A city you seem not to know

To estimate what to do in this park and, what is more important, where to do it, go to the big wheel that is there since the Soviet Union times. Flashback to childhood is guaranteed. The park itself is well-cared-for, with many areas and places for rest and walks. You can find there monuments to Pushkin, Vysotskiy, and stop by a small zoo.

All the beauties of the city that has changed for the FIFA World Cup 2018 can be viewed at day time from the highest point of Mordovian republic – new main building of the Mordovian State University named after N.P.Ogarev. The deck is on the 17th floor and fully glazed so it can be attended even when the weather is not good. The entrance is nor free of charge and you have to book the excursion that are held from Monday till Friday at 13.30, 14.30 and 15.30. In addition you can take excursion into the museum of famous revolutionary, poet and publicist Nikolay Ogarev.

Despite the not very attractive entrance, the bakery is good – fresh pastry, cakes and a vast variety of bread. You can take coffee and stay inside the bakery at the table or head to Proletarskaya street for a walk.

In a 4-rooms premise a friendly atmosphere and a kind of cultural area are being created. In case you don’t feel like going to beer pubs and restaurants, this is the place to spend time tranquilly, play computer and board games, drink coffee with dessert. Inside the café everything is for free and the payment is realized per hour (the first hour costs 120 rubles, the second one is 90 and the further – the cheaper).

A win-win combination of Italian and Japanese cuisine in conjunction with good coffee and desserts. This place is good for lunch as well as for breakfast. The last being really precious as Saransk is quite poor for places for breakfast.

Museum and ethnographic complex “Mordovskoye podvorye” includes a complex of hut and utility buildings of traditional Finno-Ugric peasant farms: wooden house with interior national rural design, utility buildings, banya (steam house), other utility devices. Everything is made from wood, is very colorful and nice for a little walk through. There is also a restaurant with national Mordovian, Russian and European cuisine. From the local dishes worth trying are – aspic, forshmak (mashed potatoes with hashed meat), pelmeni (dumplings) and cutlets with boar meat, milk mushrooms and pea soup in hunk of bread. And if preorder is made – they can cook a whole hot smoked sterlet.

The best time to come here is at sunset. There is an amazing view from the terrace, that is on the 9th floor, to the Cathedral of St. Theodore Ushakov, Memorial Museum and park. The ideal option is to take bruschetta with smoked eel and roast beef, antipasti and a bottle of wine, make yourself comfortable in the patio and enjoy the evening in the open air.

Craft beer reached even Saransk. In case you can’t live a day without craft beer, a small collection of this drink can be found here. Despite the fact that the main focus of the place is made on grilled meat, the guys from Big Pig try to embrace the unembraceable and offer seafood. It might be risky to give sea urchins a try, but steak from catfish will perfectly go with a couple of dark ale bottles.