We’ve written many times about your ultimate must-do things and must-see places in Moscow. Of course, they are the Red Square, the Kremlin, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Bolshoi Theater, as well as the many other iconic venues. But, what if you’ve done and seen it all? Well, we’ve picked some activities that are relatively new and which you probably haven’t heard of (until now!), so you can get the maximum out of the Russian capital!
1. Zaryadye Park
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This incredible landscape park right next to the Red Square feels as if you switched from buzzy city center to nature with a flick of a button. And there, you can explore all the natural zones that Russia has at once – from the Arctic to the subtropical climate – and their flora.
Legion Media
The main attraction in Zaryadye is considered to be the “floating” bridge suspended over the Moskva River. It is made of glass so it almost feels as if you are flying over the river. Don’t forget to take a selfie there (and it’s best to go early in the morning before it gets too overcrowded).
2. Moscow Cable Car
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The 720-meter-long cable car over the Moskva River was opened in 2018. The cable car connects Vorobyovy Gory (‘Sparrow Hills’) and the other side of the Moskva River, where the Luzhniki stadium is situated.
Tickets for the cable car cost just 140 rubles (approx. $1.55) one-way on weekdays and up to 750 rubles (approx. $8.20) for a round trip on weekends and holidays. On the approximately 10-minute ride, you will be able to enjoy Moscow’s most picturesque natural views, as well as a panorama of the Moscow City business district and the MSU university building, one of the seven Stalin skyscrapers.
3. Brand new pedestrian bridge
Moscow agency
In July 2024, downtown Moscow got an absolutely new pedestrian bridge. It runs over the Vodootvodny Canal and connects Bolotny Ostrov (Island) with the Krymskaya Embankment and Muzeon Park.
Crossing it, you will find yourself right near the giant monument of Peter the Great (one of the most unpopular statues in the city) and walk along the Bolotnaya Embankment to another controversial sculpture – the ‘Big Clay No. 4’ by famous Swiss visual artist Urs Fischer. It stands in front of GES-2, a new public and art space in Moscow, which also totally deserves your attention. And, if you are not a fan of art, at least take a walk in its birch grove!
Actually, this bridge (which still doesn’t have an official name) provides a long pedestrian or cycle route from Vorobyovy Gory and up to Bolotny Island.
4. House of Russian Cuisine
A giant food hall which bears the name ‘House of Russian Cuisine’ is a new space that was erected specially for the large-scale ‘Russia EXPO’ that took place from the late 2023 up until summer of 2024. There, in one place, you can taste the ethnic dishes of no less than 15 Russian regions.
‘Chebureki’ with Far Eastern seafood, Siberian ‘pelmeni’, Buryat soups, northern pike cutlets, Dagestani pies, Karelian mushrooms and many many other specialities.
Another reason to visit the House of Russian Cuisine is that it’s located in the Soviet era-built VDNKh exhibition park, where you can walk for hours exploring Stalin’s architecture and traditions of Soviet republics, as well as space museums and many other great activities.
5. Moscow City observation decks
Alexander Vilf / Sputnik
The Moscow City business district accumulates not only Moscow’s, but most of Russia’s tallest buildings in one complex. And, obviously, its skyscrapers have several observation decks from which you can see the entire Moscow as if it were your own backyard.
The ‘OKO Tower’ has a 354-meter tall open observation deck, while the Federation Tower ‘Vostok’ (‘East’) has a 327-meter high panoramic observation deck with glass windows. Choose which one to go up and then have a fancy lunch in one of multiple restaurants in the complex.
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