While often overshadowed by St Petersburg as the cultural capital of Russia, Moscow is nonetheless a colourful and vibrant cosmopolitan city with much to offer. A guide to spending 4 fun-filled days in northernmost megacity on Earth
After almost 50 days on the road, I was finally approaching my last stop, the westernmost (and terminal) stop of the Tran-Siberian Railway, Moscow. On one hand, it seemed like a pretty long way up overland from Singapore, but on the other, it felt like my journey had barely began. Nevertheless, thoroughly enjoyed my short stay in Moscow, exploring the historical attractions, cultural icons, and unique quirks. I also managed to catch up with some friends I met earlier on the trip and made a few more, before it was time to go home.
The Kremlin, Red Square, and St Basil’s Cathedral.
Day 1: Kitay Gorod and the Moscow Metro
Arrived in Moscow on an overnight train from St Petersburg. I had a good rest. Air conditioning was good and there weren’t many disturbances through the night, despite it being in third class. From out of the station, Moscow gave a different impression from St Petersburg. St Petersburg felt more olden European, while Moscow gave a slightly more modern, cosmopolitan feel.
Last stop of the trip, Moscow! At Leningradsky railway station in Moscow. First impressions at the Komsomolskaya Square, right outside the station. Moscow, old and new. Kitay-Gorod, historic district in central Moscow.
Took the metro, crossed a couple of roads and bridges, and got to the hostel to drop off my bag. With a much lighter load (practically none without the heavy backpack), I headed to Kitay-Gorod, historic district in central Moscow, for the ‘free’ walking tour.
Moscow Free Walking Tour
Start of the walking tour, at Eastern end of Ulitsa Varvarka. Some interesting and historical sights around the neighborhood, such as 500 year old city walls and wooden churches.
Monument to Cyril and Methodius, Slavyanskaya Square. Lots of old churches along Ulitsa Varvaka. Old building with nice wooden roof. I forgot what this was but I suppose it was something important, as with the Romanov Chambers somewhere around it.
First impressions of the Red Square
After Ulitsa Varvaka, the walking tour proceeded straight towards the Red Square, definitely one of the things I have been looking forward to on this trip. Across the Red Square from the Kremlin, GUM, now a large high-end shopping mall, once the Soviet State department store, and before that the largest shopping center in Europe. Sitting directly across the Red Square from Lenin’s mausoleum, how appropriate.
Could hardly hide my awe as I stepped on to the Red Square (which isn’t actually red). Not that great weather for photographs, though. GUM. Ulitsa Nikolskaya, pedestrian street stretching out from the Red Square. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, along the Kremlin Walls, dedicated to Soviet soldiers killed in WWII.
Nice tour around Kitay-Gorod and the sights around the Red Square and Kremlin. It was about time for lunch then, and I had to try out Teremok, a fast food chain selling Russian crepes, as recommended by an expat living in Moscow I met in Irkutsk, and the tour guide in the morning. It wasn’t mind blowing, but it was interesting.
Fountains at the Alexandrovsky Gardens, along the western side of the Kremlin walls. Lunch at Teremok, a fast food chain selling Russian crepes, or blini. ₽225.
Other Landmarks around the Red Square
With lunch done, I further explored the vicinity on my own, First to the famous Bolshoi Theatre, but unfortunately not to catch any ballet or opera. Maybe next time. Then back in the direction of the Red Square. One of the more prominent buildings around the Red Square is the State Historical Museum, a beautiful, historic building clad in red.
Not too far away, the historic Bolshoi Theatre. The State Historical Museum, from outside the Red Square. Saint Basil’s Cathedral, built on orders from Ivan the Terrible in the 16th century, looking imposing across the Red Square.
Security on the Red Square seemed to be stricter on the first day I was in Moscow, possibly due to the book fair that was being held on it, the first ever to be held on the square.
