Of all Astrakhan’s museums, children may particularly enjoy the small Sturgeon Museum (13 Akhmatovskaya Ulitsa; +7 512-63-36-08), which has live sturgeon in tanks, pictures of Astrakhan’s fishing industry over the centuries and, best of all, a video of a 30-year-old farm-Strapless Prom Dresses sturgeon being killed and men scooping out her caviar with their bare hands and slopping it into waiting buckets.
Other activities for the kids might include feeding the swans on the city’s “swan lake," which backs onto the Iranian Consulate, admiring a fountain on the city’s waterfront that “dances" to music blaring out from speakers, or taking a boat trip on the Volga itself. The city also has a puppet Bridesmaid Dresses (12 Ulitsa Fioletova; +7 512-52-40-25; astrpupp.ru).
Nightlife
Unfortunately, anyone looking for a night of musical theater in Astrakhan will be disappointed because the city’s colossal landmark musical theater — which will be one of the biggest in Europe — is still under construction after years of delays. The authorities now promise that it will open this year, but if you’re too early, there is the Concert Hall (3 Ulitsa Molodaya Gvardia; +7 512-22-04-15) and the Drama Theater (28 Sovetskaya Ulitsa; +7 512-52-39-89; astradram.ru), which celebrated its Cocktail Dresses anniversary in 2010.
For those so inclined, the Metro Club (235 Ulitsa Admirala Nakhimova; +7 512-99-90-90; metroltd.ru) is one of city’s most stylish nightclubs.
Where to eat
Astrakhan’s cuisine unsurprisingly revolves around fish, which can be found — and should be tried — in most of the city’s restaurants. If you are looking to rub shoulders with the city’s business and political elite, including the mayor and the governor, Gamlet (6a Ulitsa Lenina; +7 512-51-70-25), just opposite the kremlin and with a nondescript entrance, is a good bet. A meal without alcohol starts from 500 rubles per person.
Other spots for dinner include Akvatoriya (19a short prom dresses Maxima Gorkogo; +7 512-39-12-26), with a wide selection of fish dishes, and the more traditionally European Krem Kafe (5 Ulitsa Uritskogo; +7 512 44-04-00), a stone’s throw from the Volga.