Tourist Attractions & Monuments Moscow (Москва)

Not far from the Kremlin is a very... peculiar mansion that never tires of making Muscovites talk. Nicknamed the Moorish Palace, this strange creation by architect Victor Mazyrin has a decidedly Art Nouveau style. Its elaborate turrets, twisted columns, sculpted balconies and its facade decorated with shells give the ensemble the strange impression of seeing the dream of the Facteur Cheval and his own palace, the "Ideal Palace", come true. Do not hesitate to visit it when you are in the city centre.

Author in Moscow of several industrial buildings, Konstantin Melnikov (1890-1974) built for him between 1927 and 1930 this three-storey residence and a masterpiece of constructivist architecture: made up of two interlocking cylinders, it opens onto the street through a huge glass facade that lights up the architect's studio, which fell into disgrace in 1937, from which he never recovered. Today the building (unfortunately in rather poor condition) is one of thebuildings belonging to the Shchusev Museum of Architecture (MA).

Literally meaning "Île aux Élans", this nature park, founded in 1983, covers 116 km2. You will be able to see the landscapes of the Moscow oblast, its famous Russian birches and, if you are lucky, the iconic elks that give the reserve its name. The Egersky site is home to the biological station which includes an arboretum and is the starting point for excusions about the diversity of Russian forests, the animal world of the region and the work of a forestry officer.

Troitskaya Tower is the tallest of its sisters, rising 80 meters above the ground. Its name is inherited from the fact that it once overlooked a suburb of the capital that surrounded the monastery of the Trinity-St. Sergius. The tower itself is built on eight levels, two of which are in the basement, once used as a prison, topped by a ruby-coloured star: a lost symbol of the Soviet era. Its door led to the Patriarch's palace and was the entrance used by the tsars.

Situated in the heart of the city, between trendy restaurants and luxury boutiques, the synagogue building stands out and amazes. It is reminiscent of the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem and has a unique and complicated history like that of the Jews of Russia and the countries of the former Soviet Union. Initially, the synagogue was financed in 1883 by the industrialist and banker Lazarem Solomonovichem and designed by the architect M.N. Chichagov in a Moorish style. In the 1920s the synagogue began its adventures, its Jewish school for boys (the Heder) was closed and in December 1937 Rabbi Moshe Haim Gurtenberg was shot by the GPU (USSR State Police), two years later it became state property. For almost 40 years it served as a centre for amateur artists. In 1991 the synagogue was returned to the Jewish community of Moscow. It was erected by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson as a representation of the ultra-orthodox Lubavitch movement on Russian territory. The new building of the synagogue on Bolshaya Bronaya Street was built in memory of the Jewish victims of the 20th century.

On the top floor, there is a nice kosher Jerusalem restaurant (Yerousalim) which offers specialities from the Caucasus and the Middle East, including a variety of grilled meat and fish that can be enjoyed in summer on their terrace with a lovely view of the city.

The Manège is now the most prestigious exhibition hall in the capital. Originally a riding school dating from the 18th century, it covers almost 12,000 m². After an arson attack in 2004, the perpetrators of which were never found, it was renovated into the Central Exhibition Hall that you can see today. While the permanent exhibitions are of fairly average quality, some of the temporary exhibitions are worth a visit.

You can check out the programme and book your tickets on their website.

This second part of the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts is the best and you can get lost there for an afternoon. There is a beautiful collection of French classical, impressionist and fauvist painters. These valuable paintings were added to the museum in the years following the revolution, and were seized from the great collectors of the imperial period. The exhibition is chronological for each of the 3 floors that make it up.

This is one of the artist Feodor Shalyapin's apartment-museums, the only one in Moscow. It is the only one of its kind in Moscow, and it is a perfect example of a 19th-century interior from the lifetime of the famous opera bass, whose fame at the time was comparable to that of George Clooney today. Inside, you'll find posters, photos and portraits, stage costumes and autographed letters that tell the story of her eventful life. Check the website for programming.

The matryoshka is far from being the most typical of the Russian handicraft specialties. This nice museum will allow you to discover it. Russian handicrafts are very varied: Siberia works with birch bark, the North with Gzhel porcelain (with beautiful and distinctive blue and white colors), etc. A 45-minute visit gives you an idea of this variety, before spending 30 minutes in the souvenir store. It's a good combination of touring and shopping!

Don't be fooled by the innocuous appearance and colorful walls of this large building occupying the northwestern part of the square. It has been the home of the Ministry of State Security since 1919, even before the present building was constructed in 1946. The place has seen the Cheka, the Guepeu, the NKVD, the KGB and now the FSB, all of them feared by the Russians.

