Location: Moscow
Top Things to do in Moscow
The 10 Best Things to do in Moscow, Central Russia
The political, scientific, historical, architectural and business center of Russia, Moscow displays the country's contrasts at their most extreme. The ancient and modern are juxtaposed side by side in this city of 10 million. Catch a metro from one of the ornate stations to see Red Square, the Kremlin, the nine domes of St. Basil's Cathedral, Lenin's Mausoleum, the KGB Museum and other symbols of Moscow's great and terrible past, then lighten up and shop Boulevard Ring or people watch in Pushkin Square.
Restaurants in Moscow
1. State Tretyakov Gallery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 5,896 reviews
The State Tretyakov Gallery is the national treasury of Russian fine art and contains more than 180,000 works of painting, sculpture and graphics created by generations of Russian artists.
Reviewed By PierreBMalta - San Gwann, Malta
The best Museum for Russian paintings. An incredible collection of paintings by the top Russian painters. A must see if you are into Russian art or an art lover in general. Well presented and easily viewed.
2. Kolomenskoye Historical and Architectural Museum and Reserve
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,644 reviews
This former village and archaeological site housed summer residences of the grand dukes of Moscow, and later of the tsars, and is now a museum and reserve.
Reviewed By HelenW3596 - Hawera, New Zealand
We chose to go to Kolomenskoye simply to get away from the touristy centre of the city, and we were delighted with what we found. Arriving at the south end of the reserve from the Kashirskaya metro station we were able to visit first the reconstructed Tsar Palace. This wooden palace was impressive in its detail and presented history in a living way with information in several languages available in each room. We enjoyed this far more that the Kremlin and would go so far as to suggest missing the Armoury at the Kremlin and spending time at Kolomenskoye. The park is Huge and while we enjoyed walking the length of it to the other historic buildings, it is a very long way in the heat of the summer sun. There is the option of a little wheeled train which I would recommend. The walk is pleasant, through orchards and with glimpses of the river with the city in the distance. By the time we got to the north end of the estate we were really to hot to spend much time exploring. I recommend a whole day if you wish to get the most out of this beautiful place.
3. Red Square
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 20,518 reviews
Red Square is a city square in Moscow, Russia. The buildings surrounding the Square are all significant: Nearby to the South is the elaborate brightly domed Saint Basil's Cathedral and the palaces and cathedrals of the Kremlin, Lenin's Mausoleum. On the Eastern side of the square is the GUM department store, and next to it the restored Kazan Cathedral.
Reviewed By maneh2017 - Yerevan, Armenia
There’s magical place, best Christmas market, colorful lights, dances and songs... it’s such a wonderful place..)) Winter and Christmas in Moscow is unforgettable
4. Saint Basil's Cathedral
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 12,380 reviews
Built by Ivan the Terrible in the 1550s, this intriguing cathedral bordering Red Square consists of nine separate chapels, each capped with its own individually shaped and colored dome.
Reviewed By AlSuwaidi_R7 - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
You must visit the iconic symbol of Russia - Moscow and take take a picture outside of this most beautiful building St. Basil’s and capture and the amazing details of this historical architecture in world.
5. Armoury Chamber
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,933 reviews
A dazzling array of treasures from the 4th to the 20th century are housed in this Kremlin museum, including thrones and carriages of the tsars, the works of Moscow silver and goldsmiths, arms, jewels, precious Russian Easter eggs and other Russian and foreign decorative arts.
Reviewed By RitaC651 - Melbourne, Australia
We were overwhelmed by the treasures we saw and were surprised that such an amazing collection survived Russia’s turbulent history. Hundreds of objects made of gold and silver were encrusted with gems. The gold carriages were unbelievable. The collection of crowns was my favourite. So many display cases were filled with items that showed the wealth and lavish lifestyle of the Tsars. There were displays of clothes worn by the royal family, some famous Faberge eggs and many other items. Everything was beautifully styled. There were military uniforms, weapons and horse armoury that were all heavily decorated. There was also a number of religious items. This museum shows the connection between the wealth and power of the Tzar, the church and the state. No wonder there was a revolution in Russia.
6. Moscow Kremlin
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 7,891 reviews
Moscow's most famous historical and political landmark, the Kremlin is a walled-in complex of cathedrals, palaces and government offices, with several buildings open to the public, including the Armoury, Patriarch's Palace and the State Kremlin Palace.
