Despite Stalin’s destruction of much of Moscow’s architectural heritage, what remains is enough to convey the impression of a medieval capital that collided with a Soviet juggernaut. It is a city where petite onion-domed churches and 19th-century mansions compete with epic neo-Gothic skyscrapers and ten-lane ring roads. Ironically, Communism’s greatest contribution to the city – the magnificent metro system – lies deep underground. In recent years bold modern structures have been added to Moscow’s progressive skyline.

1. St Basil’s Cathedral

With red-brick towers and swirling onion domes, this gloriously colourful cathedral is perhaps Russia’s most emblematic building. Ivan the Terrible ordered its construction to celebrate capturing the Tatar stronghold of Kazan, 800 km (500 miles) east of Moscow, in 1552. The cathedral was designed with eight chapels, each representing a successful assault made on Kazan.

A ninth chapel was added later to cover the grave of Basil the Blessed, the pious ascetic to whom the cathedral owes its popular name.

NEED TO KNOW

  1. Timing : May–Nov: 11am–6pm;  Dec–Apr: 11am–5pm
  2. Tickets : from May 15 to August 31— 1000 roubles and from September 1 to May 14 — 700 roubles
  3. Tickets with AudioGuide (English, French, Chinese, Spanish): from May 15 to August 31— 1500 roubles and from September 1 to May 14 — 1200 roubles
  4. Metro : Okhotnyy Ryad, Ploshchad Revolyutsii
  5. Website : www.en.shm.ru/museum/hvb/
  6. E-mail: visitor@shm.ru
  7. Tour centre: +7 (495) 692 37 31

2. Red Square

Red Square has been at the heart of Moscow for over 500 turbulent years, and its grand buildings recall the city’s eventful history. Here, Ivan the Terrible mutilated prisoners before repenting of his sins at Lobnoe Mesto; it was he who funded the construction of St Basil’s Cathedral. In 1812 a victorious Napoleon addressed his troops on the square, while stabling their horses in the cathedral.

Lenin Mausoleum was added by the Communists, who later demolished both the Resurrection Gate and Kazan Cathedral to make way for enormous military parades. The square has been restored to its pre-Soviet appearance.

NEED TO KNOW

  1. Timing and Tickets : Open 24 Hours
  2. Before queuing for the Lenin Mausoleum, leave large bags and any photographic equipment at the Historical Museum’s cloakroom to avoid being refused entry.
  3. Facing Red Square, the Bosco Café in the GUM shopping mall has a great range of ice creams and desserts.
  4. Metro : Ploshchad Revolyutsii, Teatralnaya, Okhotnyy Ryad

3. The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts

This stately museum has amassed over 500,000 artworks since its inauguration in 1912. It was envisaged as an educational institution, and was initially filled with plaster casts of sculptural masterpieces along with a world-class selection of Egyptian relics. Subsequent political events led to the expansion of the collection far beyond its original parameters. The Communist policy of nationalising private property brought many new artworks to the museum, it was further boosted when the government transferred thousands of pieces to it from St Petersburg’s Hermitage.

The museum’s excellent collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and Modernist art is housed next door in a new Gallery of European and American Art of the 19th–20th Century.

NEED TO KNOW

  1. Timing :  Tue–Sun (10am–9pm Thu) and other days 10am–7pm
  2. Tickets : ₽550
  3. Three neighbouring buildings house the majority of the museum’s collection. A single ticket covering all the sites can be bought from the central museum building.
  4. The museum’s basement café serves reasonably priced snacks and cakes.
  5. Metro : Kropotkinskaya
  6. website : www.pushkinmuseum.art

4. Bolshoy Theatre

Established in 1776, the Bolshoy theatre and ballet companies are among the oldest in the world. They were based in Moscow’s Petrovsky Theatre until 1812, when the building was consumed by fire during Napoleon’s invasion. In 1825 the Bolshoy Theatre, designed by Osip Bove (1784–1834), opened to instant international acclaim, but in 1853 it too was claimed by fire.

Its restoration was overseen by architect Albert Kavos, who increased the building’s height and chose the current decor. Today the Bolshoy retains its status as a world-class ballet and opera venue.

NEED TO KNOW

  1. Timing : 11am–7pm (ticket office)
  2. Tickets : Admission varies from 600 ₽ to 4,000 ₽
  3. Metro : Teatralnaya
  4. The Bolshoy has an online booking service and tickets can also be reserved by phone in English.
  5. The theatre bar serves refreshments during intervals.
  6. website : www.bolshoi.ru

5. Metro Stations

Opened in 1935 as part of the government’s plan to transform Moscow into the world’s capital of Communism, the metro’s first stations were conceived as magnificent showcases of Soviet success. Thousands of labourers and genuinely patriotic volunteers dug the tunnels, initially using simple pickaxes and shovels. Today, retaining ubiquitous red stars and original Soviet artworks, the metro is a working museum of Communist design. The system carries 7 million passengers a day and currently has 177 stations on 12 lines.

