Moscow/Central

• 🌍 The Kremlin (Моско́вский Кремль), Kreml (entrances to the territory and Armoury, ticket offices: metro Biblioteka im. V.I.Lenina, Alexandrovskii Sad, Arbatskaya (Dark Blue line, east exit) or a short walk from Borovitskaya; rest of the walls: also metro stations Ohotnii Ryad, Teatralnaya and Ploschad Revolutsii, then proceed through Alexandrovskii Garden or Red Square), ☏ +7 495 695-41-46. F-W p9:30-18:00;. This gigantic site should not be missed. The Diamond collection in the Armoury is worth a visit on its own. There are several stunning churches that warrant a visit. Choose one or two to go inside, then enjoy the rest from the gardens. If you get a chance, the ballet in the Conference Centre has some very cheap matinee performances (and you can change seats in the interval). Amateur photography and videotaping is prohibited indoors and free outdoors.- Part of UNESCO World Heritage List. Every Saturday in the summer, the Kremlin Regiment holds the Horse and Foot Guards Mounting Ceremony in Cathedral Square at 12:00, featuring a military band and precision military drills by Russia's most elite soldiers. Entrance and exhibitions: 500 руб. Large bags must be left at a luggage office (free). (updated Sep 2020)
  • 🌍 Amusement Palace (Потешный дворец (палаты Милославского)), Kreml (at the western wall, between the Commandant and Trinity Towers.). Built in 1652, it was used as a theatre with performances staged to amuse the family of the czar and his court. Hence, it got the name the Amusement Palace. This building is a complex with two courtyards which are connected by an arched passageway. In 1806 it was rebuilt, disassembled the completion of the church and giving the façades of Neo Gothic style. After all, just the palace interiors shows the 1650s features. The monument presents mostly baroque style elements. 
  • 🌍 Cathedral of the Annunciation (Благовещенский собор), Kreml (on the southwest side of Cathedral Square; tourists enter via the eastern staircase). This was a private chapel for the Muscovite tsars. The building has nine golden domes and a roof decorated with rich 'Russian headdress' ornamentation in an arched Gothic vault form. The Cathedral made in brick, with façades of white limestone. The entrances influenced by Italian Renaissance architecture. The bronze doors are decorated with gold foil. The interior of the cathedral consists of the central prayer area and several surrounding galleries, with the additions of side altars in the 16th century. The first gallery contains a famous Image of Edessa icon. The gallery is separated by a doorway from the main room, created in the 16th century by Italian architects using a striking azure blue colour with gilt floral ornaments. The door wings are decorated with figures of ancient poets and philosophers. The main vault of the cathedral has a large iconostasis (wall of icons and religious paintings), which includes icons of the 14th to 17th centuries.The fifth (lowest) row is pieced by a silver door, behind which is the old staircase to the Tsar’s personal chambers. Throughout the interior, fragments of murals, painted in 1508 and second half of the 16th, 17th and 19th centuries. These include various biblical themes, heroic figures among other Russian princes and grand dukes. The floor of the altar area, consisting of sheets of agate yellow-red jasper, which was brought from a cathedral in Rostov Velikiy in the 16th century. Behind the altar a large silver reliquary containing the remains are of about 50 saints from different places in the Middle East was discovered in 1894. 
  • 🌍 Cathedral of the Archangel (Архангельский собор), Kreml (In Cathedral Square). Built in 1333, until the relocation of the capital to St. Petersburg, it was the main necropolis of the Tsars of Russia. There are 54 burials in the cathedral, with 46 ornamented whitestone tombstones (1636–1637) and glazed cases made of bronze (1903). Its five domes representing Jesus Christ and the Four Evangelists. The Italian Renaissance exterior ornamentation made of white limestone. 
  • 🌍 Church of the Deposition of the Robe (Church of the Virgin's Robe, Church of Laying Our Lady’s Holy Robe, Church of the Veil, Церковь Ризоположения), Kreml (In Cathedral Square), ☏ +7 495 695-3776. Visiting sessions are daily at 11:00, 13:00, 15:30 and last for 35 min. Built in the traditional Early Russian style, in 1451. It has a four-level iconostasis, created by Nazary Istomin Savin in 1627. The church was built as the private chapel of the Patriarch of Moscow. Today, in the gallery of the church you can see a rare exhibition of Russian wooden sculpture of 15th-19th centuries. 500 руб incl. all Cathedral Square museums, free for children but they still have to queue up for a free ticket. 
  • 🌍 Church of the Twelve Apostles and the Patriarch’s Palace (церковь Двенадцати Апостолов и Патриаршие палаты), Kreml. A minor cathedral. The church placement upon a high pediment, pierced by two large arches allowing passage from the Cathedral Square to the patriarch's courtyard. It was a stately residence in 1653. Now a museum of applied arts. There is a delightful 17th-century iconostasis. 500 руб including all Cathedral Square museums, free for children but they still have to queue up for a free ticket. 
  • 🌍 Diamond fund and Armoury (Выставка «Алмазный фонд» и Оружейная палата), Kreml (through Borovitskie gate), ☏ +7 495 695-3776. Tours, F-W: 10:00-17:00, at intervals of 20 minutes? Break 13:00-14:00. Tickets get in the Diamond Fund lobby; Armoury tours start at 10:00, 12:00, 14:30 & 16:30, tickets sold for 45 min before each tour. Armoury is one of the oldest museums of Moscow, established in 1808 & home to the Russian Diamond Fund. It has unique collections of the Russian, Western European and Eastern applied arts from the 5th to the 20th centuries. 700 руб, ISIC holders 250 руб. 
  • 🌍 Dormition Cathedral (Успенский Собор, Собор Успения Пресвятой Богородицы в Кремле), Kreml (on the north side of Cathedral Square, M:Biblioteka imeni Lenina or Borovitskaya 0.6 km NW). The Cathedral is regarded as the mother church of Muscovite Russia. In its present form it was constructed between 1475–79 at the behest of the Moscow Grand Duke Ivan III by the Italian architect Aristotele Fioravanti. From 1547 to 1896 it was where the Coronation of the Russian monarch was held and it is the burial place for most of the Moscow Metropolitans and Patriarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church. A tremendous 6 pillared building with 5 apses and 5 domes. It made extensive use of limestone masonry on a high limestone base, and was laid out as a three nave church with a vaulted cross-dome. Inside, the church decoration is dominated by its fresco painting. The huge iconostasis dates from 1547, but its two highest tiers are later additions from 1626 and 1653. 
• 🌍 Church of the Twelve Apostels in the Kremlin (Храм Двенадцати апостолов в Кремле), Kremlin, Kremlevskaya naberezhnaya (M:). 1656. Russian Orthodox. 
