# State Historical Museum, Moscow

> The red-brick building with spires at the top of Red Square is Russia’s main history museum, running from the Stone Age to the early 20th century. Foreign visitors pay 2,000 ₽ (children 7–17: 1,000 ₽, under 7 free). It opens at 10:00, until 21:00 Thursday to Saturday, and closes on Tuesdays. Allow 90 minutes for the highlights, half a day for everything.

Web page: https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/state-historical-museum

- City: [Moscow](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow), Russia
- YesGo score: 49/100 (Yes, if nearby)
- Time on site: 1 h 30 min
- Entry: 2,000 ₽ for foreign visitors
- With kids: Fine with kids
- Adult ticket, foreign visitors: 2,000 ₽
- Children 7–17, foreign visitors: 1,000 ₽; under 7 free
- Russian and EAEU citizens: 700 ₽, children 7–17 350 ₽
- Audio guide: 800 ₽ in a foreign language, 500 ₽ in Russian
- Opening hours: Mon, Wed, Sun 10:00–19:00; Thu, Fri, Sat 10:00–21:00
- Closed: Tuesdays; holiday hours vary — closed on 4 November 2026
- Last entry: Ticket desk and entrance close 1 hour before the museum
- Address: Red Square 1 (Krasnaya Ploshchad 1), Moscow
- Metro: Ploshchad Revolyutsii, Teatralnaya, Okhotny Ryad — follow the signs to the Historical Museum
- Security: Bag and metal-detector check for everyone; no scooters or bikes, strollers fine
- Coordinates: 55.75500, 37.61806
- Facts checked: 29.10.2026

## Key facts

- **1872** — the museum was founded with Alexander II’s consent on 9 February (source: Official website of the State Historical Museum; English and Russian Wikipedia)
- **1883** — the first 11 halls opened, during Alexander III’s coronation (source: English and Russian Wikipedia, “State Historical Museum”)
- **Vladimir Sherwood** — designed the building; the engineer was Anatoly Semyonov (source: English and Russian Wikipedia; Kultura.RF)
- **1875–1883** — construction years, with a pause in 1879–1881 (source: Official museum website; Russian Wikipedia (English Wikipedia gives 1875–1881))
- **35 halls** — in the permanent exhibition, from the Palaeolithic to the early 1900s (source: The museum’s official online guide; Russian Wikipedia)
- **1755** — Moscow University opened on this spot, in the old Main Pharmacy building (source: Russian Wikipedia; English Wikipedia (on the Main Pharmacy))
- **“The Stone Age”** — Viktor Vasnetsov’s frieze in Hall 2, painted 1881–1885 (source: The museum’s official online guide; English Wikipedia)
- **1073** — the Izbornik of Sviatoslav, one of the oldest Russian manuscripts, is in the collection (source: Russian Wikipedia; Alekseev Nizhny Novgorod Technical University library)
- **St Basil’s** — the cathedral at the other end of Red Square is run by the same museum (source: Official website of the State Historical Museum; Russian Wikipedia)

## State Historical Museum tickets and prices

**Foreign visitors pay 2,000 ₽**, children aged 7–17 pay 1,000 ₽, and under-7s go free. Russian and EAEU citizens pay 700 ₽ — the two-tier price is official and printed on the museum’s ticket page, so it isn’t a scam at the desk. Student and pensioner discounts apply to Russian citizens only.

Tickets are sold on the museum’s official website and at the ticket desk. The museum recommends buying in advance and printing the ticket or saving a screenshot with the whole barcode visible.

**Paying:** Visa and Mastercard cards issued outside Russia have not worked in Russia since March 2022, and that includes the museum’s online shop. Bring roubles or a card that works in Russia, or book through someone with a Russian card.

The **audio guide in English and other languages costs 800 ₽**. Take it: the halls are dense, and the guide picks out the pieces that matter.

> **Closed on Tuesdays — and last entry is an hour early** The main building shuts every Tuesday. On other days the ticket desk and the door close an hour before the museum does: 18:00 on Monday, Wednesday and Sunday, 20:00 Thursday to Saturday. Holiday hours change — the museum is closed on 4 November 2026, National Unity Day.

## Opening hours

The official weekly schedule: **Monday, Wednesday and Sunday 10:00–19:00; Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10:00–21:00; closed Tuesday.** The New Exhibition Hall in the same building keeps the same hours.

