Your Map to Moscow’s Cultural Highlights
Moscow’s cultural gems you won’t want to miss
From the Kremlin to the Tretyakov Gallery and the State Historical Museum, the city is bursting with cultural treasures. Here’s a curated selection of must-see spots to help you plan your own route and explore them at your own pace.
Tretyakov Gallery
Main Building
- Russian classics
Founded some 150 years ago, the Tretyakov is one of Moscow’s richest collections of fine arts. Here you can stand face-to-face with Ivan Aivazovsky’s seascapes, Ivan Shishkin’s landscapes, the fairytale worlds of Viktor Vasnetsov, and epic canvases capturing moments such as the exile of Boyarynya Morozova and the death of Ivan the Terrible’s son. The gallery also holds icons from the pre-Mongol period — among the oldest in Russia.
Address: Lavrushinsky Lane, 10с4
Opening hours: Tue–Fri 10:00–20:00, Thu until 21:00, Sat 10:00–20:00, Sun 10:00–19:00, Mon closed.
New Tretyakov Gallery
- Modern & avant-garde
Set in the leafy grounds of Muzeon Park of Arts, the New Tretyakov Gallery houses the greats of 20th-century Russian art and regularly stages blockbuster exhibitions. Its collection spans key movements such as Russian avant-garde, Constructivism, Socialist Realism, and Nonconformist art. Here you’ll find works by Kazimir Malevich, Wassily Kandinsky, and Lyubov Popova, alongside Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin’s Bathing of the Red Horse and Marc Chagall’s Over the Town.
Address: Krymsky Val Street, 10
Opening hours: Tue–Wed 10:00–18:00, Thu–Sat 10:00–21:00, Sun 10:00–18:00, Mon closed.
Kadashyovskaya Embankment Building
- Offbeat exhibitions
From the New Tretyakov, pass through Muzeon Park and over the pedestrian Tretyakov Bridge, and you’ll spot the striking New Building just steps from the main Tretyakov Gallery. Its brick façade, adorned with reproductions of famous paintings, rises above Kadashevskaya Embankment. Inside, you’ll find photographic archives, restoration workshops, and flexible exhibition spaces that host large-scale shows.
Address: Kadashyovskaya Embankment, 12
Opening hours: Tue–Wed 10:00–19:00, Thu–Sat 10:00–20:00, Sun 10:00–19:00, Mon closed.
Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts
Main Building
- Timeless masterpieces of world art
The main building of the Pushkin Museum is the place to fill up on inspiration. On the ground floor there are galleries of plaster casts of iconic sculptures and rare archaeological finds, including a double of Michelangelo’s David and ancient Egyptian mummies. Upstairs you can find The Bacchanalia by Peter Paul Rubens, Saint Sebastian with Saint Irene by Angelo Caroselli, and other masterpieces of world art.
Address: Volkhonka Street, 12
Opening hours: Tue–Wed 11:00–19:00, Thu–Fri 11:00–20:00, Sat–Sun 11:00–19:00, Mon closed.
Gallery of European and American Art
- Impressionism & modernism
This is the place for paintings by the giants of European art. Among the stars are Pablo Picasso’s Girl on a Ball, Henri Matisse’s Nasturtiums. Dance Panel, Vincent van Gogh’s Prisoners Exercising, and Paul Cézanne’s Bathers. You’ll also encounter works by Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, Paul Gauguin, and other masters of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Address: Volkhonka Street, 14с6
Opening hours: Tue–Wed 11:00–20:00, Thu–Fri 11:00–21:00, Sat–Sun 10:00–20:00, Mon closed.
Moscow Kremlin Museums
Within the walls of the Kremlin lies a treasure trove of Russian history and culture. From the ceremonial grandeur of the Armoury Chamber to the golden-domed cathedrals of Cathedral Square, the soaring Ivan the Great Bell Tower, and modern exhibition halls hosting world-class shows, each site offers a unique window into the country’s past and artistic heritage.
Armoury Chamber
- Royal treasures
Once inside the Kremlin, the Armoury Chamber is a must. Built in the style of Russian Classicism, the building was designed to house the tsars’ unrivalled collection of treasures. Among its glittering exhibits are the state regalia — sceptres and orbs encrusted with gems and precious metals — along with coronation gowns, imperial headgear, and the elaborate vestments of Orthodox clergy.
Address: Kremlyovskaya Embankment, 1с3
Opening hours: Mon–Wed 10:00–18:00, Fri–Sun 10:00–18:00, Thu closed.
State Historical Museum
Main Building
- Historical artefacts
The red-brick landmark in Red Square hides a trove of unique historical artefacts. The building itself is part of the attraction: the foundation was laid by Emperor Alexander II, and the museum has grown ever since, gathering everything from rare archaeological finds to personal belongings of monarchs, courtiers, and cultural figures.
Address: Red Square, 1
Opening hours: Mon–Wed 10:00–18:00, Thu–Sat 10:00–21:00, Sun 10:00–18:00.
Museum of the Patriotic War of 1812
- Napoleonic war artefacts
Just a few steps from the main building lies a museum devoted to Russia’s war against Napoleon — a conflict that left a deep mark on the country’s land and memory. Here you can see everyday objects from the early 19th century, weapons and uniforms from that period, and paintings depicting key battles of the war.
Address: Revolyutsii Square, ⅔
Opening hours: Mon, Wed–Thu 10:00–18:00, Fri–Sat 10:00–21:00, Sun 10:00–18:00, Tue closed.
Saint Basil’s Cathedral
- Iconic architecture
Also known as the Cathedral of the Intercession, this 16th-century marvel in Red Square is like no other: it contains 11 chapels under its riot of towers and colourful onion domes. Legend has it the architect was blinded after its completion so he could never build anything to rival it. Inside and out, it’s a feast for the eyes — visiting is like stepping back into another century.
Address: Red Square, 7
Opening hours: Mon–Wed 10:00–18:00, Thu–Sat 10:00–19:00, Sun 10:00–18:00.