During the years of mass political repression, suspects of anti-Soviet crimes were taken there and their fate was decided in the basement. Suspects were interned for the duration of their "trial" before being transferred or shot. Everything was calculated: identical rooms and cells prevented the prisoners from finding their way around. The walls of the cells are separated by a void, prohibiting communication in Morse code. However, the Lubyanka inner prison was closed in 1961, in the middle of the Cold War. Its last prisoner was the American spy Harry Francis Powers.

In August 1991, the statue of Dzerzhinsky (the founder of the Cheka), which stood on the square, was dismantled (now in Muzeon Park among the fallen comrades) and the square was given its old name, Lubyanskaya. Traditionally, the largest Christmas tree in the country is placed there. Also in 1991, thanks to the efforts of NGOs (including Memorial, closed in 2021 by the regime), a monument to the victims of the gulags was installed on the square: it is a simple stone from the Solovki Islands, the site of the first camp.

The Moscow Planetarium is the oldest planetarium in the country. Opened in November 1929, it has been one of the leading attractions for children from 7 to 15 years old. From the vestibule (in the shape of a roller coaster) everything is said: this place is placed under the sign of play and interactivity. You will find a 4D cinema, a huge dome where you can observe the Milky Way and an interactive museum that traces the Soviet space conquest. For families with young children it is a visit that will not disappoint.

This elegant mosque is a survivor of the anti-religious campaigns (there were only two left in Moscow in 1990, for 80 million Muslims in the USSR). It is in the heart of the former Tatar quarter (as the names of the streets around it indicate). Integrated into the Russian Empire, the Tatars were present in Moscow, especially in trade. In the 20th century, they were persecuted and apart from the mosque, this district has nothing Tatar anymore. During Eid and Navrouz (Persian New Year), the whole street of the mosque is covered with carpets and worshippers.

This church behind the Red Square has a unique historical importance that is not apparent in its simple architecture and dark church. It was created within the monastery founded by Boris Godunov in 1600, before being in the eighteenth century, the breeding ground for Enlightenment education in Russia. The monastery served as the only academy in the country for the study of Latin and Greek before the creation of the Lomonosov University by one of its former students.

This centre is part of the Red October cultural cluster on the Moskva River. There are high-quality exhibitions featuring both Russian and foreign photographers. The entrance fee is a bit high, so check their site in advance if you are interested in the current (often changing) exhibition. The photo shop that accompanies the centre is excellent, with lots of images taken in Soviet times and reprints of posters.

Already in the imperial era, one of the largest factories in Moscow, Einem, was located in the western part of Bolotny Island, producing sugar and later chocolate, and even supplying the imperial family. Its image was so much a part of the capital's landscape that it is said that at the same time when London was sinking into the stench and smog caused by its own factories, Moscow smelled of chocolate. After the revolution, the chocolate factory was expropriated by the Soviets who renamed it "Red October", a curiously appropriate name for its brick building. The complex was expanded and the brand became a symbol of socialism, so much so that when the Second World War broke out, Red October chocolate was in the rations of all soldiers. After this episode, it was distributed throughout the USSR and children raised in this period have all known these sweets.

Red October is today a bit like the Soho of Moscow. When Red October, now a private company, moved out of Moscow in 2007, they wanted to preserve its heritage. Work has turned the place into a cultural cluster that now includes restaurants, galleries, nightclubs, Strelka urban planning institute and offices that have created a vibrant local culture. There is still a remnant of the industrial past of the place: a small industrial store Alenka remains at the tip of the island, with its saleswomen, their regulation apron and its ridiculously low prices.

Before your visit to the main building of the Tretyakov Gallery, take a few minutes to enjoy the Baroque meditation of this church (Церковь Кли́мента), built in the 17th century, which is the heart of the district. It is a very popular church, where the locals go to meditate before going to work or going out in the evening, especially to listen to beautiful singing during mass. Saint Clement is highly respected and is prayed for the health of the children, the reunification of families and the return of parents.

One could not visit Moscow without visiting this temple dedicated to the rest and leisure of Soviet citizens-workers on almost 3 km along the recently rebuilt Moskova River. In summer you can play table tennis, sunbathe or dance salsa and in winter skate. In addition, the park is home to one of the most prestigious modern art galleries in the country: the Garage. Our favorite: Chaynaya Vysota, a stand on the Moskova quay offering tea blends to take away, our favorite being the bread apple one.

