Things to do in Perm: 13 reasons I loved Perm

I really, really liked Perm. If you’re looking for reasons to visit Perm – or maybe even for things to do in Perm, then look no further. I visited on my Trans-Siberian journey and was so happy I did. Let me try and convince you why!

I’m going to say it again: I really, really liked Perm. The city was somewhere I’d always been curious about – mostly because I wanted to visit Perm-36, the only former Soviet detention camp that has been preserved and is open to the public. But the more I read about the city, the more I was convinced I would like it (despite its less-than-stellar reputation throughout the rest of Russia), but even I have to say I’m surprised by how much I liked the city. In fact, Perm was easily my favourite city I visited on the Trans-Siberian.

Perm was easily my favourite city on the Trans-Siberian.

Here’s a few reasons why Perm left such a positive impression on me.

Check out my full Trans-Siberian itinerary here.

13 reasons I loved Perm

The last city in Europe

Perm is the last city in Europe, travelling east

Perm has the right to officially call itself the last city in Europe, thanks to its location just to the West of the Ural mountains. Traditionally, Perm was the last big stop that traders would make before heading into Siberia via the Kama River and traversing Siberia’s extensive river network.

But for me, travelling from East to West, Perm was the first city in Europe I reached and it 100% felt like it. The architecture in the core city centre has a strong Tsarist, imperialist feel. Streets of beautiful, old, pastel-coloured brick buildings from the turn of the century felt a world away from Siberia’s mixture of Soviet blocks and traditional wooden architecture.

The best food on my trip

Ris Lapsha

Hands down, the best food I ate on my entire three-week trip was in Perm. If you’re looking for the best places to eat in Perm, head straight for Ris-Lapsha (Rice and noodles), a really cool Asian restaurant that does fantastic dishes. Quite similar to Wagamama’s in the UK (if you know it) in terms of offering, but a hundred times nicer. It was recommended to me several times by local Permians as one of the best restaurants in Perm, so you know it has to be good. It’s a small chain, but the most central restaurant is on Permskaya Ulitsa (number 11), but not marked on Google Maps.

Another great restaurant worth checking out is Toropomodoro, found in a small courtyard just off Ul. Lenina. The interior is a very intimate (read: small) exposed-brick set up, with just a handful of tables. The menu is surprisingly long and the pizzas are amazing. Also recommended to me by a local, this is another great choice if you’re looking for the best food in Perm.

The Perm Stefanov Holy Trinity Monastery

One of the most beautiful monasteries I came across during my trip was the Perm Stefanov Holy Trinity Monastery, found in the Motovilikha suburb. Our visit here was fleeting, but the monastery is just as beautiful inside as out. Located a bit further out from the centre of Perm, the monastery is nevertheless well-worth a short taxi ride to explore.

Dr. Zhivago

Gribushin House

If you’re a fan of Russian literature, you might also be familiar with Perm for its connection to the novel Dr. Zhivago. I haven’t read it personally, but the author, Boris Pasternak, set the novel in a town based on Perm; on the city’s tourist trail, you can visit several buildings that were the inspiration for locations in the novel. House Gribushin is a great example.

Natural beauty of Perm Krai

En route to Perm-36 – less than an hour outside of Perm

The city of Perm is found in the Perm Krai (the Perm region), which is roughly two-thirds the size of the UK, with a population of less than three million. We drove through just a tiny portion of the area to reach Perm-36, but even on this short drive, I was taken by just how beautiful and green Perm Krai is. As I mentioned in my blog post about Ulan-Ude, I didn’t manage to take as many day trips out of cities and I wanted, but it looks like there are a lot of possibilities to get out and see more of Perm Krai, if you have the time. Tour companies like Evrasia Tours have some amazing options if you are looking for day trips from Perm. I would have loved to explore more and maybe done some hiking in the north of the region.

Perm architecture

One of the beautiful riverside mansions in Perm

Perm is genuinely a really pretty city in my opinion: walking around and appreciating some of the city’s architecture is one of the nicest things to do in Perm. The main streets in the city centre have some beautiful buildings, typical of the more European-style from the Russian empire. (Of course there are plenty of Soviet high-rises, too.) If you follow the green tourist trail, you’ll be led around some of the city’s nicest buildings, but those along ul. Lenina are particularly picturesque. The old train station (Perm I) and the mansions along the river are other standouts.

