Perm region: Province of the North

Although Perm by itself has little unique to offer for an experienced tourist, the region is still a breath of fresh air. A distant and rather cold region, it was poorly explored even by the beginning of the 20th century. Now, it has lots of natural and man-made treasures to show.
About 100 km away from Perm, around the town of Kungur, is an ice cave, one of the largest in the world. The icy underworld presents tourists about 1.5 km of tourist friendly paths, but take warm clothes as it is always cold inside. The cave has 48 grottos and more than 60 lakes. In 1914, the cave became popular among tourists. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was even visited by Princess Louise of Battenberg (the Queen of Sweden in 1950-1965) who injured her leg in one of the grottos, which is now called Dame's Tears.
Today, tourists visit ice grottos of different nicknames, like Brilliant, Polar, Sea Bottom. The largest, "Giant," is over 30 meters high and 100 meters wide. In 1999, a fir tree was brought to the grotto and thanks to a consistent temperature and dampness it is still going strong. Moreover, female needles do not seem to age; legend has it that people can enjoy the cave's health benefits as well.
Stalactites and stalagmites are scattered all about the cave. The deepest grotto (80 meters below the top of the mountain), Meteor, was given its name due to a rockslide that resembles a large comet against stone ceiling background.
Another feature of the grotto is the absolute darkness that occurs when the lights are switched off.
Khlebnikov grotto (named after the first keeper of the cave) boasts of an exotic species of prawns that thrive in an underground lake. They are white and have no sense of sight after thousands of years spent in absolute darkness.
Guided tours into the cave last about 2 hours. The best time to visit the cave is certainly in winter when its ice looks to the best.
The town of Kungur can be interesting as an old former merchant place which used to be one of the centers of trade in the Russian North. Strolling along the streets note former luxurious shops, reach wooden houses and churches. Kungur used to have its own Kremlin but with years as the town grew more and more provincial it was gone.
About 50 km to the West of Kungur there is another landmark, Belogorodsky Monastery in the village of Belaya Gora (White Mountain). Topping a huge hill the monastery is worth visiting if only for the view of the picturesque landscape. Now the monastery is under slow reconstruction after the Soviet years of oblivion.
The most impressive building of the monastery complex is its Kresto­vo­sdvizhensky Cathedral, the 7th largest in Russia and quite comparable in size with Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior. But the amazing structure is situyated high on a pedestal in the middle of nowhere with only woods and hills surrounding it.
Those interested in traditions and the way of life of the Russian North are advised to visit the village of Khokhlovka, which is actually a museum of traditional wooden architecture in the open air. It lies about 40 km northwards of Perm. Situating in a picturesque place the museum present a dozen of traditional houses and churches collected from different spots of the region and reconstructed there presenting not only the architecture but also showing interiors and way of life. Peasants' traditional houses, wooden churches of the North (which are quite different from the churches of the heartland), shops, a guard house, a mill, even a small fire tower, all are assembled in one place and form a village that could really have existed in the 18th or 19th century.
Finally, the last peculiar place to visit when you happen to have a day off in Perm is the so called Perm 36, the former prison camp ITK-6 and now the Museum of Gulag. It is situated 250 km away from Perm in Kutchino village and used to be an ordinary typical distant prison keeping a thousand people behind the bars. Abandoned in the last Soviet years it stood dilapidated and useless until the middle the 1990s when it was decided to turn it into a museum which opened for the public in 1996 and is under development and reconstruction up to now. It is very special, takes considerable time to reach and is recommended to those interested in Gulag life, Soviet time or particularly curious persons.
While the gems of Perm are sometimes found below the surface, the effort pays off.
TRAVEL TIPS
The starting point for all travels here is Perm which is easily reached by regular flights from both Domodedovo and Sheremetyevo. The fastest way to reach all the spots is by bus from the central bus station (Revolutsii ulitsa, 68) (see for details ).
It is recommended to spend a night in Kungur and stop at Stalagmit hotel: see
Perm Hotels are presented at:
But be sure to give them a call to check whether the price is right and rooms are available.
Meals.
In Kungur:
Yermak restaurant - Karl Marx Ulitsa, 11.
Tri medveda (Three bears) restaurant near the bridge across the Sylva river
In Perm:
The centre offers plenty of places. Choose the one you like near the so-called esplanade.
Taste Perm's pelmeni which are claimed by the locals to be their specialty.