# Lenin's Mausoleum, Moscow

> The granite tomb on Red Square where Vladimir Lenin’s embalmed body has lain since 1924. **Entry is free** and there are no tickets. It usually opens Tuesday–Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, 10:00–13:00, and closes on Mondays and Fridays and for maintenance spells. The walk past the body takes 5–10 minutes; with the queue and the necropolis, allow about an hour.

Web page: https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/lenin-mausoleum

- City: [Moscow](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow), Russia
- YesGo score: 72/100 (Yes, go)
- Time on site: 20 min
- Opening hours: Usually Tue, Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun 10:00–13:00; closed Mon and Fri; occasional maintenance and holiday closures
- With kids: Better without small kids
- Entry: Free — no ticket or booking
- Days and hours: Tue, Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun 10:00–13:00; the line is cut off at 13:00
- Closed: Mondays and Fridays
- Closures: Several times a year for maintenance (in 2026: 23 April – 17 May), on holidays and during events on the square
- Queue: In the Alexander Garden; security check at the Nikolskaya Tower
- Bags: Large bags and backpacks not allowed — paid left-luggage nearby
- Not allowed inside: Photos and video, talking, hands in pockets, hats for men, stopping
- Metro: Okhotny Ryad, Ploshchad Revolyutsii, Teatralnaya — 5–10 min walk
- Coordinates: 55.75361, 37.61972
- Facts checked: 29.10.2026

## Key facts

- **Since 1924** — Lenin’s embalmed body has lain here; he died on 21 January 1924 (source: English and Russian Wikipedia, “Lenin's Mausoleum”)
- **Alexey Shchusev** — designed all three versions — two wooden tombs in 1924 and the stone one (source: English and Russian Wikipedia, “Lenin's Mausoleum”; Wikidata Q191414)
- **1930** — the present stone mausoleum was completed after about 16 months of work (source: English and Russian Wikipedia, “Lenin's Mausoleum”)
- **No. 545** — on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of “Kremlin and Red Square”, since 1990 (source: UNESCO World Heritage List; Russian Wikipedia)
- **1953–1961** — Stalin’s body lay beside Lenin’s before burial by the Kremlin wall (source: English and Russian Wikipedia, “Lenin's Mausoleum”)
- **1941–1945** — the body was evacuated to Tyumen in Siberia during the war (source: English and Russian Wikipedia, “Lenin's Mausoleum”)
- **≈ 10,000 t** — weight of the stone tomb — red granite, labradorite, porphyry and Shoksha quartzite (source: English and Russian Wikipedia, “Lenin's Mausoleum”)
- **1924–1993** — the honour guard “Post No. 1” stood at the door; it later moved to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (source: English and Russian Wikipedia, “Lenin's Mausoleum”)
- **1973** — the current sarcophagus with bulletproof glass was installed (source: English and Russian Wikipedia, “Lenin's Mausoleum”)

> **Open three hours a day — and not every day** The mausoleum admits visitors only from 10:00 to 13:00 and is closed on Mondays and Fridays. At 13:00 sharp the line is cut off, even if you are already in it. It also shuts for weeks of maintenance a few times a year, and sometimes for a single day with no reason given — check the news on the morning you go.

## Lenin's Mausoleum opening hours

The usual schedule is **Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, 10:00–13:00**, closed Monday and Friday. That is what Wikipedia and the sign by the Kremlin wall say; some travel guides list Sunday as closed too, so double-check if Sunday is your only day.

There is no official website. Closures are announced by Russia’s Federal Protective Service (FSO) and picked up by Russian news sites. In 2026 the mausoleum and necropolis closed from 23 April to 17 May, and again on 12 June and 18 July. Hours also change over the New Year and May holidays and during events on Red Square.

One useful quirk: the [Moscow Kremlin](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/moscow-kremlin) is closed on Thursdays, but the mausoleum is open. Thursday morning is a good slot for Lenin, then [Red Square](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/red-square) and Kitay-Gorod.

