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Moscow Travel Guide

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A trip to Moscow
Moscow is in the western (European) part of Russia several hundred kilometres from its borders with Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic States and Finland with more than 90% of the motherland stretching east all the way to the Pacific Ocean. With a population of nine million it is the country’s most populous city. It has been a lightning rod of political intrigue, military adventurism and social tumult for centuries, representing the eye of a hulking beast to a sometimes wary but always spellbound Europe.

As residents of the capital of the world’s biggest country, Muscovites have long had a cautious view of the West, reinforced first by Napoleon’s and then the Nazi’s lunges and fittingly, its epicentre is a mighty fortress, The Kremlin. The city today is awash in fascinating contradictions – colossal architecture and intimate chapels; the ostentatious wealth of “New Russia” and the stoic poverty of state pensioners; the glitz of luxury boutiques and the earth-spattered stalls of farmers’ markets; the dour vodka drinkers and the warm and welcoming revellers. Moscow’s tribulations have forged a depth of character that is apparent in all the nooks and crannies of the capital but its resilience and sense of regeneration sees it once again energised and eager to assert its place in the modern world.

Flights to Moscow
Moscow is served by no fewer than five airports. Flights to/from Western Europe are most likely to arrive at Sheremetyevo II (SVO) (30km north-west of the city) or Domodedovo (40km south). Both are large facilities with most services the international traveller would expect. Queues can be long however and ample time should be made to negotiate the check-in/out process. Both airports offer a range of transfer options including rail with mini-bus connections. From Sheremetyevo it’s about an hour to the city centre and from Domodedovo about 90 minutes. Taxis are also available with a pre-booked car the most reliable option. Beware of taxi touts, they can be extremely pushy. You should always book at the Taxi desk in the airport terminal. Vnukovo Airport is situated 10 km south west of the city and services mainly domestic traffic.

Siteseeing in Moscow
The very nucleus of Moscow, if not the entire Russian motherland, is of course The Kremlin. The cauldron of political power and spawn to myriad momentous events including Ivan the Terrible’s conquest of Siberia, Lenin’s revolution, Stalin’s pogroms and Gorbachev’s dismantling of communism. A combination of Westminster, St Paul’s, the Tower of London and more besides, “kremlin” is a generic term for a fortified stronghold and Moscow’s, the mightiest of them all, first took root in the 11th century. Nothing tangible remains from that time and today’s triangle-shaped sequence of walls and towers on the north side of the Moscow River covering Borovitsky Hill dates back to Ivan the Great’s construction effort from 1475. Within the walls of the great fortress are no less than a dozen or so sites of interest that can broadly be classified as religious, political or temporal.

The religious are clustered around the Kremlin’s centre and include: the Assumption Cathedral (Uspensky Sobor), built in the 1470s it was pre-revolutionary Russia’s pre-eminent church built in a mix of Renaissance and Byzantine style but today functions as a museum. Its colourful interior is a magnificent showcase for treasures ranging from frescoes, icons, murals and even a carved throne made in 1551 for Ivan the Terrible. The Church of the Deposition of the Robe, next to the west door of the Assumption Cathedral is a small but beautiful chapel built as a private place of prayer by the heads of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1480 (although requisitioned by the Romanovs in 1653) and built in a traditional Russian style. The Archangel Cathedral (Archangelsky Sobor), built in a largely Byzantine-Russian style was, for centuries, the site of Czarist coronations, weddings and burials until St Petersburg became the capital. The Annunciation Cathedral (Blagoveshchensky Sobor) was built as the royal family’s private church evolving over time into a series of domes and chapels. Its highlights are a beautiful floor made of agate and jasper and the iconostasis, icons painted in the 15th century by the most celebrated iconographers – Theophanes the Greek and Andrei Rublyov.

