On the 16th-century sidestreets of Moscow (pop. 12,600,000) it is still possible to glimpse centuries-old golden domes squeezed between drab Soviet housing complexes and countless Lenin statues. Visiting Europe’s largest city is a thrilling, intense experience, flashier and costlier than St. Petersburg, and undeniably rougher too. Very slowly, Moscow is re-creating itself as one of the world’s most urbane capitals, embracing innovation with the same sense of enterprise that helped it command and then survive history’s most ambitious social experiment.
A series of concentric rings spread outward from the Kremlin (Кремль; Kreml) and Red Square (Красная Плошадь; Krasnaya Ploshchad). The outermost Moscow Ring Road marks the city limits, but most sights lie within the Garden Ring (Садовое Кольцо; Sadovoe Koltso). Main streets include Tverskaya Ulitsa (Тверская), which extends north along the Metro’s green line, as well as the Arbat (Арбат) and Novyy Arbat (Новый Арбат), which run west, parallel to the blue lines. Some kiosks sell English-language and Cyrillic maps; hostels and hotels also have English tourist maps. Be careful when crossing streets, as drivers are oblivious to pedestrians; for safety’s sake, most major streets have an underpass (переход; perekhod).
Many restaurants offer “business lunch” specials (бизнес ланч; typically noon-4pm; US$5-10). For fresh produce, head to a market. Some of the best are by the Turgenevskaya and Kuznetskiy Most Metro stations. (Open daily 10am-8pm.) To find grocery stores, look for “продукты” (produkty) signs or look for big pictures of produce, bread, and sausages on the walls of buildings.
Moscow’s sights reflect the city’s interrupted history; because St. Petersburg was the seat of the tsardom for 200 years, there are 16th-century churches and Soviet-era museums, but little in between. Though Moscow has no grand palaces and 80% of its pre-revolutionary splendor was demolished by the Soviet regime, the city’s museums house the very best of Russian art and history.
TThe Kremlin. The Kremlin (Кремль; Kreml) is the geographical and historical center of Moscow, with origins that date back to the 12th century. In the Kremlin’s Armory and its magnificent churches, the glory and the riches of the Russian Empire are on display. Besides the sights listed below, the only other place in the triangular complex visitors may enter is the Kremlin Palace of Congresses, the white marble behemoth built by Khrushchev in 1961 for the Communist Party, and since converted into a theater. Tourists were banned from entering the Kremlin until the 1960s; now English-speaking guides offer tours of the complex starting at around 1200R. Consider a prearranged tour through Capital Tours (see Tours ) or haggle to reduce the price. (☎495 202 3776; www.kreml.ru. M1, 3, 4, or 9: Aleksandrovskiy Sad (Александровский Сад). Open M-W and F-Su 10am-5pm. Buy tickets at the kassa in the Alexander Gardens 9:30am-4:00pm. Kassa closed Th. No large bags. 300R, students 150R. Audio tour 220R. MC/V.)
Armory Museum And Diamond Fund. At the southwest corner of the Kremlin, the Armory Museum (Оружейная Палата; Oruzheynaya Palata) shows the opulence of the Russian court and includes coronation gowns, crowns, and the best collection of carriages in the world. Each of the Fabergé Eggs in Room 2 reveals an intricate jeweled miniature. The Diamond Fund (Выставка Алмазного Фонда; Vystavka Almaznovo Fonda) has even more glitter, including the world’s largest chunks of platinum. Consider hiring a guide, as most exhibits are in Russian. ( ☎495 921 4720. Open M-W and F-Su. Armory lets in groups for 1hr. visits at 10am, noon, 2:30, 4:30pm. 350R, students 70R. Diamond Fund lets in groups every 20min. 10am-1pm and 2-6pm. 350R, students 250R. Bags and cameras must be checked.)
