A Guide To Moscow

Moscow is the largest city in Russia, and a city that offer its tourists many attractions. This city is known for the art decorating in its subway system, the Kremlin and the Red Square. This is also the city that is famous for its annual winter festival. Like any other true festival, this one combines folk art of Russia, delicious food, art exhibits, ice sculptures, troika rides and much more.

Things To See In Moscow

Moscow Subway System

Mayakovskaya Moscow Metro

Mayakovskaya Moscow Metro | (cc) Photo By Mikhail (Vokabre) Shcherbakov

This large, vibrant city offers many cultural landmarks and historical sites for its visitors. The subway system is located under the city, with some stations being located more than 70 meters below surface. The subway is the most reliable form of navigating the city for those visitors who stay in the city center, and the city’s three main airports are connected to the center by buses, highways and trains.

Some of the most visited subway stations are located in the historic Moscow city center. These include Arbatskaya with its white walls and golden decorations, Mayakovskaya which is decorated in an Arto Deco style, Elektrozavodskaya with a vestibule dome decorated with bas reliefs of Benjamin Franklin and Mikhail Lomonosov and Kievsakaya with art masterpieces that tell the history of the country.

When visiting Moscow a trick for travelers is to pay attention to the voice that announces the next station. If a subway line is heading into the city center, the voice is male, and when a subway train is heading out of the center, the voice is female. The ring line has a male voice when it is clockwise, and when it heads in the opposite direction the voice is female.

Red Square

Red Square Moscow, Russia

Red Square | (cc) Photo By Christophe Meneboeuf

The Red Square is the most visited place in Moscow. Located on the banks of the river, this square has several churches, museums and the Kremlin. The Kremlin used to be a fortress and is now one of the city’s symbols.

St. Basil’s Cathedral is located on the square, known for its pastel, onion shaped domes. The Church of Christ the Saviour was destroyed and later on rebuilt on its ruins, and is known for its white building and golden domes.

Another of the main historic attractions on the Red Square is Lenin’s Mausoleum. The large granite building holds the embalmed body of Lenin.

Next to the Red Square is the Manezhnaya Square, where visitors will be able to relax next to the many fountains. The fountains actually decorate the banks of the Neglinka river, which was put underground during the Soviet rule and each fountain has a large statue of a character from a Russian fairy tale.

Museums In Moscow

Pushkin Museum Moscow

Pushkin Museum | (cc) Photo By Alexei Troshin

The city is known for its museums. The Tretyakov Gallery is one of the city’s most visited galleries where visitors will be able to see several collections of icons and masterpieces. The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts is one of the city’s largest museums dedicated to western art. There are many impressionist galleries and several temporary collections in one of the annexes.

At the Memorial Museum of Astronautics visitors will be able to explore the history of the space race. Some of the exhibits include the first Sputnik satellite, space suits and galleries dedicated to space.

Gardens & Parks

There are many parks in the city. The two most visited parks are Gorky Park and Victory Park. Sparrow Hills is another area where visitors will be able to climb up to the observation deck, ride a cable car with views towards one of Stalin’s Seven Sisters buildings and walk around the gardens. Visitors will be able to visit the Moscow Zoo, where there is a large pond and many exotic animals. The Botanical Gardens are known for their collection of plants.

Disclaimer: This is a guest post by Destinia.com

12 Responses to “A Guide To Moscow”

  1. Sophie says:

    Useful tips for a trip to Moscow here. Next time, I’ll visit in summer, to enjoy the parks.
    Sophie recently posted..Monaco: All that glittersMy Profile

  2. Rena says:

    each month – 3rd Sanday you can visit museums in Moscow for free ;)

    Some othre interesting museums in Moscow:

    Museum Association “Moscow City Museum”:
    The Archaeological Museum of Moscow,
    Museum estate culture “Manor Princes Golitsyn” Blachernae – Kuzminki ”
    Provision stores
    Museum “The British farmstead”
    Museum of History “Lefortovo”
    Museum of Russian harmonic A. Mirek.
    The State Museum of the Defence of Moscow
    Museum-Panorama “Borodino Battle”
    Zelenograd State History Museum
    State Museum of the Gulag
    The State Museum of AS Pushkin
    State Cultural Center and Museum VS Vysotsky
    The State Museum of VV Mayakovsky
    State Museum and humanitarian center “Overcoming” them. NA Ostrovsky
    House-Museum of Marina Tsvetaeva
    Moscow Literary Museum Center KG Paustovskogo
    Moscow State Museum SA Esenina
    Moscow State Specialized School watercolor Andriaka with a museum-exhibition center
    Moscow State Picture Gallery of People’s Artist of the USSR Ilya Glazunov
    Moscow State Picture Gallery of People’s Artist of USSR AM Shilov
    Moscow State Museum “House Burganova”
    Moscow association “Museon”
    Museum of Naive Art
    State Darwin Museum
    State Museum of Biology KA Timiryazev
    State Memorial Museum of A. Scriabin
    Multimedia Art Museum (Moscow House of Photography)
    Museum and memorial history of the Navy Russia
    Moscow Museum of Popular Graphics
    Museum MA Bulgakov
    Local History Museum “House on the Embankment”
    Moscow State Museum of Vadim Sidur
    The house of the Russian Diaspora Alexander Solzhenitsyn
    Moscow Museum of Modern Art
    Museum and Exhibition Association “Capital”: State exhibition hall “Manege” IEC “Worker and Collective Farm Girl” OT “Chekhov’s house” Museum artist DA Nalbandian
    VA Tropinin Museum and Moscow artists of his time
    The Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics
    Museum House NV Gogol
    Tsaritsyno Estate Museum
    MGOMZ Moscow (Moscow State Integrated Art and Historical, Architectural and Natural Landscape Museum-Reserve)
    Kolomenskoye
    Izmailovo
    Lefortovo
    Lublin
    State Museum of Ceramics and Kuskovo XVIII century.

    All of them worth to visit , and everyonу will find something fro themselves :)
    Rena recently posted..Crimea vacation tipsMy Profile

  3. Disha says:

    Great guidance for Moscow. I just hear that name of Moscow & see some picture of Moscow on Google but I haven’t ever been in Moscow. This is really nice guidance ! I learn how can I easily travel in Moscow.
    Disha recently posted..Exploring the walled city of Lahore – A walk back in timeMy Profile

  4. We traveled to Moscow twice in 2002 when we adopted our daughter. We found the people to be very friendly, enjoyed the food, and my husband loved that beer was cheaper than water!

    We’d love to take the kids back, but thought back then how hard it would be to see the city without a guide. Very little English was spoken and the use of an entirely different alphabet than we were used to make translation a bit more difficult. Is that still the case?
    Tracie Shroyer recently posted..Our Dreamy, Kid-Free, Hawaiian Adventure: A New Type of Family TravelMy Profile

    • Salika Jay says:

      Not sure about that but I guess it’s same as in any foreign country that uses a different language. Thanks for the insight about people, food and beer :)

  5. Moscow is definitely in my bucket list. Don’t know when I’ll be able to go though. Would really love to see the Red Square someday!
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  6. Maris King says:

    I haven’t considered Moscow in my travel plans actually. I was wondering how’s the weather there during December? Or what’s the ideal time to visit Moscow?
    Maris King recently posted..A Brief Guide to Building and Renovating in QueenslandMy Profile