The political buildings are in two sections along the western and eastern perimeters: Enter at the main visitors’ entrance, the Kutafya Tower, and proceed through the Trinity Gate Tower and you’ll be near Stalin’s quarters, the 17th century Poteshny Palace. A little further east rises the huge Kremlin Palace of Congresses (Dvorets Syezdov), built in 1961 for Party congresses it doubles as an auditorium for music and ballet performances and is universally reviled as a colossal eyesore. The Russian president’s offices are in the yellow former Senate building and next to that stands the Supreme Soviet building dating from the 1930’s. Religious political power was exercised from the Patriarch’s Palace that contains the Museum of 17th Century Russian Applied Art and Life with its collections of icons, illuminated books, vestments and other religious artefacts. This leads to the patriarch’s chapel, the Church of the Twelve Apostles and official reception hall, the Hall of the Cross.

The temporal structures range from the military to the regal to the sheer gargantuan. The Arsenal sprawls along the north-western corner, built in the 18th century and ringed by some 800 cannon captured from Napoleon’s retreating armies. The Armoury (Oruzheinaya Palata), in the south-western corner) has an astonishing collection gathered over the centuries with just some highlights being Faberge eggs, royal thrones & regalia and coaches & sleighs as well as the armour & weapons for which it is named. In the same building is the Diamond Fund Exhibition given over to all manner of precious stones and jewellery. At 81m the Ivan the Great Bell Tower is the tallest structure in the Kremlin (and until the 20th Century protected by law from being surpassed). Exhibitions from a range of Kremlin collections are displayed on the ground floor. Next to the tower is the Tsar Bell, a 202 tonne behemoth that cracked during the cooling process when under construction in 1737 and dislodged an 11 tonne piece.

The area immediately surrounding The Kremlin also has its share of iconic Muscovy sights worth seeing. Red Square (actually neither, being grey and oblong) lies along its north-eastern wall and although mainly filled with tourists still has an amazing aura redolent with the echoes of centuries of cataclysmic history. At the middle of the square near the Kremlin’s wall is the 1930 mausoleum containing Lenin’s Tomb. The former leader has been embalmed since 1924 and it’s almost a compulsory ritual to join the queue and file past the waxy body. Afterwards you can see the (enclosed) tombs of other former leaders and famous figures of the Soviet Union along the wall.

Towards the southern end of the square is the astonishing St Basil’s Cathedral, a profusion of red brick towers and coloured onion domes, since its completion in 1561 an enduring symbol of Russia. The ground floor has exhibitions showcasing the cathedral itself and the interior with its frescoes, nine main chapels and assorted tombs is as breathtaking as its exterior. Cross the square and you can step from a temple to God to one for mammon in the GUM (Russian acronym for State Department Store). Dating from the 19th century it has over 1000 individual shops packed with both local and imported goods. To catch your breath amidst the crowds and vast architecture of the city centre head to the Alexandrovsky Garden which spreads out along the Kremlin’s western wall. The city’s first public park, it is a well-kept expanse of lawns and flower beds and at its northern end is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Still a place of great reverence for Russians, it’s a favourite place for newlyweds to pose for photographs and pay their respects to the grave of a soldier who fell in 1941 at the nearest point the Germans came to Moscow. The changing of the guard provides a sombre but dignified photo opportunity every hour.

When you’ve had your fill of the arrogant vastness of the Kremlin and Red Square head for the city’s museums for a more intimate insight into the Russian soul. The State History Museum traces the nation’s development from the Stone Age to the present with each gallery constructed in the style of a different period or region. The building itself is a magnificent red brick wedding cake affair and its millions of items cover everything from clothing to furniture to weapons to fine art. The Palaeontology Museum is one of the world’s largest natural science museums with exhibitions on the science of palaeontology, the Precambrian and Palaeozoic eras, the age of reptiles and dinosaurs and the age of mammals. Paying homage to the city itself is the Museum of Moscow History showcasing the daily lives of its citizens since the mid-19th century using photographs, documents and everyday items like clothing, eating utensils and leisure materials. The State Tretyakov Gallery has an overwhelming collection of Russian paintings, sculpture and religious icons originally assembled by private collectors before the revolution and later supplemented by expropriated pieces and the picks of other museums. International art is the focus of the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum with most pieces being European from the Renaissance onwards. The highlight is the staggering array of impressionists and post-impressionists including Monet, Gauguin, Picasso, Matisse and Van Gogh. Science and technology buffs will love the Polytechnical Museum which covers Russian contributions to both disciplines.

