Women-Friendly Travel in Moscow
The Moscow women-friendly travel guide places explicit women-friendly and family confidence signals first, while keeping uncertain details visible for review.
Moscow
East- West Hotel
This hotel enjoys a central location and has an extremely peaceful ambience. In room facilities include a fridge and Satellite TV. Hotel facilities include restaurant, sauna, laundry service, dry cleaning and room service.
Moscow
Izmailovsky Market
This is an outdoor bazaar located in Izmailovsky Park. Vendors speak English and goods can be bargained for. The merchandise that these shopkeepers have to offer are diverse and range from wooden toys, to quilts, jewelry and dolls. It is worth stopping by here.
Moscow
Moscow Cultural Fund
Ceramics, dolls and wind chimes are just a few of the specialties available here.
Moscow
Skazki Starovo Arbata
This is a great place to buy souvenirs from. There is a wide selection from which to choose. Both simple and ornate knick knacks are available. The porcelain tea sets are gorgeous as well.
Moscow
Russkiye Uzori
This shop specialises in hand embroidered linens, hand painted plates and boxes.
Moscow
Gzhel
The specialty of this shop is the beautifully intricate and delicate ceramic tiles it sells. These are unique to Russia and are known in local lingo as 'gzhel' .
Moscow
Gorbushka Electronic Market
This is a huge black market where pirated DVDs, CDs and films are sold at next to nothing.
Moscow
Outdoor Art markets
Artists sell their work here at reasonable prices that are not fixed. It is also possible for buyers to get the paintings framed from these as framers too have set up stall here.
Moscow
Alexandrovsky Gardens
These gardens are lovely to take a stroll through. At the entrance of the garden, a marble monument has been erected to honor soldiers killed during WW II. Known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, it was built to commemorate especially those Russian cities that suffered atrocities under Nazi rule.
Moscow
The Kremlin
This massive fortress was built in the 12 th century to protect against invasion. It is a remarkable structure comprising of a citadel enclosed by brick walls and gates. It owes its magnificence to the history that it embodies. The fortress was ransacked by the Mongol invaders in the 14th century but was later restored to become the seat of power of the Czars and the Communist rulers.
Moscow
Red Square & Lenin's Mausoleum
Red Square is one of the most important sites in Moscow and swarming with tourists every holiday season. Communist parades were held here and parades continue to pass through this square. This structure is not to be missed especially since Lenin's Mausoleum is located right here.
Moscow
St. Basil's Cathedral
This was built in the 1500s to commemorate Russia's victory over the Mongol Tartars in 1555. Popular belief holds that Ivan the Terrible had the architect's eyes plucked out to prevent him from making anything grander than this.
Moscow
Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts
Named after the famous Russian writer Pushkin, this museum unlike Tretiakov Gallery is home to Russian art in addition to paintings and pieces from around the world. Its internationality means that every visitor will find something worthwhile here. Italian, Greek, French and Egyptian art pieces have been exhibited here. The art of Da Vinci, Remembrandt, Ruben, Van Gogh, Daumier and Renoir in particular are on display.
Moscow
The Cathedral of Christ the Savior
This was built in the 1800s to commemorate Russia's victory over Napoleon Bonaparte. Records of Russian military victories are engraved in the marble panels leading to the main hall.
Moscow
Tretiakov Gallery
This museum was built in the 19th Century. This is the most famous of the museums in Moscow and home to Russian art solely. It houses the paintings and masterpieces of incredible Russian artists from different time periods. These include: Vrubel, Kadinsky, Malevich, Kuindzhi and Repin. The collection is fabulous and one should spare an entire morning or afternoon to do justice to it.
Moscow
Novodevichy Convent and Cemetery
This convent was built in 1524. It comprises of a number of Churches including the Cathedral of Our Lady of Smolensk and the Gate Church of the Intercession. Tourists are treated to diverse architectural styles such as the white, golden and green walls and domes of the former and the red walls and domes of the latter. The convent was initially to be used for the purpose of imprisoning wives/ sisters/ daughters and other women who had fallen out of favor with the Russian rulers or their own families. Be sure to pay a visit to the cemetery where famous Russian writers, artists and leaders are buried. Writers Chekhov, Gogol, and Bulgakov are buried there along with Khrushchev and Yelstin
Moscow
Bolshoi Theatre
Bolshoi means'grand' and this theatre is so because of its brilliant ballet and opera performances. It was built in 1825 to replace the Petrovka theatre which had been destroyed in a fire. Later on it had to be re-built following another fire in 1853. The theatre was intended to cater to the whims of the royal family and other nobles and was a status symbol. Performances include Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet, Spartacus etc. The architecture of this theatre is magnificent; even if tourists are not interested in the ballet and opera performances they must stop over if only to absorb the splendor of this structure.
Moscow
Kolomenskoye
This is a sprawling estate situated along the Moscow River. It is ideal for those who want a break from the fast paced city life of Moscow. It consists of luscious green gardens and orchards which are ideal picnicking spots where tourists can unwind. Visitors can go on boat rides along the river, or simply enjoy the fresh air against the backdrop of the beautiful Church of the Ascension built in the 1500s. Tourists should also keep an eye out for any festivals going on around their time of visit. Kolomenskoye often is host to these.
Moscow
Cathedral Square
Every Saturday at noon the changing of the guards ceremony occurs at this square. The ceremony is an enactment meant to transport visitors back in time. The ceremony comprises of horses, an orchestra and soldiers dressed in uniforms from the Czarist era. To view this, tourists are required to pay a fee separately. Cathedral Square comprises of the following monuments:
Moscow
The Armory Museum
This was built in the 1800s on the site where Royal treasures were stored. A visit to this place will definitely enhance the tourist's knowledge of Russian history and its protagonists. Exhibited here are a variety of artifacts ranging from imperial carriages to weaponry to the thrones designed and built for different Russian rulers. Visitors are only allowed to roam the museum for a maximum duration of 1 hour and 45 minutes at a time. English audio guides are available which are well worth the price to get a good grasp of items showcased here.
Moscow
Czar Cannon and Czar Bell
These are two fantastic though strange features of the Kremlin. The cannon was built in the late 16 th Century to defend the Kremlin's Savior Gate. The bell was built in the early 18th Century and is the largest in the world, weighing around 200 tons. Both were never used and are reflective of the extravagance and excessiveness of Russian rulers.
Moscow
Red Staircase
This is located right next to the Cathedral of the Annunciation. It is famous for being climbed up by czars newly coroneted. Historically this staircase is also important since it was from these that Peter the Great witnessed his relatives being impaled during an uprising.