Top 10 Must See Attractions in Moscow

Moscow is centered around the Red Square and development radiates out from all around it. As the city center, Red Square is similar to Tiananmen Square in Beijing, the place where the country holds large celebrations and military parades. It’s one of Moscow’s most important landmarks, and has been a witness to Moscow’s history.

To the west of Red Square sits Lenin’s Mausoleum, to the north is the National Museum of History, to the east is a department store, and to its south is Saint Basil’s Cathedral. If you walk around it in one big circle, you’ll get to see several famous Moscow landmarks.

Located on the west side of the Red Square, the Kremlin is one of the largest buildings in the world, and is also listed as a World Heritage site. The “Kremlin”, which means “castle” in Russian, is a blend of architectural styles that give it a magnificent, unique look. This castle has always been the location of Moscow’s presidential palace and the center of power in Russia; at the same time, there are also a large number of historic Russian art pieces and treasures that are really worth visiting.

One of the most famous churches in Russia, the exquisite orthodox church, Saint Basil’s Cathedral, is famous for its nine “onion heads” in different shapes and colors, and has become one of the most beautiful scenic spots in the center of Moscow. It’s now part of the National Museum of History and has beautiful murals inside it for tourists to admire.

As one of the highest educational institutions in Russia, Moscow State University has a long history dating back to its founding in 1755. At present, it’s also one of the world’s most-recognized universities, and has cultivated a large number of academic elites and Nobel Prize winners. Since the 1950s, many excellent Chinese students have been sent to Moscow State University for study exchanges. As a result, Moscow State University and China have an unbreakable bond, and the school has turned into a must-see location for many Chinese tourists traveling to Moscow.

The Novodevichy Cemetery was established nearly a century ago, and with more than 26,000 famous Russians from all walks of life buried here, it’s a cemetery for famous Russian people. Many famous people were buried here, including the writers Gogol and Chekhov, the famous politician Khrushchev, and the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin.

Next to the Novodevichy Cemetery sits the Ensemble of the Novodevichy Convent, which includes the Smolensk Church built in 1524. The church has five domes that glow gold in the sunlight, casting beautiful reflections on the brown walls and lush old trees in the convent.

Moscow’s national department store is located in the northeast corner of Red Square, and is affectionately known to locals as GUM. Completed under Lenin’s order in 1921, the shopping mall was built in a classical European style, and is as magnificent as a royal palace. The mall has three floors and mainly contains high-end brand stores. If you don’t have plans to buy luxury goods, the ice cream sold near the fountain on the ground floor is quite popular. Don’t hesitate to give it a try.

Alexander Garden is a rectangular park located to the left of Kutafiya Tower at the south gate of the Kremlin. In the garden, there’s the famous Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the torch in front of the tomb has never been extinguished since it was built. The inscription on the tombstone reads: “Your name is unknown to all, but your deeds live on forever.” Many Muscovites come here when they get married to lay beautiful flowers down for the unsung heroes.

Lenin’s Mausoleum is located in the heart of the western side of the Red Square, an iconic site in Moscow. Lenin’s body, which has been preserved with antiseptic drugs since 1924, remains intact in the mausoleum awaiting visitors to pay their respects.

After walking out of the Mausoleum, you can go along the Kremlin’s wall to view the places where Stalin, Brezhnev, Zhukov, and other important figures of the Russian Communist Party were buried.

Arbat Street is the most famous walking street in the center of Moscow. Adjacent to the Moscow River, it once was a busy market for Arab merchants when it was first built 500 years ago. Merchants often use handcarts to load their cargo; “Arbat” means handcart in Russian, which is where the place acquired its name.

Today Arbat Street is divided into New Arbat Avenue and Old Arbat Avenue. Old Arbat Avenue is a folk culture walking street with a rich artistic atmosphere. New Arbat Avenue is a modern commercial street with rows of shops one after another. They’re connected end- to-end and greatly complement each other.

Entering from the arch at the north side of the Red Square, you cannot miss this magnificent crimson building, the National Museum of History, built in 1873.

Chronologically divided into 48 exhibition halls, the museum has collections of Russian treasures from the Paleolithic era to the present, in total holding 4.2 million items, including huge ancient ivory, replicas of Neanderthal and Peking Man skulls, models of ancient human sites, and the world’s top 15 “Bessarabia Treasures” that are all worth a visit.