7 most picturesque public transport routes in Moscow

These routes go past the Kremlin, the Bolshoi Theater, Poklonnaya Hill and many other important landmarks. As an added bonus most above-ground public transport in Moscow uses bus lanes, so you won't have to waste time in traffic jams. And the only thing you need to need to see all this is a regular (and cheap) public transport ticket. Here we go!

1. Bus B («Б»): Garden ring

You can take this beautiful and old (around since 1912) route through the city’s center, traveling along the Garden Ring from Paveletsky railway station to Smolenskaya metro station. Along the way, you’ll get to see the futuristic building of the House of Music, Taganskaya square, Old and New Arbat and Gorky Park. If you want to go in the opposite direction, catch the Bk bus, which it the same but travels INSIDE the ring. Ever wonder why it’s called B? It’s because the Garden Ring itself used to be called B (while the smaller Boulevard ring was known as A), and the route still bears the road’s old name. Muscovites call this route “Bug.”

Travel time: 65 minutes

2. Tram 39: Chistye Prudy – Universitet 

Moscow's main “tourist" tram travels along Chistoprudny Boulevard all the way down to Paveletsky railway station and Leninsky Prospekt metro station. The 39 route takes you past a lot of Moscow’s attractions, including one of Stalin’s "7 Sisters" buildings on Kotelnicheskaya Embankment, the Donskoy and St. Danilov monasteries and Moscow State University. At the end of December, you can even ride on a special Christmas tram with glowing garlands and a second car that’s decorated as a deer (no, this isn’t a joke). 

If you don’t want to go far from the city center, you can also take trams A (Chistye Prudy – Kaluzhskaya) or 3 (Chistye Prudy – Kakhovskaya). All these routes go along the same route up until Danilovsky Market. 

Travel time: 70 minutes

3. Monorail: Timiryazevskaya – Ulitsa Sergeya Eisensteina

Want to see the city from above! Then Moscow’s unique monorail is the one for you. This short trip will give you views of VDNKh, the Museum of Cosmonautics and Ostankino TV tower and television studios. 

Travel time: 20 minutes.

4. Bus M27: Park Pobedy – Karacharovsky Puteprovod

Another comfortable and easy way to see lots of sights at once. The route begins with Poklonnaya Hill and then travels along the wide Kutuzovsky Prospect, crossing the Moscow River via Novoarbatsky Bridge and going straight to Novy Arbat. The bus then passes Alexander Garden, the Kremlin walls, the Bolshoi Theater, Lubyanka and Kitay-Gorod. You can get off at Taganskaya metro station or keep going further into Moscow’s outskirts. 

Travel time: 1 hour 27 minutes

5. Trolleybus 70: Belorussky railway station – Bratsevo

It seems like this trolleybus route was specially made for fans of Russian estates. It goes from Belorussky railway station and passes Petrovsky Palace, the Pokrovskoe-Streshnevo estate and the Stroganovs estate. Bonus sight: Moscow’s first (and now closed) airfield.

Travel time: 1 hour 18 minutes

6. Night bus N1 (Н1): Kitay-Gorod – Sheremetyevo airport

Don’t want to sleep? Then take a fascinating trip around Moscow on this night bus, which operates from 1:00-6:00 a.m. For an especially good time, bring along a thermos with hot tea and sandwiches. The bus goes from the center to Sheremetyevo airport, passing all the main attractions along the way. There are actually several night routes in Moscow, and they all start from Kitay-Gorod. N1 is the first and the most interesting. It goes near the Kremlin walls, the Bolshoi Theater and then up Tverskaya street to Belorussky railway station before continuing on past the Petrovsky Palace and the Northern river station. 

Travel time: 2 hours

7. M2 bus: Rizhsky railway station – Fili

Here is a nice trip through Moscow’s old residential districts. Get on at Rizhskaya metro station and then enjoy a view of the Olympic Stadium (which was built for the 1980 Olympics), the Apothecary Garden, the Russian State Library (the main one in the country), Novy Arbat and Poklonnaya Hill.

Travel time: 45 minutes