Stay : The Russian capital from all angles
Two weeks in Moscow are not too much to plunge into its myriad well-kept treasures and immerse yourself in the vibrant Russian capital. Monasteries, museums, shopping, city walks, parks, there is something for everyone. Start by exploring the city centre before setting off to discover the surrounding neighbourhoods and villages.
Summary of the stay
Best time to go
14 days
€€ - Charm and comfort
Detail of the stay : The Russian capital from all angles - 14 days
Day 1: The Historic Center Around Red Square
Steps: Moscou
Visit of the Red Square and the Kremlin, the historical, political and religious center of Moscow and Russia as a whole. The Kremlin visit takes a good day. Start with Red Square from the Okhotny Riad metro. The "beautiful place", according to its literal translation, is bordered on the west by the ochre walls of the Kremlin. At the entrance of the square, the Historical Museum stands on your right. It is a great introduction to the history of Russia that will allow you to better appreciate the visit of the Kremlin. In front of the historic museum, Notre-Dame-de-Kazan Cathedral deserves a quick look. Continue on Red Square, on your left, the huge Goum building, the large state store at luxury stores. Book it for your shopping, but don't miss it, it deserves the detour in itself as well as the food store Gastronom 1 located on the ground floor of Goum, rebuilt in the style of the 1950 s. West of the square, against the Kremlin walls, Lenin's mausoleum is open to the visitor in the morning. To see if you want to visit it or not, knowing that sometimes an hour wait is expected. At the south end of the square lies majestic St Basile-le-Blessed Cathedral. Inside, the frescoes compete with exterior paintings, and icons are sumptuous. From Saint Basile Cathedral you will see the Moskova that borders the Kremlin on its southern façade. Come back on your steps to join Koutafia Tower, the entrance to the Kremlin. You will cross before the place du Manège, whose basement is occupied by a shopping gallery, and the Alexandrovsky Gardens. Here you are in front of the Koutafia tower the main entrance of the Kremlin.
Past the door Koutafia and the Troitskaya door, the first building that offers you is the congress palace, an architectural heresy built in 1961. Next to your left, the buildings of the Senate and the Arsenal, then the Supreme Soviet who do not visit each other. In front, the former palace of the Patriarchs and the Church of the Twelve Apostles give a foretaste of the magnificence of the place of cathedrals, located behind. On the square give the cathedrals of the Assumption, of Dormition, of the Annonunciation and of the Archangel-Saint-Michel, the church of La Déposition-de-la-Robe, which all have an interest both architectural, historical and religious. To the east of the square, the two big bells: Ivan-le-Grand and that of the Queen. West of the square, the faceted palace is the oldest building in the Kremlin and Moscow. Finally, behind, the palace of the Terems and especially the armor palace to the sublime collection of artillery and goldsmiths, and the diamond palace which serves as a jewel of imperial jewels.
If you find the energy, you can complete your visit to the historic Moscow by a night of ballet or opera to the mythical Bolchoï or Maly, his little brother, both located on Teatralnaya Square. Join them by borrowing from Okhotny Riad. In front of the beautiful classic buildings and Art Nouveau of the National and Metropol palaces.
GOUM / MAUSOLÉE DE LÉNINE / MUSÉE HISTORIQUE D'ÉTAT / CATHÉDRALE NOTRE-DAME-DE-KAZAN / PALAIS DES PATRIARCHES / CATHÉDRALE DE LA DORMITION / ÉGLISE DE LA DÉPOSITION-DE-LA-ROBE-DE-LA-VIERGE / CATHÉDRALE DE L'ARCHANGE-SAINT-MICHEL / CATHÉDRALE DE L'ANNONCIATION / PALAIS DES TEREMS / ARSENAL / JARDIN ALEXANDRE / PALAIS DES ARMURES / PLACE DU MANÈGE / TOUR KOUTAFIA / PLACE DES CATHÉDRALES
Day 2: Going back south of Moskova
Steps: Moscou
Visit Tretiakov Gallery, which holds the jewels of Russian art. You will find it near Tretiakovskaya metro station. Then wander around the Tretiakov gallery in the beautiful alleys of Zamoskvoretshye, literally "south of Moskova". You can eat at Grabli coffee in Ulitsa Pyatnitskaya. You can go back to the Kremlin by borrowing the Bolchaïa Ordynka ulitsa, then cross the canal, Baltchg Island and finally Moskova. Here you come back in front of Saint-Basile Cathedral. Cross the Red Square again and the Manège Square and head to Tverskaya Street which starts in front of you. The Tverskaya is Moscow's main commercial artery. At the beginning of the street you will find the National Hotel on your left. Then, on the same sidewalk, the Stalinist building of the Central Telegrapher. Come back to the right-hand corner and take the Kamergersky pereoulok to your left, the famous mkhat Tchekov theater. By continuing straight away you will arrive on the Rue Kouznetsky Most, famous for its shops. Go back to Petrovka Street and visit the beautiful Petrovsky Gallery and its luxury shops. Come back to Tverskaya. You can take advantage of its numerous shops and on the right hand side, just before Pushkin Square, do not miss the Elysseev store for its exuberant baroque interior. Then you arrive at the Place Pushkin, the other heart of Moscow where Moscovites gather around the statue of the great Russian writer. On your right and left, the boulevards belt and its gardens can provide you with a few minutes of relaxation. Take Tverskaya Street on the left sidewalk, then turn to Blagoveshchensky pereoulok to the Patriarch Pond. Then lose yourself in the streets of this very chic district of Moscow. You can find the Mayakovskaya Square by the Bolchaaia Sadovaya Ulitsa. In the evening try one of the many restaurants in the neighborhood and why not a concert at Forte Music Club or the Jazz Club Soyuz Kompozitorov.
