When you think of Russia, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Ok, it’s probably either vodka or snow… But I’m sure most of you have heard of the Moscow Kremlin and the most famous onion-domed cathedral of them all, St Basil’s. Any travel guide to Moscow would be incomplete without them.
I spent three days in Moscow and while it’s not as compact and easy to navigate as St Petersburg, it’s still an essential stop on your visit to Russia.
If you’re pushed for time you can see the highlights in a day, but I’d recommend spending at least three days here to make the most of it! Here’s my little travel guide to Moscow based on my own experience.
Where I Stayed
I stayed at the perfectly located Nereus Hostel, so I was only a 10-minute walk from the Moscow Kremlin.
Kremlin Tips
I recommend getting up early and being at the gates when they open at 9am so you can avoid the busiest part of the morning, it fills up with coach loads of tourists by 11am.
Tickets for the Kremlin and its Cathedral Square cost 500R ($7), you can pay an extra 250R ($4) to climb the Ivan the Great Bell Tower (definitely recommend this), and tickets to the Armoury cost an extra 500R.
As you enter the main gate you have the modern Kremlin State Palace to your right and as you pass through an archway of the Church of the Twelve Apostles you’ll find yourself in Cathedral Square, surrounded by white marble and golden domes.
You can climb to the top of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower and you can go inside the Cathedral of the Archangel, the Cathedral of the Annunciation, the massive Assumption Cathedral and the tiny Church of the Deposition of the Virgin’s Robe. You’re not allowed to take photos inside any of them, but I didn’t realize this and managed to get one before I got told off!
Cathedrals & Other Noteworthy Sites
If you leave the Kremlin by the east gate you’ll find yourself in the south corner of the Red Square, opposite the magnificent St Basil’s Cathedral. Seeing such a famous landmark in person is pretty amazing! You can pay to go inside, it costs 700R ($10, half price for students) and I expected a big open cathedral like the rest of them, but I was pleasantly surprised with many small rooms, winding corridors and dark decor.
The grand building running along the southeast side of the square is GUM, a massive department store for the wealthy, you’ll find brands like Prada, Louis Vuitton and Burberry. To the northwest of the square is the dark red State Historical Museum which costs 400R ($6) to enter, it houses a nice collection but after a visit to the magnificent Hermitage Museum, I found it quite boring.
Another must-do in my travel guide to Moscow, for me at least (I loved the architecture too much to be sick of it), was visiting the absolutely stunning Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. It stands on the banks of the Moskva River, you can climb to the collonade for 400R ($6, half price for students) which rewards you with wonderful panoramic views of the city and the interior is gorgeous, I think it’s the most beautiful cathedral I visited in Russia.
From here you can cross the bridge and follow the river south, past the giant statue of Peter the Great, to Gorky Park—it’s a really nice place to be on a sunny day.
Further along the river is the much quieter Swallow Hills park, with a soon-to-be cable car that will take you up to the dramatic Moscow State University, one of seven similar skyscrapers throughout the city, and the view from here is wonderful.
As you take a bus back to the city, you can stop at Arbat Street, one of the main shopping sections of Moscow.
Outside The City
If you’re sick of the city and want to get out of it for a while, head south to the massive Kolomenskoye Open Air Museum where you can stroll through endless gardens and visit the Alexei Mikhailovich Palace, the Church of the Ascension and the Church of Our Lady of Kazan. Sit on the hill overlooking the suburbs and watch the sunset with a cold beer.
Guided Tours
The last thing I can really recommend in this travel guide to Moscow is a metro tour. Certain stations are more like tiny palaces, churches or art museums.
You can join a guided tour for around $10 but they go at the busiest times. It’s much better to go by yourself either very (very) early in the morning, between 11am and 2pm or last thing at night, when a single metro ticket only costs 55R (85¢)!
Most of the prettiest metro stations are conveniently located on the Circle Line: the stained windows of Novoslobodskaya, the regal Park Kultury and the colorful frescoes of Kiyevskaya. Some exceptions are the art deco Mayakovskaya (dark green line), the golden Aviamotornaya (yellow line) and the futuristic Elektrozavodskaya (dark blue line).
You can pick up a Troika card for your stay or buy individual tickets for each journey, and you can plan your route using either Google Maps or the Yandex.Metro app.
So that was my little travel guide to Moscow! Know of any other tips you’d like to share based on your own experience? Let us know in the comments below and we may even add it to this article!
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