# Ostankino Tower, Moscow > Europe’s tallest structure: a 540 m TV tower in north Moscow with a glass-floored observation deck at 337 m. Entry is by timed session, daily 10:00–22:00 — 1,900 ₽ on weekdays, 1,500 ₽ for early weekday slots, 2,500 ₽ at weekends from 1 November. Bring your passport; children under 6 aren’t admitted. With security, allow 1.5–2 hours. Web page: https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/ostankino-tower - City: [Moscow](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow), Russia - YesGo score: 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 1 h 30 min - Entry: from 1,500 ₽ - Opening hours: Daily: grounds 9:00–22:00, observation deck sessions 10:00–22:00; ticket desks 10:15–21:45, closed 14:00–15:00 - With kids: Better without small kids - Deck 337 m, weekdays: 1,900 ₽; ages 6–18 1,300 ₽ - Early weekday slots (10:00, 11:00): 1,500 ₽; ages 6–18 1,000 ₽ - Weekends & public holidays: 2,500 ₽ from 1 Nov 2026; ages 6–18 1,700 ₽ (2,300 / 1,500 ₽ until 31 Oct) - Tower from Inside (85 m + 337 m): 2,600 ₽ weekdays, 2,200 ₽ early, 3,100 ₽ weekends from 1 Nov - Open-air deck 340 m: May–October only, in good weather - ID: Original passport for every adult; birth certificate or passport for children - Not admitted: Children under 6, pregnant women, visitors with limited mobility - Discounts: Students and pensioners — at the desk with a Russian document only - Arrive: An hour before your session for security and passes - Not allowed: Food and drinks (except baby food), glass, aerosols, sharp objects, scooters, bags over 50×60×30 cm - Metro: VDNKh, ≈ 25 min walk or a tram to the Ostankino stop - Coordinates: 55.81972, 37.61167 - Facts checked: 29.10.2026 ## Key facts - **540 m** — total height with the antenna — Europe’s tallest structure (source: Official Ostankino TV Tower website; Great Russian Encyclopedia; English and Russian Wikipedia) - **337 m** — the enclosed observation deck with its glass floor (source: Official Ostankino TV Tower website; English Wikipedia) - **1960–1967** — built; first stage commissioned on 5 November 1967 (source: Official tower website, History; Great Russian Encyclopedia) - **Nikolai Nikitin** — structural engineer; architects Leonid Batalov and Dmitry Burdin (source: Great Russian Encyclopedia; Russian Wikipedia; official tower website) - **4.6 m** — foundation depth — the tower stands by its weight (source: Official tower website, History; English and Russian Wikipedia) - **385 m** — the concrete shaft; a steel antenna rises above it (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **until 1975** — the world’s tallest freestanding structure, until Toronto’s CN Tower (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **27 Aug 2000** — a fire broke out around 460 m; three people died (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **328–334 m** — three revolving halls of the Seventh Heaven restaurant, one turn in about 40 minutes (source: Official tower website, Seventh Heaven restaurant) - **up to 14 m** — design sway at the top in the strongest winds (source: Russian Wikipedia; Sputnik8 technical overview) ## Ostankino Tower tickets and prices There are two routes. **Panorama of Moscow 360°** takes you up by express lift to the 337 m deck with its glass floor, plus a multimedia exhibit — no guide. It costs **1,900 ₽ on weekdays**, **1,500 ₽** for the 10:00 and 11:00 weekday slots, and **2,500 ₽ at weekends and on public holidays** from 1 November 2026. Ages 6–18 pay 1,000–1,700 ₽. **Tower from Inside** adds a guided stop at the 85 m technical level, where you learn how the tower is held up: 2,600 ₽ on weekdays, 2,200 ₽ early, 3,100 ₽ at weekends. An audio guide is 400 ₽. Tickets are sold on the tower’s official website and at the excursion desks on site, and sessions have limited places — book ahead for weekends. Student and pensioner discounts need a Russian document, so most foreign visitors pay the adult rate. Pay in roubles: Visa and Mastercard cards issued abroad have not worked in Russia since March 2022, so carry cash or a Russian Mir card. > **No passport, no entry — and no under-6s** The tower is a restricted broadcasting site. Every adult needs an original ID — for foreign visitors, your passport. Children need a birth certificate or passport. Under-6s, pregnant women and visitors with limited mobility are not admitted, so families with toddlers should head to free [Sparrow Hills](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/sparrow-hills) instead. ## Is Ostankino Tower worth it? Yes, if you want the whole of Moscow in one look. At 337 m it is by far the highest viewpoint in the city, and on a clear day the tower says you can see up to 70 km. The lift gets you there in under a minute, and standing on the glass floor is the moment people remember. Be realistic, though. The tower is in the north, far from the centre, so the Kremlin and [Red Square](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/red-square) are small specks. On a cloudy day the top is often inside the cloud and you see nothing. Check the forecast, and if the price or the passport hassle puts you off, the free views from Sparrow Hills and the floating bridge in [Zaryadye Park](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/zaryadye-park) are closer to the sights. Best value: an early weekday slot — 400 ₽ cheaper and fewer people at the windows. ## How to get to Ostankino Tower 1. From Red Square, walk to **Kitay-Gorod** metro and take the orange line 6 (Kaluzhsko-Rizhskaya) towards Medvedkovo. **VDNKh** is six stops, about 15 minutes. 