UltimateCity Guide Moscow
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The Kremlin walls, towers and cathedrals lit at night above the Moskva embankment The painted onion domes of St Basil’s Cathedral against a deep blue sky

The city guide to Moscow, Russia

Best of Moscow

The Kremlin at dawn and St Basil’s painted domes, a night at the Bolshoi, the chandeliers of the Metro, the Tretyakov’s icons, borscht at Café Pushkin and the city lit for New Year: Moscow, checked place by place.

Launch edition · Autumn 2026

Where to eatWhat to see
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Moscow, from the Kremlin to the river towers

Moscow is a city of grand gestures: the red walls and gold domes of the Kremlin, St Basil’s on Red Square, palaces under the streets in the Metro, the Bolshoi and the Conservatory, and the Tretyakov’s great collection of Russian art. Here are the grand hotels by the Kremlin, the restaurants of Tverskoy Boulevard, the parks along the river and the white-stone towns of the Golden Ring.

Red Square under summer clouds, with the State Historical Museum, the Kremlin towers and GUM

In depth

Red Square and the Kremlin

Moscow·In depth

The cathedrals and the Armoury inside the walls, St Basil’s and GUM on the square: how to see the heart of Moscow.

Read the story

Arts + Culture

All of Arts & Culture

Ballet at the Bolshoi, the Great Hall of the Conservatory, the Moscow Art Theatre, the Tretyakov’s icons and avant-garde, the Pushkin Museum, Garage and GES-2.

The Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory and its organ, from the balconyArts + CultureArts & Culture in MoscowBallet, music, theatre, galleries and film

Moscow by area

From the Kremlin to VDNKh, each district has its own guide: the heart of the city, the theatre district, the Arbat, the merchants’ quarter across the river, Gorky Park, the river towers and the pavilions of the north.

Vrubel’s majolica panel “The Princess of Dreams” on the façade of the Hotel MetropolArea guideKremlin & Kitay-gorodThe heart of MoscowThe portico of the Bolshoi Theatre, crowned by Apollo’s quadrigaArea guideTverskoy & the BolshoiThe theatre districtThe pedestrian Old Arbat, its painted houses and street lamps at duskArea guideArbat & PrechistenkaWest of the KremlinArea guideZamoskvorechyeAcross the riverPedal boats on the pond in Gorky Park on an early autumn dayArea guideKhamovniki & Gorky ParkConvent, cathedral and park

On foot

Moscow’s centre is best on foot between Metro rides: from Red Square, the Bolshoi, the Arbat and the river are all within a half-hour walk.

  1. Area guidePresnya & Moscow CityThe river towers

Our advice

Book the Bolshoi first

Tickets for the Historic Stage go quickly: book them before anything else, and plan the rest of your stay around the night. The Bolshoi

Plan your trip

The practical things to know before you go: the Metro and the Troika card, the Aeroexpress to the airports, roubles and cash, and itineraries for a first visit and a luxury weekend.

Before you goMoscow essentialsMoney, the airports and 112The arches and ceiling cupolas of Mayakovskaya Metro stationGetting aroundBy Metro and trainThe Troika card and the AeroexpressThe Nikolskaya Tower and the red Kremlin wall on Red SquareItineraryThree days in MoscowThe classic first visitA room in the Hotel National, its balcony door open on the State Historical Museum and St Basil’sLuxury guideLUX LivingThe finest addressesItineraryThe Gold weekendThe Metropol, the Bolshoi and Café Pushkin
  1. ItineraryThe Platinum weekendThe National, Sanduny and Turandot

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Beyond the city

Sergiev Posad, Kolomna, and Vladimir and Suzdal: the monasteries, kremlins and white-stone churches of the towns around Moscow.

The red-brick wall and a tower of the Kolomna KremlinBeyond the citySergiev PosadThe Trinity LavraBeyond the cityKolomnaThe kremlin townBeyond the cityVladimir & SuzdalThe white-stone towns

In depth: Moscow’s back stories

Russian cuisine, the city old and new, film, history, the grand hotels and getting around: the stories behind the city.

GUM’s arcades on a snowy winter day, with St Basil’s at the end of the streetChristmas & New YearNew Year in MoscowThe lights, the rinks and the festive tableBlini with sour cream and red and black caviarEatRussian CuisineBorscht, blini, pelmeni and medovikFeatureMoscow, the classic and the newThe Kremlin and the river towers

In season

In December and January Moscow is at its most festive: the centre is lit, the parks open their rinks, and the Bolshoi plays The Nutcracker.

  1. FeatureMoscow on filmFrom Walking the Streets of Moscow to The Irony of Fate
  2. HistoryA short history of MoscowFrom 1147 to the new parks

Further afield with the ULTIMATE guides

Helsinki, Berlin, Vienna and Istanbul, and the great train journeys of the world.

