Moscow is the capital city, as well as one of the, most visited tourist places in Russia. The city has a fascinating history and colorful, awe-inspiring architecture in the form of stunning cathedrals, churches, and palaces. The intricate detailing and complex architectural designs of the bygone era will surely keep anyone tranquilized. Red Square, St. Basil’s Cathedral, and Moscow’s Kremlin are the most prominent historical places to visit in Moscow. Besides, the city is also home to several museums where you can learn about Russia’s fantastic literary heritage, such as the Pushkin Memorial Museum, the Tolstoy House Museum, the Dostoevsky House Museum, and the Mayakovsky Museum. These places to see in Moscow are not just interesting but are beyond magical. Explore here, our list of best places to visit as part of Moscow Tour Packages.
Red Square
Red Square or Krasnaya Ploshchad is one of the largest and most impressive squares situated at the heart of the city of Moscow. Built-in the 1490s, the 73,000 square meters Red Square is separating the royal citadel of the Kremlin from the ancient merchant quarter of Kitai-gorod. It served as a gathering tourist place in Moscow, a marketplace, and a festival ground during the Soviet era. It is one of the most popular places to visit in Moscow due to its wealth of historical sights and cultural landmarks such as the Kremlin, St. Basil’s Cathedral, Lenin’s Mausoleum, and the State Historical Museum. Moscow’s Red Square along with the Kremlin was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 1990. Besides, wandering around the massive square is a humbling experience and undoubtedly one of the highlights the city has to offer as part of the Russia tour packages.
Bolshoi Theatre
The Bolshoi Theatre is a historic theatre of ballet and opera situated at the Theatre Square in Moscow. With more than 200 dancers, it is one of the second-largest ballet and opera companies in Europe, and the main theater in Russia. This historic theatre was founded back in 1776, but the present magnificent building was built in 1825. Designed by architect Joseph Bove in classical Russian architectural style, the building is all in white with 8 columns, intricate detailing on the facade, and the ‘quadriga’ adorned at the entrance. The six-tier auditorium is lavishly decorated and is a perfect setting for the world-class performances that take place on its stage. The performances here are mostly of Russian origins, with a few foreign performances also taking place. Spending a night watching a performance at the glittering Bolshoi Theatre is sure to be a memorable experience.
The Moscow Kremlin
The Moscow Kremlin is a fortified complex located in the center of Moscow. Founded by the Rurik dynasty in the 15th century, it was once the home of the Tsar family and is now the official residence of the president of the Russian Federation. Constructed beautifully and with a great eye for detail, the Moscow Kremlin complex covers an area of 275,000 square meters with 20 towers, 15 buildings, and more than 1.5 miles of walls that are made up to 21 feet thick. The intricate decor inside the Grand Kremlin Palace reflects the pure charm of the Revival architecture in Russian that blends perfectly with the architectural style of Byzantine Revival. The Cathedral Square is considered to be the center of the Kremlin complex and has three cathedrals of magnificent architecture. The complex is also home to several palaces and also the Ivan the Great Bell Tower. In the south is the Armoury building, a museum holding everything from the royal crown and imperial carriages to the ivory throne of Ivan the Terrible and Faberge eggs. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990, it is undoubtedly one of the best Moscow tourist places.
St. Basil’s Cathedral
A trip to Moscow is incomplete without visiting this unique and impressive cathedral. Located in the impressive Red Square, St. Basil’s Cathedral is one of the top places to visit in Moscow and a popular cultural symbol of Russia. Also called ‘Pokrovsky Cathedral’, it was built in 1555 – 1561 by the order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible to celebrate his victory over the Khanate of Kazan. Built-in unique architecture inspired by Byzantine and Asian design, it is a magnificent work with 8 distinctive candy-colored onion domes. There are nine individual chapels inside the church, all decorated with colorful mural art. Today, St. Basil’s Cathedral serves as a museum, allowing visitors to see the simply breathtaking interiors and the intricacy of the work that was put into its construction.
The State Tretyakov Gallery
The State Tretyakov Gallery is one of the most important and greatest art museums in Russia as well as in the world. Named after Pavel Tretyakov, a Moscow industrialist, and patron of art, the museum boasts the largest collection of Russian art in the world. A trip to this art gallery helps you to get a peek into the history of Russia and its evolution. The museum hosts an incredible collection that includes more than 190,000 paintings, icons, and sculptures of various eras and art traditions. The Tretyakov museum has two main buildings – one is on Lavrushinsky lane, where you can see the collections of Russian art from the 11th to 20th centuries, including famous masterpieces of Rublev, Repin, Serov, Vasnetsov, Surikov, Aivazovsky while the other building is on Krymsky Val which exhibits the collection of avant-garde, social realism, and other art trends of the 20th and 21st centuries.
