248 Best Sights in Russia

Konstantin Stanislavsky (1863–1938) was a Russian actor, director, and producer, as well as the founder of the Stanislavsky Method, the catalyst for method acting. He was also one of the founders of the Moscow Art Theater. Stanislavsky lived and worked in this house, an elegant 19th-century building with stunning painted ceilings, during the last 17 years of his life. The house has been kept as it was while he lived here, showcasing a small practice theater, the various leather chairs he preferred, a few of his old theater costumes, and other memorabilia. The entrance to the museum is through the courtyard.

You may recognize these twin towers if you've ever caught clips of Soviet military parades on television. Against the backdrop of the pointed spires, the tanks and missiles rolling through Red Square seemed to acquire even more potency. The redbrick museum, built in 1874–83 in the pseudo-Russian style, combines a variety of backward-looking architectural styles and houses extensive archaeological and historical collections and interesting temporary exhibits outline.

In 1961 this rectangular structure of glass and aluminum was built as the Dvorets Syezdov (Palace of Congresses) to accommodate meetings of Communist Party delegates from across the Soviet Union. Today it's affiliated with the Bolshoi Theatre and is used for concerts, fashion shows, and ballets. Big names such as Tom Jones, Elton John, and Rod Stewart have played here. A sizable portion of the palace is underground: the architect designed the structure this way so that it wouldn't be higher than any of the other Kremlin buildings. Apart from attending a concert, the building is of no real interest.

Giacomo Quarenghi designed this neoclassical building between 1806 and 1808 in the style of an imposing country manor. It's here where Lenin and his associates planned the overthrow of the Kerensky government in October 1917, and Lenin lived at the Smolny for 124 days. The rooms in which he resided and worked are now a memorial museum. The museum also has an exhibit on the Russian Institute of Noble Girls, which was in the building from 1808 through 1917. The school was founded by the decree of Catherine the Great in 1764 and aimed to turn out well-educated women and future mothers, who would go on to raise similarly worthy children. The Institute enrolled girls from noble families from six years of age, and they graduated when they turned 18, after intense instruction in science, crafts, and the arts. They were allowed to see their parents rarely, and only with special permission. Today the rest of the building houses the offices of the governor of St. Petersburg and can be visited only by special request. To see the museum, make an appointment at least a week in advance. Tours are in Russian only, so you may want to bring an interpreter.

Admission to the Smolny is only through a tourist company or some other official or business organization and arrangements must be made at least four or five days in advance.

One of Peter the Great's passions was inspired by Versailles. When first laid out in 1704, the garden was given the regular, geometric style made famous by Louis XIV's gardener, Andre Le Nôtre, and decorated with statues and sculptures as well as with imported trees and plants. Grottoes, pavilions, ponds, fountains, and intricate walkways were placed throughout, and the grounds are bordered on all sides by rivers and canals. In 1777, floods did so much damage (entirely destroying the system of fountains) that the Imperial family stopped using the garden for entertaining, and the fountains were not restored. When the family decamped for environs farther afield, they left the Summer Garden for use by the upper classes. Today it's a popular park accessible to everyone. The graceful wrought-iron fence that marks the entrance to the garden was designed in 1779 by Yuri Felten; it's supported by pink granite pillars decorated with vases and urns.

Just inside this southeastern corner is Peter's original Summer Palace, Letny Dvorets. Designed by Domenico Trezzini and completed in 1714, the two-story building is quite simple, as most of Peter's dwellings were. The walls are of brick covered in stucco and painted primrose yellow. Open since 1934 as a museum, it has survived without major alteration. Currently the palace is closed for a long-needed restoration that is expected to last for several years. Two other attractive buildings nearby are the Coffee House (Kofeinyi Domik), built by Carlo Rossi in 1826, and the Tea House (Tchainyi Domik), built by L.I. Charlemagne in 1827. Neither of them serves the beverage they are named for: they're both used for expositions these days. As you walk through the park, take a look at some of its more than 80 statues. Peace and Abundance, sculpted in 1722 by Pietro Baratta, an allegorical depiction of Russia's victory in the war with Sweden, is one of the two original statues left in the garden after a recent renovation; the others are in Mikhailovsky Palace. The other original statue, just off the main alley, is of Ivan Krylov, a writer known as "Russia's La Fontaine." Peter Klodt, who also did the Anichkov Bridge horse statues, designed this sculpture, which was unveiled in 1855. Scenes from Krylov's fables, including his version of "The Fox and the Grapes," appear on the pedestal.