Go on a Thursday or Friday evening if you can. Tour groups have gone by then and you still get three or four hours. Weekend mornings are the busiest.

## Is the State Historical Museum worth visiting?

Yes, if you want one place that explains Russia before you walk around Red Square and the Kremlin. In 90 minutes you go from mammoth hunters to Kievan Rus and the Moscow tsars, through halls painted to look like the churches and palaces of each period. The building alone is worth the ticket.

It is less useful if you are after the Soviet era — the main building stops around 1917 — or if you only have an hour in Moscow, when the Kremlin and Red Square come first. For crown jewels and royal carriages, the [Kremlin Armoury](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/kremlin-armoury) is the better pick.

## What to see inside

- **The Parade Entrance Hall** — a family tree of Russian rulers with their portraits, painted across the vaulted ceiling in the 1880s.
- **Hall 2** — Viktor Vasnetsov’s frieze “The Stone Age”, with its mammoth hunt: the first attempt in Russian art to picture prehistoric life.
- **Hall 3** — a huge dugout boat carved from a single tree trunk.
- **Halls 4–5** — the Bronze Age and the Scythians: weapons, jewellery and gold from steppe burial mounds.
- **Halls 8–11** — early Rus: Novgorod and Kyiv, warriors’ arms, crosses, icons and everyday objects, under murals copied from old Russian churches.
- **Halls 15–21** — 16th- and 17th-century Muscovy: the tsar’s court, the church, Siberia, crafts and trade.
- **Halls 22–35, upstairs** — Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, life in noble houses, and the 19th century up to the early 1900s.

## How to get to the State Historical Museum

1. Take the metro to **Ploshchad Revolyutsii** (Line 3, dark blue) and follow the signs “К Историческому музею” (to the Historical Museum) — then a 3–5-minute walk through the Resurrection Gate.
2. Or use **Okhotny Ryad** (Line 1, red) or **Teatralnaya** (Line 2, green) — 5–7 minutes across Manezhnaya Square.
3. On [Red Square](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/red-square) itself, it is the red building with spires at the north end, facing [St Basil’s Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/st-basils-cathedral).
4. From the [Kremlin](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/moscow-kremlin), leave through the Kutafya Tower into the Alexander Garden and walk along the wall to the Resurrection Gate — about 10 minutes.
5. Entrance No. 1 is for the permanent exhibition, No. 2 by the Resurrection Gate for the New Exhibition Hall. Everyone goes through a security check.

## A short history

The idea came out of the 1872 Polytechnic Exhibition in Moscow, whose organisers wanted a permanent home for relics of the Crimean War and finds from ancient Chersonesus. Alexander II approved a national history museum on **9 February 1872**, still counted as its founding day. Historians Ivan Zabelin and Count Aleksey Uvarov led the project.

The city gave a plot on Red Square, where the Main Pharmacy stood — the building in which Moscow University had opened in 1755. Vladimir Sherwood’s Russian Revival design won the competition, the first stone was laid in 1875, and the first 11 halls opened in **1883**. Some murals were painted over in Soviet times; the Parade Entrance Hall reopened in 1997, and all permanent halls have been open since 2007.

## Before you go: checklist

- [ ] It isn’t Tuesday
- [ ] I’ll be at the door an hour before closing: by 18:00, or 20:00 Thu–Sat
- [ ] Ticket bought, barcode fully visible on my phone or printed
- [ ] Roubles or a card that works in Russia — foreign Visa and Mastercard don’t
- [ ] Headphones for the audio guide
- [ ] No scooter or bike — they aren’t allowed in

## Historical Museum vs Kremlin Armoury vs St Basil’s

|  | State Historical Museum | Kremlin Armoury | St Basil’s Cathedral |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| What it is | Russian history from the Stone Age to the early 1900s | The Kremlin treasury: crowns, armour, carriages | 16th-century church, a branch of the Historical Museum |
| Where | Red Square 1 | Inside the Kremlin | Red Square |
| Scope | The whole country’s story | The royal court | One building |
| Time needed | 1.5–4 h | 1–1.5 h | 45 min–1 h |
| Closed | Tuesday | Kremlin museums’ own schedule | Its own schedule |

One day in Moscow? YesGo would pick the Historical Museum: it gives you the whole story in 90 minutes, with Red Square outside the door. Choose the Armoury if royal treasure is what you came for — it needs its own timed ticket.