## Do you need tickets for Lenin's Mausoleum?

**No — it’s free**, with no tickets and no booking. The only thing you may pay for is left-luggage if you arrive with a bag. Russia’s card systems don’t accept Visa or Mastercard issued abroad (since March 2022), so carry a little cash in roubles for that.

“Mausoleum tickets” and “skip-the-line entry” sold online are really guided walks around Red Square: everyone joins the same queue. A tour is worth it only if you want the history of the tomb and the necropolis explained — inside, talking isn’t allowed, so the guide stays silent.

## How to visit: queue, security and the walk-through

1. Arrive by 9:30–10:00. The queue forms in the **Alexander Garden** along the Kremlin wall, and it is longest on Saturdays and holidays. Join after 12:00 and you risk not getting in.
2. Leave backpacks and large bags at the paid left-luggage first — you won’t be let through with them. A small handbag is usually fine after a search.
3. At the **Nikolskaya Tower** there’s a security check with metal detectors; ID may be checked, so bring your passport.
4. You then come out onto Red Square and walk to the mausoleum door. Men take off their hats.
5. Inside, stairs lead down to the Mourning Hall; you walk round three sides of the sarcophagus and out. No stopping — the whole thing takes 5–10 minutes.
6. The exit path runs along the Kremlin wall, past the necropolis, and back onto Red Square.

## What is it like inside?

It is dark, cool and silent. From the entrance hall a staircase descends to the **Mourning Hall**, roughly a 10-metre cube with a stepped ceiling and black and red stone. In the middle is the glass sarcophagus; only Lenin’s face and hands are lit.

He lies in a dark suit with his hands on top of the cover. Guards stand at every turn and keep the line moving, so you get a minute or so at the glass. **Photography is strictly banned** — phones stay in your pocket.

## Is Lenin's body real?

Yes. It is Lenin’s body, embalmed in 1924 and maintained ever since by a Moscow research centre for biomedical technologies; the mausoleum closes periodically for that work. Claims that it is a wax figure aren’t supported by any reliable source.

Stalin’s embalmed body lay beside Lenin’s from 1953 to 1961 — the façade then read “LENIN STALIN” — before he was buried by the Kremlin wall. Debate about burying Lenin has gone on since the late 1980s, but no decision has been taken.

## Is Lenin's Mausoleum worth visiting?

If you are interested in the 20th century, yes: it is free, short and genuinely strange — a working shrine of the Soviet state in the middle of modern Moscow. The necropolis on the way out, with Stalin, Brezhnev and Yuri Gagarin, adds context you won’t get elsewhere.

If you have one day in Moscow and no particular interest, skip it without regret: the three-hour window and the queue cost a morning that the Kremlin and Red Square use better. You still see the tomb from outside while crossing the square.

## What to see around the mausoleum

- **Kremlin Wall Necropolis** — the exit path passes it: graves with busts of Stalin, Brezhnev, Andropov and Dzerzhinsky, and urns in the wall, including Gagarin and Sergei Korolev.
- Red Square — GUM department store faces the mausoleum across the square.
- [State Historical Museum](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/state-historical-museum) — the red-brick building by the Nikolskaya Tower security check.
- [St Basil's Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/st-basils-cathedral) — at the far end of the square, five minutes from the exit.
- The Eternal Flame and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Alexander Garden, where the queue is — the changing of the guard happens on the hour.
- [Kitay-Gorod](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/kitay-gorod) — Nikolskaya Street starts next door, good for breakfast before 10:00.

## How to get to Lenin's Mausoleum by metro

1. Closest to the queue: **Okhotny Ryad** (red line 1) and **Teatralnaya** (green line 2). Exit to Manezhnaya Square, then 5–7 minutes on foot to the Alexander Garden.
2. **Ploshchad Revolyutsii** (dark blue line 3) brings you out by the Historical Museum and the Resurrection Gate, five minutes from the Nikolskaya Tower.
3. **Aleksandrovsky Sad** (light blue line 4) and **Biblioteka Imeni Lenina** (red line 1) put you at the Kutafya Tower end of the garden — 7–10 minutes along the wall to the end of the queue.
4. Don’t drive: Red Square is pedestrian and central parking is scarce. In Russia, Yandex Maps and Yandex Go work far better than Google for walking and taxis.