Cathedral Square. A plethora of golden domes from nine different cathedrals fills the skyline of this square. The church closest to the Armory is the Annunciation Cathedral (Благовещенский Собор; Blagoveshchenskiy Sobor), the former private church of the tsars, which guards luminous icons by Andrei Rublev and Theophanes the Greek. The square Archangel Michael Cathedral (Архангельский Собор; Arkhangelskiy Sobor), which gleams with metallic coffins, is the final resting place for many tsars who ruled before Peter the Great, including Ivans III (the Great) and IV (the Terrible), and Mikhail Romanov. The colorful 15th-century Assumption Cathedral (Успенский Собор; Uspenskiy Sobor), located in the center of the square, was used to host tsars’ coronations and weddings. It also housed Napoleon’s cavalry in 1812. To the right lies the Ivan the Great Bell Tower (Колокольная Ивана Великого; Kolokolnaya Ivana Velikovo), once the highest point in Moscow; the tower is currently under renovation. Directly behind it is the 200-ton Tsar Bell (Царь-колокол; Tsar-kolokol), the world’s largest bell. It has never rung and probably never will—a 1737 fire caused an 11-ton piece to break off.
Red Square. The 700m long Red Square (Красная Площадь; Krasnaya Ploshchad) has hosted everything from farmer’s markets to public hangings, from Communist parades to renegade Cessna landings. Across Red Square, northeast of the Kremlin, is GUM, once the world’s largest purveyor of Soviet “consumer goods,” now an upscale shopping mall fit to satisfy the shopping needs of the Russian elite. Also flanking the square are the Lenin Mausoleum, Saint Basil’s Cathedral, the State Historical Museum, and the pink-and-green Kazan Cathedral. (Combo ticket for St. Basil’s and Historical museum available at either location. 230R, students 115R.)
Lenin’S Mausoleum. Lenin’s likeness can be seen in bronze all over the city, but he appears in the eerily luminescent flesh in Lenin’s Mausoleum (Мавзолей В.И. Ленина; Mavzoley V. I. Lenina). In the Soviet era, this squat red structure was guarded fiercely, with a long wait. Today’s line is still long, and the guards remain stone-faced, allowing only a short glimpse of the former ruler as they move people along briskly. Exit along the Kremlin wall, where Stalin, Brezhnev, and John Reed, founder of the American Communist Party, are buried. The line to see Lenin forms between the Historical Museum and the Kremlin wall; arrive by noon to have a chance of making it through. (Open Tu-Th and Sa-Su 10am-1pm. Free. No cameras or cell phones; check them at the bag check in the Alexander Gardens.)
Saint Basil’S Cathedral. Moscow has no more familiar symbol than the colorful onion-shaped domes of St. Basil’s Cathedral (Собор Василия Блаженного; Sobor Vasiliya Blazhennovo). Ivan the Terrible built it to celebrate his victory over the Tatars in Kazan in 1552, and it was completed in 1561. “Basil” is the English equivalent of Vasily, the name of a fool who correctly predicted that Ivan would murder his own son. St. Basil’s labyrinthine interior is filled with decorative and religious frescoes. Listen out for the choral groups that often perform in the upper chambers. (M3: Ploshchad Revolyutsii (Плщщфдь Зувщлци). ☎495 698 3304. Open daily 11am-6pm; kassa closes 5:30pm. 100R, students 50R. English-language audio tour 120R. Tours 1000R; call 2 weeks ahead. Photo 100R, video 130R.)