  • 🌍 Ivan the Great Bell Tower (Колокольня Иван Великий), Kreml (Cathedral Square). Belfry tours start at 10:15, 11:30, 13:45, 15:00 and 16:00, only 10 persons per tour, so these tickets are difficult to get - be sure to come to ticket offices at 09:00. Total height of 8 m (26 ft), built in 1508. It is made of brick. The tower itself consists of three octagonal drums, narrowing towards the top, and surmounted by a golden dome and 7-m-high cross. Each section has cut-out windows for the bells. Inside the tower,a 329-step spiral staircase leads to the highest observation deck. A top drum decorated with a dome and cross. On the third floor of the building is a small chapel founded in the 19th Century. Belfry: 500 руб, ISIC holders 200 руб. 
  • 🌍 Arsenal (Арсенал Московского Кремля), Kreml. It was built in 1736, and has been rebuilt several times. It remains in military use to date and off-limits to tourists. It is home to the Kremlin Regiment, which forms the main security service for the Kremlin. 
  • 🌍 Kremlin Senate (Сенатский дворец), Kreml. It was constructed from 1776–1787 to house the Moscow branch of the Governing Senate, the highest judiciary and legislative office of Imperial Russia. Now, it houses the Russian presidential administration and is a highly secured and restricted area closed to the public. Only the southern corner façade, opposite the Tsar Cannon can be viewed. 
  • 🌍 Kremlin Wall Necropolis (Некрополь у Кремлёвской стены), on Red Square, near to Kreml. First in November 1917, 240 pro-Bolshevik victims of the October Revolution were buried in mass graves on Red Square. It is centred on both sides of Lenin's Mausoleum. (updated Jun 2017)
  • 🌍 Moscow Kremlin Wall (Кремлёвская стена). aA defensive wall that surrounds the Moscow Kremlin, recognizable by the characteristic notches and its 20 towers, the oldest one, Tainitskaya dates to 1485 whilst the newest one-Tsarskaya to 1680. First part of the Wall made in 1156. With an outer perimeter of 2235 m, the Kremlin appears as a loose triangle, deviating from the geometric ideal on the southern side where instead of a straight line, it repeats the contours on the original hill on which the Kremlin rests. Some places ranges from no more than 5 m quadrupling to 19 m elsewhere. The thickness of the walls also varies from 3.5 to 6.5 m. The top of the walls, along their entire length, have outwardly-invisible battle platforms which also range from 2 to 4.5 m in width (in proportion to the thickness). A total of 1045 double-horned notched "teeth" crown the top of the walls, with a height ranging from 2 to 2.5 m and thickness from 65 to 75 cm. 
  • 🌍 Grand Kremlin Palace (Большой Кремлёвский дворец), Kreml. Built from 1837 to 1849 in Moscow, Russia on the site of the estate of the Grand Princes. The palace is 125 m long, 47 m high, and has a total area of about 2.5 ha. It includes the earlier Terem Palace, nine churches from the 14th, 16th, and 17th centuries, the Holy Vestibule, and over 700 rooms. The buildings of the Palace form a rectangle with an inner courtyard. The building appears to be three stories, but is actually two. The upper floor has two sets of windows. The west building of the Palace held state reception halls and the imperial family's private chambers. Nowadays, the whole Grand Kremlin Palace’s Complex, besides the Armoury, houses the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation, though the current president does not reside there and only uses it for state ceremonies. May only be visited on guided tours conducted by approved tour companies, and slots on such tours are limited and sell out fast. 
  • 🌍 Faceted Chamber (Грановитая Палата) (Cathedral Square, on the west connected to the Grand Kremlin Palace). admission is limited to prearranged tours only. It is an official ceremonial hall in the residence of the President of the Russian Federation. Named after its distinctive stonework eastern façade with horizontal rows of sharp-edged stones, the Palace of Facets is all that is left of a larger royal palace made of white limestone. Although from the façade, it appears to be a three-story rectangular building from the outside, it is actually a one-story building with a semi-basement. 
  • 🌍 Spasskaya or Saviour Tower (Спасская башня), Kreml. It is the main tower with a through-passage on the eastern wall of the Moscow Kremlin. Built in 1491, it was the first one to be crowned with the hipped roof in 1625. Spasskaya Tower with its clock is also one of the most recognizable symbols of Moscow. 
  • 🌍 Taynitsky Garden (Тайницкий сад), Kreml. This is an urban park at the southern walls of the Moscow Kremlin. One highlight of this garden was an oak tree named Cosmos, planted by Yuri Gagarin on 14 Apr 1961, just two days after his return from his historic space flight. 
  • 🌍 Terem Palace (Теремной дворец), Kreml. Not accessible to the public. Its name is derived from the Greek word τερεμνον (i.e., "dwelling"). On the 16th century founded, completely rebuilt in 1635. The five stories building surrounded by numerous annexes and outbuildings, including the Boyar Platform, Golden Staircase, Golden Porch, and several turrets. 
  • 🌍 Tsar Bell (also known as the Tsarsky Kolokol, Tsar Kolokol III, or Royal Bell. Царь–колокол), Kreml. It is a 6.14 m tall, 6.6 m diameter bell. Made of bronze, the bell was broken during metal casting and has never been rung in. It is the largest bell in the world, weighing 201.9 tonnes, with a height of 6.14 m and diameter of 6.6 m, and thickness of up to 61 cm. The broken piece weighs 11.5 tonnes. 
  • 🌍 Troitskaya Tower or Trinity Tower (Троицкая башня), Kreml. It is a tower with a through-passage in the centre of the northwestern wall of the Moscow Kremlin. Built in the 1490s. The Troitskaya Tower is the tallest tower of the Moscow Kremlin. Its current height on the side of the Alexander Garden together with the star is 80 m. Today, the gate of the tower is the main visitors' entrance into the Kremlin. Near to Alexander Garden. 
  • 🌍 Tsar Cannon (Царь-пушка), Kreml (Near to Armoury). It is a large, 5.94m long and weighs 39.31t cannon. Its bronze-cast barrel has an internal diameter of 890mm, and an external diameter of 1.2 m. It was cast in 1586 in Moscow, by the Russian master bronze caster Andrey Chokhov. The spherical cast-iron projectiles in front of the cannon - each of which weighs approximately 1 tonne, made in 1834. 
  • 🌍 Tsarina's Golden Chamber (Золотая Царицына Палата), Kreml (In the Kremlin Grand Palace). Not accessible to the public. It was the official reception room of the Russian tsarinas. The walls of the chamber are decorated with paintings on a golden background. Now part of President’s residence. 
  • 🌍 Church of the Deposition of the Robe in the Kremlin (Храм Ризоположения в Кремле), Kremlin district, Kremlevskaya naberezhnaya (M: Biblioteka imeni Lenina or Borovitskaya). 1486, Russian Orthodox. 