Levoberejny Beach has been a popular place since Soviet times. There are sun loungers lined up along the river, free parking, many small and large cafes, volleyball courts and football pitches. The term "beach" may sound a little optimistic for what is actually a patch of greasy grass and freshwater sand, but it is after all thousands of kilometres away from the first wave of salt water. It is advisable to book a boat trip there: tickets can be purchased at the pier.

If you are a fan of military tourism, go to the heart of the Victory Park where the imposing Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War stands. This museum displays with pomp and circumstance many military materials, archival documents, dioramas and films devoted to this war in which more than 26 million Soviets lost their lives. Don't expect an unbiased historical account; after all, you already know the American version of the events...

We have already told you a lot about ""Moscow the White City"", a nickname given to the capital because of its white stone walls marking the border of the capital. Here you have what remains of it. Indeed, these fortifications built at the end of the 16th century were demolished in 1780 (at the time of Catherine II) and replaced by the ring of French-style boulevards that you know today. The whole complex was unearthed by a team of workmen digging the foundations of a shopping centre. In front of the find, the work was interrupted and a legal battle ensued that lasted more than 10 years between the real estate developers and the Moscow City Hall. Finally, as the 2018 football World Cup approached, the court ruled and an open-air amphitheatre was finally built, facing the fragment of the protected wall. This place immediately became very popular among Muscovites, especially among hipsters and youth who renamed it "Yama" and even created a dedicated Instagram page! The reasons for this infatuation vary: for some it is a beautiful place to hang out and drink (illegally) in summer, for others it is a good place for shows and concerts that are regularly organized there, and for others Yama is a symbol of the changes in the capital, of the city's revaluation of its heritage and of a revenge on the omnipresent trade since the 1990s.

Welcome to the sanctuary of Russian Impressionism, often misunderstood, always contested. Inaugurated on May 28, 2016, this new small museum brings together a collection of some 150 works patiently acquired and showcased by businessman Boris Mintz since 2001. Following his wishes, its ambition is to prove the existence of a Russian impressionist school as well as its singularity in Russia, distinct from the French canons and its giants such as Manet and Renoir. To this end, the permanent exhibition presents a panorama stretching from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century. We can find great names such as Polenov, Korovine, Serov or even Guerassimov, better known for his socialist realism. Upstairs, two rooms are dedicated to temporary exhibitions, devoted to little-known artists that the museum wants to bring up to date. The building also has a multimedia space, a projection room, a café and a shop to complete the museum's itinerary. There is a real interest in admiring these works, which are undoubtedly masterfully crafted and presented in a very modern way. When you leave this place, you can be sure that Boris Mintz's wager is a success.

Another argument for taking a break is the setting of the museum. He found his home in the former confectionery factory of the "Bolshevik" brand acquired by the tycoon. This old red brick building, renovated in the modern industrial style, also houses the offices of many Russian start-ups.

Burganov is one of the greatest contemporary Russian sculptors whose works can be admired all over Moscow. In particular, the golden sculpture of Princess Turandot on the ancient Arbat. Rather surreal in his approach, he has a recognizable style. His museum-workshop is more of a jumble open to visitors than a proper museum tour. One wanders from rooms to courtyards, from gardens to galleries in a jubilant approach to art, faithful to the style of the owner, soon to be in his nineties.

If you are a paleontology enthusiast, take an hour to visit one of the largest natural history museums in the world, founded in 1716 by Peter the Great. The museum contains real dinosaur skeletons, which will make young and old alike dream! In addition to its amazing permanent collection exhibited in 6 rooms, the museum building is also of great interest: a magnificent example of Soviet architecture that was awarded the USSR State Prize at its creation.

The "Pharmacists' Garden" is one of the oldest botanical gardens in Moscow, created in the 18th century for the cultivation of medicinal plants. It now belongs to the Moscow State University, which has preserved it in its original use. The garden is one of the most beautiful in the capital, with a profusion of delicate flowers. There are verandas for eating and drinking, and at weekends you can listen to music or see some handicraft stalls.

This Soviet dacha is perfectly preserved in its original form with its complete collection of furniture, utensils, decorative and leisure objects from the Soviet period. One can enjoy tea prepared in a real samovar (whose water boiled with wood embers instils such a particular and appreciable taste), Ivan chai and Russian cakes. The owner of the place also gives master classes in the preparation of borstch or pelmenis. We highly recommend this excellent getaway for an immersion in local life.

