Church of the Trinity in Nikitniki
Moscow
Hidden between big government blocks, this little gem of a church is an exquisite example of Russian baroque. Built in the 1630s, its onion domes and…
Must-see attractions in Russia
State Museum of Urban Sculpture
St Petersburg
Despite the name, this two-storey gallery typically has more than just sculpture on display at its changing exhibitions. You may find paintings, video art…
Northern European Russia
The second-largest island in the archipelago, Anzer Island has its share of stone labyrinths and burial mounds, as well as a scattering of monastic sketes…
Moscow
The Kutafya Tower, which forms the main visitors’ entrance today, stands apart from the Kremlin’s west wall, at the end of a ramp over the Alexander…
Chambers of the Romanov Boyars
Moscow
This small but interesting museum is devoted to the lives of the Romanov family, who were mere boyars (nobles) before they became tsars. The house was…
Northern European Russia
Souvenir stalls line the short road that leads, via short-cut steps, up to Valaam’s main attraction. The monastery is radiant in gleaming white and sky…
St Petersburg
Russia’s poetic genius, Alexander Pushkin, was fatally wounded in a duel here with the Frenchman Georges d’Anthès on 8 February 1837. A granite monument…
St Petersburg
West of Sennaya pl along Sadovaya ul you’ll find the charming Yusupov Gardens, a pleasant park with a big lake in the middle. The flower-filled grounds…
St Petersburg
Laid out from 1872 to 1874, these pleasant gardens, named after Alexander II, wrap around the Admiralty and are mentioned in Pushkin's famous verse novel…
Moscow
The soaring 100m titanium obelisk outside VDNKh is a monument ‘To the Conquerors of Space’, built in 1964 to commemorate the launch of Sputnik. In its…
Western European Russia
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, illustrious artists and musicians, including Stravinsky, Chaliapin, Vrubel and Serov, visited Flyonovo, the…
St Petersburg
In the midst of the university grounds is a whimsical collection of sculptures from different artists including monuments to figures as disparate as Ho…
Moscow
The Upper St Peter Monastery was founded in the 1380s as part of an early defensive ring around Moscow. The main, onion-domed Virgin of Bogolyubovo Church…
St Petersburg
One of the biggest and best of its kind in the world, the Museum of Zoology was founded in 1832 and has some amazing exhibits, including a vast blue whale…
Moscow
The original building of Moscow’s main mosque dates back to 1904, but it was demolished in 2011 and rebuilt from scratch. Unlike many religious…
Moscow
The first public park in Moscow, Alexander Garden sits along the Kremlin’s western wall. Colourful flower beds and impressive Kremlin views make it a…
St Petersburg
Named after the Roman god of war and once the scene of 19th-century military parades, the grassy Mars Field is a popular spot for strollers, even though…
St Petersburg
Administered by the Russian Museum, these 8.7-hectare gardens are lovely and offer an impressive perspective of Mikhailovsky Castle. They are famous for…
Moscow
The long, low neoclassical building is Moscow Manege, a vast space that is used for art exhibitions and other events. In the works is a permanent exhibit…
Moscow
This reconstructed 16th-century house, white with wooden roofs, was the residence of England’s first emissaries to Russia (sent by Elizabeth I to Ivan the…
Central Museum of the Armed Forces
Moscow
Covering the history of the Soviet and Russian military since 1917, this massive museum occupies 24 halls plus open-air exhibits. Over 800,000 military…
Moscow
A statue of the founder of Moscow, Yury Dolgoruky, presides over this prominent square near the bottom of Tverskaya ul. So does Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, as…
Manege Central Exhibition Hall
St Petersburg
Formerly the Horse Guards’ Riding School, this large white neoclassical building was constructed between 1804 and 1807 from a design by Giacomo Quarenghi…
Moscow
The green-columned House of Unions dates from the 1780s. Its ballroom, called the Hall of Columns, is famous as the location of one of Stalin’s most…
Saviour Church ‘Not Made by Hand’
Moscow
The prettiest building in the grounds is Saviour Church ‘Not Made by Hand’ (Khram Spasa Nerukotvorny). The structure epitomises Mamontov’s intentions…
Moscow
An excavation of Voskresensky Bridge (which used to span the Neglinnaya River at the foot of Tverskaya ul) uncovered coins, clothing and other artefacts…
St Petersburg
The two Rostral Columns, archetypal St Petersburg landmarks, are studded with ships’ prows and four seated sculptures representing four of Russia’s great…
St Petersburg
The Russian Museum's exhibitions of 20th-century works are held in this building's 1st floor, which is connected by stairs to the main collection in the…
St Petersburg
All of Russia's prerevolutionary rulers from Peter the Great onwards (except Peter II and Ivan VI) are buried inside this cathedral. The magnificent…
St Petersburg
The last great church to have been built in St Petersburg before the revolution, this neo-Byzantine beauty dates from 1907 and creates one of the most…
Church of the Nativity of the Virgin in Putinki
Moscow
When this church was completed in 1652, Patriarch Nikon responded by banning tent roofs like those featured here. Apparently, he considered such…
Moscow
Stalin's genocide is a subject many Russians prefer to forget rather than reflect on, but this modern multimedia space serves as both a learning centre…
St Petersburg
The Yelagin Palace was built for his mother by Tsar Alexander I, who had architect Carlo Rossi landscape the entire island while he was at it. The palace,…
St Petersburg
Also known as the House of Matyushin, this small museum occupies a charming grey-painted wooden cottage dating from the mid-19th century that was once the…
St Petersburg
The Style Moderne gem Leuchtenberg House is so called because it once belonged to the Duke of Leuchtenberg, great-grandson of Tsar Nicholas I. Cross the…
St Petersburg
This fascinating museum charts the history of the St Petersburg region from medieval times to 1918. What starts as a fairly standard-issue plod through…
St Petersburg
St Petersburg’s first palace is the modest, two-storey Summer Palace in the summer garden’s northeast corner. Built for Peter from 1710 to 1714, it is…
St Petersburg
In the centre of Palace Sq, this 47.5m column, topped by a statue of an angel holding a cross, was designed in 1834 by Montferrand. Named after Alexander…
St Petersburg
The two great wings of the General Staff Building are joined by a triumphal arch over Bolshaya Morskaya ul, topped by the Chariot of Glory by sculptors…
Moscow
From the Kutafya Tower, walk up the ramp and pass through the Kremlin walls beneath the 1495 Trinity Gate Tower. At 80m it's the tallest of the fortress…
