Moscow City

Moscow City observation deck: tickets and prices

The main deck is Panorama 360, indoors on the 89th floor of Federation East, 327 m up. The full price is 2,900 ₽; on the official website daytime slots sell for 2,000 ₽, and the first and last slot of the day are 1,000 ₽ on an offer running to 31 October. Offers change, so check the price when you book.

There’s no time limit once you’re up — you can stay for sunset and the lights. Every ticket comes with an ice cream. Babies up to age 1 go free; children up to 14 must be with an adult. The ticket office and the lifts are on level −2 of the Federation Tower.

The deck itself warns about scams: tickets are sold only on its official website and at that desk. Ignore anyone outside the mall offering a cheaper ticket.

Paying: Visa and Mastercard cards issued abroad have not worked in Russia since March 2022, and Russian booking sites rarely accept foreign cards. Bring roubles in cash for the ticket desk, or book through a guided tour.

Is Moscow City worth visiting?

Yes, if you want to see the Moscow that isn’t onion domes. The walk is free, it’s quick to reach from the centre, and in 40 minutes you get the whole effect: wind between the towers, glass reflecting glass, the river below.

The paid deck is worth it if you want one view over the whole city on your trip — the Kremlin, Stalin’s Seven Sisters, Sparrow Hills and the Ostankino tower from one floor. Go an hour before sunset. On a tight budget, skip it: the towers look better from the ground, and Sparrow Hills gives you a free view.

What to see in Moscow City

• Federation Tower — twin sail-shaped towers; Panorama 360 is on the 89th floor of the east one.
• OKO — two towers on one base, with an open-air deck on the roof of the south tower and the Ruski restaurant on its 85th floor.
• Mercury City Tower — the bronze-gold one that stands out in every photo.
• City of Capitals — the Moscow and St Petersburg towers built from stacked, shifted blocks.
• Evolution Tower — the twisted spiral tower by the water.
• Presnenskaya embankment — a pedestrian riverfront with the towers straight above you; river boats stop here too.
• Afimall City — the mall at the base of the complex: food court, toilets, warmth in winter and the way into the metro.

Moscow City’s towers and heights

Federation East, 374 m, is the tallest building in Moscow and the second tallest in Europe after the Lakhta Center in St Petersburg, which overtook it in 2017. Wikipedia’s English and Russian articles count its floors differently — 97 above ground versus 95.

Next come OKO South (354 m, 85 floors), Neva Towers (345 m), Mercury (339 m, 75 floors), Eurasia (309 m) and City of Capitals (302 m). The district covers about 60 hectares of new development started in 1992 on old industrial land, and building is still going on — there’s no single count of towers, since several are twin buildings and some plots are still under construction.

Moscow City vs Sparrow Hills vs Ostankino Tower

One view from above per trip is enough — pick by your day’s route. Free: Sparrow Hills. Glass-and-steel Moscow: the City. Combined with VDNKh: Ostankino Tower.

Moscow viewpoints compared

Every Moscow viewpoint rated by YesGo. Tap a column heading to sort.

How to do it right

• Free in 40 minutes: Delovoy Tsentr metro → Afimall → Federation and Mercury towers from below → Presnenskaya embankment.
• In 90 minutes: add Panorama 360 — book the slot an hour before sunset.
• Shoot the towers from the embankment right below them, and from the Taras Shevchenko embankment across the river.
• Eat at the Afimall food court; a sky-high restaurant is for the view, not for value.
• One stop on the yellow line takes you to Poklonnaya Hill — a good end to the day.
• Want a view without a ticket? Head to Sparrow Hills — you can see the City from there too.

Questions