Russia · Local picks
100+ Places to Visit in Russia
These are the places worth knowing in Russia, from Red Square and the Hermitage to Suzdal's monasteries, Kazan's Kremlin and the shores of Lake Baikal. Read current travel advice first, and confirm opening hours locally, as they change.
Places to Visit in Moscow
Things to Do
- Red Square and St Basil's Cathedral (Kitay-Gorod)
The country's most famous square, with the painted domes of St Basil's at one end. - Moscow Metro Circle Line stations (Koltsevaya Line)
Chandeliers, mosaics and marble make the metro a museum you ride for a single fare. - VDNKh (Ostankino)
A vast Soviet exhibition park of gilded fountains, pavilions and a space museum. - Moscow City Panoramic Observation Deck (Moscow City)
Views from the skyscraper district on the city's west side. - Patriarch's Ponds (Presnensky)
A leafy pond and the setting of The Master and Margarita, ringed by cafés.
Arts and Culture
- Moscow Kremlin and Armoury Chamber (Kremlin)
Coronation cathedrals, Fabergé eggs and royal carriages inside the red fortress walls. - State Tretyakov Gallery (Zamoskvorechye)
The great collection of Russian art, from medieval icons to Repin and Vasnetsov. - Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts (Volkhonka)
European masters and a fine impressionist collection a short walk from the Kremlin. - Bolshoi Theatre (Teatralnaya Square)
Ballet and opera in one of the world's most famous theatres. - Garage Museum of Contemporary Art (Gorky Park)
Bold contemporary exhibitions in a restored Soviet restaurant building. - Novodevichy Convent and Cemetery (Khamovniki)
A walled baroque convent and the resting place of Chekhov, Gogol and Soviet leaders. - Bunker 42 Cold War Museum (Taganka)
A Cold War command bunker deep below the city, visited on guided tours. - Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines (Kuznetsky Most)
Playable Soviet era arcade games, a fun hour for all ages.
Nature and Outdoors
- Zaryadye Park (Kitay-Gorod)
A modern park beside Red Square with a floating bridge over the Moskva River. - Gorky Park and Muzeon (Yakimanka)
Riverside lawns, rental bikes, winter skating and a garden of Soviet statues. - Kolomenskoye Museum Reserve (Nagatinsky Zaton)
A riverside royal estate with a UNESCO listed tent roofed church and apple orchards. - Sokolniki Park (Sokolniki)
A large wooded park with cycling paths, cafés and a big winter skating rink.
Shopping and Markets
- Izmailovo Kremlin and Vernissage Market (Izmailovo)
A mock wooden fortress beside a weekend market for souvenirs and Soviet curios. - GUM (Red Square)
A historic glass roofed arcade on Red Square, famous for its ice cream and food hall. - Danilovsky Market (Danilovsky)
A domed market hall packed with food stalls from across Russia, the Caucasus and Asia.
Restaurants
- Depo Food Mall (Lesnaya Street)
One of Europe's largest food halls, set in a restored tram depot. - Café Pushkin (Tverskoy Boulevard)
Classic Russian dishes served in a grand imitation of a 19th century mansion. - White Rabbit (Smolenskaya)
Modern Russian tasting menus under a glass dome with views over the city. - Varenichnaya No. 1 (Arbat)
Soviet nostalgia, cheerful decor and hearty pelmeni and vareniki dumplings. - Dr. Zhivago (Mokhovaya Street)
Playful Soviet themed Russian cooking with a view of the Kremlin walls.
Cafés
- Eliseevsky Food Store (Tverskaya Street)
A gilded pre revolutionary grocery hall, great for browsing and buying sweets.
Bars and Nightlife
- City Space Bar (Kosmodamianskaya Embankment)
Cocktails high above the river on the top floor of the Swissotel Krasnye Holmy.
Events
- Moscow Circle of Light Festival (City centre)
Light projections on landmark buildings each autumn.
Stays
- Hotel Metropol Moscow (Teatralny Proezd)
A grand art nouveau hotel opposite the Bolshoi. - Izmailovo Hotel Complex (Izmailovo)
Huge Soviet era towers near the market and metro, a budget option.
Places to Visit in St Petersburg
Arts and Culture
- State Hermitage Museum (Palace Square)
The Winter Palace and one of the world's greatest art collections. - State Russian Museum (Mikhailovsky Palace)
The best collection of Russian art, from icons to the avant garde. - Catherine Palace and Amber Room (Pushkin)
The blue and gold palace of Tsarskoye Selo with its rebuilt Amber Room. - Fabergé Museum (Shuvalov Palace)
Imperial Easter eggs and jewellery in a restored palace on the Fontanka. - Kunstkamera (Vasilyevsky Island)
Peter the Great's curiosity cabinet, odd and fascinating. - Mariinsky Theatre (Teatralnaya Square)
World class ballet and opera in the historic theatre or its modern stage.
