Must-see attractions in Moscow

  • The crown of Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich in the Armoury in the Kremlin, Moscow. 21/06/2003. (Photo by Jeff Overs/BBC News & Current Affairs via Getty Images)

    Armoury

    Moscow

    The Armoury dates to 1511, when it was founded under Vasily III to manufacture and store weapons, imperial arms and regalia for the royal court. Later it…

  • St. Basil's Cathedral in Red Square, Moscow, Russia

    St Basil's Cathedral

    Moscow

    At the southern end of Red Square stands the icon of Russia: St Basil’s Cathedral. This crazy confusion of colours, patterns and shapes is the culmination…

  • Exterior of Water Tower at Kremlin.

    Moscow Kremlin

    Moscow

    The apex of Russian political power and once the centre of the Orthodox Church, the Kremlin is the kernel of not only Moscow, but of the whole country…

  • Mausoleum on Red Square, Moscow, Russia; Shutterstock ID 64158388; Your name (First / Last): Josh Vogel; Project no. or GL code: 56530; Network activity no. or Cost Centre: Online-Design; Product or Project: 65050/7529/Josh Vogel/LP.com Destination Galleries

    Lenin's Mausoleum

    Moscow

    Although Vladimir Ilych requested that he be buried beside his mum in St Petersburg, he still lies in state at the foot of the Kremlin wall, receiving…

  • Moscow's Red Square

    Red Square

    Moscow

    Immediately outside the Kremlin’s northeastern wall is the celebrated Red Square, the 400m-by-150m area of cobblestones that is at the very heart of…

  • Moscow, Russia - July 29, 2018: People at the Moscow Festival of Italy Grand Italia Fest in the Hermitage Garden; Shutterstock ID 1145341304; your: Sloane Tucker; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI
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    Hermitage Gardens

    Moscow

    All the things that have improved Moscow parks no end in recent years fill this small, charming garden to the brim. Today, it is possibly the most…

  • Exterior of Assumption Cathedral, Kremlin.

    Assumption Cathedral

    Moscow

    On the northern side of Sobornaya pl, with five golden helmet domes and four semicircular gables, the Assumption Cathedral is the focal church of pre…

  • MOSCOW, RUSSIA - APRIL 13: The Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center  on April 13, 2014 in Moscow, Russia. Jewish Museum represents a cultural and educational complex with its permanent exposition.
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    Jewish Museum & Centre of Tolerance

    Moscow

    Occupying a heritage garage, purpose-built to house a fleet of Leyland double-deckers that plied Moscow's streets in the 1920s, this vast museum, filled…

  • RUSSIA, SAINT PETERSBURG - January, 2016: the Museum of Soviet arcade games. Slot machine from Soviet times
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    Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines

    Moscow

    Growing up in 1980s USSR was a peculiar, but not necessarily entirely bleak experience. Here is an example – a collection containing dozens of mostly…

  • Central Armed Forces Museum-Moscow,Russia 13-06-2013; Shutterstock ID 562630333; your: Sloane Tucker; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI
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    Central Museum of the Armed Forces

    Moscow

    Covering the history of the Soviet and Russian military since 1917, this massive museum occupies 24 halls plus open-air exhibits. Over 800,000 military…

  • Golden statue in Friendship of the People Fountain at VDNKh (trade fair and amusement park).

    VDNKh

    Moscow

    Palaces for workers! There is no better place to see this Soviet slogan put into practice than at VDNKh, which stands for Exhibition of Achievements of…

  • Lantern detail at Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.

    Archangel Cathedral

    Moscow

    The Archangel Cathedral at the southeastern corner of Sobornaya pl was for centuries the coronation, wedding and burial church of tsars. It was built by…

  • Close up view of Annunciation Cathedral cupola

    Annunciation Cathedral

    Moscow

    The Annunciation Cathedral, at the southwest corner of Sobornaya pl, contains impressive murals in the gallery and an archaeology exhibit in the basement…

  • Stone monument in Borodino field, Russia.

    Borodino Field

    Moscow

    The entire battlefield – more than 100 sq km – is now part of the Borodino Field Museum-Preserve, its vast fields dotted with dozens of memorials to…

  • Zaryadye Park with modern amphitheater, Moscow, Russia.

    Park Zaryadye

    Moscow

    Moscow's first new park in 50 years, Zaryadye was inaugurated in 2017 and occupies a prominent site along the Moscow River, wedged into historic Kitay…

  • The information pavilion dome in Zaryadye Park, Moscow, Russia.

    Park Zaryadye Pavilion

    Moscow

    This glass-dome pavilion was the first element of Park Zaryadye to open to the public. A creation of Sergei Kuznetsov, the pavilion was designed as an …

  • The Moscow Museum of Modern Art.

    Moscow Museum of Modern Art

    Moscow

    A pet project of the ubiquitous artist Zurab Tsereteli, this museum is housed in a classical 18th-century merchant’s home, originally designed by Matvei…

  • Entrance to the Museum of Decorative & Folk Art in Moscow.

    Museum of Decorative & Folk Art

    Moscow

    Just beyond the Garden Ring, this museum showcases centuries-old arts-and-crafts traditions from around Russia and the former Soviet republics. Of the 40…

  • Ivan the Great Bell Tower

    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…

  • State History Museum

    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…

  • View of the main estate of the Russian industrialist and philanthropist Savva Mamontov in the open-air museum in the village of Abramtsevo.

    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,…

  • Eternal fire at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow.

    Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

    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…

  • Nikolskaya Street, a pedestrian street in the Kitay-Gorod of Moscow, which connects Red Square and Lubyanka Square.

    Kitay Gorod

    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…

  • Ostankino tower

    Ostankino TV Tower

    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…

  • Arkhangelskoye - unique monument of Russian architecture of the manor, located 20 kilometers northwest of Moscow.

    Arkhangelskoe Estate

    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…

  • The Holy Trinity Church in Nikitniki.

    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…

  • Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands in Abramtsevo.

    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…

  • Gulag History Museum in Moscow.

    Gulag History Museum

    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…

  • 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…

  • Diamond Fund Exhibition

    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…

  • Saviour Gate Tower

    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…

  • VDNKh Space Pavilion

    Moscow

    A reopened palatial building sporting an elegant glass cupola, Space Pavilion is packed with rockets, landing capsules and entire space stations, some of…

  • Studio

    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…

  • Contemporary History Museum

    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…

  • Tretyakovsky Proezd

    Moscow

    The gated walkway of Tretyakovsky proezd (originally built in the 1870s) leads from Teatralny proezd into Kitay Gorod. Nearby, you can see where…

  • Resurrection Gate

    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…

  • Conquerors of Space Monument, Moscow, Russia

    Cosmonautics Museum

    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…

  • Exterior of Upper St Peter Monastery.

    Upper St Peter Monastery

    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…

  • Moscow Cathedral Mosque

    Moscow

    The original building of Moscow’s main mosque dates back to 1904, but it was demolished in 2011 and rebuilt from scratch. Unlike many religious…

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