Reviewed By CAPerth
The Kremlin is a collection of several attractions, the Architectural Ensemble (basically the main Kremlin grounds, museums and several historic Orthodox Cathedrals), the Armoury (the Treasury including carriages, Faberge eggs, jewellery, armour and ceremonial clothing), the Diamond Fund (basically a collection of individual stones and some set pieces) and the Ivan Bell Tower. We purchased our tickets on line for the Architectural Ensemble (day ticket) and Armoury (timed ticket, different day) from the official website as soon as our dates were available (17 days prior). The Diamond Fund tickets are purchased from inside the Armoury. Prices are quite cheap given the world class exhibits. We did not attempt to buy tickets to the Bell Tower following advice on line and confirmed by our guide that it is like winning the lottery and you have to hang around for hours on the one in a hundred chance that you might score tickets. Note that even though you buy in advance, you still have to queue up to exchange your “voucher” for a ticket and you will need your original passport as ID. Not sure if this is much quicker than buying tickets direct but since we were in peak time and Armoury tickets are quite limited, advance purchase is highly recommended. We visited the Cathedrals as part of a tour with Viki Tours (Armoury we did ourselves, audio guide is free and very good but covers the main exhibits only – to get detailed commentary on everything would take a whole day) and we had planned our visit to coincide with the Ceremonial mounting parade of Horse Guard and Foot Guard of the Presidential Regiment at midday on Saturday. This is a worthwhile addition if you can plan it, but may have also accounted for the very large crowd there that day (or that could be normal in June). Unfortunately, no photography is allowed inside the cathedrals or the Armoury Museum.
7. Moscow Metro
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 16,999 reviews
Reviewed By ukienomad - Fleming Island, United States
The subway or underground lives up to its reputation as it is clean, and a piece of art with beautiful chandeliers, frescoes, large bronze statues, marble, etc. the trains run very frequently and as soon as one leaves, there seems to be another one in a matter of minutes. They do have English speaking people to help you get tickets as well as English vending machines. And the fares are very reasonable as this is the most frequent use of transportation for the locals.
8. Bolshoi Theatre
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,869 reviews
The oldest theater in Moscow, rebuilt following a fire and later a hurricane, is magnificent both inside and out, and its resident opera and ballet troupes rate among the finest in the world.
Reviewed By StAlbansPadre - St. Albans, United Kingdom
ABOVE ALL ELSE use the official website and ignore all others. We booked for the ballet, scheduled for the 30th April, which was of course cancelled due to the virus. The refund appeared on my credit card exactly 30 days later, exactly as promised. Booking was straightforward, and prices cheaper than the Royal Opera House, and we managed to book the front Row, Seats A6 and 7! Communications, in English and Russian, were excellent. I would not hesitate to use that official website in future -most impressive, secure and efficient.
9. Tsaritsyno Museum-Reserve
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,941 reviews
Reviewed By 295katarzynak - London, United Kingdom
The park is 10 min walk from metro and there is no entrance fee, so one can add spend there some relaxing moments.. Even if you do not want to visit inside the Palace the architecture from outside is amazing.. I spent there 2 hours enjoying every bit of it
10. The Museum of Cosmonautics
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,113 reviews
The Monument to the Conquerors of Space was erected at Prospekt Mira in Moscow. This outstanding city landmark has been jointly designed by architects Michail Barsh and Andrey Kolchin, and sculptor Andrey Faydish-Krandiyevskiy. September 28th, 1967 Soviet government initiates founding of the Museum of Cosmonautics at the foot of the Monument to the Conquerors of Space to commemorate nation's achievements in space exploration. The Museum of Cosmonautics opens its doors to public on April 10th, 1981, 20th Anniversary of the first manned space flight. Museum exposition gives a retrospect on how Soviet space science evolved starting from first man-made satellites subsequently followed by the first manned space flight, first space walks, Moon exploration programs, Solar system exploration programs and international space research programs. Intricate interior design and unusual exposition altogether created a unique individuality of the Museum. However, new times set new standards. 25 years since its first opening the Museum has been closed down for a massive renovation. Now the Museum shows all the newly accumulated information and latest technologies.
Reviewed By Azrica - Haiti, Caribbean
The Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics is also known as the Memorial Museum of Astronautics or Memorial Museum of Space Exploration. The museum contains a wide variety of Soviet and Russian space-related exhibits and models which explore the history of flight, astronomy, space exploration, space technology, and space in the arts. It is well represented and separated by space missions for easier understanding. To my surprise, half of the programs or space missions I have never heard of or i have only heard partially, and being so advanced back then makes you wonder about Space program noways! The expos vary from Space capsule used by Yuri Gagarin to propaganda posters. The museum inexpensive, ticketing price rules apply differently for different age group and its worth paying extra for guide or translator if needed. Small gift shop offers interesting mineral selection and pieces of Siberian meteor as souvenir, The space cafeteria is pretty cool, as time transfers you to era of 60's-70' with decor and offers Space food in tubes that is also cool gift souvenir. Do not miss walk around too, the view on Cosmos Hotel is pretty impressive.