  • Komsomolskaya Metro Station

This Baroque-style station has more Communist memorabilia than most. It boasts a bust of Lenin, a delightful mosaic of Lenin addressing a rally outside the Kremlin, and a domed hall with a massive red mosaic star.

NEED TO KNOW

  • Timing : 5:30–1 am
  • website : www.mosmetro.ru

6. State Historical Museum

Founded in 1872, this museum has amassed an incredible collection of over 4.5 million objects, of which around 22,000 are on permanent display. The exhibition begins with traces of early Palaeolithic man and goes on to chart Russian history through the ages. Its neatly arranged displays of fascinating artifacts include a 7.5-m (24.5-ft) Neolithic dug-out canoe, a massive marble sarcophagus from the 4th century BC and a large wooden globe produced by Dutch cartographers and acquired by Peter the Great in 1697.

With its Russian Revival decor restored to dazzling splendour, this museum provides a stunning backdrop to its extensive collection of ancient manuscripts, imperial carriages and sledges, aristocratic fashion and the country’s largest exhibition of coins

NEED TO KNOW

  1. Timing : 10am–6pm Mon–Sat, 11am–8pm Sun
  2. Tickets : 800 Roubles
  3. Metro : Okhotnyy Ryad, Ploshchad Revolyutsii
  4. Website : www.shm.ru

7. Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

Tsar Alexander I commissioned the construction of Russia’s largest Orthodox cathedral to mark the defeat of Napoleon in 1812. It was designed by the Russian architect Konstantin Ton (1794–1881) and completed in 1860, but was demolished in 1931 to make way for the Palace of the Soviets. That plan was later abandoned and in 1960, the spot was filled by the world’s largest outdoor swimming pool. A fundraising campaign to rebuild the original cathedral followed the fall of Communism in 1991, and the existing replica was finished by 2000.

It took ten years to reconstruct, and came in at a final cost of more than £103 million (5 billion Rub)

NEED TO KNOW

  1. Timing : 10am–5pm
  2. Metro : Kropotkinskaya
  3. Website : www.new.xxc.ru

8. Monument to the Conquerors of Space

It is hard to miss the Obelisk near the VDNKh metro, a monument to the “Conquerors of Space”. Over 100 m (328 ft) high, it represents a rocket lifting off. It was erected in 1964, 3 years after Yuriy Gagarin’s historic flight. Underneath it, is the Space Museum, one of the city’s hidden treasures, containing Belka and Strelka (stuffed), the dogs who were the first creatures to return alive from space (Laika, more famous in the West, died), and Vostok 1, the tiny capsule in which Gagarin famously orbited the Earth.

This dynamic monument intends to capture the moment a rocket hurtles into the sky, trailed by a jet stream. Its dark granite base features reliefs of Soviet cosmonauts, engineers and scientists preparing for lift-off.

NEED TO KNOW

  1. Timing : Open 24 Hours (Monument), and for Museum (Tue, Wed, Fri, Sun 10:00 — 19:00), (Thu, Sat 10:00 — 21:00), (Monday Closed)
  2. Tickets : 350 Roubles
  3. Metro : VDNKH

9. Peter the Great Statue

The Peter the Great Statue is a 98-metre-high (322 ft) monument to Peter the Great, located at the western confluence of the Moskva River and the Vodootvodny Canal in central Moscow, Russia. It was designed by the Georgian designer Zurab Tsereteli to commemorate 300 years of the Russian Navy, which Peter the Great established. It was erected in 1997 and It weighs around 1,000 tons containing 600 tons of stainless steel, bronze and copper.

10. Cafe Pushkin

The epitome of high-class Moscow, Cafe Pushkin is evocative of 19th-century Russian society, with liveried waiters, antique furnishings and international cuisine fit for a tsar. The Stone Hall is perhaps the most elegant of the themed rooms here, while the sophisti- cated Library has great views of Tverskoy Bulvar

Classic French cuisine is served at this elegant cafe.

NEED TO KNOW

  1. Timing : Mon-Wed: 9:00-24:00 and Thu-Sun: 0:00-24:00
  2. Metro : Pushkinskaya
  3. Website : www.cafe-pushkin.ru
  4. E-mail: banquet@cafe-pushkin.ru
  5. Contact: +7 (495) 186-49-53

Bonus (Izmailovo Kremlin and Market)

     

Best visited at weekends, Izmaylovo Market has a bewildering number of stalls selling everything from carpets and household goods to books, clothes and souvenirs. Look out for matryoshka dolls and Soviet memorabilia, both in plentiful supply.

Izmaylovo market is by far the best place to hunt for bargains

NEED TO KNOW

  1. Timing : Kremlin (9am–9pm) and Market (10am-6pm)
  2. Metro : Partizanskaya
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