WOW Moscow: Best Selfie Locations
Moscow sure does surprise and delight its guests, and what better way to relive and cherish memories of a trip to the capital than with stunning photographs? The city’s most picturesque spots will give you a platform for taking wonderful pictures.
Urban Photos
Photos taken on the street perfectly convey the quick pace of the metropolis, and they also enable you to take a fresh look at seemingly ordinary buildings, bridges, and even entire neighborhoods. Exploring Moscow city guide routes or going on a Moscow walking tour will reveal unexpected corners perfect for your next urban photoshoot.
Moscow-City
These high-rises on Presnenskaya Embankment have long been one of the capital’s calling cards and are considered one of the top attractions in Moscow. Where to take the best urban selfies, if not here? You can arrange a photoshoot in the business centre itself and get some mind-blowing shots against the backdrop of glass facades and the shimmering water down below, making it one of the most iconic Moscow photography spots.
Consider getting some photos that include both the Moscow River and the towers, as this location offers some of the most impressive Moscow skyline views. All you have to do is cross the Bagration Bridge to Taras Shevchenko Embankment and take pictures from the observation deck near Tower 2000. This area is also popular for Moscow sightseeing and perfectly fits into any modern Moscow city guide or Moscow walking tour.
Address: Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment, 12
GES-2 House of Culture
This art space on Bolotnaya Embankment differs drastically from the city’s typical pre-revolutionary, red brick industrial areas and stands out as one of the most unique Moscow art museums. Designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, who also created the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, it stuns visitors with its elegance and breeziness and has become a key part of the modern Moscow art scene.
Those who appreciate minimalism and experimenting with light in their photographs should plan a visit here as it is also considered one of the top Moscow photography spots. The arched panoramic windows, numerous staircases, and ceilings intertwined in an intricate pattern are architectural delights that tie history and modernity together and make it a perfect stop on an architecture tour.
You can take photos both inside the GES-2 building and outside against a backdrop of blue pipes or a birch grove, as well as on the steps by the Moscow River making it a great addition to any city sightseeing route or walking tour.
Address: Bolotnaya Embankment, 15
Pushkin Pedestrian Bridge
This bright bridge, the only yellow one in Moscow, connects the Pushkinskaya Embankment by Neskuchny Garden and the Frunzenskaya Embankment. It’s a great addition to any Moscow travel guide and a must-see for those searching for unique things to do in Moscow. Go ahead and take photos both in the colourful indoor area, as well as on the pedestrian paths.
The escalators from Frunzenskaya Street, bubble-shaped lamps hanging from iron ceilings, and stark lines are the perfect backdrop for urban photos. The mix of industrial design and soft lighting creates a distinctive atmosphere rarely found elsewhere in the city. Venturing out to the observatory decks on both sides of the bridge will enable you to get impressive shots along with fantastic views over the river and surrounding skyline.
Address: Pushkin Pedestrian Bridge
Moscow Contemporary Art Center Winzavod
One of the largest exhibition venues in Moscow is an ideal location for street photoshoots. Often featured in a Moscow travel guide, this creative space is perfect for those looking for alternative things to do in Moscow beyond classic attractions. There is plenty of different graffiti, old buildings, and other nice locations that will allow you to take the finest urban photos.
Shots in the railway tunnel leading from the nearby metro station to Winzavod certainly create a vibe very specific to Moscow, making it a standout spot for anyone exploring the city’s modern art scene and photography locations.
Address: 4th Syromyatnichesky Lane, 1/8с21
Sadovye Kvartaly
Sadovye Kvartaly residential complex in Khamovniki is one of the most visually striking modern locations in central Moscow for urban photoshoots. Its futuristic architecture is combined with natural landscaping: clean facade lines, panoramic windows, walking paths, greenery, and a central pond create a stylish backdrop for memorable shots.
