If Yelabuga was located closer to Moscow or St Petersburg, it would probably became a major tourist destination, rivalling cities on the Golden Ring route. As it is, Yelabuga is still one of the highlights of Tatarstan, despite its rather remote location. Much of the city’s historical centre has been completely preserved and it has many museums detailing the development of the city through various ages. In addition it has links with three interesting historical figures: the poet Marina Tsvetaeva, the artist Ivan Shishkin and officer of the Russian army Nadezhda Durova, who disguised herself as a man. There are special house-museums dedicated to all three of them. If that wasn’t enough, the city is also located in picturesque surroundings on the River Kama, with the ruins of a fortress dating from the time of Volga Bulgaria overlooking it.