The famous Tchaikovsky Music Competition takes place every four years in this prestigious music school's grand performance space. Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, and Tchaikovsky are among the famous composers who worked at the conservatory, founded in 1866 and at its current location since 1870. Concerts are performed almost daily in the school's various performance spaces, which include the smaller Rachmaninovsky and Maly Halls. Both of these host chamber music concerts. Tickets, almost always affordable, are sold at a small window directly on the sidewalk on ulitsa Bolshaya Nikitskaya east of the main hall. If you'd rather not attend a performance, you can also just sit back with a coffee and listen to rehearsals and concerts from the summer garden of the Coffeemania here, near a statue of Tchaikovsky designed by Vera Mukhina, a famous Soviet sculptor.

Russia's best-known composer left this house for the last time on October 7, 1893, for St. Petersburg, where he performed his last concert before his death on November 6 of that year. Less than a year after his death, the composer's brother, Modest Tchaikovsky, transformed the house into a museum. A gifted playwright and translator, Modest also played an outstanding role in preserving his brother's heritage. He maintained the original appearance of the second-floor rooms, and secured personal belongings, photographs, and a unique library of some 2,000 volumes. Some of the original scores, drafts, and letters that Modest collected are now displayed in Klin. The centerpiece of the museum is Tchaikovsky's Becker piano, on which only renowned musicians are permitted to play on special occasions. During World War II the house suffered major damage when the Nazis turned the first floor into a bike garage, and the second-floor rooms into soldiers' barracks. In the late 1940s the museum underwent major renovations, and a brick building with a concert hall was constructed next to the composer's house. The finalists of the annual Tchaikovsky International Competition of Young Musicians (held in May or June) perform in this Soviet-era hall. Additionally, on the anniversary of the composer's birth (May 7) and death (November 6) memorial concerts are held in the hall. Tchaikovsky's music plays continuously in the museum. The museum cafeteria provides a traditional Russian tea service from a samovar.

The main entrance to the Kremlin rises to more than 150 feet (46 meters). At its base a gate pierces the thick walls, and you can still see the slits for the chains of the former drawbridge. Black Volgas (now replaced by top-of-the-line Mercedes and BMWs) once whizzed through the vehicular entrance, carrying government employees to work.

The spire of this lovely golden-yellow building is visible throughout the city and is one of St. Petersburg's most renowned emblems. The first structure on this site was a shipyard of Peter the Great, followed by an earthen fortress that guarded the port; after this came the first Admiralty, made of stone and topped by the spire that's endured to grace each successive structure. As you walk through the park in front, you'll see various statues, mostly of artists such as the composer Mikhail Glinka and the writer Mikhail Lermontov; the figure accompanied by the delightful camel is of Nikolai Przhevalsky, a 19th-century explorer of Central Asia.

In a former 19th-century warehouse, exhibits explore Moscow's architectural and cultural history through paintings, artifacts, and amusing life-size dioramas. Unfortunately there is no written information in English, making it difficult to glean much from the exhibits unless you read Russian or have a guide.

A worthy assortment of impressionist, postimpressionist, and modern art, as well as Russian icons, are spread out over two floors and include paintings, sculptures, and drawings by Russian and European artists collected during the Soviet era. Some of the more notable pieces include those from the collection of the museum's major contributors, Ilya Silberstein. The museum regularly hosts temporary exhibits.

This branch of the Tretyakov Gallery shares a building with the Tsentralny Dom Khudozhnikov (Central House of Artists) across from Gorky Park. Often called the "New Branch," it has a permanent exhibit entitled "Art of the 20th Century" that spans from prerevolutionary work by Chagall, Malevich, and Kandinsky to the socialist realist, modern, and postmodern periods.