The main photo spot is the area by the water. Here, you can take pictures against the backdrop of the pond, a wooden terrace, neat lawns, and willows leaning over the water. For a more urban look, head to the passages between the buildings: the complex geometry, sculptural facades, and play of light make this location especially good for street-style photos.
After the photoshoot, you can stop by one of the local coffee shops or continue your walk to Usachevsky Market, located just across the road from the complex. The area is easy to reach from Sportivnaya and Luzhniki stations, about a 10–12-minute walk away.
Address: Usacheva Street, 11
White Square
Situated in the centre of Moscow near the Belorusskaya metro station, this business centre is popular among photographers and those simply seeking the perfect shot. It’s a great addition to any Moscow sightseeing route and a favorite among those searching for unique Moscow photography spots. Try to catch the angle when the Church of St. Nicholas is between the buildings of the business centre to capture old and new Moscow in one priceless picture. It will be especially stunning in the evening when the setting sun reflects in the glass of the buildings and creates a marvellous glare on the golden domes.
Address: Lesnaya Street, 5
Flacon
This creative cluster, once a crystal factory, is not only one of the most popular places for holding all sorts of events and parties, but also a great place for unusual urban photoshoots. It’s a perfect choice for those looking for unusual things to do in Moscow and explore its creative spaces. There are many locations where you can take great selfies, such as by graffiti walls, in narrow alleys between red brick buildings, nicely decorated cafes, recreation areas, and on a metal staircase. Here you can truly feel the city’s creative energy while capturing unique and atmospheric shots.
Garage Museum of Contemporary Art
This futuristic building in Gorky Park is not just a museum. It’s also one of the city's main attractions. Often featured in a Moscow travel guide, it’s a must-visit for those interested in modern culture and art spaces. The modern facade made of translucent polycarbonate has long been a favourite among bloggers and lovers of spectacular photographs. The shots are indeed very unusual, as if from the distant (or not so distant) future.
Inside the museum, there are also many interesting locations for selfies: wide flights of stairs, brick walls, and a unique mosaic depicting a girl surrounded by autumn leaves. This makes it one of the most distinctive Moscow photography spots for creative and atmospheric shots. It’ll get your creative juices flowing!
Address: Krymsky Val Street, 9с32
Picturesque Selfies
Clear days in Moscow with incredible sunrises and sunsets are made to be captured in photographs, so we’d like to share a list of picturesque spots for nature photoshoots.
Kolomenskoye Museum Reserve
The legendary apple orchards in Kolomenskoye provide the ideal setting for a romantic spring photoshoot. In May, 300-year-old trees bloom, enveloping the space in a breezy floral haze and making it a place of pilgrimage for those wishing to take gorgeous selfies. Velvet hills, snow-white churches, the wooden Palace of Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich, towers, ponds, estates, stables, and the famous wishing stones in Golosov Ravine will also become an excellent backdrop for picturesque shots.
Address: Kolomenskoye Museum-Reserve
Japanese Garden in the Main Botanical Garden of the Russian Academy of Sciences
This garden offers many interesting locations for photoshoots: Japanese pavilions, stone lanterns, little ponds with islands, a pagoda with thirteen tiers, cascading waterfalls... In spring, all this is swimming in young foliage and multi-coloured forsythias, rhododendrons, spirea, and tree peonies, which bloom one after another. You will definitely come away with some spectacular photos!
Address: Botanicheskaya Street, 4
Tsaritsyno Museum Reserve
This Russian gothic palace and park, Catherine the Great’s brainchild, is another great place where you can do it all: stroll in nature, visit museums, and take memorable photos. The main backdrop is the palace itself, which is the largest 18th-century European building erected in the pseudo-Gothic style. Take stunning shots amid picturesque landscapes. Be sure to find the grotesque bridges connecting the slopes of the dry ravine, and the Temple of Ceres pavilion in the southern part of the park, and do not forget to take a selfie in the historic greenhouses.
