What to do in Moscow: Top 10 Activities
When planning a trip to Moscow, a trip to Red Square, including the Kremlin is most likely on the top of your list. The city has everything- food, culture, history, music, vodka, the best churches to ever been seen and amazing infrastructure. The options of what to do in Moscow might seem overwhelming, so our contributing author Mihaela Grigore will help you out.
Top 10 things to do in Moscow
Moscow is such a cool place. When I booked my trip there, I didn’t know what to expect. I got a lot in return: polite people, great infrastructure, tastiest food I’ve ever eaten, best buildings I have ever seen and alternative places. The houses are well maintained in a French kind of style, and the apartment blocks are tall and colorful. My suggestion would be to book at least 4 days to be able to discover Moscow at its best.
So, here it is a list with my favorite things to do and see in Moscow.
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Images by @whereintheworldismiha
1. Flacon Design Factory
The place is filled with street art, authentic activities, the cutest alternative shops I have ever seen and friendly people giving you lemonade and asking to play ping-pong with them. We were lucky enough to have experienced a lovely craft beer festival there and the atmosphere was better than other festivals we have witnessed.
2. Art Play District
Another authentic place with lots of street art and lovely buildings. Notice that during Sundays, they also have some bio-food fairs, and the atmosphere there is lovely.
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Images by @whereintheworldismiha
3. RENT AN ELECTRIC SCOOTER AND DO YOUR PRIVATE MOSCOW TOUR
The majority of the youngsters in Moscow are using the electric scooter, so you’ll easily pass by like a local. There are plenty of phone apps to rent it, but they are all in Russian, so you can choose to rent a scooter online. We found the cost for a day was €20, at a place located near Red Square. Be aware that you are not allowed to enter the Red Square and Kremlin with the scooter, so you could easily discover nearby places.
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Images by @whereintheworldismiha
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4. TAKE A COOKING CLASS
We have used Airbnb Experience taking a Russian cooking class. I’m a beginner in the kitchen, but I felt like a chef whilst cooking there. What we cooked? A hangover soup (called ‘She’), the traditional dumplings and a delicious cottage cheese pancake. It took around 3 hours. During this time we had some lovely shots of vodka (and it was so different from any other types of vodkas ever). We got to know the local people, their culture and got to cook some delicious meals.
5. SEE THE MOST GORGEOUS BUILDINGS
Told you, Moscow is filled with great buildings. My favorite baroque turquoise house is located on Pokrovka Street, no 22, but the entire neighborhood is stunning. A 10 minute walk near this building is Egg House, which looks like a Fabergé egg.
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Images by @whereintheworldismiha
6. VISIT THE RED SQUARE
The not-to-be-missed place. It’s always crowded, but with a different kind of ‘crowded place charm’.
The best attractions in Red Square are:
- Kazan Cathedral. It’s pink turquoise with a touch of gold! It’s free to enter, but you’re not allowed to take pictures inside.
- Saint Basil’s Cathedral. A candy-colored cathedral, built in the 1500’s.
- Former City Hall. A giant red building, hard to be missed. I though it looked like a real-life gingerbread house.
- GUM Department Store. A luxury shopping center and the best spot to get a Soviet ice-cream, made to the exact recipe of 1941.
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Images by @whereintheworldismiha
7. VISIT THE KREMLIN
The Kremlin is made up of five palaces, four cathedrals, a tower and an enclosing wall. You need to buy a ticket to get in and it’s pretty confusing. The lines to buy tickets get extremely long, but you can easily use the automatic ticket machines and everything will work out smoothly.
8. MOSCOW METRO TOUR
The metro stations of Moscow are called ‘People’s palace’ and once you see them, you will understand why! My favorite metro stations are: Komsomolskaya, Revolution square, Arbatskaya, Mayakovskaya, Novoslobodskaya and Kievskaya.
It’s hard shooting pictures with so many people around. The trains arrive every 1-2 minutes, so you don’t have a lot of time to take snaps. If you go on a Sunday around 12:00 AM, the metro stations won’t be so crowded.
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Images by @whereintheworldismiha
9. SEE CATHEDRAL OF CHRIST THE SAVIOUR
This pretty gold domed cathedral is a short walk from the main are in the Red Square and is perfect to see at sunset! It’s also a really beautiful view with the cathedral set against modern buildings in the background.
10. GET LOST IN THE STREETS AND FIND LOVELY CHURCHES
Here are some favorites:
- Nativity Church at Putinki;
- A cute one near Red Square (on the other side of the bridge, but I couldn’t find its name);
- Church of St. John the Warrior, in the big Muzeum Parks of Arts (15 minute walk from Red Square).
So, whether you are going there with your loved one, with your family or with your friends, make sure you check both the touristic and non-touristic side of Moscow. It will exceed your expectations and it will make you fall in love with it instantly!
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