Our itinerary covers the most iconic and popular places. It’s easy on the budget, but you’ll need to gather your energy for long walks between the main sights.

Are you ready for this long stroll through Moscow?
Let’s begin our journey with the most important places in Moscow: the Kremlin and Red Square.

The nearest metro stops are Okhotny Ryad, Teatralnaya, and Ploshchad Revolutsii, the latter two of which are considered to be amongst the Moscow underground’s most beautiful stations.

Just before you reach Red Square, you’ll cross Manezh Square, one of Moscow’s most popular spots for young people. The square is home to the Okhotnyi Ryad shopping centre, with its many boutiques and cafés, and the historic Manezh building, originally a riding school, where you can always find a variety of themed art exhibitions.

Leaving Manezh Square for the cobblestones of Red Square, you’ll see perhaps the most famous and unforgettable of all Russian cathedrals— St. Basil’s. Here too is the Lenin Mausоleum, the venerable GUM shopping mall, and the Kremlin itself in the form of its main gate tower, the Saviour Tower, with its famous chiming clock.
When the Lenin Mausoleum is open to visitors—which is relatively rarely—you can even go inside. Usually a long line forms on such days. Bags are not permitted inside, but you can check them for a fee at the nearby lockers.
You have to purchase tickets to visit the Kremlin museums.
Check in advance at kreml.ru to make sure they are open on the day of your planned visit. You can also use the website to buy your tickets. During high tourist season, it is better to purchase them several days in advance.

From Arbat, you can walk toward Kropotkinskaya metro station. The capital’s main church is located here — the famous Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

Manezh Square also leads into the Alexander Garden. There, in front of the Eternal Flame, the changing of the guard takes place each hour. After a stroll in the garden, where you can take beautiful pictures, head toward that world-famous opera and ballet venue—the Bolshoi Theater. From there, walk on to the Lubyanka metro station, where you’ll find the Central Children’s Department Store, with a vast range of goods for the little ones. On its roof is a large viewing platform with a wonderful view of Moscow’s historic center.

Our next stop is the new Zaryadye Park, the path to which runs through the central streets of Kitay-Gorod. The park is divided into four parts: northern landscape, steppe, mixed forest, and floodplains. The underground walkway under the Moscow River Embankment has become an archaeological museum.
The park’s main and most popular attraction is the Hovering Bridge above the Moskva River.
Further along the Kremlin Embankment, across Znamenka Street, you’ll reach Old Arbat Street. Once here, take a look at the famous Pashkov House located at 3/5 Vozdvizhenka Street.
According to one theory, this is where Ivan the Terrible’s library was hidden.

Take a stroll along Old Arbat, and then cross over to New Arbat. There you can enjoy a ride on the swings and have a bite to eat. This part of our itinerary takes approximately five hours of walking.
If you like biking, you can rent a bicycle right on the street. Velobike bicycle rental is the most convenient of all. You can even rent an electric bike.
The rental terms and conditions can be found at velobike.ru. Velobike stands in the city center are located close enough to each other to make it easy to alternate between strolling and cycling.
From Arbat, you can walk along Gogolevsky Boulevard toward Kropotkinskaya metro station. The capital’s main church and the world’s largest Russian Orthodox cathedral is located here—the famous Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

From Kropotkinskaya, you can head to the Vorobyevy Hills station, the first metro station to be built on a bridge over the river. Don’t be in a rush to get back outside, because there are museum artifacts on display right in the station’s lobby. Stroll through the park to the viewing platform with an enchanting panorama of the Moskva River and Luzhniki Stadium. A new 700-meter cable lift connects the viewing platform with the stadium. The main building of Moscow State University is also here, one of the famous “Seven Sisters” skyscrapers from the Stalin era.
Having returned to the metro, you can change to the MCC (Moscow Central Circle) and take a train in the direction of Kutuzovskaya metro station. If you are tired, you can simply ride the full circle.
A beautiful view opens up between the Luzhniki and Delovoy Tsentr stations. If you are ready to continue sightseeing, however, head to the Moscow City station.

There is also a viewing platform there, which can be enjoyed for a fee. This part of your trip takes about three hours.
There are several more iconic places in the capital for you to visit. You can adjust your itinerary in accordance with your stamina. You need to choose what you want to see most of all: VDNKh,Izmailovo Kremlin, Tsaritsyno, or Kolomenskoe.