• 🌍 Epiphany (Bogoyavlensky) Monastery (Богоявленский монастырь), Kitay-Gorod,Bogoyavlenskiy pereulok, 2 (M: Ploshchad' Revolyutsii), ☏ +7 495 298-3771, admin@bgkg.ru. It is the oldest male monastery in Moscow, founded 1290s. - The cathedral, bell tower, monk cells and abbot's chamber were the only buildings to survive. 
• 🌍 Iberian Gate and Chapel (Воскресенские ворота, also called Иверские ворота), Kitay-Gorod, Proyezd Voskresenskiye Vorota, 1А (M: Okhotnyy Ryad 260m ,M: Ploshchad' Revolyutsii). Iberian Gate is the only existing gate of the Kitai-gorod. It connects the north-western end of Red Square with Manege Square and gives its name to nearby Voskresenskaya Square (Resurrection Square). - Rebuilt in 1680. Two hipped roofs with two-headed eagles were added, and the Icon of Christ's Resurrection was placed above the gate. The gate adjoins the ornate building of the Moscow City Hall to the east and the State Historical Museum to the west. Just in front of the chapel is a bronze plaque marking kilometre zero of the Russian highway system. 
• 🌍 Gostiny Dvor (Old Merchant Court, Старый гостиный двор), Kitay-gorod, Str. Ilyinka (ул. Ильинка), 4 (M: Ploshchad Revolyutsii), ☏ +7 495 698 1202, fax: +7 495 234 99 51, info@mosgd.ru. exhibit hall, M-Sa 11:00-17:00. Formerly accommodating both shops and warehouses, it was constructed of brick in the 1590s and underwent significant modifications from 1638–41. 
• 🌍 Moscow Print Yard (Московский Печатный двор), Kitay-gorod, Nikolskaya ulitsa, 15 (M: Ploshchad Revolyutsii). The first publishing house in Russia. It was established in Kitai-gorod at the behest of Ivan the Terrible in 1553. The historic headquarters of the Print Yard now house the Russian State University for the Humanities. 