You are in front of one of the buildings in Moscow that tourists most often take pictures of. This is quite understandable, considering its (too?) extravagant architecture. This small mansion resembling a Fabergé egg was built in 2002 by Sergey Tkatsjenko. Initially this project was intended to be built at the turn of the ^2nd millennium in Bethlehem to house a birthing centre, hence its egg shape... which makes it an even more dubious choice. Anyway you can always follow this photographic trend.

This gallery is named after its owner, an art dealer and exhibitor. It has acquired a solid reputation and you can be sure that the artists exhibited here have or will have a world-renowned career. This place is an ideal place to get acquainted with the Russian art scene, especially at the time of the happenings that bring together all the Russian cultural gratin. Once you get over the intimidating feeling of coming as a tourist walking the flowerbeds of a very select art world, you can enjoy the talent displayed on the walls.

This beautiful boulevard in the Parisian style is an integral part of the Ring of Boulevards ordered by Catherine II, which replaced the White City walls. It begins at Pushkin Square and ends at Nikitsky Gate, next to Arbat. It was a fashionable promenade for the Moscow nobility, who built many mansions here. The street can be dedicated to Maxim Gorky: at No. 22 there is a theatre named after him, at No. 25 the neoclassical facade of the Maxim Gorky Institute of Literature, where the famous writer was born.

The Jewish Museum and Center of Tolerance is a place that tells a lot and is a good place to visit to understand the history of the Jews in Russia and the countries of the former USSR. To observe their life in small villages that were called misteshka in the 19th century and then see the rampant anti-Semitism that gradually caused these Jews to disappear or die is a very powerful experience. The museum is exciting and its exhibition is varied.

The palace, built in the 1930s in a style that reflects the beginnings of Constructivism, was first a popular leisure centre throughout the Soviet period. In 2008 it became a municipal cultural centre 2.0. The hotel now regularly hosts performances and films of all styles and for all tastes. For children, there are creative development and dance workshops, a chess club, etc. There are also foreign language courses and discussion clubs.

Since 2017, this memorial is the first monument dedicated to the victims of the Gulag and Soviet political repression ever presented in the capital. It consists of a bronze high relief with silhouettes of men and women bearing the inscription "Remember", engraved in 22 different languages. It surmounts the Wall of Sorrow square, paved with stones salvaged from the country's gulags. The place is even more icy at night.

Realist art depicts the daily life of urban and peasant life around the artist, it was highly appreciated by the Soviet regime. The Private Institute of Russian Realist Art has the largest collection of Russian art of the 20th and 21st centuries with more than 500 works. It exhibits masters such as Serguei Gerasimov, Yuri Pimenov, Geli Korzhev, Victor Popokov. The interest of this visit is to see, through the paintings, the evolution of Russian society before and after the revolution.

Tsnetrosoyuz is absolutely massive and immediately imposes its presence in its street. It is difficult to describe this building which combines roundness and large straight facades, concrete, paint, an impression of great modernity and at the same time unfinished. It is the only building in Moscow (and in Russia) by the famous Le Corbusier. Commissioned at the end of the 1920s to be an office building, it now houses part of the Federal Finance Service and Rosstat, the statistical agency. Visits are not organized there.

Built in the 18th century, this building reflecting the neo-classical spirit is the heart of the Kremlin complex. Its triangular architecture with a central rotunda is quite surprising. During the whole Soviet period it housed the government. Lenin's office and his apartment were located on the top floor. The Supreme Command of the Red Army under Stalin was based there during the Second World War. Since 1991 it is the official seat of the President, visible during televised speeches.

Deliciously creepy, this museum will delight aficionados of old-fashioned dolls, from the time when plastic was not omnipresent in the hands of our toddlers. Here you will certainly see some very beautiful pieces, but the museography also highlights the role of the environment of the young players and restores dresses, furniture, household utensils in a vast mess. The result is a little dizzying and may confuse the inexperienced observer, while those who know about it will be totally at home here.

The old Arbat is a place where past and present meet. Tsoi's Wall" has been almost a permanent contemporary art event since its appearance in 1990 following the death of the musician and founder of the Soviet rock band Viktor Tsoï in a car accident.

The famous protest band Viktor Tsoï has left behind a rich rock heritage for its many fans who come today to remember its music and poetry, look at the graffiti on the wall (and sometimes contribute to it) and meet their fellow sufferers.