River boats moored on the Moskva below the Kotelnicheskaya Embankment BuildingULTIMATE HelsinkiHelsinkiTo the north-westULTIMATE BerlinBerlinTo the westULTIMATE ViennaViennaOpera and ballet
  1. ULTIMATE IstanbulIstanbulTo the south

The ULTIMATE City Guides around the world

See all Europe

Planning a longer journey? Each city in the network has its own independent guide, written with the same care and checked place by place. Here are the guides that are live, with more on the way.

Canal houses and bridges in Amsterdamthe NetherlandsULTIMATE AmsterdamThe canal ring, the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, canal-house hotels, twenty MICHELIN-starred tables, brown cafés, and day trips to Haarlem and Keukenhof.The Alhambra in Granada in the evening lightSpainULTIMATE AndalusiaSeville, Granada and the Alhambra, Córdoba, Málaga, Cádiz and Jerez, Ronda and the white villages, Doñana and Cabo de Gata.The floodlit Acropolis and Parthenon at dusk, seen from Philopappos HillGreeceULTIMATE AthensThe Acropolis and the Plaka, rooftop bars facing the Parthenon, the Athens Riviera and the Greek islands: our original guide, and our deepest.The road winding out to the lighthouse on Cap de Formentor, Mallorca, above the open seaSpainULTIMATE Balearic IslandsMallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera side by side, and how to hop between them by ferry.The Sagrada Família lit up at nightSpainULTIMATE BarcelonaGaudí and the Sagrada Família, the Gothic Quarter, four Three-Star MICHELIN kitchens, the beaches and day trips to Montserrat and Girona.Belgrade's old town and the spire of the Cathedral Church of St Michael above the Sava at sunsetSerbiaULTIMATE BelgradeWhere the Sava meets the Danube: a buzzing capital of art, classical music and famous nightlife, with a new waterfront and the mountains of Zlatibor and Kopaonik.

See all 85 guides

HOT TOPICS · Have Your Say

The latest from our readers: visitors and locals talking about Moscow, its restaurants, theatres, museums and neighbourhoods.

    Have your say in HOT TOPICS

    This week's pick

    Moscow Metro stations

    Moscow·Metro

    The Moscow Metro opened in 1935, and its historic stations are palaces underground. Ride the Circle line and hop off at Komsomolskaya for its chandeliers and ceiling mosaics, then on to Kievskaya; finish at Ploshchad Revolyutsii, a short walk from Red Square.

    Find out more

    Every list in the guide

    Plan your day

    ItineraryBeyond the city: Sergiev PosadOne day

    Know your neighbourhoods

    Our favourites right now

    Restaurants

    1. 1How Moscow eatsMoscow · In depth
    2. 2Russian CuisineMoscow · In depth: food
    3. 3Café PushkinTverskoy Boulevard · Russian
    See all 6

    Cafés

    1. 1Eliseevsky StoreTverskaya · Food hall
    2. 2Stolovaya No. 57 at GUMRed Square · Canteen
    See all 2

    Bars

    1. 1The Carlton rooftopTverskaya · Rooftop bar
    2. 2Ararat Park Hotel roof barNeglinnaya · Rooftop bar
    See all 2

    Hotels

    1. 1The grand hotels of MoscowMoscow · In depth
    2. 2Hotel Metropol MoscowTeatralnaya · Grand hotel
    3. 3Hotel National, MoscowManege Square · Grand hotel
    See all 6

    Sights

    1. 1Red Square and the KremlinMoscow · In depth
    2. 2Moscow KremlinKremlin · Fortress and museums
    3. 3Red SquareKitay-gorod · Square
    See all 12

    Arts & Culture

    1. 1State Tretyakov GalleryZamoskvorechye · Art museum
    2. 2New Tretyakov GalleryKrymsky Val · Art museum
    3. 3Pushkin State Museum of Fine ArtsVolkhonka · Art museum
    See all 23

    Parks

    1. 1Gorky ParkKhamovniki · Park
    2. 2Zaryadye Park (gardens)Kitay-gorod · Park
    3. 3KolomenskoyeNagatino · Estate and park
    See all 5

    Walks

    1. 1The Kremlin to the BolshoiCentre · Walk
    2. 2The ArbatArbat · Walk
    3. 3The Boulevard RingCentre · Walk
    See all 4

    Shopping

    1. 1GUMRed Square · Department store
    2. 2TsUMPetrovka · Department store
    3. 3Tretyakovsky ProezdKitay-gorod · Luxury street
    See all 5

    Health

    1. 1Emergencies: call 112Moscow · Emergency number
    2. 2Sanduny BathsNeglinnaya · Banya
    See all 2

    Property

    1. 1Where Moscow livesMoscow · In depth
    See all 0

    Developments

    1. 1GES-2 (development)Bolotnaya Embankment · Conversion
    2. 2Zaryadye Park (development)Kitay-gorod · Park
    See all 2

    River

    1. 1Moscow river cruisesMoskva · River boats
    See all 1

    Getting Around

    1. 1Getting around MoscowMoscow · In depth
    2. 2Sheremetyevo International AirportKhimki · Airport
    3. 3Vnukovo International AirportVnukovo · Airport
    See all 4