Just outside the main gate to Red Square is an elaborate gold circle marking Kilometer 0, the spot from which all distances from Moscow are measured. Don’t be fooled by this tourist attraction—the real Kilometer 0 lies underneath the Lenin Mausoleum. Just a few steps away, the Alexander Gardens (Александровский Сад; Aleksandrovskiy Sad) are a respite from the pollution of central Moscow. At the northern end of the gardens is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Могила Неизвестного Солдата; Mogila Neizvestnovo Soldata), where an eternal flame burns in memory of the losses suffered in the “Great Patriotic War” (WWII). To the west is Manezh Square (Манежная Площадь; Manezhnaya Ploshchad), a recently converted pedestrian area; nearby lies the smaller Revolution Square (Площадь Револции; Здщырсрфв Кумщднгеышш). Both squares are connected in the north by Okhotnyy Ryad (Охотный Ряд; Hunters’ Row), once a market for wild game, now an underground mall. Across Okhotnyy Ryad is the Duma, the lower house of Parliament. Opposite Revolution Square is Theater Square (Театральная Площадь; Teatralnaya Ploshchad), home of the Bolshoi Theatre (see Entertainment ). More posh hotels, chic stores, and government buildings line Tverskaya Ulitsa, Moscow’s main thoroughfare.
Cathedral Of Christ The Savior. Moscow’s most controversial landmark is the enormous gold-domed Cathedral of Christ the Savior (Храм Христа Спасителz; Khram Khrista Spasitelya). Stalin demolished Nicholas I’s original cathedral (built in 1839 to commemorate Russia’s 1812 victory in the Patriotic War), on this site to make way for a gigantic Palace of the Soviets, but Khrushchev abandoned the project and built a heated outdoor pool instead. In 1995, after the pool’s vapors damaged paintings in the nearby Pushkin Museum; Mayor Yury Luzhkov and the Orthodox Church won a renewed battle for the site and built the US $250 million cathedral in only five years. (Volkhonka 15 (Волхонка), near the Moscow River. M1: Kropotkinskaya (Кропоткинская ; ☎495 202 4734). www.xxc.ru. Open M-Sa 10am-6pm, Su 8:30am-6pm. Closed last M of the month. Cathedral and museum free. No cameras, shorts, or hats.)
Novodevichy Monastery And Cemetery. A serene escape from the city, Moscow’s most famous monastery (Новодевиий Монастырь; Novodevichiy Monastyr) is hard to miss thanks to its high brick walls, golden domes, and tourist buses. In the center, the Smolensk Cathedral (Смоленский Собор; Smolenskiy Sobor) displays icons and frescoes. The cemetery (кладбище; kladbishche) is a pilgrimage site that holds the graves of such famous figures as Khrushchev, Chekhov, and Shostakovich. (M1: Sportivnaya (Спортивная) ☎495 246 8526. Open M and W-Su 10am-5:30pm; kassa closes 4:45pm; closed 1st M of month. Cathedral closed on rainy and humid days. Cemetery ☎495 246 0832. Open daily 10am-5:30pm. Cathedral and special exhibits each 150R, students 60R. Photo 80R, video 170R.)
Moscow Choral Synagogue. Over 100 years old, the synagogue provides a break from the city’s ubiquitous onion domes. Though the synagogue remained open during Soviet rule, all but the bravest Jews were deterred by KGB agents who photographed anyone who entered. More than 200,000 Jews now live in Moscow, and services are increasingly well attended, but the occasional graffiti is a sad reminder that anti-Semitism is not dead in Russia. (M6 or 7: Kitai-Gorod (Китай-Город). Go north on Solyanskiy Proyezd (Солянский Проезд) and take the 1st left. Open M-F 10am-6pm for visitors. Services M-F 8:30am, Sa-Su 9am; evening services daily at 7pm.)
Church Of St. Nicholas In Khamovniki. (Церковь Николая в Хамовниках; ul. Lva Tolstogo) This small late 17th-century church makes you feel like you’ve stumbled into a fairytale from the hub-bub of Moscow’s busy streets. The church is free to enter, and was built by a community of Muscovite weavers. Its glowing candles cast shadows upon the intricate artwork that lines the walls. Former parishoners include Leo Tolstoy. (M1: Sportinavya.)
Moscow Metro. Most cities put their marble above ground and their cement below, but Moscow’s love of opulence means the glitz and glamour extends hundreds of feet underground. The metro (Московское Метро) is worth a tour of its own. See the Baroque elegance of Komsomolskaya, the stained glass of Novoslobodskaya, and the statues of revolutionary archetypes from farmer to factory worker in Ploshchad Revolyutsii —all for the price of a metro ticket.