Moscow metro musings
In the afternoon, I met up with a friend I made in Irkutsk with whom I travelled the Trans-Siberian till Yekaterinburg. We did a self guided tour of the metro, with help from his guidebook. The Moscow metro was similarly elaborate as the St Petersburg metro, but had a different feel to it.
Krasnye Vorota Metro Station
Then went on a subway tour. Krasnye Vorota Metro Statio. Inside one of the older trains.
Krasnye Vorota Metro Station is one of the first stations of the entire system to begin operations, in 1935. It employed a then untested structural design, but has fortunately withstood the forces of nature till present day.
Komsomolskaya Metro Station
Komsomolskaya Metro Station (Sokolnicheskaya Line). Also one of the stations to open in 1935. It has a unique upper platform to handle rush hour crowds. Komsomolskaya Metro Station (Koltsevaya Line). Probably one of the most opulent.
Novoslobodskaya Metro Station / Mayakovskaya Metro Station
Novoslobodskaya Metro Station. Nice use of stained glass. Kinda trippy. Mayakovskaya Metro Station, with a futuristic look, despite build built almost 80 years old.
Belorusskaya Metro Station
Belorusskaya Metro Station. “Belarusian Partisans”, sculpture on the transfer passageway between the two platforms at Belorusskaya.
Novokuznetskaya Metro Station
Novokuznetskaya Metro Station. Sometimes I look up and wonder how much resources was spent building the metro system, especially in the earlier stations such as these. Apparently this station was opened in the middle of WWII. The decorations depict soldiers in combat, reflecting the era in which it was built.
Ploshchad Revolyutsii Metro Station
Ploshchad Revolyutsii Metro Station. Among the most famous of stations, featuring 76 bronze sculptures depicting the people of the Soviet Union.
Ploshchad Revolyutsii Metro Station. Bronze sculptures on every pillar. Stepping back in time, to 1938.
Arbaskaya Metro Station
Arbaskaya Metro Station. The original station was damaged by German bombing in WWII and this replacement was built parallel to the old one.
Arbaskaya Metro Station. A different perspective.
Kiyevskaya Metro Station
Kiyevskaya Metro Station (Arbatsko – Pokrovskaya Line). Featuring frescos depicting life in Ukraine.
Kiyevskaya Metro Station. Beautiful frescos lining the station. Mural at the end of the station.
Park Pobedy Metro Station
Park Pobedy Metro Station, the deepest station in Moscow, at 84m. We resurfaced to check out an interesting park, where a hill overlooking the whole of Moscow once stood. Now an open air museum commemorating the military victories of Russia stands in its place.
Another mural at Park Pobedy Metro Station. Many other amazing stations but didn’t manage to check them all out, so that’s it for now. Park Pobedy (Victory Park) on (what was once) Poklonnalya Hill. Nice park for a walk, with impressive sculptures. Mostly recent additions. The Triumphal Arch, built to commemorate Russia’s victory over Napoleon, against the backdrop of downtown Moscow.
Returned to the metro to visit another park a short ride away.
Back into the metro, to Gorky Park. Met with the rush hour at Kiyevskaya station. In some stations the touches got a little more subtle. Just a little.
Sunset in Moscow
I arrived at Gorky Park to the slowly setting sun, a nice change from St Petersburg, where the sun never seemed to set. The weather was much better by then. The park was a nice place to take a walk or chill. After having some snacks, I headed along the Moskva river back towards the Red Square.
Walking towards Gorky Park. Gorky Park, along the Moskva River. Flowers in early summer. Peter the Great Monument (Pamyatnik Petru I), on the Moskva River. The imposing silhouette of Cathedral of Christ the Saviour across the Moskva river at sunset. Another side of the Cathedral, from the Patriarshiy Bridge. Downtown Moscow. The Pashkov House, once home to Moscow’s first public museum.
Along the way, a huge monument almost 100m tall rose from the river, the Peter the Great Monument. Apparently some controversy surrounding this tribute to the man who gave up Moscow as the capital of Russia in favour of St Petersburg in the 16th century. Another unmissable icon along the river, Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, across the Moskva river. First built after Napoleon’s retreat, demolished during Soviet times, and rebuilt after the dissolution of the union.