• 🌍 Saint Basil's Cathedral (Cathedral of the Protection of Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat, Собор Покрова пресвятой Богородицы), Kitay-gorod, Red Square (in the south part of Red Square, M: Ploshchad Revolyutsii). 11.00 – 18.00 (last entry 17.30). Built from 1555–61 on orders from Ivan the Terrible and commemorates the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan. The original building contained eight side churches arranged around the ninth, central church of Intercession; the tenth church was erected in 1588 over the grave of venerated local saint Vasily (Basil). Inside is a museum, with a very original and bold medieval architectural setting that should not be missed. 1000 руб. (updated Jun 2018)
• 🌍 Zaikonospassky monastery (Заиконоспасский монастырь), Kitay-gorod, Ulitsa Nikolskaya (ул. Никольская), 7/9 (M: Ploshchad' Revolyutsii), fsb@fsb.ru. It was founded in 1600. Today's architectural ensemble includes the Saviour Cathedral and several 17th-century chambers as well former school building which dates to 1822. 

• 🌍 Kazan Cathedral (Казанский собор also known as the "Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan"), Nikolskaya ulitsa, 5/1 (M:Ploshchad' Revolyutsii 200m NE, Teatralnaya 200m N, Okhotnyy Ryad 280m NW; on the northeast corner of Red Square), ☏ +7 495 698-2726. Masses 08:30, 16:50 on weekdays. A Russian Orthodox church. The current building is a reconstruction of the original church, which was destroyed at the direction of then General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, in 1936. 

• 🌍 English Manor Museum (Музей «Английское подворье»), Ulitsa Varvarka (ул. Варварка), 4а (Metro Kitay-gorod «Китай-город»), ☏ +7 495 698-3952, migm@mail.ru. Part of Museum of History of Moscow. 
• 🌍 Moscow Design Museum (Московский музей дизайна), Manezhnaya Square (Манежная площадь), 1 (M: Okhotnyy Ryad 0.3 km E), info@moscowdesignmuseum.ru. The museum located in an exhibition space in CEH “Manege”. The main goal is to promote Russian design, educate the public about visual culture and further international cooperation. 
• 🌍 State Historical Museum (Gosudarstvenny istoricheskiy muzyey, Государственный исторический музей), Krasnaya ploshad (Красная пл.), 1/2 (M:Okhotniy Ryad, Ploshchad Revolyutsii, Teatralnaya. Exit towards the Red Square -), ☏ +7 495 692-4019, +7 495 692-6817 (excursions), +7 495 692-3731 (excursions). F-M, W 10:00-18:00, Cash desk until 17:30. Th 11:00-21:00, Cash desk until 20:00. Closed: Tu. Inside a red-brick palace with its silver roof, towering opposite St. Basil's Cathedral in Red Square. Its exhibitions range from relics of prehistoric tribes that lived on the territory of present-day Russia, through priceless artworks acquired by members of the Romanov dynasty. Notable items include a longboat excavated from the banks of the Volga River, gold artifacts of the Scythians, birch-bark scrolls of Novgorod, manuscripts going back to the sixth century, Russian folk ceramics, and wooden objects. The library boasts the manuscripts of the Chludov Psalter (860s), Svyatoslav's Miscellanies (1073), Mstislav Gospel (1117), Yuriev Gospel (1119), and Halych Gospel (1144). The total number of objects in the museum's collection comes to four millions. (If your time allowing spend here a half or a full day). Adult/students 300 руб/100 руб; Integrated ticket for two of three museums: History Museum, the St. Basil's Cathedral Museum,"House of Romanov boyars"museum, Museum of the Patriotic War of 1812. 500 руб. Three museums 650 руб. Photos and videos without a tripod and additional lighting free of charge. 
• 🌍 State Historical Museum, Pokrovsky Cathedral, St. Basil's Cathedral (Покровский собор, Храм Василия Блаженного), Krasnaya ploshad (Красная пл.), (M:Okhotniy Ryad, Ploshchad Revolyutsii, Teatralnaya. Exit towards the Red Square -), ☏ +7 495 698-3304 (excursions). Daily 11:00-17:00 (admission until 16:30). In summer 11:00-19:00 (admission until 18:30). Adult/children 350 руб/free (but you still need to queue for a free ticket). 
• 🌍 State Historical Museum, The War of 1812 (Музей войны 1812 года), Ploshchad Revolyutsii (Площадь Революции), 2/3 (M:Okhotniy Ryad, Ploshchad Revolyutsii, Teatralnaya.), ☏ +7 495 692-4019, +7 495 692-3731 (Bureau of museum services), +7 495 692-6817, +7 495 698-2000, +7 495 692-4019 (Tourism management). F-M W 10:00-18:00. Th 11:00-21:00. Cashiers to 17:30, on Th to 20:00. Tickets same as State Historical Museum. Adult/discount 300 руб/100 руб. 
• 🌍 State Historical Museum, Palace of Romanov Boyars (Romanov Chambers Zaryadye, Палаты бояр Романовых), Ul. Varvarka (ул.Варварка), 10 (M: Kitai-Gorod, Exit to the Varvarka street ( ул. Варварка)), ☏ +7 495 698-3235. Th-M 10.00-18.00, cash desk 17:00; W 11:00-19:00, cash desk to 18:00. The first Monday closed.. Excursions such as 'Home life of kings and boyars', 'The first Romanovs', 'How Muscovites lived in ancient times', 'Winged words and phrases today', 'A tour in Moscow underground archaeological museum where you can see «in situ» oven bakery, c. 16th century.' 200 руб, concessions 70 руб. 

