The Ultimate Guide on How to Spend Four Days in Moscow

Moscow is renowned for Red Square, the Kremlin and St Basil’s Cathedral, the list could go on. It’s the capital of Russia, has an astounding 13.5 million people that live there and 9 million people a day catch the metro. Ok, so 13.5 million isn’t a lot when you think about Beijing or Delhi but it’s a lot for Europe.

It’s a vibrant city with a 24-hour vibe and a great mix of ancient and modern. Here is my Ultimate Guide on How to Spend Four Days in Moscow.

Day one

Red square is a must for day one of your Moscow trip and visit the marvellous buildings around like St Basil’s Cathedral, Kremlin and State History Museum. St Basil’s Cathedral must be one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. To think that Stalin wanted to knock down the cathedral so that he could fit tanks through Red Square, thankfully that didn’t happen and we still get to admire the architecture of the cathedral.

Depending on the day, you can go to see Lenin in his Mausoleum in Red Square. Lenin was the founder of Soviet Union and has been there since his death in 1924. It’s open 10am – 1pm, Tuesday-Thursday & Saturday.

Tick off the top things to do in Moscow, go behind the State History Museum and see the inside of the Kremlin. Pass the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and finally arrive at the ticket desk.

The ticket lines are a little confusing, there were two massive queues when we arrived and couldn’t tell what we were lining up for. I knew there were a couple of ticket types you can get so check which queue you want to wait in.
It’s 500 roubles for complex, 700 roubles for the Armoury and complex, Ivan’s Bell tour is 250 roubles.
Note that: Tickets to Armoury and Ivan’s Bell Tower are timed, tickets can be sold 45 minutes before opening times which are 10am, noon, 2.30pm and 4.30pm.

The Bolshoi Theatre is the most prestige ballet in Russia and one of the world’s leading ballet companies. It’s on the pricer end of ballet tickets at £150 per ticket upwards. Not in my budget for this trip, read how to spend four days in St Petersburg for other ballet options.

Day Two

Spend a few hours in the Moscow Metro Stations which are a tourist attraction in their own right. Being in awe of the different styles from statues to stained glass windows and wonder why your commute to work doesn’t look like this! Read my self-guided tour of the Moscow Metro Stations here…

As you are already exploring the Metro station head to Izmaylovsky markets, it’s near Partizanskaya station. It’s like a Disney-like medieval village where you can bargain for your souvenirs and take some wonderful photos. Be careful you don’t get caught out like us with their opening hours which is Wednesday and Friday to Sunday.

Day three

Take a walk-through Gorky Park starting at the main gate, if the sun is shining grab an ice cream from one of the many vendors. People watch, catch a couple of skateboard or rollerblade tricks. Enjoy the endless activities the park offers from cycling, rollerblading, beach volleyball and table tennis.

Close by is the Sparrow Hill Observation Platform. Catch bus 7 from Akademika Petrovskogo St (ул. Академика Петровского) stop to Universitetskaya Square. The platform is one of the highest points in the city and has spectacular views of Moscow. Directly behind the platform is Moscow State University.

Relax at Tramplin na Vorobyevykh (Трамплин на Воробьевых) for drinks and continue enjoying overlooking Moscow city.

Walking back to Vorobyovy Gory station you can head across to Novodevichy Convent.

The convent was founded in 1524, and has been kept intact since the 17th century. Naturally, the Convent became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.

Day Four

Spend the last day wandering around the streets of Moscow. Start at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. There have been two churches of this site, the current cathedral which was built between 1995 – 2000 and the original church, built during the 19th century. Stalin destroyed the original church in 1931. It was intended to be replaced with colossal Palace of the Soviets to house the country’s legislature. Construction was halted in 1941 when Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union during World War II.

Nearby is Old Arbat Street, it’s one of the oldest surviving streets in Moscow and has been around since the 15th century. Old Arbat Street used to be an important trade route and home to craftsmen. Now Arbat is a pedestrian walkway with historic buildings, souvenirs shops and restaurants.

Have you ever been to Moscow? What are you most excited to see? Let me know in the comments!