This beautiful and traditional city is attractive for both foreign tourists and Russians themselves. People come here to see the treasures of museum collections and famous art galleries, architectural monuments, and beautiful parks.
The most famous sights of Moscow
The Russian capital is rich in unique architectural monuments, majestic monuments, and museums. Most of Moscow’s attractions are located in the city center and are easily accessible by metro. Many interesting places are located on the outskirts. To see as much as possible and not spend extra money on the road, buy a travel card. For trips around Moscow on weekends, a single travel pass for 3 days is convenient.
Moscow estates
Beautiful noble and merchant estates are real pearls of Moscow architecture. Some of them were built in the capital itself, others appeared as country estates but gradually entered the city limits. Today the most beautiful and well-restored manor complexes have been turned into museums. Tourists come here to admire the graceful buildings, luxurious sculptures, fountains, and shady parks.
In Kuskovo you can get acquainted with a rich collection of porcelain, Izmailovo, and Kolomenskoye – with the traditions of wooden and stone architecture in Russia. The picturesque Lyublino estate tells about its owner N.A. Durasov and the huge park complex Kuzminki presents the creations of the best architects of their time – Dominico Gilardi, Ivan Egorov, Andrey Voronikhin, and Ivan Zherebtsov.
Moscow monasteries
Orthodox monasteries are recognized spiritual centers of the capital. The city has preserved about one and a half dozen women’s and men’s monasteries. Believers strive to get to monastery churches to pray at the famous icons and touch the relics of Christian saints. Architecture lovers love the intricate churches and chapels.
In the ever-hurrying city, monasteries act as quiet parks. It is nice to take a break from the noise of cars and the hectic crowd, spend time with children and walk along the paths. The main milestones in the history of Russia are reflected in the Moscow monasteries. In some monasteries, there are necropolises of famous Russians, and museums are open.
Moscow museums
Even the native inhabitants of the city cannot say exactly how many museums there are in Moscow. It is believed that about four hundred. The most famous ones contain the oldest collections in Russia. The Tretyakov Gallery and the State Museum of A.S. Pushkin exhibit canvases by Russian and foreign painters. In the Historical Museum, you can learn the facts of Russian history, and in the literary museums – about the fates and works of A. Pushkin, S. A. Yesenin, and L. N. Tolstoy.
Children’s museums in Moscow are among the best in the world. For young guests, entertaining interactive programs, entertaining excursions, and original experiences are held. Families with children enjoy visiting the Darwin Museum, the Experimentarium, the Museum of Optical Illusions, the Moscow Planetarium, and the Paleontological Museum.
Stalin’s skyscrapers
Moscow is recognized by the Kremlin’s jagged towers, the modern skyscrapers of the Moscow City business center, and the peaked buildings that were erected in the city after the Great Patriotic War. Seven Stalinist skyscrapers make up the architectural dominant of the Moscow buildings.
The original high-rise buildings are similar to each other, but each has its own unique look. The style in which they were built was called “Soviet Art Deco”.
The most famous skyscraper stands on Vorobyovy Gory and is the main building of Moscow State University. Two high-rise buildings are occupied by hotels, a building on Smolensko-Sennaya Square is occupied by the Foreign Ministry, and a high-rise near the Krasnye Vorota metro station is occupied by the Transstroy Corporation. Skyscrapers on Kotelnicheskaya Embankment and on Kudrinskaya Square serve as multi-apartment residential buildings.
Moscow Kremlin
The historical heart of the capital has the shape of an irregular triangle and is located on the left bank of the Moscow River. Even those who have never been to Moscow imagine what the Kremlin looks like.
Although the Kremlin houses the country’s main government, the area is accessible to tourists. Guests of the capital and Muscovites come here to see the changing of the guard at the Eternal Flame, visit the ancient Cathedral Square and admire the architecture of the Kremlin from the high bell tower of Ivan the Great.
The Red Square
The main square of the capital of Russia is located near the walls of the Moscow Kremlin. It is covered with stone paving stones and since the mid-1960s has been turned into a pedestrian zone. There is no transport on Red Square. Only on days of parades and special celebrations do military vehicles pass here and columns of soldiers pass by.
From the north, the open space is closed by the Historical Museum, from the south – by the Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed. The western border runs at the foot of the Kremlin wall, while the east is the Kazan Cathedral and the facade of the State Department Store. Red Square and buildings around it are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Lenin’s mausoleum
The tomb near the Kremlin wall appeared after the death of the leader of the Soviet communists Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. The embalmed body lies inside a stepped pyramid, which was built by the architect Alexei Viktorovich Shchusev.
When parades and processions were held on Red Square, the leaders of the Soviet state stood in the stands of the mausoleum. This practice was discontinued in 1996. Tourists are allowed into the tomb for a limited time – from 10:00 to 13:00 on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Waiting in line takes 30-40 minutes.
Costs
Moscow is ready to provide tourists with everything that the heart desires, but the money for this will take the appropriate. Over the past decade, the hotel business in the capital has not only flourished, but compared to the Soviet Union it has reached a good level – new decent hotels, European-level hostels, and cozy mini-hotels have appeared. Alas, the price level in them is not as pleasing to the eye as the interior design.
There are not so many hotels with an average check of 2300-3500 RUB (23-35 EUR), it is better to book them in advance – this is a small number of mini-hotels within the Garden Ring, hostels, as well as not quite chic, but still pretty “kopeck piece”. At a relative distance from the center, there are an order of magnitude more offers, and the price is already becoming more profitable: these are large hotel complexes, such as Cosmos or Izmailovo, as well as apartments for rent or pretty three-star hotels.
But you will have to get to the main attractions by metro. Which, however, given the fairly convenient operating time and relatively low cost, is not a bad option.
For those who do not care about the thickness of their wallet, there is grace in Moscow. And the famous hotel “chains” Hyatt, Hilton, Sheraton in the very heart of the capital, and ultra-fashionable apartments for rent, even in the House on the embankment, even in the attic on Varvarka.