• 🌍 Red Square (Красная площадь), Kitai-gorod (Metro: Ohotnii Ryad, Teatralnaya or Ploshad Revolutsii). May be closed for special events. The heart of Moscow and the first destination for most visitors to the city. Surrounded by St. Basil's Cathedral, the State History Museum, Lenin's Mausoleum and one of the Kremlin's long brick walls. The cobbles that make up the square are black and not red; the name comes from another gloss of the Russian word "krasniy", meaning "beautiful". Part of the UNESCO World Heritage List Free. 
  • 🌍 Lenin Mausoleum (Мавзоле́й Ле́нина), Kreml (in the centre of the Red Square). Tu-Th & Sa-Su 10:00-13:00. Walk past the embalmed body of Vladimir Lenin (who actually did not want any monuments to be built for him, and wanted to be cremated) and join the debate if it is still him. Free admission. 
• 🌍 Monument to Alexander II (Monument to Emperor Alexander II, the Liberator Tsar, Памятник Александру II Освободителю), ulitsa Volkhonka (Волхонка), 13 (M: Kropotkinskaya 0.5 km, Borovitskaya 0.6 km, Aleksandrovsky Sad 0.8km). Lay on a granite pedestal, which lists his services to Russia: the abolition of serfdom, the introduction of the system of local self-government, military and judicial reforms, the completion of many years of the Caucasian War. The monument envisages the full height figure of the Emperor — 5 meters high, standing on a 5 meter pedestal. The new monument is located in a slope, made use of it in such a way that, from one side, the emperor is elevated on a pedestal and, from the other side, it seems that the emperor is standing right on the ground, portraying a man who is just standing and looking into the distance, facing the cathedral. 
• 🌍 Monument to Minin and Pozharsky (Па́мятник Ми́нину и Пожа́рскому), Красная площадь, Mokhovaya ulitsa, 6/2 (M: Ploshchad Revolyutsii). The statue commemorates Prince Dmitry Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin, who gathered an all-Russian volunteer army and expelled the forces of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from Moscow, thus putting an end to the Time of Troubles in 1612. Designer was Ivan Martos. There are reliefs on the pedestal of the monument: Frontside: high relief depicts patriotic citizens who donate their property for the benefit of the motherland. Left - Martos sculptor himself, who gives fatherland two sons. - Backside upper relief: depicts Prince Pozharsky, drove the Poles from Moscow. 
• 🌍 The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Могила Неизвестного Солдата), Kremlevskiy proyezd (M: Okhotnyy Ryad 0.4 km N, Teatralnaya 0.4 km NE). This is a war memorial, dedicated to the Soviet soldiers killed during World War II. The dark red porphyry monument is decorated with a bronze sculpture of a laurel branch and a soldier's helmet laid upon a banner. In front of the monument, there is a five-pointed star in a square field of labradorite, which emanates the Eternal Flame from its center. The flame illuminates a bronze inscription "Имя твоё неизвестно, подвиг твой бессмертен" ("Your name is unknown, your deed is immortal"). The torch for the memorial's Eternal Flame was transported from Leningrad, where it had been lit from the Eternal Flame at the Field of Mars. To the left of the tomb is a granite wall with an inlay stating: "1941 - To Those Who Have Fallen For The Motherland - 1945". It is guarded by soldiers from the Kremlin Regiment, and a changing of the guard ceremony takes place every hour, on the hour from 08:00 to 20:00. 

• 🌍 Fountains of Manezhnaya Square (Фонтаны Манежной площади), Manezhnaya Square (next to the Alexandrovskiy Garden). Among the 12 fountains there are: Geyser (Гейзер), Heroes of Fairy Tales (Герои сказок), Four Seasons (Четыре времени года), symbolized by bronze horses, the Curtain (Завеса), is just behind the former. The later two ones are nicknamed as "Washing Away of the Horses". The fountains were designed by the (in)famous sculptor and artist Zurab Tsereteli. 
• 🌍 Petrovskiy Fountain (Фонтан «Витали» перед Большим театром), Theater Square, Театральная площадь (M: Teatralnaya). Founded in 1835. Under the bowl of the fountain are hidden four puttos: for poetry, tragedy, comedy and music. 