## Before you go: checklist

- [ ] It isn’t Monday or Friday
- [ ] Checked the news: no maintenance closure today
- [ ] In the queue by 12:00 — ideally by 10:00
- [ ] No backpack or big bag, or I know where left-luggage is
- [ ] Passport on me
- [ ] Roubles in cash for left-luggage — foreign Visa and Mastercard don’t work in Russia
- [ ] No photos and no talking inside; men remove hats

## Mausoleum vs Kremlin vs Historical Museum

|  | Lenin's Mausoleum | Moscow Kremlin | Historical Museum |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| What it is | Lenin’s tomb and the necropolis | Cathedrals, Tsar Cannon, the Armoury | Russian history museum |
| Entry | Free | Paid ticket | Paid ticket |
| Open | Tue–Thu, Sat, Sun 10:00–13:00 | Closed Thursdays | Own schedule — see its page |
| Time needed | 20 min – 1 h with the queue | 3–4 h | 2–3 h |
| Best for | Anyone curious about the Soviet era | Every first-time visitor | History fans, older kids |

The mausoleum is a short stop — put it first: in at 10:00, out by 11:00, then the rest of Red Square. Short on time and not drawn to Soviet history? The Kremlin is the better use of your morning.

## Moscow’s historic sights compared

Every historic place in Moscow rated by YesGo.

- [Red Square](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/red-square) — YesGo score 79/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Lenin's Mausoleum](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/lenin-mausoleum) — YesGo score 72/100 (Yes, go) · 20 min · Free
- [Cathedral of Christ the Saviour](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/cathedral-of-christ-the-saviour) — YesGo score 72/100 (Yes, go) · 40 min · Free
- [Moscow Metro](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/moscow-metro) — YesGo score 70/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · 75 ₽ on Troika
- [St Basil's Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/st-basils-cathedral) — YesGo score 65/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · 2,000 ₽ for foreign visitors
- [Moscow Kremlin](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/moscow-kremlin) — YesGo score 64/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h 30 min · from 1,100 ₽
- [Kitay-gorod](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/kitay-gorod) — YesGo score 58/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Free
- [Bolshoi Theatre](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/bolshoi-theatre) — YesGo score 56/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h · Tickets on bolshoi.ru, price varies by show
- [Patriarch's Ponds](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/patriarch-ponds) — YesGo score 53/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Arbat Street](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/arbat-street) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Free
- [State Historical Museum](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/state-historical-museum) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · 2,000 ₽ for foreign visitors
- [Tretyakov Gallery](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/tretyakov-gallery) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · 700 ₽
- [Tverskaya Street](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/tverskaya-street) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free
- [Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/pushkin-museum) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · 700 ₽ per building
- [Novodevichy Convent](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/novodevichy-convent) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free, museum 500 ₽
- [Kremlin Armoury](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/kremlin-armoury) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · 1,400 ₽
- [Chistye Prudy](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/chistye-prudy) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free
- [VDNKh](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/vdnkh) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · Free entry, pavilions paid
- [Kolomenskoye](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/kolomenskoye) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Park free, palace ≈ 700 ₽
- [Poklonnaya Hill](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/poklonnaya-hill) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Park free; Victory Museum 450 ₽
- [Kuskovo Estate](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/kuskovo) — YesGo score 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Park 100 ₽, palace 500 ₽
- [Tsaritsyno](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/tsaritsyno) — YesGo score 26/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Park free, palace 900 ₽

## The mausoleum and Red Square in a morning

Queue in the Alexander Garden by 10:00, see the mausoleum and the necropolis, cross Red Square past GUM to St Basil's, and finish in Zaryadye Park with a view of the Kremlin. Add them to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and walks.