Apart from the obvious landmark attractions are crammed in to Moscow’s heart there are several other places that are well worth the visitor’s time. A little south of the city centre and meandering for 3km along the Moscow River is Gorky Park. Made famous by Martin Cruz Smith’s 1983 cold war thriller it has been a favourite local leisure destination since 1928. Featuring ornamental gardens, fun fairs with roller coasters and other rides, kids’ play areas, a slow moving Ferris wheel with great views over the park and surrounds it also has a display of a Soviet space shuttle prototype (Buran) that never got off the ground. Winter sees a giant skating rink form as the paths are flooded and the ponds freeze over. Children in particular will love the Moscow Zoo, a huge complex with over 6,000 animals and birds and fish highlights are the big cat enclosure, the monkey house and the aquariums. Matching London’s Highgate and Paris’s Pere Lachaise cemeteries for atmosphere and a sense of calm amongst the madding crowds is Novodevichy Convent and Cemetery. Both are side-by-side on the river. The convent dates from 1524 and has interesting exhibitions and the ancient Smolensk Cathedral on its grounds. The cemetery is the resting place for a clutch of famous Russians who didn’t make the A-Grade real estate of The Kremlin, including Khrushchev, Gogol, Chekhov and Eisenstein.

Daytrips
Moscow is a well-connected city. Following the M8 motorway from Moscow’s Yaroslavl Rail Terminal brings visitors to a lovely region known as the Golden Ring. The historic villages found here in central Russia are home to some spectacular architecture in a provincial environment. The quaint and rural atmosphere found here is invigorating for those who have spent too many days touring big cities.

The city of Arkhangelskoye is found a short distance west of Moscow. Two estates (Arkhangelskoye and Znamenskoye-Gubailovo) are found here, both of which host cultural events and have well-manicured grounds. There is also a country club resort here with a fine 18-hole golf course.

Visitors looking for more than a single day’s getaway can take advantage of the excellent public transportation network. Overnight trains leave Moscow at night and arrive early in the morning at St Petersburg, where the sites rival Moscow’s.

Must-see attractions
Choosing a short list of must-see attractions from the wealth of those available in Moscow is no easy task. Certainly, the single greatest icon of the city is the world-renowned Red Square. The foremost attraction on the Red Square is the Kremlin, an extraordinary feat of architecture that once served as a fortress overlooking the Moskva River. Included in the complex are towers, palaces and places of worship. Today’s Kremlin is a museum of Russian culture and history.

St Basil’s Cathedral is the other headlining attraction on Red Square. It is a massive religious structure topped by several colourful onion domes that tie nine separate chapels into one single structure. It was built in the 16th century and continues to dazzle its visitors.

More modern, though equally potent, is the Mausoleum of Lenin. His body was preserved and housed here for onlookers to pay their respects. To this day, anyone taking a tour of the Mausoleum is afforded a glimpse (albeit brief) of the remains of the Soviet patriarch.

The Museum of the History of Moscow is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the city’s historic evolution. This facility has been open for more than 100 years and boasts an amazing collection of artefacts to survey local history.

Best time to go
The most comfortable time to visit Moscow is during the summer (June to August) when temperatures crest 20°C. By December and January, temperatures drop as low as -10°C, and regular snowfall sets in. Cold weather is a fact of life during the Moscow winter, and anyone visiting at this time will want to pack plenty of warm clothes. Be advised that the thawing spring season (March and April) can be a precarious time to embark on walking tours, as snow-melt can create slush in the streets.

Rainy day suggestions
Museums are everywhere in Moscow, and when rain or snow complicate sightseeing excursions, tourists can rest assured that they’ll find plenty to do indoors. Writers Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky both have their own museums, and these are usually of interest to international visitors. Russian opera is a world-class art form, and Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre may very well be the greatest place to catch a performance. This is a must-see for all art and music lovers, regardless of the weather.

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