ÉTANG DES PATRIARCHES
Day 3: Museum Museum Museum
Steps: Moscou
The museum district applies to the Pushkin Museum and its collection of international art, the Museum of Private Collections, the Tolstoy House-Museum and finally the massive cathedral of Christ-Saint-Sauveur destroyed by Stalin and rebuilt in 1997. Choose one or two. Don't worry, it's planned to come back again later!
Day 4: Kitai Gorod, the oldest of the neighborhoods
Steps: Moscou
Kitai Gorod and Loubianka. Start the visit to Loubianka Square where the sinister KGB building is located. Visit the fabulous Mayakovsky Museum and join Kitai Gorod, the oldest district in Moscow after the Kremlin. Go to the church of All-les-Saints-du-lieu-said-Koulichki and above all the church of the Holy Trinity of Nikitniki. Continue your path through the Ilinka and Nikolskaya streets. Come back to Kitai Gorod by Varvarka Street, where you will find beautiful churches along the sinister Rossia hotel.
ÉGLISE DE TOUS-LES-SAINTS- DU-LIEU-DIT-KOULICHKI / ÉGLISE DE LA SAINTE-TRINITÉ-DE-NIKITNIKI
Day 5: Walk in the Chistiye Prudy district
The Chistiye Prudy area offers beautiful walks. Start the Tourgenevskaya Métros, Chistiye Prudy. See the beautiful monastery of the purification at the crossing of the Stretensky Boulevard and the Lubyanka Bolchaya. Return to Chistiye Prudy and take the central Terre boulevard. Visit the Menshikov tower, the highest tower in Moscow, in Archangel pereoulok on your right. Take the boulevard to the clean pond where you can relax summer and skate in the winter. Coffee Bean is a very pleasant coffee. On your left, the beautiful house of Apraksine is one of Moscow's finest palaces. Then you're in the Podsosensky pereoulok and then the Vorontsovo pole tverskaya, to Pokrovsky Boulevard. Going to the Moscow, you will discover one of the most beautiful Stalinist sisters.
Day 6: Shopping on the Arbat Street
The Arbat street. Go shopping in the historic Arbat street and visit the Musées and Gorki museums.
Day 7: Back to the Museum Neighbourhood
Visit the museums that you did not have time to do the last time.
Day 8: Around Gorky Park
Steps: Moscou
Gorky Park is one of the favorite strolls of Moscovites for its amusement parks, but the new Tretiakov, the museum of contemporary Russian painting, is worth a visit. Visit the central house of painters and then the park of stately nostalgic statues.
Day 9: It's...
Steps: Moscou
Start your stroll through the Spasso-Andronikov monastery which houses a museum of icons. Next, the Novospassky monastery is the oldest fortified monastery in Moscow.
Day 10: ... in west
Steps: Moscou
The Novodievitchy Monastery is worth a visit to its beautiful Notre-Dame-de-Smolensk church. Nearby, the Fili Park and especially the beautiful church of the Virgin-de-Fili Intercession. Do not forget also to visit the Battle of Borodino Museum, dedicated to the battle of the Napoleonic armies against Russian troops, and offers a beautiful panoramic view of Moscow.
Day 11: Southern Monasteries
Steps: Moscou
To the south of Moscow is the Danilovsky monastery, residence of the patriarch of Russia, and the nearby Donskoi monastery for its cemetery where many Russian aristocratic families have their vault.
Day 12: Excursions in the village of Kolomenskoïe
The museum reserve of Kolomenskoïe, the favourite place of residence of the czars, is worth a day's walk for its palaces, churches and beautiful park.
Day 13: Izmaylovsky Park and flea market
Steps: Moscou
Spend a day in Izmaylovsky Park for its palace of tsars. The flea market in Izmaylovo is an essential part of Moscow and the best place to buy its memories. You can also visit the Imperial Family Museum.
MARCHÉ D'IZMAÏLOVO
Day 14: Soviet Time at the Botanical Garden
Steps: Moscou
Vdnkh (its 78 pavilions and 300 hectares) is an impressive celebration of the achievements of the USSR. We must not miss it. Then you can get lost in the most beautiful park in Moscow, the botanical garden.
Ideas for holidays and week-end breaks Moscow (Москва)
-
Find a hotel
-
Car Rental
-
-5% on travel insurance-15% off travel insurance
-
Find a local agency
