Space Route: Where to See the Stars in Moscow
Moscow Takes You to the Cosmos
The Soviet Union poured its ambitions into space. In 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to journey beyond Earth. Moscow still holds echoes of that era — places where the dawn of the cosmos feels close enough to touch. Whether you want to gaze at celestial bodies through a telescope, eat like a cosmonaut, or walk in the footsteps of space pioneers, here’s where to find an out-of-this-world experience in the Russian capital.
Cosmos Pavilion at VDNH
This building first appeared on the grounds of VDNH in 1939 and was reconstructed between 1951 and 1954, when its two-storey domed hall was added. Until 1967, it was called Machine Building, but when it began displaying models of artificial satellites, rocket technology, and various space-related items, it was renamed Cosmos.
In 2018, the pavilion was reconstructed and transformed into the largest museum dedicated to space exploration. Here, you can see full-scale models of rockets and spacecraft, rare documents, photos, videos about space research, and other exhibits. Visitors can even imagine themselves as cosmonauts right inside the pavilion by trying out specialised simulators and interactive games. And the tours at the Cosmonautics and Aviation Centre are not only led by humans – robots do it too. Robot Yura will be delighted to take you on an interactive quest, adding a futuristic twist to your space adventure.
Address: Mira Avenue, 119c34
Museum of Cosmonautics and Cosmonauts Alley
Near VDNH, you’ll find three space-themed landmarks at once: Cosmonauts Alley, the Conquerors of Space monument, and the Museum of Cosmonautics. This pedestrian walkway first appeared in Moscow in October 1967, commemorating the tenth anniversary of the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite.
At the end of Cosmonauts Alley stands the 110-metre obelisk Conquerors of Space, shaped like a soaring rocket. At its base stands the Museum of Cosmonautics, which houses the personal belongings and blueprints of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky and Sergei Korolev, two key figures in space exploration, as well as simulators used by cosmonauts for training. Here, you can see food in tubes and a full-scale model of the base module of the Mir space station, which orbited Earth from February 1986 to March 2001. Visitors can even feel like real cosmonauts by stepping inside this module — where a model of the Earth rotates outside the porthole — or by watching a documentary about space at the museum’s cinema.
After visiting the museum, stop by the Vzlyot café with a space-themed interior. The menu features decidedly earthly dishes like soups, burgers, and pizzas. As part of the Moscow Tea Time project, you can order a tea-themed space set, which includes a cake served in a tube. Note: the café is closed on Mondays.
Address: Mira Avenue, 111
Cosmos Hotel and Cosmos Food Cafe
The Cosmos Hotel was built for the 1980 Moscow Olympics. The building was innovative for its time, being one of the first in the city to feature keycards and triple-glazed windows. The hotel was named after Cosmonauts Street, where it is located, as well as the nearby Conquerors of Space monument and the Museum of Cosmonautics. On the ground floor, you’ll find the Cosmos Food café, where you can grab a coffee and try the chef’s Roman-style pizza.
Address: Mira Avenue, 150
Sergei Korolev Memorial House Museum
This cosy two-storey mansion on 1st Ostankinskaya Street is a branch of the Museum of Cosmonautics. The house was built in 1959 and has never been renovated. Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, the lead Soviet rocket engineer and spacecraft designer, lived here until his death in 1966.
The museum’s closed storage holds about 19,000 artefacts, including Korolev’s personal belongings, photographs, documents, scientific and literary works from his collection, and much more. The rooms contain the very furniture the designer used; time here seems frozen, paused from the moment Sergei Korolev’s life ended. The meticulously preserved exhibition enables guests to see what inspired the famous scientist and how he worked.
Address: 1st Ostankinskaya Street, 28
People’s Observatory in Gorky Park
An astronomy-themed pavilion first appeared in Gorky Park in 1929. Today, from May to September, anyone can see the stars with their own eyes thanks to the two powerful telescopes installed in the observatory and its automatically opening dome. The observatory is easy to find: it’s a red building with a silver dome located in the park’s Parterre section, to the right of the arch at the main entrance.
Address: Krymsky Val Street, 9с5
Monument to Yuri Gagarin
The main space-related landmark on Leninsky Prospekt is the monument to Yuri Gagarin. Created from titanium (fittingly, a metal used for spacecraft), the monument was erected in Gagarin Square.
The location for the 42.5-metre-tall, 12-tonne monument was chosen intentionally: it was along Leninsky Prospekt that Yuri Gagarin entered Moscow after his space flight. Moving the monument is strictly forbidden — according to the vision of the project’s author, Pavel Bondarenko, the sculpture of the world’s first cosmonaut should be visible from the Moscow Ring Road (MKAD).
Address: Gagarin Square
Age of Stars at the Moscow Planetarium
In March 2026, the Moscow Planetarium premiered Age of Stars, a fulldome popular science film created at the planetarium’s own studio. The film tells the story of the stars — from the very first ones to those we see today. Viewers learn how stars are born, how they change throughout their lives, and how they die. Guests will see red dwarfs and giants, fly over the Sun’s surface and through its prominences. The film also explores what the ancient universe was like, how the first star formed, and how a supernova erupts.
Address: Sadovaya-Kudrinskaya Street, 5с1
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