The Arbat. Now a pedestrian shopping arcade, the Arbat was once a showpiece of glasnost and a haven for political radicals, Hare Krishnas, street poets, and metallisty (heavy metal rockers). Some of that eccentric flavor remains, thanks to street performers and guitar-playing teenagers. Nearby runs the bigger, newer, and uglier Novyy Arbat, lined with gray high-rises and massive modern stores. (M3: Arbatskaya; Арбатская.)
Victory Park. On the left past the Triumphal Arch, which celebrates the 1812 defeat of Napoleon, lies Victory Park (Парк Победы; Park Pobedy), a monument to WWII. It includes the Museum of the Great Patriotic War (Музей Отеественной Войны; Muzey Otechestvennoy Voyny; open Tu-Su 10am-7pm, closed last Th of each month) , the Victory Monument, and the gold-domed Church of St. George the Victorious (Храм Георгия Победаносного; Khram Georgiya Pobedonosnovo), which honors the 27 million Russians who died in battle during WWII. (M3: Park Pobedy.)
Moscow’s museums are by far the most patriotic part of the city. Government museums and small galleries alike proudly display Russian art, and dozens of historical and literary museums are devoted to the nation’s past.
State Tretyakov Gallery. With over 130,000 works of 11th- to early 20th-century Russian art, the Tretyakov Gallery (Государственная Третьяковская Галерея; Gosudarstvennaya Tretyakovskaya Galereya) could absorb an art lover for quite some time. A superb collection of icons, including works by Andrei Rublev and Theophanes the Greek is also on display. (Lavrushinskiy per. 10 (Лаврушинский). ☎495 230 7788; www.tretyakov.ru. M8: Tretyakovskaya. Turn left out of the Metro, left again, then take a right on Bolshoy Tolmachevskiy per.; turn right after 2 blocks onto Lavrushinskiy per. Open Tu-Su 10am-7:30pm; kassa closes 6:30pm. 250R, students 150R.)
New Tretyakov Gallery. Where the first Tretyakov chronologically leaves off, this new gallery (Новая Третьяковская Галерея; Novaya Tretyakovskaya Galereya) begins. The collection starts on the third floor with early 20th-century art and moves through the neo-Primitivist, Futurist, Suprematist, Cubist, and Social Realist schools. The second floor holds temporary exhibits; go on weekday mornings to avoid crowds. Leaving the front door, turn left to find a statue gallery that is a real gem. The dumping ground for decapitated Lenins and Stalins and other Soviet-era statues, it now also contains sculptures of Gandhi, Einstein, Niels Bohr, and Dzerzhinsky, the founder of the Soviet secret police. (Krymskiy Val 10 (Крымский Вал). ☎495 283 1378; www.tretyakov.ru. M5: Oktyabraskaya (Октябрьская). Open Tu-Su 10am-7:30pm; kassa closes at 6:30pm. 250R, students 150R. Sculpture garden open daily 9am-10pm. 100R.)
Pushkin Museum Of Fine Arts. Moscow’s most important collection of non-Russian art, the Pushkin Museum (Музей Личннх Колечцц. А.С. Пушкина; Muzey Izobrazitelnykh Iskusstv im. A.S. Pushkina) contains major Classical, Egyptian, and Renaissance works, boasting originals from Botticelli, Monet, Cezanne and Van Gogh. (Volkhonka 12 (Волхонка) . ☎495 203 9578; www.gmii.com. M1: Kropotkinskaya ( Кропоткинская ). Open Tu-Su 10am-6pm; kassa closes 6pm. 60R, students 30R.) The building to the right (Volkhonka 10) of the entrance houses the Museum of Private Collections (Veзtй Линыx Rjллtций; Muzey Lichnych Kolletsiy), with artwork by Kandinsky, Rodchenko, and Stepanov. (Open W-Su noon-7pm; kassa closes 6pm. 100R, students 50R.)