• 🌍 Alexander Garden (Александровский сад), Kitay-gorod, Red Square (M: Ploshchad Revolyutsii). Stroll in the park that comprises three separate gardens, stretching along all the length of the western Kremlin wall for 865 m between the buildings of the Moscow Manege and the Kremlin. 
• 🌍 Manezhnaya Square (Manezhka, Manege Square, Manezhnaya ploshchad, Манежная площадь), Manezhnaya (M: Okhotny Ryad, Ploshchad Revolyutsii, and Teatralnaya.). A large pedestrian open space at the heart of Moscow bounded by the Hotel Moskva to the east, the State Historical Museum and the Alexander Garden to the south, the Moscow Manege to the west, and the 18th-century headquarters of the Moscow State University to the north. The centrepiece of the renovated square is a four-storey underground shopping mall and parking lot, capped with a rotating glass cupola, which forms a world clock of the northern hemisphere with major cities marked and a scheme of lights below each panel to show the progression of the hour. Another innovation is the feign river-bed of the Neglinnaya River, which has become a popular attraction for the Muscovites and tourists alike, especially on sultry days in summer. The river's course is imitated by a rivulet dotted with fountains and statues of Russian fairy-tale characters. 
• 🌍 Taynitsky Garden (Тайницкий сад), Kremlin South (metro Arbatskaya (Dark Blue line, east exit) or a short walk from Borovitskaya). This park is named after the Taynitskaya Tower in the Kremlin Wall, and is part of the portion of the Kremlin which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One highlight of this garden is an oak tree named Cosmos, planted by Yuri Gagarin on 14 April 1961, just two days after his return from his historic space flight. Archaeological investigations at Taynitsky Garden in 2007 uncovered the foundations of ancient houses and artefacts from everyday medieval life. In 2013, a helipad was constructed for the use of President Vladimir Putin. 
• 🌍 Zaryadye Park. An almost 78,000 square meter urban park adjacent to the Red square, built on the place of the former Rossiya Hotel . The park is divided into zones of forest, steppe, tundra and the floodplains. Among the facilities to be visited are a concert hall, ice cave, amphitheatres and "Soaring bridge". The latter is a V-shaped footbridge protruding over the river. (updated Mar 2023)

• 🌍 Bosco rink (GUM-skating rink), Red Square, info@bosco.ru. 10:00-23:59. glamorous and easy, although bit costly and not too favoured by advanced skaters. 

• 🌍 Chamber Musical Theatre (Moscow State Academic Chamber Musical Theatre, Московский государственный академический Камерный музыкальный театр имени Б. А. Покровского), Ulitsa Nikolskaya (ул. Никольская) 17 (M: (Китай-Город, Площадь Революции,Театральная)), ☏ +7 495 606-7008. A Moscow theatre and opera house, founded in 1971. The theatre is also known as the "Pokrovsky Opera". 
• 🌍 International House of Music (Moscow International Performing Arts Centre, Dom Muzyki, Московский международный Дом музыки), Kosmodamianskaya Embankment (Космодамианская набережная), 52 (Off the Garden Ring Road), ☏ +7 495 730-1011, support@mmdm.ru. Ticket office 10:00-21:00. Opened on 28 Sep 2003 with the debut of a new orchestra, the National Philharmonic of Russia. The centre cost USD200 million to construct. It is part of a business and hotel complex called Riverside Towers, intended by the City to be its equivalent of the "Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The centre has a circular concert hall similar to the Philharmonie in Berlin. Seating is laid out on two principal levels, and arranged in various tiers that almost surround the stage. The hall is on the third storey, with promenade areas below. The auditorium seats 1,735, and is composed largely of Siberian larch wood, a blonde wood considered among the best for acoustics, with a light, airy look. The centre also houses a 575-seat chamber hall, a 532-seat theatre and three concert venues. It also has a sound studio, a rehearsal hall, an audio-video complex, an exhibition hall, a hall of light, music rooms, the Allegro restaurant, the Bluthner music room, a summer patio called the Music Terrace and another concert hall that seats 120. The modernistic, cylindrical glass and steel centre is topped by an enormous, 9.5-metre-tall, 2-tonne, treble clef covered in gold leaf that rotates like a weathercock. 
• 🌍 Moscow Chamber Musical Theatre (Московский государственный академический Камерный музыкальный театр имени Б. А. Покровского), China City, Ul. Nikolskaya ( ул. Никольская), 17 (M: Ploshchad' Revolyutsii 0.2 km SW, Teatralnaya 0.3Mkm W, Lubyanka 0.3 km NE), ☏ +7 495 606-7008, opera-pokrovsky@mail.ru. This is a Moscow theatre and opera house. Founded in 1971 

• 🌍 Moscow GUM Department Store (ГУМ, Главный универсальный магазин; Glavnyi Universalnyi Magazin; literally "main universal store"), Red Square (Metro: Ploschad Revolutsii), ☏ +7 495 788-4343, fax: +7 495 777-7565, info@gum.ru. 10:00-22:00. In 1819 Catherine II of Russia commissioned Giacomo Quarenghi, a Neoclassical architect from Italy, to design a huge trade centre along the east side of Red Square. The existing structure was built to replace the previous trading rows that had been designed by Joseph Bove after the 1812 Fire of Moscow. Contained more than 1200 shops – once filled with Soviet-era goods of mediocre quality, it is now a mall with international labels and hyper-expensive boutiques. Even if you don't buy anything, it's highly recommended you go inside and look at the architecture. With the façade extending for 242 m along the eastern side of Red Square, the Upper Trading Rows were built between 1890s. The trapezoidal building features an interesting combination of elements of Russian medieval architecture and a steel framework and glass roof, a similar style to the great 19th-century railway stations of London. - The glass-​roofed design made the building unique at the time of construction. The roof, the diameter of which is 14 m, looks light, but it is a firm construction made of more than 50,000 metal pods 743 t, capable of supporting snowfall accumulation. Illumination is provided by huge arched skylights of iron and glass, each weighing some 740 t and containing in excess of 20,000 panes of glass. The facade is divided into several horizontal tiers, lined with red Finnish granite, Tarusa marble, and limestone. Each arcade is on three levels, linked by walkways of reinforced concrete. Pricey. 

