yekaterinburg in English, German or Chinese.

Address and phone: Malyshev St, 51, obeservation deck — on the 52nd floor, tel. +7 (343) 378-45-45.

Opening hours: on weekdays 12:00 pm — 10:00 pm, at weekends — 10:00 am — 10:00 pm.

Prices: on weekdays from 12:00 pm to 06:00 pm- Rub 250, from 06:00 pm to 10:00 pm - Rub 300. On weekends and holidays Rub 500. From 10:00 pm to 08:00 am- must be booked beforehand. Children under 5 years old and veterans of the Great Patriotic War are free of charge, children from 5 to 12 years old, disabled and participants of combat actions - Rub 150. The retired, families with many children, students and schoolchildren from the age of 12 get a 20% discount.

Time: you can stay on the observation deck for as much as you like, and the audio guide record lasts 30-40 minutes. Factor in another 40 minutes to get here from the city center and get back.

Monument to the keyboard

This is one of the most unusual monuments not only in Yekaterinburg, but also in all of Russia. Concrete keyboaard keys were arranged in QWERTY order on the grass of the city embankment. You can skip on them, "typing" your name or writing a message.

The huge keyboard on the bank of the Iset was installed in 2005 as one of the objects of the festival "Long Stories of Yekaterinburg". The author of the project is Anatoly Vyatkin. Now the keyboard is visited by locals and tourists. In the spring activists clean and tint the keys. Here from time to time, IT pros compete in casting computer mice from time to time..

Time: leave 15 minutes to jump on the keys, another 15 minutes for a walk to the monument along the river and returning to the central square of the city. Altogether half an hour.

Kharitonovsky Park

One of the oldest and richest parks in the history of the city is located near the Temple-on-the-Blood. An island of trimmed trees appeared here in 1826 thanks to the efforts of the inhabitants of the manor on the hill — the merchants Kharitonovs-Rastorguevs. The magnificent mansions of the gold miners in the Soviet era turned into the Culture Club of Pioneers, now here is an Art Club for kids and Youth.

Although the park is not large, it feels nice to be here, especially on a summer day. The banks of the man-made pond are overgrown with sedge, the willows drop their branches to the water. In the middle of the pond is an islet with a gazebo, called a rotunda, you can get to it over a short bridge. You can see ducks swimming and sometimes boats sailing in the pond. Narrow paths go in different directions, one of them leads to the grotto, where the merchants kept their wine. The servant lifted bottles up with a special mechanism. As the legend says, there were also secret passages passing under the park. However, these tunnels were never found.

Time: it takes 15 minutes to walk to the park from the central square of the city, if you take public transport, it will be a little faster. It would be nice to relax in the park for at least half an hour, so set aside an hour for it.

Hotel "Iset"

The building of an unusual form on the central avenue of Yekaterinburg - the creation of architects-constructivists. "Iset" was built in the early 1930s as a hostel for employees of the United State Political Administration (OGPU), later it was called the NKVD Housing Complex. And it really was a combine - local inhabitants went to the common factory-kitchen to eat and to the washrooms on their floor to take a shower. Much later the building became a hotel.

"Iset" is part of a single architectural complex - the town of Chekists. Apartments in nearby houses are notable for the fact that they initially had no bathrooms and no kitchens. Like Gorodok, the hotel "Iset" is steeped in legends (only few of which are true). One of them for example, says that the building was made in the shape of a sickle, but due to a lack of time, it could not be attached to a hammer (this is not true). Or about torture in the branched cellars under the complex. You can go down to the dungeon even now - the front door leading downstairs is located in the "Spyashchaya sobaka" bar on Pervomaiskaya Street, 40.

Now the hotel is not functioning, only some restaurants on the ground floor are open. Several years ago the Urals Industrial Biennale of Contemporary Art was held here. It was assumed that the building would be in the center of attention and quickly find a new owner, but this did not happen.

Address: Lenin Ave., 69/1.