2. From VDNKh the tower is about 2 km away: a 25-minute walk along Akademika Korolyova Street, or trams 11, 17 and 25 to the **Ostankino** stop. 3. Buses: C585 to Ekskursionny Korpus Telebashni, or M2, T36, M58, 76, 311 and 561 to Ulitsa Akademika Korolyova. 4. The visitor entrance is on Novomoskovskaya Street, next to the Ostankino concert hall. Be there an hour before your session. 5. By car: free visitor parking through gate No. 8 on the Dubovaya Roshcha side; parking on Novomoskovskaya Street is paid. ## How tall is Ostankino Tower? **540 m including the antenna.** The lower 385 m is a prestressed concrete shaft; the steel antenna sits on top. The enclosed deck is at 337 m, the seasonal open-air deck at 340 m, and the Seventh Heaven restaurant at 328–334 m. It is the tallest structure in Russia and in Europe, and from 1967 until Toronto’s CN Tower in 1975 it was the tallest freestanding structure in the world — about 200 m taller than the Eiffel Tower. The skyscrapers of [Moscow City](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/moscow-city) are lower. ## What to see at the top - **The 337 m deck** — a full circle of windows; on a clear day pick out Moscow City, the university on Sparrow Hills and the Stalin skyscrapers. - **The glass floor** — transparent panels over a 337 m drop, rated by the tower for up to 3 tonnes. - **The open-air deck at 340 m** — May to October and only in good weather; it’s windy, bring a jacket. - **The 85 m technical level** — Tower from Inside route only: cables, lifts and how a tower this tall stands on a 4.6 m foundation. - **Seventh Heaven** — the Bronze (334 m), Silver (331 m) and Gold (328 m) halls slowly revolve, one full turn in about 40 minutes. - **[VDNKh](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/vdnkh) from above** — the Soviet exhibition park and its fountains, 2 km away. ## Seventh Heaven restaurant The revolving restaurant takes up three levels just below the deck. The Bronze hall (334 m) is open daily 10:00–22:00, the Silver hall (331 m) 12:00–23:00, and the Gold hall (328 m) Friday to Sunday 12:00–23:00; all close on sanitary days. Tables can’t be reserved, and you still need your passport and the same security check as for the deck. Menus are published on the tower’s official site — whether a deck ticket lets you linger in the halls isn’t spelled out, so ask when you buy. > **Leave food, water and big bags behind** Security won’t let through food or drinks (baby food excepted), glass bottles, aerosols, sharp objects, scooters or luggage over 50×60×30 cm. There is a cloakroom, but its queue eats into your hour before the session. If you have a pacemaker, bring a document and staff will walk you round the scanner. ## A short history The tower went up in 1960–1967 to broadcast TV across the Soviet Union. Engineer **Nikolai Nikitin**’s idea was a shaft of prestressed concrete: steel cables inside squeeze the concrete together, and a foundation only 4.6 m deep holds it all in place by sheer weight. The first stage opened on **5 November 1967**, for the 50th anniversary of the revolution. On **27 August 2000** a fire broke out at around 460 m and three people died. Visitors returned to the deck only in 2008, and the Seventh Heaven restaurant reopened in 2016. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Original passport for every adult - [ ] Birth certificate or passport for the kids — all aged 6 or over - [ ] Session booked — ahead for weekends - [ ] At the entrance an hour before the session - [ ] No food, water, scooter or large backpack - [ ] Clear forecast — otherwise there’s no view - [ ] Roubles in cash or a Russian card — foreign Visa and Mastercard don’t work in Russia - [ ] A warm jacket for the 340 m open deck (May–October) ## Ostankino Tower vs Sparrow Hills vs Zaryadye | | Ostankino Tower | Sparrow Hills | Zaryadye Park | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Viewpoint | 337–340 m up | Bluff above the Moskva river | Floating bridge over the river | | What you see | All of Moscow in a circle | University, Luzhniki, Moscow City | The Kremlin and embankments up close | | Entry | From 1,500 ₽, timed session | Free, 24/7 | Free, 24/7 | | ID and age | Passport, kids 6+ | None | None | | Time needed | 1.5–2 h with security | 45 min – 2 h | ≈ 1 h | Ostankino is for seeing the whole city from the greatest height. For a beautiful free view of the centre, Sparrow Hills or Zaryadye will do. ## Moscow viewpoints compared Every Moscow viewpoint rated by YesGo. - [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 City](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/moscow-city) — YesGo score 58/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · Free · deck from 1,000 ₽ - [Ostankino Tower](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/ostankino-tower) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · from 1,500 ₽ - [Sparrow Hills](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/sparrow-hills) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free - [Zaryadye Park](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/zaryadye-park) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free ## Sokolniki, VDNKh and the tower in a day A morning walk in Sokolniki Park, VDNKh’s pavilions in the afternoon, the Ostankino deck at sunset. 