• 🌍 Atrium shopping mall (Торгово-развлекательный комплекс «Атриум»), ulitsa Zemlyanoy Val, 33 (Kurskaya metro station), ☏ +7 495 970-1555. has a lot of very nice stores that sell anything from cosmetics to world-known clothing brands & there are plenty of Russian fast-food chains, like Kroshka - Kartoshka with their delicious potato dishes, Pelmeshkina and Cheburekos that serve Russian pelmeni, and Rostik's, which is basically a Russian version of McDonalds, although not a very successful one. 

• Dorogomilovsky Market (Dorogomilovskiy Torgovyy Tsentr, Дорогомиловский рынок), Mozhayski Val. (улица Можайский Вал), 10 (M: Kievskaya), ☏ +7 499 249-5553. 10.00-20.00. Even if not buying anything just to see what for sale also a good time spending. There are tables full with fresh produce from green to fish. 

For information on fast-food chains operating in Moscow, including street food, American-style fast food, and canteen-style cafeterias, see Moscow#Eat

• Korchma Taras Bulba – Petrovka 30/7 near metro Pushkinskaya/Chekhovskaya. Pyatnickaya St. 14 near metro Novokuznetsckaya. Ukrainian chain restaurant with an interior decorated like a Ukrainian house. Dinner costs US$25 for two people.
• Lavash – Cuisine from the Caucus region. Large menu with pictures, good choice of Russian beer and vodka at reasonable prices. Looks more expensive than it is. It is 100 m south of the Nikulin circus on Tsvetnoi Bulvar (Цветной бульвар). Come out of Tsvetnoi Bulvar, turn right, walk 2 minutes.
• The Old Tower (Старая Башня), Teatralnaja ploščad 5/1 (Театральная площадь, д. 5, стр. 1), ☏ +7 495 698-4008. Russian cuisine with some unusual dishes such as bear and elk, in a medieval setting. Has a huge beer menu which, however, seems not to be always available. 

• Mi Piace Italian restaurant, Chayanova, 22, ☏ +7 495 250-0893. A chain of Italian restaurants. Relatively expensive but quite popular among locals and expatriates working in Moscow. Addresses are: 13/9 B. Ordynka (951-52-50, 953-96-65); 20 Sadovaya-Samotechnaya (694-0001); 16/16 Pokrovka (623-4411); 7, 1st Tverskaya Yamskaya (970-1129) 

• Gogol Bar, Stoleshnikov pereulok (Столешников переулок). (M: Teatralnaya). – This bar is on the posh street, houses deluxe brand shops such as Chanel, Burberry, and Cartier. The entrance to the bar is between Vivienne Westwood and the Lancel boutique. The interior, menu and drinks are quite simple. Musical performances every weekend. During the winter, the small yard is used as a skating rink. There are also Gogol' Bars on Arbat and Maroseika St. 
• Imagine Cafe, Pokrovka St, 16/16, building 1 (Trams: А, 39, 3), ☏ +7 495 623-25-94. Cafe with John Lennon theme. Menu is 300-350 руб. 
• Propaganda, Zlatoustinskiy Bol'shoy Pereulok, 7 (M. Kitay Gorod), ☏ +7 495 624-5732. Daily 11:30-18:00. A great alternative bar with lots of cheap drinks. With great music, a hip and funky crowd, as well as a relatively relaxed door control. Propaganda is a great place to dance all night and have fun. Also very good value-for-money place to eat. vodka and beer 100-150 руб. 

• Bobby Dazzler Pub (паб Бобби Дэззлер), Kostyanskiy pereulok 7/13 (M. Turgenevskaya, M. Chistye Prudy), ☏ +7 495 6080383, fax: +7 495 6080477, pub@bobbydazzler.ru. M-Th 11:00-00:00, F 11:00-03:00, Sa 13:00-06:00, Su 13:00-00:00. Pub in British style. Wide choice of UK beers. The cuisine menu is large as in a restaurant. Beers and food are reasonable priced. 

• Coffeemania chain. The most expensive coffee chain in Moscow. The cafe has great breakfasts and is excellent for people watching in the morning and pre-concert coffee in the evening as well. (updated Jun 2017)
• Coffee Bean, Ulitsa Sretenka, 22/1. Petrovka is most coffee-conscious place in the Coffee Bean chain (also Pokrovka, Pyatnitskaya, Leningradsky). Some of the Coffee Bean stores also provide free internet (eg. Pokrovka). 
• Volkonsky, Maroseika 4/2. For a late night nibble or a quick morning pick me up, Volkonsky is one of the better places in Moscow that doubles as a bakery/coffee shop. Great ambiance and a neighborhood feel. 
• Starbucks Cafe, Mega-Khimki and Mega-Belaya Dacha; Moscow City; Sheremetyevo-3; Metropolis (M. Voykovskaya); Aeroport Gallery (M. Aeroport). Starbucks has finally broken the wall into hard ground Russia. Promises to open another 10-20 stores. 