PERMM – The Museum of Modern Art

Getting interactive at PERMM

Chances are, if you’re thinking of visiting Perm, you’ll have already read about PERMM, an art gallery which Lonely Planet touts as one of the few subversive spaces in Russia. I have to admit, I’m not the biggest fan of art (modern or classical), but I would say that this impressive space is probably worth checking out. The exhibition when I visited was fairly out-there, but still something that I could enjoy. And while the museum is probably a lot less controversial than it might have been (PERMM’s founder and curator was removed in 2013 for poking fun at the Sochi Winter Olympics), it’s still a very cool, independent museum of art and one of the best things to do in Perm.

Street art

On my way to my amazing meal at Ris-Lapsha (see above), I stumbled upon a really cool area that was full of street art, which isn’t the most common sight in Russia. I’m not sure if this was a designated graffiti zone or something, but the art looked VERY professional (and very instagrammable). The area was the short, pedestrianised stretch of ul. Permskaya, roughly from number 55-67.

Kölsch Bar

Cologne meets Perm

Now one of the weirdest moments of my trip – or quite possibly my life – was when I happened to glance up from my phone on the tram, just as we travelled past a Kölsch bar. Now, for those of you who don’t know, Kölsch is a special type of beer native to the city of Cologne (where I live). I had genuinely no idea this bar existed and found it by pure chance.

I went back later to find that not only was the bar dedicated to the beer, but all things Cologne. The inside was decked out in red and white (the city colours), there were prints of Cologne cathedral on the walls and emblems for the local football team FC Köln everywhere. I was in heaven. A home away from home.

‘Happiness is not behind the mountains’

“Happiness is not far away”: the new symbol of Perm

Everybody loves a good local landmark. Even better when that landmark can easily and frequently be instagrammed. Luckily, Perm has just that; a sign on the banks of the Kama river, which means ‘Happiness is not far away,’ (but more literally translates to: ‘Happiness is not behind the mountains’) has become the new landmark of the city. The sign is pretty popular for Instagrammers, particularly when the river floods and the letters appear to be floating on the surface of the water. I don’t mind saying I grew very fond of this landmark and must have revisited at least three times to take about one million photos.

Perm was historically the last stop before crossing the Ural mountains into Siberia, the saying has a lot of relevance here. (It also doesn’t hurt that Perm’s rival, Yekaterinburg, is found on the other side of those mountains.)

The friendly bear

It’s good luck to rub the nose of the Perm bear.

However, the official symbol of the city is actually quite different – it’s a friendly walking bear and is found on the city’s crest. (Big emphasis on the ‘friendly’ – the bear isn’t a show of strength or aggression but friendship and curiosity.)

The new friendly walking bear: in magnet form

Now one thing that really appealed to me about Perm was the region’s new branding – including a very artistic take on the friendly, walking bear. In fact, it’s fair to say that the Perm Tourism Board where pretty confused when I rocked up asking if I could buy anything with the bear on it. Instead, they gave me a load of stuff for free, including a very nice magnet, a t-shirt and more leaflets than you could shake a stick at. I am a sucker for nice branding.

The Kama Riverfront

Kama River

Within the city itself, the Kama river is a great place to spend some time when the sun is shining. One thing that really left a last impression on me from this journey was just the sheer size of Russia’s rivers – the Kama is a relatively short river, but it is huge! The promenade which runs along the river is really well kept – I would recommend taking a leisurely stroll if you are looking for things to do in Perm.

Perm-36

The idea of visiting Perm-36 is what put Perm on my Trans-Siberian itinerary. And I’m sure it’s the same for many other visitors passing through: visiting the former GULAG is probably the #1 thing to do in Perm. Perm-36 is the only preserved GULAG in the entire of Russia and today functions as a museum and memorial site that can be visited on a guide tour from the city.

However, it’s fair to say that if you’ve read A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Perm-36 will probably feel quite tame. Despite being a forced-labour camp, the political prisoners here were entitled to certain luxuries not permitted elsewhere, allowing for trees and gardens to be grown in the barracks, for example. You can read more about the daily life of prisoners here.

A cleaner at the Perm railway station did this to a photo of Stalin in frustration of not getting a new uniform. She was sentenced to 10 years’ hard labour. Afterwards, she had restrictions on where she could live and work for a further five years.

Visiting is a fascinating look into the Soviet system of punishment – the on-site museum to the Stalinist purges is fascinating and tragic and shows just how casually the deaths of thousands were authorised by one man and his signature. If you are interested in Soviet history, do not miss the chance to visit.

More on the Trans-Siberian:

Heading East:
Yekaterinburg:
36 hours in Yekaterinburg: what to see and do