Moscow's Tsoi Wall itself has an unusual history. In the tense and uncertain atmosphere of the last year of the Soviet Union's life, on the day of the fatal road accident, a sober "Tsoï is dead" appeared on the façade of one of the posh houses on Arbat Street in the city centre. Someone objected that "Tsoï is alive", since it still exists, at least on this wall. Since then, the discussion has not stopped, with a great deal of technically illegal but tolerated graffiti. The place has gradually become a wall of homage to the artist, and candles and photos of him can be found in the vicinity. In 2006, the object was sabotaged by members of the Art Destroy45 movement, but the activity of his fans simply picked up again. Today, this Rock'n'Roll place is not only Victor Tsoi's mausoleum but also the mausoleum of the Russian punk movement that used to meet there.

This small museum is located on the territory of the Collège de la Communication and brings together unique artifacts: collective radio stations, home-made transceivers, amateur radio designs, equipment kits for sports direction finders. The exhibition includes pennants, cups, insignia and medal of amateur radio, QSL card forms issued by the Central Executive Committee of the USSR. A must for every amateur...

Undoubtedly one of the most beautiful exhibition venues in Moscow, this private contemporary art centre compares itself to the Tate Modern or the Centre Pompidou in its ambition to place Russia in the global contemporary art network. Located in the former bus terminal (Bakhmetevsky), this vast space includes several exhibition rooms, a bookshop, a cinema and a good restaurant. The garage is a masterpiece of architecture by the architect K. Melnikov and the engineer V. Shukhov.

The Shchusev Museum of Architecture is the largest museum of architecture and urban planning in Russia. It would need more space than what is proposed, given the long history of leaders in the country's urban planning vision: from Catherine II to Peter I and the great Soviet plans. Inside, we will be able to see many scale models, well contextualized and sometimes quite surprising (including some rather crazy projects for a total overhaul of the Kremlin).

The Water Museum is located on the territory of a former wastewater treatment plant built in 1898. Moving from one room to another, you can trace the history of the first sewers of the Kremlin, learn about the formation periods of the centralized water supply and sewage systems in Moscow - from the Rostokinsky aqueduct to modern facilities - membrane plants for filtering water from the Soviet system. In short, a plunge into this essential and often forgotten aspect of urban history.

You won't miss seeing this monumental statue if you walk along the banks of the Moskva River. 98 meters high (it is currently the 7th tallest statue in the world), rivaling the skyscrapers, it represents a sovereign (theoretically a Tsar) in armour, document in hand and at the helm of a ship with its sails folded. Officially, the statue is that of Tsar Peter the Great, dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the Russian fleet. Unofficially, it is just a huge recycling of a work of the Georgian artist close to the power Zurab Tsereteli.

The statue was originally designed to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the Americas in 1492 and represented Christopher Columbus. It was later to be hosted by a city on the New Continent, but following repeated refusals from the United States, Spain and Latin America, the head of Peter the Great replaced that of Columbus and the statue was moved to Moscow. Needless to say, this gigantic monument is little appreciated by the inhabitants who call it the "Monster of Moscow" and make it a symbol of the corruption, lack of taste and impunity of the economic and political elites of the post-Soviet years. To wash away the affront, an extremist group even tried to blow up the monument - without success! Ironically, Peter the Great hated Moscow and would probably not have liked this tribute either.

43 meters underground, connected to the Moscow Metro, is this recently declassified bunker. It was part of a complex built just before the Cuban missile crisis and remained in operation from the Stalinist era until the end of the USSR and the first 15 post-Soviet years of the Russian Federation when agents of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs classified secret information there until 2005. The visit, which has been open to the public since 2018, allows visitors to see the facilities and to be imbued with the spirit of the Cold War.

The Theatrical Museum was founded in 1894 by Alexei Bakhrushin (1865-1929), a famous industrialist and patron of Moscow. The collection includes more than 1.5 million items: sketches of costumes and sets, photographs and portraits, stage costumes, programmes and posters of shows, rare editions on theatrical art, art objects, etc.

The museum also organizes recitals and evenings of well-known artists. You will find stage drawings by Bakst and Vasnetsov, among others.

It is one of the most luxurious beaches and has a large number of bars and restaurants. The price for renting sun loungers and other services is high, but the view is nice. It is also one of the most popular beaches for wedding photos. On the beach you will find the Royal Yacht Club, where you can enjoy various water sports. The main attraction of the beach: its sand has been imported from the Maldives. Why pas ?

Next to the new building of the Russian Academy of Sciences there is a small observation deck located at a comfortable height of 60 meters above the ground. It offers a magnificent view of the banks of the Moskva River, the skyscrapers of the Moscow City Business Center and the spire of Moscow State University. On the left you will see the domes of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, on the right - the towers of the Kremlin surrounded by its cathedrals. Besides there are few visitors.