• Baltschug Kempinski, ul. Balchug, 1, ☏ +7 495 230 5500, +7 495 230 6500, fax: +7 495 230 5502, info.baltschug@kempinski.com. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Hotel is located facing the Red Square and St.Basil's Cathedral. It features spacious rooms, good service and a buffet-breakfast. Rooms 16000-24000 руб, Suites 26000-91000 руб. 
• Chekhoff Hotel Moscow Curio Collection by Hilton, 11 Malaya Dmitrovka (M: Pushkinskaya), ☏ +7 495 980 7000. 92 individually decorated rooms and suites. Cable&satellite TV channels, and Wi-Fi. Sauna and jacuzzi, laundry, dry-cleaning and valet services, and 24 hours room service. from at 5500 руб. 
• Golden Ring, Smolenskaya ulitsa, 5 (short walk to Arbat Street and the Foreign Ministry building). Disappointing service for a 5-star hotel, although the amenities and breakfast served daily are commendable. Views from the rooms are fantastic, and the hotel is located near all the main tourist sites. Free Wi-Fi access. 
• Mamaison All-Suites Spa Hotel Pokrovka, Pokrovka st 40, bld 2 (M:Kitay-Gorod 600m), ☏ +7 495 229 5757, fax: +7 495 229 5775, reservations.pokrovka@mamaison.com. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. In downtown, designed in Art-Deco. Spa by Algotherm. Restaurant "Numbers". 
• 🌍 Hotel Metropol (Метропо́ль), Teatralny proezd (Театральный проезд), 1/4 (M: Teatralnaya), ☏ +7 495 796-2746, info@hotel-sales.ru. A historical luxury hotel in the center of Moscow, built in 1899-1907 in Art Nouveau style. In 1918, the hotel was nationalized by Bolshevik administration, renamed Second House of Soviets and housed living quarters and offices of growing Soviet bureaucracy. Today, Metropol has 365 rooms, and each is different in shape or decoration. 12000-17000 руб. 
• 🌍 Hotel National (гости́ница «Националь»), Mokhovaya Street, 15/1 (M: Okhotnyy Ryad), ☏ +7 495 258 7000, fax: +7 495 258 7100. A five-star hotel, opened in 1903. In March 1918, the hotel became the home of the first Soviet government. Lenin made his home in room 107 at the Hotel National with his wife for seven days.T Thebuilding continued to be used by the Soviet government afterwards as a hostel for official party delegates, and was renamed First House of Soviets in 1919. In 1931 the building was given a complete renovation to house foreign visitors. It was redecorated with museum-quality furniture and antiques from the palaces of the Tsars and Russian nobility, including Tsarskoye Selo and the Anichkov Palace. The pieces remain in the hotel's collection to this day. The huge mosaic on the hotel's upper corner was replaced with a 120-m² socialist realist artwork focusing on the industrial might of the Soviet economy. It has 202 bedrooms and 56 suites. Rooms 10000-15000 руб, suites 17000-58000 руб. 
• 🌍 The Ritz-Carlton, Tverskaya ulitsa 3/5 (M: Okhotnyy Ryad 300 m). One of the world's most expensive cities, be prepared to pay at the Ritz Carlton. Although completed in 2007, the 19th-century styling looks authentic with an Old World style, look and feel. astonishingly high. 

• 🌍 Russian State Library (Российская государственная библиотека), Arbat district, (M: Aleksandrovskiy Sad, Biblioteka imeni Lenina, Borovitskaya stations), ☏ +7 8 800 100-5790. M—F 09:00–20:00, Sa 09:00–19:00. Over 275 km of shelves with more than 43 million items. Subdepartments: - Vozdvizhenka, 3/5 (M: Arbatskaya, Aleksandrovsky Sad, Borovitskaya, Biblioteka Imeni Lenina), Vozdvizhenka str., 3/5, str. 1 (Dom Pashkova)- (M: Arbatskaya, Aleksandrovsky Sad, Borovitskaya, Biblioteka Imeni Lenina) - Vozdvizhenka str., 1. (M: Arbatskaya, Aleksandrovsky Sad, Borovitskaya, Biblioteka Imeni Lenina) - Mokhovaya, 6-8. (M: Arbatskaya, Aleksandrovsky Sad, Borovitskaya, Biblioteka Imeni Lenina) - Khimky, Bibliotechnaya str., 15. (M: Rechnoy Vokzal + bus 344 or 368 to ’Bibliotechnaya Ulitsa’ bus stop; by train: from Leningradskiy Central Station to Levoberezhnaya) 

• Megafon Salon, info@megafon.ru. Other units 
• Mobile TeleSystems (or MTS) salon (Компания МТС) (M: Polyanka), info@mts.ru. 
• Beeline salon (Билайн), Ul. Tverskaya (ул. Тверская-Ямская) 1-я, 2 (M: Mayakovskaya). Ul. Krasnoproletarskaya(ул. Краснопролетарская), 4; Rozhdestvenka (ул. Рождественка), 6/9/20 M: Kuzhnetskiy Most; Manezhnaya (пл. Манежная), 1, стр. 2 M:Teatralnaya; Ul. Arbat (ул. Арбат), 12, M:Arbatskaya; Manezhnaya, Pereulok Klimentovskiy (пер. Климентовский), 12, M:Tretyakovskaya