State Historical Museum. This English-language exhibit (Государственный Историеский Музей; Пщыгвфкыемуттнн Шыещкшсруылшн Ьгяун) on Russian history runs from the Neanderthals through Kyivan Rus to modern Russia. Each hall’s decoration reflects the era it houses. (Krasnaya pl. 1/2. M1: Okhotnyy Ryad (Охотный Ряд). ☎495 692 3731; www.shm.ru. Open M and W-Sa 10am-6pm, Su 11am-8pm; kassa closes 1hr. earlier; closed 1st M of month. 150R, students 60R.)
Kgb Museum. Documenting the history and strategies of Russian secret intelligence from Ivan the Terrible to Putin, the KGB Museum (Музей КГБ; Muzey KGB) gives punters the chance to quiz a current FSB agent. (Bul. Lubyanka 12 (Лубянка). M1: Lubyanka. ☎495 299 6724 . By pre-arranged tour only. Patriarshy Dom Tours, leads 2hr. group tours; 550R per person.)
Homes Of The Literary And Famous. The Mayakovsky Museum (Музей им. В. В. Маяковского; Muzey im. V. V. Mayakovskovo) is a biographical walk-through of the futurist poet’s life and art. Mayakovsky lived and died in a communal apartment on the fourth floor of this building. (Lubyanskiy pr. 3/6 (Лубянский). M1: Lubyanka. ☎495 921 9560 Open M-Tu and F-Su 10am-6pm, Th 1-9pm; kassa closes 1hr. earlier; closed last F of month. 90R, students 50R.) If you’ve never seen Pushkin-worship first-hand, the Pushkin Literary Museum (Литературный Музей Пушкина; Literaturnyy Muzey Pushkina) with its large collection of Pushkin memorabilia, will either convert or frighten you. Either way, the sheer amount of Pushkinalia merits the small entrance price. ( Prechistenka 12/2 (Пpeиcтeнкa). Entrance on Khrushchevskiy per (Хрущевский). M1: Kropotkinskaya (Кропоткинская). Open Tu-Su 10am-6pm; kassa closes 5:30pm; closed last F of month. 60R.) The Tolstoy Museum (Музей Толстого; Muzey Tolstovo), in the author’s first Moscow neighborhood, displays original texts, paintings, and letters related to his masterpieces. (Prechistenka 11 (Пpeчиcтeнкa). M1: Kropotkinskaya (Кропоткинская). ☎495 637 7410; www.tolstoymuseum.ru. Open Tu-Su 10am-6pm; kassa closes 30min. earlier; closed last F of month. 150R, students 50R.)
From September through June, Moscow boasts some of the world’s best ballet, opera, and theater performances. Tickets are often cheap (from 130R) if purchased ahead and can be bought from the theater kassa or from kiosks in town. Bolshoi Theater (Большой Театр), Teatralnaya pl. 1, is home to the opera and the ballet company. Though the main stage is under renovation, and not due to reopen until November 2009, performances continue on the secondary stage. (Театральная; ☎495 250 7317; www.bolshoi.ru. M2: Teatralnaya. Kassa on Petrovska ul., open daily 11am-3pm and 4-8pm. Performances Sept.-June daily 7pm, occasional matinees. 50-5000R. AmEx/MC/V.) The Moscow Operetta Theater, Bolshaya Dmitrovka 6, stages operettas. (Большая Дмитровка; ☎495 692 1237; www.mosoperetta.ru. Kassa open daily 11am-3pm and 4-7:30pm. Performances daily, 6 or 7pm. 300-1500R.)
Moscow’s nightlife is the most varied, expensive, and debaucherous in Eastern Europe. Many clubs flaunt their exclusivity, but the city’s incessant insomnia and love of house music make finding a full dance floor easy. Check the weekend editions of The Moscow Times or The Moscow Tribune for club reviews, music listings, and information on upcoming concerts.
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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