Things to Do
- Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood (Griboedov Canal)
A church covered inside with mosaics, built where Alexander II was killed. - St Isaac's Cathedral Colonnade (St Isaac's Square)
A climb to the colonnade for views across the rooftops. - Peter and Paul Fortress (Zayachy Island)
Where the city began, with the Romanov tombs and riverside beaches. - New Holland Island (Admiralteysky)
A restored naval island with lawns, food stalls and a winter skating rink. - Canal boat tour (Moika and Fontanka)
Seeing the city from the water is the classic summer evening outing. - Neva bridge raising (Palace Bridge)
Watching the bridges lift at night during white nights. - Loft Project Etazhi (Ligovsky Prospekt)
A former bakery turned creative hub with a rooftop, galleries and shops. - Sevkabel Port (Vasilyevsky Island)
A former cable factory on the Gulf with food stalls, concerts and sunsets.
Nature and Outdoors
- Peterhof Palace and Gardens (Peterhof)
A palace and park of gilded fountains on the Gulf of Finland. - Pavlovsk Park (Pavlovsk)
A huge landscaped park where squirrels take nuts from your hand. - Summer Garden (Central District)
Peter the Great's formal garden with statues and fountains. - Kronstadt (Kotlin Island)
A naval town with the Naval Cathedral, reached by causeway.
Events
- Scarlet Sails (Neva River)
A school leavers' festival in June with fireworks and a red sailed ship.
Restaurants
- Pyshechnaya (Bolshaya Konyushennaya Street)
A Soviet style counter serving sugared doughnuts and milky coffee since the 1950s. - Teplo (Bolshaya Morskaya Street)
A cosy, rambling restaurant of Russian and European comfort food. - Severyanin (Stolyarny Lane)
Old Petersburg style dining with classic Russian dishes.
Cafés
- Singer House Café (Nevsky Prospekt)
Coffee above a bookshop with a window view of the Kazan Cathedral. - Eliseev Emporium (Nevsky Prospekt)
An art nouveau food hall with a café, pastries and a grand interior.
Bars and Nightlife
- Rubinstein Street (Central District)
The city's best known strip of bars and restaurants.
Shopping and Markets
- Kuznechny Market (Vladimirskaya)
A covered market for pickles, honey, fruit and smoked fish. - Gostiny Dvor (Nevsky Prospekt)
An 18th century shopping arcade at the heart of Nevsky Prospekt.
Places to Visit in Suzdal
Arts and Culture
- Suzdal Kremlin (Kremlin)
The town's oldest quarter with the blue and gold domed Nativity Cathedral. - Museum of Wooden Architecture and Peasant Life (Kamenka River)
Log churches and peasant houses moved from villages across the region.
Things to Do
- Saviour Monastery of St Euthymius (Lenina Street)
A fortified monastery with bell concerts and frescoed cathedral. - Pokrovsky Convent (Pokrovskaya Street)
A white convent by the river where royal wives were once exiled.
Nature and Outdoors
- Kamenka River meadows (Town centre)
Riverside walks with views of domes at sunset.
Restaurants
- Medovukha tasting (Torgovye Ryady)
Try Suzdal's traditional honey drink in the old trading rows.
Shopping and Markets
- Torgovye Ryady trading rows (Torgovaya Square)
Old trading arcades with stalls selling cucumbers, honey and crafts.
Events
- Cucumber Festival (Museum of Wooden Architecture)
A summer festival celebrating Suzdal's famous cucumbers.
Stays
- Pushkarskaya Sloboda (Lenina Street)
A hotel complex of wooden houses near the river.
Places to Visit in Vladimir
Arts and Culture
- Assumption Cathedral Vladimir (Bolshaya Moskovskaya Street)
A 12th century cathedral with frescoes by Andrei Rublev. - Cathedral of St Demetrius (Bolshaya Moskovskaya Street)
A white stone church covered in carved creatures and saints.
Things to Do
- Golden Gate Vladimir (Town centre)
A medieval gate tower with a small military museum.
Places to Visit in Bogolyubovo
Nature and Outdoors
- Church of the Intercession on the Nerl (Bogolyubovo)
A tiny white church in a meadow, a walk from the train stop.
Places to Visit in Sergiev Posad
Things to Do
- Trinity Lavra of St Sergius (Sergiev Posad)
The spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Places to Visit in Yaroslavl
Things to Do
- Church of Elijah the Prophet (Yaroslavl)
Vivid frescoes in a 17th century church near the Volga.
Nature and Outdoors
- Volga Embankment (Yaroslavl)
A promenade high above the river.
Places to Visit in Rostov Veliky
Arts and Culture
- Rostov Kremlin (Rostov Veliky)
A fairytale kremlin on Lake Nero.
Places to Visit in Kazan
Arts and Culture
- Kazan Kremlin (Kremlin)
A UNESCO fortress with a mosque and cathedral side by side. - Kul Sharif Mosque (Kazan Kremlin)
Turquoise domes and a small museum of Islam in the Volga region. - Bolgar (Bolgar)
Medieval ruins and a museum on the Volga. - Tatar Academic Theatre (Lake Kaban)
Tatar language theatre by the lake.
