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Visit the capital of Russia: Moscow tourism
What is Moscow? How big is Moscow? When was Moscow founded? When did Moscow became capital of Russia? Is moscow in Europe or Asia? And, finally, Moscow tourist attractionsand travel guides... All this information you can find in the single article. Read it and be ready to your Moscow vacations!
Moscow facts (only interesting information)
Moscow (or "Moskva") is the capital of Russia (or "Rossiya"), the capital of the former USSR and most populous city in Russia. Although little known, Moscow is the largest city in Europe with about 15 millions of people! Moscow is also the northernmost and coldest megacity and metropolis on Earth. Can you imagine that 15 millions of Russian live in the place with only 4 months of summer?
Officially Moscow was founded at 1147, but recently archaeologists found that the city can be more than 1000 years old... One thousand years of short summers and cold winters! Moscow history is very complicated. Moscow withstood numerous internal conflicts, control by Golden Horde, the plague, Great Feudal War, numerous fires, Polish occupation, new plague, French invasion of 1812 and whole 20th century... The history of Moscow eminence reminds a typical Hollywood movie where despite millions of challenges main hero finally beats evil! I mean, there were large chances that Moscow would be destroyed and forgotten, but it did not!
Moscow is situated on the Moskva River so it is also Europe's most populated inland city. Its location was never something special - forests and mid-sized Moscow river - but it did not prevent it from becoming the capital of the largest country. Nowadays Moscow is really big city with its size reaching 40 km width and 50 km length.
Despite the climate and location, Moscow is rich and bustling, it has one of the world's largest urban economies. The city is really expensive (but Zurich is far worse...), but it's worth it! Moscow's architecture is world-renowned. Elegant onion domes of medieval churches, Stalin's monumental buildings and modern architecture combine in amazing mixture of epochs. You can spend a week walking around largest avenues and small city streets always running into something new during your Russian vacations.
However, many foreigners coming here still do not know what to expect from the Russian capital.
Things to do in Moscow
Visit Moscow? Congratulations! You were strong enough to get Russian visa and came here! Moscow is the largest city in Europe and there are a lot of amazing places to see!
We recommend to spend first day of your Russian vacations wandering around the Red Square. There are a lot of museums, churches and other sightseeing nearby - so you can easily walk from one to another experiencing the city. This map may help you to visit all nearby tourist attractions.
For the second and third days we recommend to visit less popular landmarks of Russian capital. There are a lot of options depending on your wishes. If you are interested in soviet Moscow, the good choice is to visit Victory Park, Sparrow Hills and Stalin's skyscrapers. Guided tour is perfect for those who wants to learn more about USSR times and its impact on modern Russia. Sometimes it is better to take a minivan tour which can save both your time in case of right itinerary and your morale in case of bad weather.
If you have more than 3 days, we recommend to see visit countryside because real Russia is not Moscow at all. Sometimes you just need to move only 50 km from Moscow to see authentic towns and villages. Golden Ring cities are the perfect for those who prefer picteresque small towns full of medieval architecture. Vladimir and Suzdal tour is one of the best option in this case. We recommend Dacha ecotour if you want to see rural landscapes and learn more about keeping households and farming in Russian countryside. "Explore real Russia" tour is perfect if you are going to St. Petersburg then because its final destination (Tver' town) is only 3 hours from St. Petersburg by speed train.
If you need some help in planning your trip - email us!
The most popular sightseens:
- Red Square (St Basil’s cathedral, Lenin's tomb, Kremlin, GUM, State Historical museum)
- KGB headquorter
- Moscow metro stations
- Christ the Savior cathedral (very beautiful but new)
- Tretyakov gallery (amazing paintings)
- Bolshoi theatre (its a legend...)
- Arbat and Tverskaya street (nice streets for walking)
Less popular sightseens:
- Novodevichy convent (ancient beautiful monastery in the centre of Moscow)
- Sparrow hills (Moscow University - monumental building of Stalin's epoch)
- «VDNH» (Museum of Space Exploration - monumental building of Stalin's epoch)
- Victory Park (memorial complex of Stalin's epoch)
- Secret Soviet bunker (65 meters by stairway to secret soviet bunker)
- Eliseevsky grocery store (shop with amazing interior left from 19th century)
- Gulag museum (dark sides of soviet history)
- Tsaritsino and Kolomenskoye parks (nice parks for walking in good weather with royal palaces)
- Moscow zoo (best place for families with children)
Moscow tourist map
Tourism in Moscow is so popular that you can easily find a lot of information about Moscow landmarks. For your convinience, we found several tourist maps which are accurate and clear: Moscow map, Moscow map, Red Square map
However, if you have a mobile phone, Google and Yandex maps will make your life easier. You can find more information about these and other useful mobile application for Moscow tourism here.
Independent tourism in Moscow is impossible without metro or Moscow subway system which is the easiest, the cheapest and the safest way of moving in Moscow center. More information and travel tips you can find here.
Moscow tours: make the most of Russian vacations
With Moscow's long and exciting history, it's no surprise that there are amazing landmarks scattered all across the city. Whether you're looking to visit medieval churches, historic houses, monumental skyscrapers, cathedrals and more, there's plenty of landmark destinations to visit when you're in Moscow.
Want to make the most of your time during your Russian holidays? We are organizing both traditional and unique tours.
Our old-fashioned "CrazyBu" van will give some special thrill to any chosen route!
Based on on your requirements, we will design right itinerary to make your trip very special. There are also many small but special places that you will probably miss or find hard to locate without the help of a local guide. We strongly recommend you to choose not only traditional but also some less popular Moscow tourist attractions to make your trip unforgettable.
>>> Moscow minivan tour
Driving around the city is an opportunity to see main Moscow attractions despite of the weather. It is also perfect for those who wants to make the most of their time in Moscow! We may visit not only traditional attractions in Moscow but also some less popular places to make your trip unforgettable. For example: Arbat street, Tverskaya street (the largest city streets), Sparrow hills (Moscow University, monument of Stalin's epoch), VDNH (Museum of Space Exploration, monument of Stalin's epoch), Victory Park (memorial complex of WWII), etc.
>>> Moscow city tour
Spend your first day in Moscow walking its historical and cultural center. You will experience the city gathering around Moscow landmarks in good company! IMPORTANT: Every Saturday we have Moscow walking tour (11:00-13:00) just for pay-what-you-like (it still needs booking).
>>> Back in USSR tour
Discover the soviet heritage and its impact on modern Russia: Stalin’s repressions, the Cold War, “perestroika”... We will gather around the KGB headquarter, the famous grocery store "Eliseevsky" and the Moscow University. The tour is perfect for history fans, you will learn a lot of about USSR and why modern Russia inherited a lot of its features. We highly recommend this tour for everyone who wants to understand the mentality of modern Russians and underlying causes of its current politics.
>>> Metro and city tour
Moscow metro is not only the best way of transportation in Moscow, but also one of the most picteresque subway systems in the world. Spend your Russian holidays moving between sightseens by metro and enjoying its interior!
Transportation:
1) very authentic but less comfortable «CrazyBu» van (up to 8 people)
2) very comfortable but not authentic Pajero IV (up to 4 people)
3) walking and public transportation
Duration: Day tour takes about 4 hours. Night tour takes 3 hours (10 p.m. - 1 a.m.)
Price minivan tour walking tour
1 person: 3500 RUB / group 2500 RUB / group
2-3 persons: 4500 RUB / group 3500 RUB / group
>4 persons: 5500 RUB / group 4500 RUB / group
Join us to explore real Russia and witness its original traditions!