The Exhibition of Economic Achievements, or VDNKh, built in the Soviet era, is the largest expo complex in the world and one of the most popular recreation areas in the capital. VDNKh boasts fountains of amazing beauty, many pavilions and exhibitions, and a huge oceanarium.
Izmailovo Kremlin was opened fairly recently, in 2003, with the purpose of reviving Russian traditions. You can visit the tallest wooden church in Russia, learn an ancient craft, buy souvenirs, and browse in the antique and flea markets.
Tsaritsyno, a beautiful and cozy parkmuseum, was once upon a time supposed to become a country retreat for Empress Catherine II (“Catherine the Great”).
However, she did not find it to her tastes. Here you can spread out on the lawn and have a picnic, visit the museum, or just sit in a café, and in the evening enjoy an incredible view of the singing and dancing fountains.
Kolomenskoe is another former royal residence, where visitors can enjoy horseback riding, take part in ancient Russian amusements, or pose for photos wearing traditional costumes.

TEXT: ALINA ODOEVA

ALMOST SEVEN MILLION PEOPLE have visited the new landscape park, Zaryadye, since it opened in September 2017. The park recreates every climatic zone of Russia: forest, steppe, fl oodplains and the landscape of the North. The most popular places are the Floating Bridge and a large amphitheater under the so-called glass bark. When the weather is good, more than 100,000 people can visit the park daily. Zaryadye was short-listed for the World Architecture Festival (WAF) award, the Oscar of architecture.

Guests of the championship can see different facets of Russian culture – the historical heritage of Dmitrov, the colourful life of old Kolomna, the Orthodox shrines of Istra and Sergiyev Posad, and the magnificent museums of Klin. The five most popular tourist cities in the Moscow Region have developed special routes for fans. During the tournament all sorts of special events will also take place in these cities.

Local trains with audio guides

The advantages of sports tourism are already clear at the Moscow railway stations, where the journey to the chosen city of the Moscow region begins: fans board special 2018 World Cup-branded wagons, equipped with comfortable seats, audio guides in foreign languages, areas for children and information panels.

On arrival, travellers will be able to rent a bicycle and check out new bicycle paths, or walk specially designed excursion routes, complete with information stands. There are not only picturesque views and interesting museums on the way, but also areas to relax and Wi-Fi access points. Incidentally, you don’t even need to check which days museums are open or their ticket prices before your trip – during the World Cup they will be open every day and with a Fan Passport entrance is free. Routes and facilities have been adapted for persons with disabilities.

If you prefer travelling by car, finding your way around Moscow region will be easy: there are over 1,000 traffic signs in three foreign languages.

Comfortable outdoor recreation

Regardless of how the battles on the football fields turn out, fans can stay on after the championship, combining tourism and recreation. Choosing a place to relax close to Moscow, but far removed from the capital’s hustle and bustle, is easy. There are about 600 hotels in the region, ready to accommodate 84,000 tourists. These include hotel chains, whose brands are well known: Radisson, Ibis, Heliopark, Ramada, Korston.

FANS BOARD SPECIAL 2018 WORLD CUP-BRANDED TRAIN WAGONS, EQUIPPED WITH COMFORTABLE SEATS, AUDIO GUIDES IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES, AREAS FOR CHILDREN, AND INFORMATION PANELS.

International standards of service ensure a reliably comfortable chance to relax, complemented by spa centres, saunas and sports facilities, restaurants and bars, and business zones – in short, everything the traveller might need.

Inspiration for travel

This year the new tourist portal “Guide to the Moscow Region” – welcome.mosreg.ru – went live. This is the most complete catalogue of cultural and historical sites, museums, estates, churches and monasteries, theatres, tourist and leisure centres, sports complexes, and centres of folk arts. The guide lists forthcoming cultural and sporting events and the mobile app “Pulse of the Moscow Region” will soon be available. This will give visitors and local residents information about events in each municipality. The portal holds weekly competitions for free tickets to museums and exhibitions, and special gifts from the Ministry of Culture of the Moscow Region. There are some amazing opportunities – you can win a balloon flight or go sledding with huskies.

To organize your weekend go to
welcome.mosreg.ru. 

The city

The capital of the Russian Federation and the largest metropolis in the country, Moscow marks the 870th anniversary of its foundation in 2017. According to official data, about 12.4 million people live in Moscow, making the city among the top 10 in the world in terms of population. It is the most important transport hub of Russia, served by five airports, nine railway stations, three river ports, 13 metro lines, and the Moscow Central Circle (MCC), an additional rail network that opened in autumn 2016. You can reach Moscow by air, land and water from almost all countries in the world.

Schedule of matches

Moscow will host 12 world championship matches, including the opening ceremony of the tournament and the final. Group games will be held at two stadiums in Moscow on 14, 16, 17, 19, 20, 23, 26 and 27 June. 1/8 play-off matches will be held on July 1 and 3. The semi-final is on July 11 at the “Luzhniki” stadium, and the final game and the closing ceremony of the World Cup is on July 15 at the “Luzhniki” Olympic stadium.