## 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 Kremlin, the museum and Red Square in a day

Kremlin in the morning, the Historical Museum after lunch, then a walk across Red Square to St Basil’s and sunset in Zaryadye Park.

1. [Moscow Kremlin](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/moscow-kremlin) — YesGo score 64/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h 30 min · from 1,100 ₽
2. [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
3. [Red Square](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/red-square) — YesGo score 79/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
4. [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
5. [Zaryadye Park](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/zaryadye-park) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free

> **Only have 90 minutes?** Skip the idea of seeing all 35 halls. Do the Parade Entrance Hall, Vasnetsov’s frieze in Hall 2, early Rus in Halls 8–11 and Muscovy in Halls 15–21. Save Peter the Great and the 19th century upstairs for a second visit or a quiet Thursday evening.

## Good to know

Locals call it the Historical Museum or GIM. Don’t mix it up with the Museum of Contemporary History of Russia on Tverskaya Street, a different museum. The Museum of the Patriotic War of 1812 next door on Revolution Square belongs to the Historical Museum but needs its own ticket.

## Tips

- Thursday or Friday evening is the calmest time — open until 21:00, fewer groups.
- Buy your ticket in advance on the official website to skip the weekend queue at the desk.
- Walk out onto Red Square afterwards — St Basil’s is five minutes away.
- With kids, start in Halls 1–4: mammoths and Stone Age tools work for any age, and under-7s get in free.
- For food, head into [Kitay-Gorod](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/kitay-gorod) — Nikolskaya Street starts right by the museum.

## Questions

### How much is a ticket to the State Historical Museum?

2,000 ₽ for foreign adults and 1,000 ₽ for foreign children aged 7–17; under-7s are free. Russian and EAEU citizens pay 700 ₽.

### What are the opening hours?

Monday, Wednesday and Sunday 10:00–19:00; Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10:00–21:00. Closed on Tuesdays. Last entry is one hour before closing.

### Is the State Historical Museum open on Tuesday?

No. Tuesday is the weekly closing day for the main building. Holiday schedules vary too — it is closed on 4 November 2026.

### Can I pay with a foreign credit card?

Not with Visa or Mastercard issued abroad — they haven’t worked in Russia since March 2022. Bring roubles or a card that works in Russia.

### How long do you need at the State Historical Museum?

About 90 minutes for the highlights, 3–4 hours for the whole permanent exhibition. Add time if you use the audio guide.

### Is there an English audio guide?

Yes. The overview audio guide in a foreign language costs 800 ₽ and is rented at the museum.

### What is the nearest metro station?

Ploshchad Revolyutsii (Line 3) is the closest, 3–5 minutes on foot. Okhotny Ryad (Line 1) and Teatralnaya (Line 2) are 5–7 minutes away.

### What are the must-see exhibits?

The painted family-tree ceiling in the entrance hall, Vasnetsov’s Stone Age frieze, the giant dugout boat, Scythian gold and the early-Rus halls with their copied church murals.

### Is the State Historical Museum worth it?

Yes, as the one museum that explains Russian history from prehistory to 1917 next to Red Square. Skip it only if you are short on time or mainly interested in the Soviet period.

## How we checked

Prices, concessions, hours, the Tuesday closure, security rules, metro and entrances come from the official museum website; the weekly hours and special days (closed on 4 November 2026) are taken from the calendar on the main building page. Construction dates differ: the museum and Russian Wikipedia give 1875–1883 (with a funding pause in 1879–1881), English Wikipedia gives 1875–1881; we show 1875–1883 because the museum opened in 1883. The museum’s online guide lists 35 permanent halls while English Wikipedia mentions 40 open halls, probably counting ceremonial and exhibition rooms differently. Sources disagree on whether the dugout boat came from the Don or the Volga, so we don’t name the river. Walking times from the metro are our estimate from the map.

## Sources

- Official website of the State Historical Museum: tickets and concessions, contacts and opening hours, visitor rules, main building page, 29.10.2026
- The museum’s official online guide to the permanent exhibition: Halls 1–35, Vasnetsov’s “The Stone Age”
- English and Russian Wikipedia: State Historical Museum; Wikidata Q1140429
- Kultura.RF: “The building as an exhibit: the State Historical Museum”
- Archaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia: article on the dugout boat in the museum’s exhibition
- Visa and Mastercard statements on suspending operations in Russia, March 2022

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