I had the pleasure of visiting Moscow as part of an assignment for bmi to write a feature for their City of the Month promotion early in August and you can check out the finished product here. I found that even in just 2 days, Moscow is a city you can definitely cover comprehensively, experiencing the full contrast of what this magnificent city has to offer.
Things to See and Do
Even though it seems like a sprawling, daunting beast to take on, I found that the key sights of Moscow are contained within a small area. Using a combination of your trusty stompers and the spectacular Moscow Metro, you can see everything worthwhile the Red capital has to offer.
Red Square
The Red Square has hosted hundreds of military parades in its time, but it was originally built to be a humble market square. It’s a vast, expansive space that has some interesting features, notably that it’s not flat all the way across. Somewhat resembling the curvature of the Earth, you can stand at one end and not completely see the height of people at the other end.
Make sure to visit it at day time, then return again at night to experience the Red Square from a different perspective. The way all the buildings and the Kremlin wall are lit up by massive floodlights makes it look completely different to what it did during the day.
State Historical Museum
Housing all of Russia’s history ranging back almost 2000 years to present day, this building looks more like a massive red wedding cake than a museum.
It’s the comprehensive place to check out if you want to get an idea of the long, rocky, glorious history of Russia. Comprising of over 20 rooms of info, it’s bursting with artefacts, artwork and propaganda. It’s situated on the north side of the Red Square, making it super easy to find.
St Basil’s Cathedral
As the defining icon of Russia, St Basil’s Cathedral is absolutely unmissable. It’s the image of Moscow that most people think of when the city is mentioned, and it sits pride of place at one end of the Red Square.
When you first enter Red Square, it’s the first thing your eyes are drawn to. The blues, greens and reds of the spires that look like onions really confirms it for you that you’re in Moscow.
The inside is unlike any other cathedral you’ve been in. It’s made up of two levels and is more like 5 small chapels combined to form one large church, decorated ornately throughout with the same intricate detail and vibrant colours seen on the exterior.
When you enter St Basil’s on the ground floor, you soon have to twist and turn up a narrow, steep and dimly lit staircase before you’re presented with the grand central chapel that seems to stretch up forever until forming the top of the spire. Undoubtedly one of the key attractions in Moscow. I’ll say it again, don’t miss it.
The Kremlin
The heart and soul of Russia, this is where countless critical political decisions were made that created tension of decades throughout the Western world. Only a few parts are open to the public, as this is definitely still where the President hangs out (and the verystrict guards will reminds you of that). The Kremlin is surrounded by an extensive Italian-designed wall dotted with twenty individual towers of different decoration and height, each with their own amazing story.
Inside you will find a few incredibly ornate cathedrals, the armoury and the Diamond Museum. Buying tickets can be confusing at the front gate, as tours of the Armoury and Diamond Museum are only run during certain times of the day and tickets sell out for each. If this happens to you, just buy the ticket that allows you to walk around the grounds of the cathedrals. You’ll still see the amazing attention to detail on the outside fascade and the massive Tsar Bell and Tsar Cannon.
Gorky Park
This expansive park was constructed in Stalinist times to give the people a nice place to hang out. It features long and wide boulevards, beautiful gardens and a riverside funfair.
There’s lots of little cafes and kiosks dotted around the place and it’s a great place to take an hour or so out and relax. Also during winter, you can ice skate the entire area when it freezes over i.e. not just the lakes but the paths as well!
