Things to do in Moscow: top sights and where to go

Things to do in Moscow by area

Moscow’s top sights are inside the Garden Ring: the Kremlin and Red Square, Zaryadye Park, the Bolshoi, the Arbat, the Tretyakov Gallery and Gorky Park. Beyond it are VDNKh and Ostankino, Moscow City and the old estates. Every place with its YesGo score is in the list above; the “Map” button shows them on a map.

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Rather not plan it yourself? The list above has ready itineraries for 1–3 days, with places in the order that saves the most walking.

Moscow for kids, free days and winter

Ideas by occasion — with kids, on a budget, on a rainy day or in winter. Everything here is on the site with a YesGo score, time to allow and price.

• Parks: Zaryadye with its floating bridge, Gorky Park, Sokolniki, VDNKh, and the estates of Kolomenskoye, Tsaritsyno and Kuskovo.
• Free: Red Square, Zaryadye, the Arbat, Patriarch’s Ponds, Chistye Prudy, Sparrow Hills, GES-2 and the metro stations.
• With kids: VDNKh with its aquarium, Ostankino Tower, Izmailovo Kremlin, Poklonnaya Hill and a river boat ride.
• Rainy day: Tretyakov, the Pushkin Museum, the State Historical Museum, the Armoury and a metro station tour.
• At night: the lights of Moscow City, a walk along Tverskaya and through Kitay-gorod, a performance at the Bolshoi.
• Winter: ice rinks at VDNKh and Gorky Park, festive lights across the centre in December, museums and the Armoury.

Where to stay in Moscow

For first-timers, stay in the centre inside the Garden Ring: the Kremlin, the Bolshoi and the Arbat are on foot. Kitay-gorod and Tverskaya are the very centre; Zamoskvorechye is quieter, near the Tretyakov and Gorky Park.

Moscow airports to the city centre

Moscow has three main airports: Sheremetyevo (SVO) in the north, Vnukovo (VKO) in the south-west and Domodedovo (DME) in the south. The fastest way in is the Aeroexpress train to a city rail station, then the metro. A taxi is easier with bags late at night, but traffic can make it over an hour.

Aeroexpress timetables and fares change — check the operator’s website. Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo are also linked to the metro by MCD trains and buses.

Moscow metro and public transport

The metro is the fastest way around: trains run every 1.5–3 minutes, and many stations are sights in themselves. Pay with a Troika card, a contactless bank card that works in Russia, or a phone.

The metro runs from about 5:30 am to 1 am. The Troika card is sold at every station’s ticket office and machines.

Moscow weather by month

The best time to visit Moscow is May to September — warm, light and green. October is about 9 °C by day, November is grey and damp, and winter brings snow and frost down to −10 °C and below. December, with the festive lights, is a reason to come in itself.

“Rain” counts days with precipitation — in winter it is mostly snow. Summer nights are short: in June it stays light until late.

What to eat in Moscow

For good, inexpensive food, try the food halls with dozens of kitchens under one roof, or a canteen (stolovaya). Georgian and Uzbek food is a highlight in Moscow — khinkali, khachapuri and plov are everywhere. Tipping is about 10%.

• Food halls — Depo near Belorusskaya, Danilovsky Market, Central Market on Rozhdestvenka.
• Russian classics — pelmeni, borscht, syrniki and blini; many central restaurants have English menus.
• Georgian & Uzbek — khinkali, khachapuri, plov and lagman: filling and good value.
• With a view — rooftop restaurants around Red Square and in Moscow City.
• Breakfast — cafés open early; syrniki (cottage-cheese pancakes) are the Moscow breakfast.

Moscow attraction ticket prices

Red Square, Zaryadye, the parks and the metro stations are free. You pay for the Kremlin, the Armoury, the Tretyakov, the Pushkin Museum, Ostankino Tower and the Moscow City observation decks. Prices below come from each place’s page.

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Free — 17 places: Red Square, Lenin's Mausoleum, Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Kitay-gorod, Moscow City, Patriarch's Ponds, Gorky Park, Arbat Street and more.

Kremlin and Armoury tickets are sold for a set time — buy online in advance.

Day trips from Moscow

The favourite day trips are Sergiev Posad with the Trinity Lavra, Kolomna with its kremlin and pastila, and New Jerusalem. Fast Lastochka trains reach Vladimir, Suzdal and Yaroslavl; the Sapsan reaches St Petersburg in 4 hours.

• Sergiev Posad — the Trinity Lavra of St Sergius (UNESCO); ≈ 1–1.5 h by train.
• Kolomna — a kremlin, pastila and an old town; ≈ 1.5–2 h.
• Vladimir & Suzdal — the Golden Ring; ≈ 1.5–2 h by Lastochka to Vladimir.
• Yaroslavl — the Volga and painted churches; ≈ 3–3.5 h, better overnight.
• St Petersburg — ≈ 4 h by Sapsan; plan 2–3 days.

Tips

• Red Square is sometimes closed for events — check before you go; entry is free through security frames.
• The Kremlin is closed on Thursdays and Armoury tickets are timed — book ahead.
• Komsomolskaya, Mayakovskaya, Ploshchad Revolyutsii and Kievskaya metro stations are a free tour for the price of a ride.
• Download an offline map and a translator app: signs in the metro are in English, but most menus and staff speak Russian.

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