# CATHEDRAL OF BASIL THE BLESSED 8

Standing proudly at the head of Red Square and completed around 1550, St. Basil’s Cathedral with its vibrantly colored onion-shaped domes is the most recognizable landmark in Russia.

While the exterior is breathtaking, the interior is rather simple. However, it offers wonderful views over Red Square.

Cathedral World Heritage Site: since 1990 | Completed: 1550 | Height: 47.5 m / 156 ft | Style: Orthodox

# THE KREMLIN  8 

As a highlight of every trip to Moscow tourists can visit the Cathedral Square including four white 15th- and 16th-century cathedrals (7/10), the Armoury Chamber (6/10) as well as the Diamond Fund (5/10) inside the unscalable red-brick walls of the mighty Kremlin. 

Note that for each of those attractions a separate ticket has to be purchased. Inside the several buildings used for state functions including the famous Grand Kremlin Palace, sightseers are not allowed.

Fortified Complex with Churches and Museums World Heritage Site: since 1990

# Kolomenskoye Estate with CHURCH OF THE ASCENSION 6 

This former royal estate serves now as a museum reserve and is home to a number of attractions including the elegant UNESCO-listed Church of the Ascension (16th-century) and a reconstruction of the spectacular wooden palace of Tsar Alexei, famed for its fairy-tale roofs.

The immense park is beautifully situated on the banks of the Moskva River and easily accessible by metro.

Park and church Land Area: 3.9 km2 / 963 acres | World Heritage Site: since 1994

# State Tretyakov Gallery 6 

Established in 1902–04 with a façade in Russian fairy-tale style, the State Tretyakov Gallery is regarded as the world’s leading museum of Russian art, including thousands of works from the 11th to the 20th centuries.

In the halls of the gallery, you can see masterpieces by Nikitin, Kramskoi, Kiprensky, Ivanov, Perov, Repin as well as an exceptional collection of medieval icons and paintings.

• • • Important Masterpieces: 14
    • Highlight: Portrait of an Unknown Woman by Ivan Kramskoi (1883), 75.5 cm × 99 cm (29.7 in × 38.9 in)

This is our selection of the six best paintings of the State Tretyakov Gallery:

(Click on the images to open in lightbox [recommended])

1) Portrait of an Unknown Woman, Ivan Kramskoi (1883), 
75.5 cm × 99 cm (29.7 in × 38.9 in)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain

2) The girl with peaches, Valentin Serov (1887), 
91 × 85 cm (35.8 in × 33.4 in)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

3) Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan on 15 November 1581, Ilya Repin (1885), 
199.5 cm × 224 cm
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

4) Composition VII, Wassily Kandinsky (1913), 
200.6 × 302.2 cm
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

5) Religious Procession in Kursk Province, Ilya Repin (1880–83), 
175 cm × 280 cm
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

6) Demon Seated in a Garden, Mikhail Vrubel (1890), 
114 cm × 211 cm
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

Art Museum Gallery Space: 8,000 m2 [86,000 ft2] | Galleries: ca. 62 | Established: 1856 | Visitors [2017]: 1,344,915

# Tsaritsyno Museum-Reserve 6 

Established in 1776 by the order of Empress Catherine the Great, Tsaritsyno is a remarkable neo-Gothic palace museum and park reserve, located in the southern part of Moscow.

Occupying an area of more than 400 hectares, the complex features a striking palace, several museums, giant exhibition halls, pavilions, decorative bridges, picturesque ponds, musical fountains, sculptures, and scenic landscapes.

Park with palaces and museums Land Area: 4.05 km2 / 1000 acres

by Filtv / CC BY-SA 3.0

# Metro Stations 6 

As well as being widely considered the most beautiful underground transit system in the world, the Moscow Metro is also arguably one of the most efficient with trains passing every 90 seconds.

Inaugurated in 1935 in the era of Stalin as a Soviet propaganda project, numerous of Moscow’s heavily decorated 182 stations — most of them unique — are true masterpieces of art and architecture.

1) Komsomolskaya


2) Mayakovskaya

3)  Novoslobodskaya 

4) Kievskaya 

5) Teatralnaya

6) Taganskaya 

7) Ploschad Revolutsii

8) Novokuznetskaya

9) Slavyansky Bulvar

10) Elektrozavodskaya

Metro Stations

# Bolshoi Theatre 6 

Depicted on the Russian 100-ruble banknote, the Bolshoi Theatre is regarded as one of the greatest theaters in the world.

Its magnificent six-tier auditorium stages world-class ballet and opera productions.

Opera House

by Hadi Karimi / CC BY-SA 3.0

# Cathedral of Christ the Saviour 6 

The striking Cathedral of Christ the Saviour was completely rebuilt (for a total cost of over US$200 million) from 1994 until 2000 as a close replica of the original 19th Century cathedral, which was destroyed on the command of Josef Stalin in 1931.

The beautiful white cathedral with its golden dome is located on the northern bank of the Moskva River and 103 meters (338 ft) high.

Cathedral

# NOVODEVICHY CONVENT 6 

Founded in 1524, this UNESCO-listed convent contains imposing walls, towers, beautiful churches (Church of the Transfiguration, Cathedral of Our Lady of Smolensk), and an impressive 72 m-high red and white bell tower.

Convent World Heritage Site: since 2004

by Ikar.us / CC BY-SA 3.0