Things to Do
- Bauman Street (Vakhitovsky)
The pedestrian main street with cafés and street musicians. - Old Tatar Quarter (Staro Tatarskaya Sloboda)
Painted wooden houses, mosques and small museums by Lake Kaban. - Temple of All Religions (Staroe Arakchino)
An eccentric building blending domes and towers of many faiths. - Kazan Family Centre (Kirovsky)
A bowl shaped building with a panoramic view of the Kremlin. - Sviyazhsk (Sviyazhsk Island)
An island town with a UNESCO monastery and rare frescoes.
Nature and Outdoors
- Kremlin Embankment (Kazanka River)
A long riverside promenade, lovely at sunset. - Raifa Monastery (Raifa)
A monastery on a forest lake about an hour outside the city.
Restaurants
- Tatar Usadba (Old Tatar Quarter)
Traditional Tatar dishes in a wooden house. - Tyubeteyka (Bauman Street)
A local chain for echpochmak and Tatar pastries. - Dom Tatarskoy Kulinarii (Bauman Street)
Tatar food in a grand setting on the main street.
Cafés
- Chak Chak Museum (Old Tatar Quarter)
Tea and chak chak with stories of Tatar customs.
Shopping and Markets
- Kazan Central Market (Vakhitovsky)
Honey, dried fruit and Tatar sweets.
Bars and Nightlife
- Peterburgskaya Street (Vakhitovsky)
A pedestrian street of bars and restaurants.
Events
- Sabantuy (Mirny Park)
A summer Tatar festival of wrestling, games and food.
Places to Visit in Irkutsk
Arts and Culture
- 130th Quarter (Central Irkutsk)
Restored wooden houses with restaurants and bars. - House Museum of the Decembrists (Central Irkutsk)
The story of exiled nobles in Siberia. - Taltsy Museum of Wooden Architecture (Angara Road)
Siberian wooden houses and a fort between the city and Baikal.
Things to Do
- Znamensky Monastery (Central Irkutsk)
A monastery by the Angara River. - Angara Icebreaker (Irkutsk)
A 19th century icebreaker turned museum.
Nature and Outdoors
- Angara Embankment (Central Irkutsk)
A riverside walk past the Alexander III statue.
Shopping and Markets
- Irkutsk Central Market (Central Irkutsk)
Pine nuts, berries and smoked omul from Baikal.
Restaurants
- Rassolnik (130th Quarter)
A Soviet themed restaurant with nostalgic decor.
Places to Visit in Listvyanka
Arts and Culture
- Baikal Limnological Museum (Listvyanka)
Live nerpa seals and the science of the lake.
Nature and Outdoors
- Chersky Stone Viewpoint (Listvyanka)
A chairlift and view over the lake and the Angara. - Great Baikal Trail to Bolshie Koty (Listvyanka)
A lakeshore hike to a quiet village.
Shopping and Markets
- Listvyanka Fish Market (Listvyanka)
Smoked omul by the lake.
Places to Visit in Olkhon Island
Nature and Outdoors
- Shaman Rock (Khuzhir)
A sacred rock at Cape Burkhan. - Cape Khoboy (Northern Olkhon)
Dramatic cliffs at the northern tip of the island.
Events
- Baikal ice season (Olkhon Island)
Clear blue ice and ice caves in late winter.
Places to Visit in Slyudyanka
Things to Do
- Circum-Baikal Railway (Slyudyanka)
Scenic tourist trains along the southern shore.
More to Explore
We are still checking these with fresh sources, so confirm opening times before you go.
- Double B Coffee and Tea (Central Moscow, Moscow)
A respected local specialty coffee chain with branches across the centre. - Strelka Bar (Bersenevskaya Embankment, Moscow)
A riverside terrace bar at the former Strelka institute, popular on summer evenings. - Stolovaya No. 1 Kopeika (Nevsky Prospekt, St Petersburg)
A canteen style spot for simple, filling Russian food. - Dumskaya Street bars (Central District, St Petersburg)
A cluster of late night bars popular with students. - Street Art Museum (Okhta, St Petersburg)
Large murals and exhibitions in a working industrial site. - Belmond Grand Hotel Europe (Nevsky Prospekt, St Petersburg)
A historic grand hotel at the centre of Nevsky Prospekt. - Hotel Indigo St Petersburg (Tchaikovskogo Street, St Petersburg)
A boutique hotel in a quiet street near the Tauride Garden. - Gostiny Dvor restaurant (Torgovaya Square, Suzdal)
Hearty Russian food inside the trading rows. - Kazan Palace by Tasigo (Vakhitovsky, Kazan)
A grand hotel near the Kremlin. - Hotel Bilyar Palace (Vakhitovsky, Kazan)
A mid-range hotel close to Bauman Street. - Gorky Park Kazan (Vakhitovsky, Kazan)
A city park with paths and a quiet pond. - Pozy and buuzy cafés (Central Irkutsk, Irkutsk)
Buryat dumplings in simple cafés.