Time: 10 minutes by public transport from the central square of the city to "Iset". You will need at least half an hour to see not only the hotel, but also the quaint town of Chekists, which is in desperate need of restoration. The Sverdlovsk Local History Museum is located near the "Iset", and is an architectural monument in the style of constructivism in itself. The most popular part of the building is a spiral staircase with a star on the ceiling. The museum itself is also worthwhile a visit. If you plan to go here - make sure you have not less than one hour and thirty minutes.

Observator's Hill

In Yekaterinburg there are several hills - Ivanovskaya, Moscow, Voznesenskaya. The observatory hill is one of the highest, that's why the city weather station is located here. The hill is in a fortuitous location - just outside the center. It has yet to become a subject of increased interest of developers, so you can have a beautiful view from the top which is not surrounded with new high buildings.

In the afternoon, visitors will be able to see not only the city, but also meteorological instruments - they are invited to the open air platform surrounded by a fence. But it is best to come to the Observatory hill at night, when Ekaterinburg is shining with the lights of windows, car headlights, exterior lighting. From the top are visible media facades of the tower "Iset" and Yeltsin Center, lights of distant regions and central avenues.

Besides the view, there are no special conveniences on the hill: no benches, no warm pavilion. And it's quite windy here, so do not forget warm clothes or blankets.

Address: Narodnaya Volya St, 64

Time: about half an hour by public transport to Observatory hill from the downtown

Yeltsin Center

The first presidential center in Russia was opened in Yekaterinburg in 2015, now hundreds of people from the Ural capital and visitors of the city come here daily. There are a lot of attractions for visitors in Yeltsin Center. First, the museum of Boris Nikolaevich, in which belongings of the first president of the country are not simply stored, but it seems the vibes of the 1990s are well preserved here. Multimedia screens, sound showers, holograms, interactive panels and other modern museum tools make the tour a fascinating journey through history.

In addition to the museum, there is an art gallery in the Yeltsin Center where art exhibitions, a conference hall, an educational center, a bookshop "Piotrovsky" (where one can listen to lectures of writers and publishers, lectures of teachers and popular science) are located. Every day Yeltsin Center has several events: exhibitions, concerts, master classes, workshops. Guests are always offered something interesting to see and do.

Time: 7 minutes walk from the central square of Yekaterinburg to Yeltsin Center. It might take an hour and a half to two hours to unhurriedly peruse the museum, and another half an hour to visit the art gallery. While planning where to go next, look up at the Yeltsin-center advertisements, perhaps, you’ll see an event that will interest you.

"Dynamo" peninsula

The water station and the Dynamo stadium were built on the shores of the City Pond in the 1930s. Right in the river Iset, opposite the building of the sports complex, there had previously been a 50-meter swimming pool for swimming competitions. Unfortunately, now the state of water in the Yekaterinburg River is such that it is strictly recommended not to swim in it.

The building of the sports complex "Dynamo" is one of the most striking examples of constructivism. It resembles a ship. Near the metro station "Dynamo" there is a spacious stadium and a small square, open at any time of the day. There is an embankment convenient for cycling and walking. In some places you can get down to the water and feed the ducks.

Address: Eremin St, 12

Time: a walk along the embankment to "Dinamo" from Plotinka will take 10 minutes.

Weiner Street

While the visitor may not find so many pedestrian streets in Yekaterinburg, Weiner is the most central of all. Automobile traffic was reduced gradually, and now a paved, pedestrian boulevard with benches, lanterns, and sculptures stretches for several blocks. You don't have to cross roads while walking- Weiner dives into the underground passages under the intersecting streets.

When it is warm, it is nice to walk around here. People take pictures with a peddler (according to a legend, a bottle of perfume in his hands brings prosperity to the one who rubs it), Michael Jackson and other metal statues punctuate the street. Along the street there are many shops, restaurants and cafes, in summer this boulevard is crammed with musicians. Between Malyshev and Radishchev streets is a fountain of unusual shape, known as the "Spiral of Time".

Time: It will take you half an hour to quietly walk through Weiner Street. It starts directly South from the square of 1905.