Address: Tsaritsyno Museum-reserve
Zaryadye Park
Here, you’ll get great shots almost anywhere whether you want something romantic, glamorous, or professional-looking.
Panoramic photos against the backdrop of the Kremlin and St. Basil's Cathedral can be taken if you climb the hill above the roof of the Media Center. Also, one of the main places for selfies is the legendary Floating Bridge, which offers magnificent views of the Moscow River, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, and other historic landmarks.
Take a selfie while posing as guests from the future by choosing locations near the futuristic buildings of the Media Center, and the Concert Hall. Regardless of the location of your photoshoot in Zaryadye Park, numerous flowers and tremendous trees will be a wonderful backdrop.
Address: Varvarka Street, 6с1
Neskuchny Garden
Every corner will be far from dull in Neskuchny Garden, as the name itself suggests in Russian, but it is best to take pictures against the backdrop of the rotunda gazebo or Catherine Pond. Enjoy a photoshoot near the cascade fountain on the bank of the Moscow River. Pose next to a sculpture with a staircase leading up to it or by the capital's main body of water.
From there, stroll along Catherine Pond deep into Neskuchny Garden and check out Count Orlov’s grotto, where you’ll take photos in a mysterious medieval style. Then, make yourself comfortable on the patio of House in the Garden, a nice cafe with wicker chairs surrounded by trees, and take a selfie. You’ll get some light and bright pictures there.
Address: Neskuchny Garden
Apothecary Garden
Head up to this paradise for lovers of picturesque photoshoots. There are exotic plants, sculptures, a pond with weeping willows, and many other interesting spots to take great selfies.
Brilliant colours reign supreme in the greenhouses all year round. In spring, the garden is shrouded in fluffy floral clouds during the flowering of apple trees, pears, almonds, and lilacs. Pose against the backdrop of giant tree peonies, magnolias, and other flowers, as well as on a humpbacked bridge running across a cascading pond. Make sure the tall, century-old oaks make it into your photos.
Address: Mira Avenue, 26с1
Yekaterininskiy Park
A gorgeous photoshoot can also be arranged in Yekaterininskiy Park. A particularly good place for stunning shots is the path lined with apple trees near the pond with its lush pink blossoms in the spring. It is beautiful here at any time of day, but we recommend choosing a clear evening for the photoshoot and taking pictures at sunset. The reflection of the pink caps on the apple trees on the pond’s surface in the bright setting sun looks especially mesmerizing.
Address: Bolshaya Yekaterininskaya ulitsa, 27
Butikovskiy Pereulok
This small lane in the neighborhood of Khamovniki is specially tailored for photos, as it has a variety of buildings in different architectural styles. It’s a great find for those looking for hidden gems and unique things to do in Moscow beyond the usual tourist routes. Spending a mere thirty minutes here will give you shots with varying moods, and all of them will perfectly convey the spirit of the city.
There are modern residential complexes adjacent to business centres, which are no less interesting, architecturally speaking, and even miraculously preserved buildings from the early 20th century. This contrast makes it especially appealing for Moscow photography spots and architecture lovers. Let your imagination roam and take countless unusual and memorable selfies.
Address: Butikovskiy Lane
Aquamarine Business Centre
The city’s landscape boasts much more than just the Moscow-City towers, making it rich in architecture tour opportunities. The Ozerkovskaya Embankment, where a complex of four sky-high, snow-white buildings appeared in 2012, provides the perfect backdrop for urban photoshoots and is considered one of the emerging Moscow photography spots.
Its sleek shapes, tempered colour scheme, curved facades with identical square windows, and minimal greenery have made the location one of the most popular for photoshoots amid a concrete jungle and a unique stop during city sightseeing. We’ll let you in on one little secret: your pictures will turn out especially stylish and impressive if you take them at a low angle. This spot is also a great addition to any city guide or a well-planned walking tour focused on modern urban aesthetics.
Address: Ozerkovskaya Embankment, 24