State Historical Museum
The State Historical Museum, located on the opposite end of Red Square, is one of the largest museums in Russia, and among the must-visit Moscow tourist places. This amazing museum was constructed in 1872 by the orders of Emperor Alexander II to commemorate national history and educate the masses about the long past of the country. This imposing Russian Revivalism style building houses an enormous collection of objects reaching the 5 million figure. Ranging from the days of the pre-historic tribes of the region to the Russia of today, the collection includes several relics, artifacts, paintings, thrones, etc.
The Moscow Planetarium
The Moscow planetarium is one of the oldest planetariums in Russia and among the best places to visit in Moscow. It is one of the favorite places for recreation, with all kinds of interactive exhibits, educational programs, entertainment, high-tech gadgetry, and scientific components. Inaugurated in 1929, it was built by the architects Mikhail Barsh, Mikhail Sinyavsky, and engineer Georgy Zunblat. The main highlight of the museum is the Large Star Hall which boasts Europe’s largest star projection dome with its 25-silver dome roof that features glowing northern lights, floating clouds, August meteor showers, flickering stars, flying comets, and solar eclipses. Attracting thousands of visitors, it is one of the biggest destinations on the Moscow Museum circuit.
Ostankino Television Tower
Ostankino Television Tower is the most famous television and radio tower located in Moscow. Designed by Nikolai Nikitin. it was built in 1967 to mark the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution, and named after the Ostankino district of Moscow. Towering 1,772 feet, it is the eleventh high-rising structure in the world and the only free-standing structure in the whole of Europe. Also, don’t miss to visit the glass-floored observation deck located at a height of 1,105 feet (337 feet) from where one can get incredible views of Moscow city.
Museum of Cosmonautics
Located in the northeast of Moscow city, the museum of Cosmonautics is one of the best museums in Russia dedicated to space exploration. This museum is a must-visit place for those who want to know everything about space adventure as the Museum of Cosmonautics traces the history of astronautics from the 1920s to the present day. The museum consists of more than 98,000 artifacts including historical documents, spacesuits, an authentic spacecraft, personal belongings of astronauts, and even the replica of the space station “Mir”. Furthermore, it is also known for its rich collection and brilliant architecture.
The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts
Located in the center of Moscow, the Pushkin Museum is one of the most famous museums in Russia. The museum was opened in 1912 amid Emperor Alexander III’s rule and was renamed the Pushkin Museum in 1937, in honor of the celebrated Russian writer, Alexander Pushkin. The museum houses the largest collections of foreign art in Russia, showcasing global artistic developments from ancient times to the present day. Currently, the museum houses around 700,000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, applied works, photographs, and archaeological and animalistic objects. Some of the exhibits date back to Ancient Egypt and antiquity while others are modern demonstrating the more recent artistic and cultural trends. The museum houses the second-largest collection of world art in Russia after the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. One of the greatest masterpieces of the museum is the actual main building itself which reflects the architectural traditions of the antique Greek temples.
Grand Kremlin Palace
Built-in 1849 atop Borovitsky Hill, the Grand Kremlin is a lavishly decorated palace that is closely associated with the wealth and splendor of the Russian emperors who lived here a long time ago. Designed by Konstantin Thon, the palace reflects the pure charm of Russian architecture that stands 125 meters long, 47 meters high, and total area of around 25,000 sq. m. Made of gold, marble and intricate designs, the main highlight of the palace is the Holy Vestibule, the nine churches, Palace of Facets for celebrations and glimpses of majestic imperial thrones, Tsarina’s Golden Chamber, the place of Russian Queen, five grand reception halls and over 700 rooms and apartments. The Grand Kremlin Palace was once home to the Tsar family and is now the official residence of the president of the Russian Federation, although most heads of state choose to reside elsewhere.
Arbat Street
Surrounded by historical buildings, the Arbat Street is one of the oldest streets in Moscow and among the best Moscow tourist places. With 1.25 km long, this 15th century lively street was once a popular place to live for the novelty families, merchants, poets, artists, and academics. The street has been decorated with distinctively beautiful street lantern on weekends and evenings that add more charm to this place. Today, the street is filled with several restaurants, cafes, shops, as well as many statues and monuments. Besides, it is also one of the best places for shopping in Moscow that attracts huge number of tourists as part of Moscow Tour Packages.