1. [Lenin's Mausoleum](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/lenin-mausoleum) — YesGo score 72/100 (Yes, go) · 20 min · Free
2. [Red Square](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/red-square) — YesGo score 79/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
3. [St Basil's Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/st-basils-cathedral) — YesGo score 65/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · 2,000 ₽ for foreign visitors
4. [Zaryadye Park](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/zaryadye-park) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free

## Good to know

The mausoleum isn’t part of the Kremlin museums: a Kremlin ticket doesn’t cover it and isn’t needed, and the two keep different hours. In Russian it is Mavzoley Lenina — handy when asking for directions.

## Tips

- Go on a weekday — Tuesday to Thursday queues are shorter than on Saturday.
- Have breakfast first on Nikolskaya Street in Kitay-Gorod; the wait can be half an hour or more.
- Ignore anyone selling “skip-the-line” entry — there isn’t one.
- Take your time on the way out: the necropolis is the only part where you can stop and look.
- If the mausoleum is closed, watch the changing of the guard at the Eternal Flame in the Alexander Garden instead.
- Carry on to St Basil's Cathedral and [Zaryadye Park](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/zaryadye-park).

## Questions

### What are Lenin's Mausoleum opening hours?

Usually Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, 10:00–13:00, closed Monday and Friday. Some guides say Sunday is closed too. It also shuts for maintenance a few times a year and on holidays, so check the news on the day.

### Is Lenin's Mausoleum free?

Yes. There is no entrance fee and no ticket. You only pay for left-luggage if you bring a bag.

### Is Lenin's Mausoleum open now?

When we checked on 29 October 2026 we found no announced closure, so the usual schedule applies. In 2026 it closed from 23 April to 17 May and on 12 June and 18 July; closures are announced by Russia’s Federal Protective Service at short notice.

### Where is the entrance to Lenin's Mausoleum?

The queue starts in the Alexander Garden by the Kremlin wall. Security is at the Nikolskaya Tower, next to the State Historical Museum; from there you walk onto Red Square to the door.

### Can you take photos inside Lenin's Mausoleum?

No. Photos and video are banned inside, as are talking and stopping. You can photograph the building from Red Square.

### Can I bring a bag into Lenin's Mausoleum?

Not a backpack or large bag — leave it at the paid left-luggage first. Small handbags are usually allowed after a search.

### Is Lenin's body real?

Yes, it is Lenin’s embalmed body, kept by a Moscow research centre since 1924. Claims that it is a wax figure aren’t backed by reliable sources.

### How long does a visit take?

The walk past the sarcophagus takes 5–10 minutes. With the queue and the necropolis, plan 30 minutes to an hour.

### Who else is buried there?

Only Stalin lay in the mausoleum, from 1953 to 1961. He and other Soviet leaders are buried in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis behind it, which you pass on the way out.

## How we checked

The mausoleum has no official website with its hours, so the schedule rows are marked “verifying”. Opening days come from English and Russian Wikipedia, Novosti Mail (1 Sep 2026) and Moscow Pass, which checked the sign by the Kremlin wall: Tue, Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun 10:00–13:00. Some guides list Sunday as closed, and we say so in the text. 2026 closures are from FSO announcements as reported by Russian media; we found none after 18 July. Reports in 2025 about a restoration gave end dates from August 2026 to June 2027, but the mausoleum received visitors through 2026 and the Mourning Hall is not affected. Sources place the left-luggage differently (Historical Museum or Alexander Garden), so we give no exact spot. Wikipedia language versions differ on the month of the 1941 evacuation, so we give only the years. Walking times from the metro are our estimate from the map.

## Sources

- English and Russian Wikipedia: Lenin's Mausoleum, Kremlin Wall Necropolis; Wikidata Q191414
- UNESCO World Heritage List: Kremlin and Red Square, Moscow, No. 545, 1990
- Federal Protective Service of Russia announcements of closures on 23 April – 17 May and 18 July 2026, as reported by Expert and MSK1.RU
- Novosti Mail, “Lenin's Mausoleum: opening hours”, 1 September 2026
- Moscow Pass, “Lenin's Mausoleum: hours and entry”, 30 July 2026
- Visa and Mastercard statements on suspending operations in Russia, March 2022

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