Moscow
With its two golden domes rising above the eastern side of Sobornaya pl, the Ivan the Great Bell Tower is the Kremlin's tallest structure – a landmark…
Must-see attractions in Moscow
Moscow
At the northern end of Red Square, the State History Museum has an enormous collection covering Russian history from the time of the Stone Age. The…
Meshchansky & Basmanny
South of Kursky vokzal, by the Yauza River, is a small park with a two-storey house containing a human-rights centre named after Russia's most famous…
Meshchansky & Basmanny
Moscow's lovely botanic garden was established in 1706. Originally owned by the Moscow general hospital to grow herbs and other medicinal plants, its name…
Zamoskvorechie
The original piece of the hipster belt that now stretches far beyond Gorky Park, Red October is a massive compound of red-brick buildings that used to be…
Abramtsevo Estate Museum-Preserve
Moscow
In 1870 Savva Mamontov – railway tycoon and patron of the arts – bought this lovely estate 45km north of Moscow. Here, he hosted a whole slew of artists,…
Moscow
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier contains the remains of one soldier who died in December 1941 at Km41 of Leningradskoe sh – the nearest the Nazis came to…
Meshchansky & Basmanny
Clean Ponds is the lovely little pond that graces the Boulevard Ring at the ul Pokrovka intersection. The Boulevard Ring is always a prime location for…
Moscow
This 13th-century neighbourhood was the first in Moscow to grow up outside the Kremlin walls. While its name means 'China Town' in modern Russian, do not…
Moscow
When the Ostankino TV Tower was built in 1967, it was the tallest free-standing structure in the world (surpassing the Empire State Building). At 540m, it…
Moscow
In 1810, the wealthy Prince Nikolai Yusupov purchased this grand palace on the outskirts of Moscow, and turned it into a spectacular estate. Now his…
Church of the Trinity in Nikitniki
Moscow
Hidden between big government blocks, this little gem of a church is an exquisite example of Russian baroque. Built in the 1630s, its onion domes and…
Arbat & Khamovniki
The only private house built during the Soviet period, the home of Konstantin Melnikov stands as testament to the innovation of the Russian avant-garde…
Meshchansky & Basmanny
This museum houses the private collection of Russian art patron Mikhail Abramov. He has personally amassed a collection of more than 4000 pieces of…
Saviour Church ‘Not Made by Hand’
Moscow
The prettiest building in the grounds is Saviour Church ‘Not Made by Hand’ (Khram Spasa Nerukotvorny). The structure epitomises Mamontov’s intentions…
Church of the Nativity of the Virgin in Putinki
Moscow
When this church was completed in 1652, Patriarch Nikon responded by banning tent roofs like those featured here. Apparently, he considered such…
Moscow
Stalin's genocide is a subject many Russians prefer to forget rather than reflect on, but this modern multimedia space serves as both a learning centre…
Meshchansky & Basmanny
One of Russia’s most atmospheric religious centres is the Old Believers’ Community, located at Rogozhskoe, 3km east of Taganskaya pl. The Old Believers…
Glinka Museum of Musical Culture
Moscow
This musicologist's paradise boasts over 3000 instruments – handcrafted works of art – from the Caucasus and the Far East. Russia is very well represented…
Moscow
If the Armoury hasn’t sated your lust for diamonds, there is more in the Diamond Fund Exhibition. The fund dates back to 1719, when Peter the Great…
Moscow
The Kremlin’s ‘official’ exit onto Red Square is the stately red-brick Saviour Gate Tower. This gate – considered sacred – has been used for processions…
Meshchansky & Basmanny
A 'design centre', ArtPlay occupies the buildings of the former Manometer factory and is home to firms specialising in urban planning and architectural…
Moscow
A reopened palatial building sporting an elegant glass cupola, Space Pavilion is packed with rockets, landing capsules and entire space stations, some of…
Moscow
Built in 1873 by Victor Gartman, the ornate Russian-style wooden studio is notable for the carved art nouveau detailing on the exterior. It contains an…
Zamoskvorechie
The headquarters of the Russian Orthodox Church stands behind white fortress walls. On holy days this place seethes with worshippers murmuring prayers,…
Presnya
Patriarch’s Ponds hark back to Soviet days, when the parks were populated with children and babushky. Today you’ll see grandmothers pushing strollers and…
Meshchansky & Basmanny
On a quiet side street near Taganskaya pl, a nondescript neoclassical building is the gateway to the secret Cold War–era communications centre. The…
Moscow
Complete with stone lions, this opulent mansion was built to host the English Club – a venue favoured by Anglophile gentlemen and native Brits in tsarist…
Moscow
The gated walkway of Tretyakovsky proezd (originally built in the 1870s) leads from Teatralny proezd into Kitay Gorod. Nearby, you can see where…
Presnya
This impressive museum on the Boulevard Ring holds three floors of exhibits spanning the Asian continent. Of particular interest is the 1st floor,…
Arbat & Khamovniki
After Alexander Pushkin married Natalia Goncharova at the nearby Church of the Grand Ascension, they moved to this charming blue house on the old Arbat…
Meshchansky & Basmanny
The famous flea market is only part of a big theme park that includes shops, restaurants, museums and monuments, all contained within a mock ‘kremlin’ …
Meshchansky & Basmanny
Construction of a synagogue was banned inside Kitay Gorod, so Moscow’s oldest and most prominent synagogue was built just outside the city walls, not far…
Church of the Intercession at Fili
Arbat & Khamovniki
West of the center, Fili is a residential neighbourhood that was once the estate of Lev Naryshkin (brother-in-law to Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich and uncle to…
Moscow
At the northwestern corner of Red Square, Resurrection Gate provides a great vantage point for your first glimpse of the square. With its twin red towers…
Presnya
The 19th-century writer Nikolai Gogol spent his final tortured months here. The rooms – now a small but captivating museum – are arranged as they were…
Presnya
Renovations in honour of the zoo's 150th anniversary are ongoing, but the place should be in great shape in coming years. Huge flocks of feathered friends…
Vorobyovy Gory Nature Preserve
Arbat & Khamovniki
Vorobyovy Gory, or Sparrow Hills, is the green hilly area south of the Moscow River, opposite the tip of the Khamovniki peninsula. This wooded hillside is…
Moscow
The soaring 100m titanium obelisk outside VDNKh is a monument ‘To the Conquerors of Space’, built in 1964 to commemorate the launch of Sputnik. In its…
Moscow
The Upper St Peter Monastery was founded in the 1380s as part of an early defensive ring around Moscow. The main, onion-domed Virgin of Bogolyubovo Church…