Red Square at night
After the nice long walk along the river, I found myself back at the Red Square. Looked quite different from it was in the day.
The Kazan Cathedral, at a corner of the Red Square. Memorial near where opposition leader Borris Nemtsov was assassinated just a few months back. On the Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge, overlooking the Red Square. Red Square by night. Spasskaya Tower along the Kremlin walls, and St Basil’s Cathedral.
It was a tiring but satisfying day spent walking around the huge capital. I was glad to be back at the hostel after the long day, for a nice shower and good rest.
Day 2: The Red Square, The Kremlin, and Arbat Street
My second day in Moscow was also the 50th since leaving Singapore on a bus. I spent the day exploring the key attractions in the Russian capital, the Red Square, the Kremlin, and Arbat Street. Too many things to see and do at these attractions, so it was a slightly brief one.
Spasskaya Tower and St Basil’s Cathedral from the Red Square. Great weather in Moscow this morning.
The first ever book fair to be held on the Red Square ended the day before, and the square was largely cleared by the time I was back on it.
GUM
I decided to make a stop at the historic departmental store and check out the legendary ice cream. Couldn’t really afford anything there, except for the legendary ice cream, which every tourist went for. Supposedly retains the recipe since Soviet times.
Inside GUM. On my first queue, the popular one which everyone went for was sold out, so I settled for an “Eskimo” (₽50 rubles), vanilla ice cream in a hard chocolate shell on a stick. Not long after, the popular/ traditional/legendary one was back in stock, so I got myself another ice cream (₽50 rubles). Impressive structure built to withstand snowfall accumulation, yet provide sky light. Packing up after the book fair.
Still wasn’t sure what a Soviet taste was, but it was a nice way to cool off in the rising temperatures.
Kremlin
After a leisurely morning stroll, got inside the Kremlin (₽500 rubles). Very interesting place, exploring the (really) old churches, and some strangely enormous stuff, like this cannon, and this bell. The churches were just as spectacular. No photography allowed inside though, but might be a good thing, as the beauty inside might not be replicable on photographs – come visit it!
The Tsar Cannon. Largest cannon (by caliber) in the world. The Tsar Bell. Largest bell in the world, weighing over 200 tonnes. Cathedral of the Annunciation, over 500 years old. No photography was allowed inside the amazingly well-maintained churches, so here are more shots of the outside. Ivan the Great Bell Tower, tallest tower in the Kremlin. Gilded domes on the Church of the Nativity. Cathedral Square. Inside the Kremlin, over the Moskva River.
After a few hours exploring the churches and cathedrals, exited via the Spasskaya Tower back onto the Red Square. About time for lunch.
Standing guard outside the Spasskaya Tower. Lunch at Teremok again, this time with a different blini (₽235 rubles). Buildings of contrasting eras down the street.
It was a decent lunch, but I was still a little hungry. Filled the rest of my stomach with snacks from the supermarket. Got the job done, and went in the direction of Arbat Street.
Arbat Street
Shortly after, arrived at Arbat Street. Arbat Street is one of the oldest streets in Moscow. Now a lovely place for a walk/ people watching, with various artists plying their trade down this pedestrian street.
Arbat Street, popular tourist spot, with artists plying their trade. Kinda crowded with tourists. The spray paint artist got the largest crowd. And the man on the wall looks on intently. Alone in Moscow.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia building
The ‘Seven Sisters’ refer to a group of distinctive Stalinist style skyscrapers in Moscow. Quite a few of them can be found in the pictures in this post, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building being one. Which others can you identify? There were supposed to have been two more which were never built, one of which was supposed to stand where the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour now stands. It would have been the tallest of them all, if it had been built.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia building from Arbat Street, one of the seven Stalinist skyscrappers in Moscow. Got to the front of the impressive facade but it was too huge to fit into the picture, so here’s an alternative perspective. Vorobyovy Gory metro station, built on a bridge spanning the Moskva River. Managed to get the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building into the frame, some distance away.
