A guide to visiting Moscow

Moscow-1

Next year will be fulfilled one hundred years of the Russian Revolution. Can you imagine being in Moscow by then? You may not be a communist, but without a doubt the 2017th anniversary of that break in Western history is fantastic. And if there is a special moment to go to Moscow it will be between October and November of the year XNUMX.

There is then time to plan the trip and organize absolutely everything. Poor Moscow is always a bit overshadowed by the beauty of St. Petersburg and is left only with the title of Russian capital and seat of the Kremlin, but has more to discover so I hope this short guide to touring Moscow it works for you.

Moscow

Moscow

It is a populous city where more than ten million people live and for many years it has had a lot of cultural life, day and night. There are restaurants, bars, clubs and shopping centers. And of course, there is also the Kremlin, Lenin's Tomb, its churches and Red Square, one of the most famous squares in the world.

There are two good times in the year to visit Moscow: since the beginning May to mid July, before it is midsummer and quite hot, and after by the time of New Year. Obviously, if you go for the 100th Anniversary of the Russian Revolution it is estimated that the events will take place in November, so there are no options and we will have to endure the cold.

Moscow-3

To enter Russia you have to process a visa so it is advisable to do it at least three months before traveling. It cannot be processed before that time, but neither do you hang up a lot and put it off. From the airport you can either take a taxi, a bit expensive, or better yet, the Aeropexpress, the train that connects both points in a journey of between 35 and 40 minutes and costs about 8 euros, more or less.

There are three airports in the area, but you will surely enter through the international Sheremetyevo 2 or through the Domodedovo.

Best of Moscow

Red Square

La Red Square It is the heart of the city and dates from the late XNUMXth century. It had other names before but this one has kept it since the XNUMXth century. Its buildings are from different periods and one of them is of course the Kremlin. In fact, the square was born when the tsar ordered to demolish all the wooden buildings that were around and could catch fire.

Today the Kremlin It is a huge museum, a complex of ancient buildings that hide true treasures of Russian history: there are palaces, cathedrals and monumentss. There is the Spasskaya Tower, built in 1491, with its main entrance to the Kremlin and which for many time was forbidden to common people. There is a huge bell, the Bell of Ivan the Great, which is the only one that remains of others that were there centuries ago, and also the so-called Cannon of the emperorr, the oldest cannon in the world, cast in the time of the son of Ivan the Terrible, at the end of the XNUMXth century.

kremlin

The crenellated wall covers just over two kilometers and has 19 towers, all surrounded by a moat. There are Cathedrals of the Annunciation, of the Dormition, of the Archangel Michael and of the Assumption, all with their treasures inside. There is also the Royal Cemetery and Church of the Deposition of the Mantle of the Virgin and that of the Twelve Apostles. In the Cathedral of the Dormition, from 1479, the tsars were crowned and it is the one with five golden domes. The tsars sleep eternally in the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael.

If we talk about non-religious buildings then there is the Palace of Facets, late XNUMXth century and the Palace of the Terems, both connected by the Grand Kremli Palacen. There is also the Arsenal, which faces the canyon and inside the important Armory. The tourist visit then allows you to know all the palaces, the arsenal, the armory and the Tsar Cannon and the Tsar Bell.

kremlin-churches

La St. Basil's Cathedral It is one of the most famous in the world and was built in the mid-XNUMXth century on the orders of Ivan the Terrible to commemorate the taking of Kazan. It is on Red Square and has lovely bulb-shaped domes. There are a total of eight side churches around a center, some small and others larger. All colorful.

La Cathedral of Christ the Savior It was built by Alexander I and has several chapels dedicated to different saints. It has 640 chandeliers and 600 more alone in the choir. It is over a hundred meters high and a curiosity: in the 30s the church flew through the air and was replaced by a swimming pool. It was rebuilt in 1994 and today it has a nice museum and an observation deck that are worth visiting.

interior-of-the-cathedral-of-saint-basil

Among other destinations that you should include in your visits is the Novodevichy Convent, Bolshoi Theater and of course the Lenin's Tomb. The latter is in the center of the square and is a mausoleum with a glass sarcophagus inside that keeps the mummified body of Lenin. It dates from 1930 and is made of imposing red granite. For his part the Teatro Bolshoi It is one of the most important in the world and, they say, the second largest in Europe behind La Scala in Milan.

grave-of-lenin

You can attend a gala or sign up for the guided tour which is in English and only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The visit lasts just over an hour and costs around 1330 rubles. It starts at 12:15 pm and tickets are purchased the same day at the theater box office. It is advisable to go early as the group exceeds 20 people.

A visit to the Moscow metro is also worth it because the stations are old and contains beautiful murals, lamps and decorations. And since you are there you can take line 7 and get off at Tushinskaya station. from there you take a bus, half an hour no more, and you can visit the Arkhangelskoe Residence, known as the Versailles of Moscowor. If the day is sunny, it is the best opportunity to enjoy the outdoors.

Bolshoi theater

Some recommended walks? Well, you must walk through the Arbat street, the most touristy street in the city and the one indicated to buy souvenirs, and for the Tverskaya It starts right at the Kremlin and heads north through the city. Also by the famous Gorki Park, with its trees and its cafes, in the charming area of Kitai gorod or the Moscow Chinatown, and by the Hemritage Garden, the largest green space in the Russian capital.

Having visited all this you can already say that you know Moscow.


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