Krasnaya Street is the pedestrianised main boulevard of Krasnodar, running through the heart of the historic centre and lined with 19th-century merchant buildings, Soviet-era cinemas, churches, and modern shops. On warm evenings, the street fills with people promenading between the fountains and cafe terraces — a southern Russian social ritual that has been going on since the 19th century.
The street holds Krasnodar's best concentration of pre-revolutionary architecture: merchant mansions, the city administration building, and the Kuban Regional Art Museum. The monument to Catherine the Great (destroyed in the Soviet period, rebuilt in 2006) stands at the northern end. Walking the full length and exploring the side streets to either side gives a good overview of the city's layered history.