Swiss architect Thomas de Thomon designed these columns, which were erected between 1805 and 1810 in honor of the Russian fleet. The monument takes its name from the Latin rostrum, meaning "prow." Modeled on similar memorials in ancient Rome, the columns are decorated with ships' prows; sculptures at the base depict Russia's main waterways, the Dnieper, Volga, Volkhov, and Neva rivers. Although the columns originally served as lighthouses—until 1855 this was St. Petersburg's commercial harbor—they are now lit only on special occasions, such as City Day (May 27). The columns were designed to frame the architectural centerpiece of this side of the embankment—the old Stock Exchange, which now holds the Naval Museum.

Until Boris Yeltsin's presidency (1991–99) this 1491 tower served as the main entrance to the Kremlin. Indeed, in the centuries before Communist rule, all who passed through it were required to doff their hats and bow before the icon of the Savior that hung on the front of the tower. The icon was removed, but you can see the outline of where it was. The embellished roof and the first clock were added in 1625. President Vladimir Putin uncharacteristically used the Spasskaya Tower exit in May 2003 when hurrying to a Paul McCartney concert on Red Square.

Glass cases filled to capacity with artwork and clothing from the Central Asian republics, China, Japan, and Korea make up the museum's large permanent collection. The museum itself is a cool and calm place to take a leisurely stroll. Most of the placards in the museum are in Russian, but there are a few annotations in English.

Built in 1655–56 by Patriarch Nikon, this was his private church. An exhibit here displays icons removed from other Kremlin churches destroyed by the Soviets. The silver containers and stoves were used to make holy oil. Next door to the church is the Patriarch's Palace.

Overlooking the Volga River, a 10-minute walk from the boat dock, Uglich's Kremlin complex is worth a visit not only for its beautiful onion-domed architecture, but also its historic art and numerous artifacts. Home to one of the oldest museums in Russia, the Kremlin has a huge number of rare books, sculptures, fabrics, ceramics, and even weaponry in its permanent collection.

The village's star attraction is undoubtedly its Vodka Museum, which details the history of the country's most famous tipple. Thousands of bottles line the knotty-wood walls of this quaint museum, and visitors can sample different varieties or buy a bottle to take home.

Architect Afanasy Grigoriev designed this mansion, a fine example of the Moscow Empire style (1822–24). The minor poet Lopukhin, a distant relative of Tolstoy's, lived here, and the mansion was converted into a museum in 1920. The exhibit halls contain a rich collection of manuscripts and photographs of Tolstoy and his family, as well as pictures and paintings of Tolstoy's Moscow. Even if you don't know Russian, you can learn about the writer's life through the photographs, and in each room there's a typed handout in English to help explain its holdings. Note the picture of 19th-century Moscow in the second hall (on the left-hand wall). The huge cathedral taking up more than half the photograph is the Cathedral of Christ Our Savior—the original 19th-century structure that was torn down and subsequently re-created.

Dedicated on May 9, 1967, the 22nd anniversary of the Russian victory over Germany in World War II, this red-granite monument within Alexander Garden contains the body of an unidentified Soviet soldier, one of those who, in autumn 1941, stopped the German attack at the village of Kryukovo, just outside Moscow. To the right of the grave there are six urns holding soil from the six "heroic cities" that so stubbornly resisted the German onslaught: Odessa, Sevastopol, Stalingrad (the current Volgograd), Kiev, Brest, and Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). Very likely, no matter what time of year you are visiting, you'll see at least one wedding party. The young couple in full wedding regalia, along with friends and family, customarily stops here after getting married, leaving behind flowers and snapping photographs along the way. The gray obelisk just beyond the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was erected in 1918 to commemorate the Marxist theoreticians who contributed to the Bolshevik Revolution. It was created out of an obelisk that had been put up three years earlier, in honor of the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty.

In the early 19th century, after Rostov had lost its metropolitanate to nearby Yaroslavl, it became an extremely important trading center. Rostov's annual market, across the square from Uspensky Sobor, was the third largest in Russia. Today the town's central market, where food, clothes, and household goods are sold, occupies the site.

The world's first matryoshka (that colorful, wooden nesting doll) was designed in Sergiev-Posad at the beginning of the 20th century, and most of the matryoshkas you see for sale in Moscow and St. Petersburg are made here. Although the Toy Museum is rarely included on organized tours, it is well worth an hour of your time and is within walking distance of the Troitse-Sergieva Lavra monastery. Its toys have amused, educated, and illuminated the lives of Russian children for generations.

