Large squares, tree-lined avenues, majestic parks and monuments: Moscow can leave visitors speechless. Always crowded, both in summer and winter, the capital of Russia is certainly one of the main attractions and an unmissable stop on a trip to this country.
Not only the Kremlin, the Red Square and St. Basil's Cathedral: the beauties of Moscow also include luxury shops, boutiques, gourmet restaurants and 4 and 5-star hotels. An elegant and culturally rich city, where getting lost is easy.
Here is a guide to the must-see attractions during a stay or a weekend in Moscow.
10 must-see attractions in Moscow
1- Kremlin
The Moscow Kremlin is a fortified citadel located right in the center of the city: impossible not to see it!. Located on the banks of the Moskva River, it is the largest of the national kremlins (there are others, in other cities of Russia) and is still home to the main government institutions. Of great historical and artistic value (it is Unesco Heritage), it certainly deserves a visit: do not miss the Gardens of Alexander, in the west, one of the first parks built in Moscow.
2 - Gorkij Park
Gorkij Park is an amusement park dedicated to Maksim Gorky, inaugurated in 1928, combining the gardens of Golitsyn Hospital and Neskuchny Palace. Located on the banks of the Moskva, it is animated daily by events and fairs. It has a Ferris wheel and, in winter, its frozen pathways turn into skating rinks. Gorky Park has inspired musicians and writers: for example, the novel Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith, or the song Wind of Change by the Scorpions, which refers to the park in Moscow.
3 - Red Square
The Red Square is the most important square in Moscow and hosts many important city monuments, including the Kremlin and St. Basil Cathedral. With over 74 thousand meters of extension, it is one of the widest squares in the world. Its name derives from the Russian adjective "krasnaja", which means both "red" and "beautiful".
4- GUM
GUM department store, acronym of Glavnyj Universalnyj Magazin, is located in the Red Square and occupies a majestic three-story building with three covered galleries, built in the nineteenth century. Opened in 1893 and later restored, it now houses luxury boutiques of the biggest names in fashion.
5- Tret'jakov Gallery
The Tret'jakov Gallery is an important museum of Moscow which houses a picture gallery of Russian nineteenth and twentieth century works and a section dedicated to contemporary art. It also includes a collection of sculptures of Socialist Realism.
6 - Lenin's mausoleum
Lenin's mausoleum is another of the important sites of interest that you will find in the Red Square. It preserves the remains of Lenin, in the shape of a stepped pyramid in reinforced concrete and bricks. Lenin's mausoleum inspired the construction of similar mausoleums in other cities, dedicated to local socialist leaders. One of these is the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Vietnam.
7- St. Basil's Cathedral
The Orthodox cathedral, symbol of the city of Moscow, located in the Red Square, was commissioned by Ivan IV in 1555 and was for a long time the tallest building in the city. The shape of the building resembles a bonfire with flames pointing towards the sky, a unique architectural work that is unparalleled in Russian history. Secularized, since 1990 it is Unesco World Heritage.
8 - Bolshoi Theater
Bolshoi Theater means "great theater" in Russian. This historic Moscow building, located near the Kremlin, hosts ballets, plays and operas, and has its own dance company, Ballet Bolshoj. The theater, a neoclassical building, is famous all over the world for the tradition of classical ballet.
9 - Palace of the Armory
The Armory Palace, inside the Kremlin, houses a museum of Russian applied arts. During a visit, you will have the opportunity to admire ancient weapons and royal insignia, jewelry and objects of the tsars.
10 - Novodevicij Monastery
Its name, translated from Russian, means "monastery of the new virgins" and is the most famous in Moscow. This building in the Baroque style of Moscow is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004.
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