Page Text: Cathedrals
8. Saint Basil’s Cathedral
Aside from the cathedrals in the Cathedral Square within the Kremlin (Assumption Cathedral, Church of Laying our Lady’s Holy Robe, Annunciation Cathedral etc), the other cathedral worth visiting is definitely the Saint’s Basil Cathedral in Red Square.
It was built by Ivan the terrible between the 1555 to 1561, to commemorate the capturing of Kazan and Astrakhan. You will notice that the interior is slightly different from the other cathedrals, with 8 side churches around a core, instead of a central opening to a main cathedral.
Opening hours: 10 am to 5 pm
Closed on: Tuesday
The iconic Cathedral stands tall in the middle of Red Square
9. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Witness the change of guards parade, which happens every hourly if you can.
Also located around the Red Square is the Tomb of the unknown soldier. The tomb is guarded by royal guards, and there will be a change of guard parade every hour. You can try to catch the change of guard and take photos as the guards march into their post with their escorts.
10. Zaryadye Park
The space where the park is currently located has been under contestation by developers to build fancy hotels, restaurants, and apartments, until Valdimir Putin finally declared a park to be built on the space for the general public.
The house of the early Romanov families can be seen here, right behind that concrete structure between the two cathedrals. Can you see the insignia?
This amazing small space was once homes to the reach Romanov families, a Jewish enclave, earmarked by Stalin to be the site for the 8th Stalinist building and was a monolith hotel with 3000 rooms, before it was finally demolished and became Zaryadye park.
The view from Zaryadye park. The Rossiya Hotel built during the Soviet Union stretched across this whole image and was a grand building that was demolished only in 2006.
One key highlight of the park is the angular floating bridge that hangs over the canal, where you can walk on to take panoramic views of the Red Square and its surrounding.
11. Arbat Street
Arbat street is a long pedestrian walking street lined with restaurants and bars. You will see street artists singing and performing as you walk.
Grab a drink along the bars and enjoy a relax evening people watching. There are many souvenirs shops along the street, though the things there are pricer than what you can get if you head out of Moscow central.
Arbat street is a good place to relax and chill in the evenings, at any of the restaurants and bars.
12. Tverskaya Street
This is a street recommend by many online. We did not manage to walk the street due to our tight schedule. It holds multiple historical buildings with unique architectural designs from the 19th to 20th century.
Moscovery provides you with a great overview of what to expect at Tverskaya if you decided to pay the street visit.
13. Watch a play at Bolshoi Theatre
Swan lake is probably the most famous ballet in Russia, and Bolshoi is probably one of the most famous and historical theatre in Moscow.
We didn’t catch a play here due to the cost. Decided to catch Swan Lake at the Comedy theatre in Saint’s Petersburg instead.
Catch a play, ballet or opera in Bolshoi Theatre, just to get inside and view the majestic auditorium. Do note that the price for plays in Bolshoi Theatre can be quite costly though.
Where to shop
Prices in most of the flea market in Russia is relatively fair and not exorbitant. Surprisingly, during our trip there, most shoppers were Russian, even at souvenir shops around tourist hotspots.
People do not smile much, but you’ll realize that the store owners are friendly and helpful once you greet them. Ask all the questions you want about the history of the antiques or about their products, and they will gladly respond without demanding you to make a purchase.
Tips: You can request for a bargain, but discounts usually range between 10 – 20%
14. GUM
Also known as the State Departmental Store during the Soviet Union period, GUM used to hold thousands of vendors selling daily products and necessities. Today, it has turned into a high-end retail outlet populated by big and luxurious brand.
Catch the lighting of GUM after the sun set.
While not exactly a place to shop for us, it is still worth a visit just because of its history. Who knows, some of you might want to visit these shops to check and compare the prices of luxurious products.
Speak of eco-friendly architecture. Think the Soviet has gotten it right years ago with its glass ceiling to maximize lighting.
15. Discount-Center Of Ordzhonikidze 11
There are multiple factory outlets for brands such as Nike and Adidas around Moscow. We headed to the Discount-Centre of Ordzhonikidze 11, near Leninskiy Prospekt metro station as the Married Girl wanted to get a Russia World Cup jersey with her Russian name printed.
The outlet has some brands and you can get some of the sales item at discounted rate. Brands include Oasis, Karen Millen, Columbia, Samsonite, Quicksilver, Roxy, Tommy Hilfiger, GAS, Fred Perry and others.
16. Izmailovsky market
This place feels a little like Disney land upon our arrival. The main entrance brings you into a Kremlin, looking something like a castle. Within the main square are food stalls and some museums and craft-shops, such as the Vodka Museum, Bread Museum or Weapons Museum. The museums are not worth visiting as they are relatively small and targeted at tourists.
Head out of the main square to the flea market. From the main square, you will connect to the second level of the flea market. This is where you can find antiques, from religious paintings and sculptures to vine recorders, Soviet union badges and coins. The lower level of the flea markets sell more touristy products, such as Matryoshka doll, Farberge eggs and apparels made of animal furs.
The prices here are not the lowest, but fair compared to Moscow central. The quality of some products are really great and you may not be able to find them back at central Moscow. We saw a series of finely hand-painted Matryoshka dolls, which we could not find elsewhere. However, expect the prices to be a little more premium for these products. You can expect a bargain of around 10% to 20% for some items.
Opening hours: Weekends
17. Levsha Flea Market (Novopodrezkovo station)
This place is a wonder, with loads of antiques, glasswares, soviet union badges, coins, tech gadgets to paintings and sculptures from the 19th and 20th century. Walk the place and take your time to look at the products as they can be stacked in a mess within some stores.
However, if you are not interested in antiques and decors, you might not find this place enjoyable. We found the place totally worth it and bought some antiques at a discount as compared to elsewhere.
Not much information on this market online, but all you need to do is find Novopodrezkovo Train Station on Google Map, and you will see the market.
This is not an easy place to find on Google Map. But if you search for Novopodrezkovo station, you will see Barakholka “Levsha”, which is the flea market itself. It is a little further out of the city, and will take you approximately 45 minutes of car ride to get to the spot. Alternatively, you will need to take the metro to Komosoml’skaya and transit to a train from Leningrad Station to Novopodrezkovo station.
Opening hours: Weekends