Next, walked to the European Mall not too far away, near Kiyevsky Railway Station, hoping to get some souvenirs.
Downtown Moscow. Opposite the European Mall. Not for the claustrophobic.
Spent some time in the European Mall getting some Russian groceries and printing some Instagrams from a vending machine, then got into this time travel tube to get back to the hostel.
Red Square at dusk
It’s nice staying at a hostel not too far from the Red Square. Gives me an excuse to pass it every day/ night. Major sights (such as the Bolshoi Theatre) are nearby too. Between the Bolshoi Theatre and the State Historical Musuem, the Four Seasons Hotel Moscow. Modelled after Hotel Moskva, which previously stood at the same plot (and had an interesting story about its peculiar facade- though probably more myth than fact).
Bolshoi Theatre at dusk. Four Seasons Hotel Moscow. Red Square/ St Basil’s Cathedral, with the packing up almost done.
Day 3: VDNKh and Sparrow Hills
Having travelled quite abit, I found that recommendations by people for places to visit, by people who have actually been there, are almost always good. I learnt that first (or first few times) in Pai. For places to visit in Moscow, I received 2 strong recommendations, one to visit the VDNKh, from an expat living in Moscow, whom I met in Irkutsk, and the other, to visit the Sparrow Hills, from a Muscovite living at the same hostel. And those were the top of my agenda for the day.
But back on to the topic of the Seven Sisters (a term not used by locals), there was one not too far from the hostel I had stayed in, the Kotelnicheskaya Embankment Building,
Kotelnicheskaya Embankment Building, another of the seven Stalinist skyscrapers in Moscow. Sculpture on the skyscraper.
Early morning rush in the metro. The VDNKh metro station, opened after Stalin’s era, was far less richly decorated than the earlier stations, owing to mounting criticisms of the earlier excesses. Nevertheless, still looked amazing. The entrance to the metro station in front, and the 110m, titanium clad Monument to the Conquerors of Space at the back.
Cosmonauts Alley
Along Cosmonauts Alley, a park and walkway leading from the metro station to the Museum of Cosmonautitcs.
Cosmonauts Alley. Statue of Konstantin Tsoilkovsky.
Statue of Konstantin Tsoilkovsky, probably one of the first (real) rocket scientists in the world. Behind him, the Museum of Cosmonautics, beneath the Monument to the Conquerors of Space.
VDNKh
Beyond the museum, the entrance to the VDNKh (or All Russia Exhibition Center), huge Soviet era amusement and trade park showcasing achievements of the Soviet Union, with a huge entrance gateway to match. Free entry.
Entrance to the VDNKh. The Central Pavilion.
Everything in Soviet-proportions. Soviet emblem. Druzhba Narodov- Friendship of the People.
Other than spectacular gardens and fountains, there were also pavilions representing the various regions of the Soviet Union.
Pavilion of Karelia. Pavilion of Armenia. The Druzhba Narodov and the Central Pavilion. Pavilion of Uzbekistan. Lots and lots of neatly maintained gardens … and fountains … more gardens … more fountains. Pavilion of Ukraine.
The Space Pavillion
And one of the highlights (at least for me), the Space Pavilion!
The Space Pavilion. To infinity and beyond! Reminded me of The Twits. Yak-42 passenger jet and the Vostok rocket (replica). Buran space shuttle.
Prototype of the Buran space shuttle. A similar one performed the first ever unmanned space shuttle flight and a landing in full automatic mode.
A replica of the Vostok rocket. Similar rockets fired the first ever artificial satellites into orbit and the first manned spacecraft into space.
Vostok rocket. Sukhoi Su-27 on display. Started to drizzle a little. I thought it added a nice effect to the Vostok. Like walking on a mirror.
