Tolyatti Travel Guide, Russia

Tolyatti (or Togliatti, named after the Italian Communist Party secretary, Palmiro Togloatti, during the Soviet-era) is one of those Russian cities that have a very Soviet-feel about them. Famous for its automobile industry, Tolyatti lacks the charms of a really cosmopolitan city but a short-stay at the city can indeed be an awarding experience. Situated by the beautiful Volga River (which it shares with cities like Moscow, Samara and Saratov), Tolyatti is quite scenic; moreover, there are Tolyatti’s landmarks like the golden-domed Tolyatti Cathedral, Volgar Sports Palace, nicely maintained parks and the city’s monuments. Party animals will not be entirely disappointed as Tolyatti has its share of clubs and casinos, besides the shopping malls, souvenir shops, bars and restaurants.

Before proceeding with the Tolyatti travel guide, however, we would like to inform you that knowing a little Russian will definitely help you during your Tolyatti-stay because the local people hardly speak/understand any other language.

Tolyatti Travel Guide: Statistics

Area: 314.8 sq km

Population: 718,030

Currency: Ruble (RUB)

Language(s): Russian

Tolyatti Travel Guide: City Planning and Architecture

Tolyatti is made up three distinct towns – Avtozavodsky or Novy Gorod, the New City, Tsentralny or Stary Gorod, the Old City and Komsomolsky. A true communist agglomeration with typical residential squares, each of these towns was developed at different points in time to meet the housing needs of the city’s industries.

Komsomolsky, the oldest community, was developed to house the workers at the Hydroelectrical Plant. It is closest to the Volga River and is famous for the Kuybyshev dam/reservoir.

Both the Old Town and New Town are divided into grids and appear quite green in their tree-lined streets. Of course, there are some differences – while the Old Town is full of medium-sized apartment buildings, the New Town has more high-rises. The New Town has broader and longer streets as compared to the Old Town.

The city’s different sections also have open community yards or ‘dvors’ and green parks.

Tolyatti Travel Guide: Economy and Infrastructure

Tolyatti is the site of Russia’s largest automobile plant, the AvtoVAZ Lada Car Plant; the plant running since 1971 continues to provide employment to a huge part of the city’s population. Other industries like petrochemicals, electrical appliances, heavy machinery, ship repair, etc. have also come up in the recent years to rise above reliance on the automobile industry.

Tolyatti has a quite well-developed transport infrastructure. Although the city has no commercial airport, Tolyatti can easily be accessed from major Russian cities via land and water routes. The city has two bus-terminals and two railway stations in addition to a harbor. Municipal buses and Marshrutkas are the popular means of transport for inner city travel. Traffic-jams are not rare in Tolyatti and once caught in a jam, you may be stuck up for over half-an-hour.

Tolyatti Travel Guide: Culture

Tolyatti is a perfect Soviet-city in many ways than one and the city’s sports-culture presents another aspect of its ‘Sovietness’. The city has quite a few gymnasiums, swimming pools and other facilities that help the Tolyattis remain fit. Tolyatti has made a name for itself in different team-sports but that is not all – world-class athletes of the highest stature, like Alexia Nemov call Tolyatti their home and this bodes good for the future.

The city is perfectly safe and the people are very welcoming. So, plan a trip and this Tolyatti travel guide will prove handy.