1. [Sokolniki Park](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/sokolniki-park) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free 2. [VDNKh](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/vdnkh) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · Free entry, pavilions paid 3. [Ostankino Tower](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/ostankino-tower) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · from 1,500 ₽ > **Go at sunset on a clear day** Book a session about an hour before sunset: you get the city in daylight, then the avenues and Moscow City lighting up. Early weekday slots are cheaper and quieter, but you miss the city lights. ## Good to know The Ostankino TV Centre next door is a separate studio building with its own tours, and the Ostankino Estate with the Sheremetev palace nearby is a separate sight too. In Russian the tower is Останкинская телебашня (Ostankinskaya telebashnya). ## Tips - Cheapest way up: a 10:00 or 11:00 weekday slot — 1,500 ₽ instead of 1,900 ₽. - Pick Tower from Inside only if engineering interests you; for the view alone, Panorama 360° is enough. - Pair it with VDNKh: pavilions by day, the tower towards evening — 25 minutes’ walk apart. - Moving your visit is worth it on a cloudy day — at 337 m the top is often in the cloud. - For a photo of the whole tower, walk to Ostankino Pond by the estate. - Uneasy about heights? The glass floor covers only part of the deck, so you can walk round it. ## Questions ### How much are Ostankino Tower tickets? The 337 m deck costs 1,900 ₽ on weekdays, 1,500 ₽ for 10:00 and 11:00 weekday slots and 2,500 ₽ at weekends and on holidays from 1 November 2026. Ages 6–18 pay from 1,000 ₽. ### Do I need my passport to visit Ostankino Tower? Yes. Every adult needs an original ID — foreign visitors their passport. Children need a birth certificate or passport. ### What are Ostankino Tower opening hours? Daily, with no fixed day off. Observation deck sessions run 10:00–22:00, the grounds open at 9:00 and ticket desks work 10:15–21:45 with a break 14:00–15:00. ### How do I get to Ostankino Tower by metro? Take orange line 6 to VDNKh, then walk about 25 minutes or take tram 11, 17 or 25 to the Ostankino stop. ### How tall is Ostankino Tower? 540 m including the antenna. The concrete shaft is 385 m, and the observation deck is at 337 m. ### Can children go up Ostankino Tower? From age 6. Children under 6 are not admitted; the child ticket covers ages 6 to 18. ### How long do you need at Ostankino Tower? About 1.5–2 hours: an hour for security before your session, then 30–60 minutes at the top. ### Can I pay with a foreign card? Visa and Mastercard cards issued abroad don’t work in Russia since March 2022. Bring roubles in cash or use a Russian Mir card. ### Is Ostankino Tower the tallest in Europe? Yes, at 540 m it is the tallest structure in Europe. From 1967 until 1975 it was the tallest freestanding structure in the world. ## How we checked Fares, sessions, hours, rules, age limits and transport come from the tower’s official website (Excursion Bureau page and visiting rules). Weekend and holiday fares rise on 1 November 2026 (adult deck ticket from 2,300 to 2,500 ₽); weekday fares stay the same — we show the new ones. Travel guides disagree on hours: a 2024 article gave 10:00–23:00 and a closure on the third Monday of each month, while the official site now lists no day off — we show the current schedule. Sources differ on the number of tensioned cables (145 on the tower’s site, 149 on Wikipedia) and lifts (7 or 11), so we leave those out. The official site doesn’t say whether a deck ticket lets you stay in the restaurant halls. Whether the ticket site accepts foreign cards isn’t stated; the card advice reflects the general situation in Russia. Walking time from the metro is our estimate from the map. ## Sources - Official Ostankino TV Tower website: Excursion Bureau (routes, sessions, prices before and after 1 November 2026), visiting rules, Seventh Heaven restaurant, contacts, history, news of 26.10.2026 on weekend fares, 29.10.2026 - Great Russian Encyclopedia: Ostankino TV Tower - English and Russian Wikipedia: Ostankino Tower; Wikidata Q181324 - Sputnik8 technical overview of the Ostankino TV Tower - Visa and Mastercard statements on suspending operations in Russia, March 2022 --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.