The stadiums

“Arena Luzhniki”. This sports complex was commissioned in 1956 for the first Spartakiad of the peoples of the USSR (a kind of Soviet Olympics). Over the years, the main stadium of Russia has hosted many competitions, including the 1980 Summer Olympics. In 2013, a large-scale reconstruction began, as a result of which this grand sports arena became a dedicated football stadium with the capacity to seat 81,000 people. Address: Luzhniki Street, 24.

“Arena Spartak”. This is the second Moscow stadium, which was built in 2014 for the football club “Spartak” on the Tushino airfield in Moscow. It has a capacity of 45,000 people (the average attendance of FC “Spartak” is 30,000 people). In the summer of 2017, the stadium hosted four matches in the FIFA Confederations Cup, and cultural events are also held there. Address: Volokolamsk Highway, site 67.

How to get to the stadiums

“Arena Luzhniki”. There are several large car parks at the sports complex, but it has not yet been announced whether it will be possible to enter them with match tickets for free, or for a fee. However, thanks to the Moscow public transport network it is easy to reach Luzhniki from anywhere in Moscow or the Moscow Region. Near the stadium are the metro stations “Sportivnaya” and “Vorobyovy Gory”, the MCC station “Luzhniki”, and trolleybus and bus stops. Before the start of the World Cup a cable car from the opposite bank of the Moscow river will open.

“Arena Spartak”. You can come by car from the centre of Moscow, but a pass is required for the car park, which means it is more convenient to reach the arena by metro. Next to the stadium are the metro stations “Spartak” and “Tushinskaya”, which are on the “purple” line of the Moscow metro. A suburban train and other public transport routes run nearby. For match ticket holders, travel is free.

4.5 million foreign tourists visited the Russian capital last year.

The Bolshoi Theatre is a must for all fans of opera and ballet who visit Moscow.

Matches of the Confederations Cup were held this year.

The Metro and Red Square are two sites that no visitor should miss.

EVENTS World Cup
ALMOST ALL THOSE WHO VISIT MOSCOW GO TO RED SQUARE, THE HISTORICAL MUSEUM AND THE ALEXANDER GARDEN. IN MOSCOW AND THE MOSCOW REGION, THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF THEATRES, MUSEUMS, PARKS AND ARISTOCRATIC ESTATES TO SUIT EVERY TASTE. IF YOU PREFER UNHURRIED CONTEMPLATION, TAKE A BOAT TRIP ALONG THE MOSCOW RIVER.

Fan zones

The main fan zones will be located in Moscow at VDNKh and Vorobyovy Gory. The square in front of Moscow State University at Vorobyovy Gory will accommodate 45-50,000 fans, and the VDNKh zone up to one million people. FIFA souvenirs will also be on sale at the Vasilievsky Slope near the Kremlin walls. However, Red Square will not be equipped with screens for viewing matches.

Where to stay

Moscow has a huge range of hotels with different levels of service, and more than 100,000 rooms in total. Prices in international chain hotels and mini-hotels range from $60 for a standard room to $8,000-10,000 for elite apartments. Fans can rent an apartment or room with Muscovites, with many such offers on the Internet.

Where to eat

Budget tourists can try “Canteen №57” in GUM, the Russian cafe “Brusnik” in Kitai Gorod, the network of Georgian eateries
“VeiMe”, or the famous “Cheburechnaya” in the VDNKh area, where the average bill is around $5-7 per person. Foreign guests might prefer familiar brands like “McDonalds”, “Starbucks” or “Pizza Express”. For more extravagant visitors there is a wide selection of restaurants and cafes, both in the centre of Moscow and in the stadiums, which have large restaurant areas.

What to see

Almost all those who visit Moscow go to Red Square, the Historical Museum and the Alexander Garden. In Moscow and the Moscow region, there are hundreds of theatres, museums, parks and aristocratic estates to suit every taste. There is an extensive network of bike rentals around the city. For excitement try a choice of quests that will take you to abandoned metro stations and other iconic structures. If you prefer unhurried contemplation, take a boat trip along the Moscow River: tickets for 2017 were $7. A dinner trip on a comfortable boat costs about $50.

The Moscow Kremlin includes the official residence of the President of Russia.

The towers of the “Moscow-City” business centre make a striking skyline.

The Robusto Cigar club in the The St. Regis Moscow Nikolskaya hotel.

A Belgian fan at the Confederations Cup-2017.

Approach Red Square through the Resurrection Gate.