It was a great morning spent at the VDNKh, felt like being transported through time. Then again, if it were during the Soviet Union I’d probably not be allowed here. The rain started to lighten up, and I carried on to my next stop, Sparrow Hills.
Many Moscow metro stations were built in anticipation of possible nuclear attacks, probably during the Cold War, which is possibly why they are so deep. Inside Vorobyovy Gory station, the metro station on the river seen from the other bridge the previous day.
Vorobyovy Gory (Sparrow Hills) metro station, interesting stop built across the Moskva river, and the only metro station with windows.
Vorobyovy Gory (Sparrow Hills)
Took a walk at Vorobyovy Gory, or Sparrow Hills, as recommended by the Muscovite I met at the hostel I was staying in. A little quiet and a brief respite from the bustling city. There was a mini bird park/ zoo on the hill. Most animals didn’t look too comfortable in their small enclosures.
Relaxing walk through Vorobyovy Gory. What a place to find a peacock! On Sparrow Hills! Winding paths through the hills. Weather wasn’t great, but there were great views of the city. Monument to Yuri Gagarin. Novokuznetskaya, for the train back to the hostel.
I got a feeling I might not have been in the side of Vorobyovy Gory that was recommended, but it was decent nonetheless. I spent some time winding my way around the hills and ponds. After making my way out of the park, I found myself at a huge roundabout with a tall monument right in the middle of it. It was the Monument to Yuri Gagarin, first person to ever reach space. It was getting late, and I was getting tired after all that walking, so I headed for the metro and ended the day slightly earlier than normal. Turned out to be a good choice though, as I got to meet some friendly travellers back at the hostel, and we had a good chat.
Day 4: Free and Easy
All great journeys eventually have to end, and going home is ever so bittersweet. Last day of my longest trip yet (excluding the year spent on exchange, I’ve never been on the move for this long before). Spent my last day in Moscow (and of this long, long trip) pretty much chilling and shopping for some souvenirs (vodka mostly) before the mad rush to the airport (almost late as usual) before heading home to a new job, new life, and with a renewed perspective of the world. Didn’t take much shots of the shopping, so here’s some shots on the way home :’)
Crossing between platforms at interchange stations, right over the tracks. Don’t know when I’ll be on my way down one of these long escalators again.
I was a little late, but the plane was later. It was a bit of a concern though, as my connecting flight was not long after the first leg was due to land. In the end, had to do a mad dash through Ataturk as my connecting flight was on last call by the time I arrived.
Waiting for the Turkish Airlines flight at Vnukovo International Airport. Honestly, hadn’t taken this into account. These awesome Turkish sweets did help to calm me down a little though.
It was barely a year after the Malaysian Airlines plane got shot out of the sky over restive east Ukraine so I was a little nervous after seeing the flight path. On a trip of many firsts, this the closest I’ve ever gotten to a conflict zone (Donetsk just around the corner). Fortunately, the flight was uneventful.
Singapore to Moscow in 50 days: An adventure complete, a new one begins?
I was feeling quite sick on the way back, probably something to do with the food in the last few days. Nevertheless, I was glad and at the same time a little sad that the long trip was over. I had planned to extend my trip further into Europe when I just left Singapore, but made the decision to end it at Moscow after receiving a job offer I could not refuse. Times are getting tough, and it was probably my best bet if I would want to be able to continue travelling in future, so I was pretty happy taking up the offer. Now, almost 9 months later, I’m glad I made the choice, and I hope to hit the road again soon!
Moscow Budget (4 days)
Actual travel dates: 28 June 2015 – 1 July 2015
Accommodation: ₽1200 (3 nights)
Food: ₽2375 (snacked too much)
Attractions: ₽600
Transport (within Moscow): ₽330
Moscow expenses: ₽4600 (~S$110/ US$85 at June 2015 rate)
Train to Airport: ₽470 (~S$12/ US$9 at June 2015 rate)
Such an amazing trip. I love all the pictures as well. Everything is so grand.
Hi Gary, glad you liked it! Moscow is an amazing city.