This major intersection is where the grand boulevard of Moscow, the Garden Ring, crosses Tverskaya ulitsa. In the center of the square stands a statue of the revolutionary poet Vladimir Mayakovsky (1893–1930), who it's generally believed committed suicide after he became disillusioned with the revolution he had so passionately supported.

The square is a center of Moscow's cultural life—and lately it's also become the political opposition's preferred site for anti-Putin rallies. (In order to prevent the latter, city authorities occasionally cordon off much of the square, supposedly to undertake emergency construction work.) The Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, which opened in 1940, stands on one corner (in its foyer are various food outlets); the Satire Theater is next door, on the Garden Ring; and the Mossoviet Theater is nearby, at 16 Bolshaya Sadovaya. The multitiered tower of the elegant Peking Hotel, opened in 1956 as a mark of Sino-Soviet friendship, rises nearby.

While you're here, it's worth riding the escalator down for a peek at the spectacular interior of the Mayakovskaya metro station, which, like many early stations, lies deep underground (it doubled as a bomb shelter during World War II). Stalin made a famous speech here on the 24th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution, at the height of the Siege of Moscow. Colorful, pastel mosaics depicting Soviet achievements in outer space decorate the ceiling.

Rising 240 feet, this is the tallest bashnya (tower) in the Kremlin wall and is linked to the Kutafya Tower by a bridge that once spanned a moat. Its deep, subterranean chambers were once used as prison cells. Napoléon supposedly lost his hat when he entered the Kremlin through this gate in 1812.

The museum collection contains miniatures and portraits by serf artist Vasily Tropinin (1776–1857) and his contemporaries. The pretty period rooms and permanent painting collection offer an interesting peek into a Moscow now long gone.

The world's largest bell is also the world's most silent: it has never rung once. Commissioned in the 1730s, the bell was damaged when it was still in its cast. It weighs more than 200 tons and is 20 feet high. The bas-reliefs on the outside show Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and Tsarina Anna Ivanovna.

This huge piece of artillery (pushka) has the largest caliber of any gun in the world, but like the Tsar Bell that has never been rung, it has never fired a single shot. Cast in bronze in 1586 by Andrei Chokhov, it weighs 40 tons and is 17½ feet long. Its present carriage was cast in 1835, purely for display purposes.

This popular boating and picnicking spot is the site of the 18th-century summer palace that was started but never completed for Catherine the Great. The empress pulled down the work of her first architect; the second building phase was never completed, probably for financial reasons, and her heirs took no interest in Tsaritsyno. Now the kitchen, Gothic Revival main palace, and grounds have been restored, and a collection of porcelain, paintings, and sculptures are on display in the theater.

Marina Tsvetaeva (1892–1941), the renowned poet, lived in an apartment on the second floor of this building from 1914 to 1922. Today the building houses not only a museum dedicated to her but also a cultural center that arranges international literary evenings, musical events, and annual conferences covering the poet and the Silver Age (1890s–1917) in general. You must ring the bell to enter the museum, which begins on the second floor. Although the rooms are decorated in the style of the early 1900s, they are not as they were when Tsvetaeva lived here. The poetry written on the wall in her bedroom has been re-created. The children's room has some stuffed animals in place of the real animals—a dog, a squirrel, and a turtle, to name a few—that Tsvetaeva kept in her home.

This last section of ulitsa Tverskaya leads to Belorussky railway station, which also has two interconnecting metro stations. The entrances to all three stations are spread along the edge of sprawling ploshchad Tverskaya Zastava, known for its gnarled traffic patterns caused by construction projects that have occupied it for years. Lately, the area surrounding the square has become home to a number of popular restaurants, including the gastropub favorite Ragout and a midrange steakhouse called Torro Grill. Belorussky station is where trains roll in from Western Europe (and from Sheremetyevo airport on the Aeroexpress) and is the site of the former Triumphal Gates, built in the 19th century by the architect Osip Bove to commemorate the Russian victory in the war with Napoléon. The gates were demolished in a typical fit of destruction in the 1930s. A replica of the original gates was erected in 1968 near Poklonnaya Hill, at the end of Kutuzovsky prospekt.