Your COMPLETE guide to the State Historical Museum’s buildings & branches

Today, the State Historical Museum is one of the largest in the world. It houses archaeological artifacts, numismatic collections, rare old books, as well as various weapons and works of fine arts and craftsmen masterpieces.

The museum also has numerous buildings and branches. We’ll help you explore them all without getting lost!

Main Building of the Historical Museum

The founding date of the main museum of national history is considered to be February 9, 1872, when the supreme decree of Emperor Alexander II was issued. A plot of land was allocated for the museum right on the Red Square. The building was designed by architect Vladimir Sherwood in the neo-Russian style, so that it would not look like an alien element of the square's ensemble.

Address: Moscow, Red Square, 1

How to get there: It’s a 2-minute walk from ‘Teatralnaya’, ‘Okhotny Ryad’ and ‘Ploshchad Revolutsii’ subway stations. 

Working hours: It’s open daily from 10 am to 5 or 6 pm. The ticket offices close an hour before the museum closes.

Ticket price: A general admission ticket costs 2,000 rubles (approx. $25) and 600 rubles (~$7.50) for Russian citizens. You can buy it on the museum’s official website: tickets.shm.ru. You can also buy tickets for excursions or thematic guided tours, while audioguides in Russian and English are also available. Some guided tours are held in English and French. Learn more at shm.ru.

What’s on display?

• The genealogical tree of Russian rulers from Princess Olga to Emperor Alexander III can be seen right in the lobby of the museum – such a mural adorns the ceiling. 
• With the help of numerous artifacts, one can trace the development of Russian history and culture from ancient times up to the early 20th century. The museum's interiors and interior decor, meanwhile, were decorated by the best artists of the turn of the 19th-20th centuries.  
• A unique ‘Golden’ storeroom with masterpieces of jewelry and weapons art.

Read more about the main building here and what to explore there. 

Museum of the Patriotic War of 1812

This museum is relatively new and was opened in 2012 to mark the 200th anniversary of the victory over Napoleon. It is located next to the main building in the old building of the Moscow City Duma, built in the late 19th century by architect Dmitry Chichagov, also in the neo-Russian style.

Address: Moscow, Revolutsii Square, 2/3

How to get there: It’s a 2-minute walk from ‘Teatralnaya’, ‘Okhotny Ryad’ and ‘Ploshchad Revolutsii’ subway stations. 

Working hours: It’s open daily from 10 am to 6 or 9 pm. The ticket offices close an hour before the museum closes.

Ticket price: A ticket without benefits costs 1,000 rubles (and 500 rubles for citizens of the Russian Federation). You can buy one on the museum’s official website: tickets.shm.ru. Audio guides and guided tours are also available.

What’s on?

• The exhibits of the thematic exhibition, which was organized to mark the 100th anniversary of the war of 1812, were granted to the museum first-hand.
• Multimedia materials with the chronology of the war of 1812. 
• Fine art and archaeological finds dedicated to the Battle of Borodino.

St. Basil’s Cathedral

The Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat or simply Pokrovsky Cathedral, is more famously known as Saint Basil's Cathedral. It’s a monument of 16th century Russian architecture, built by order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible in honor of the capture of Kazan and Khanate of Kazan. It’s a unique ensemble of 11 churches under one roof. You can enter each of them (and find the very chapel in honor of St. Basil the Blessed). The cathedral only occasionally holds religious services.

Address: Moscow, Red Square, 7

How to get there: It’s a 6-minute walk from ‘Teatralnaya’, ‘Okhotny Ryad’ and ‘Ploshchad Revolutsii’ subway stations.

Working hours: Daily from 10 am to 5 or 6 pm. The ticket offices close 45 minutes before the end of the museum. The church is closed on the first Wednesday of the month 

Ticket price: A ticket without benefits costs 2,000 rubles (and 600 rubles for citizens of the Russian Federation). You can buy it at tickets.shm.ru. You can also buy tickets for excursions or thematic guided tours and audioguides in Russian and English. Some guided tours are also held in English and French. Learn more at shm.ru.

What’s on?

• Incredible frescoes that survived the Soviet era, when the historical and architectural museum was located in the church.
• Ancient Russian iconography, unique iconostases and church interiors.

Chambers of the Romanov Boyars

Boyar chambers of the 16th century have been preserved near the modern Zaryadye Park. They once belonged to the Romanov boyars, the founders of the royal dynasty.

Address: Moscow, Varvarka Street 10

How to get there: It’s a 5-minute walk from ‘Kitai-Gorod’ subway station and a 13-minute walk from ‘Teatralnaya’, ‘Okhotny Ryad’ and ‘Ploshchad Revolutsii’ subway stations. 

Working hours: It’s open daily from 10 or 11 am to 6 or 7 pm. The ticket offices close an hour before the museum closes. The first Monday of the month, meanwhile, is a day off. Admission to the museum is done in sessions and the number of tickets is limited.

Ticket price: A general admission ticket costs 1,000 rubles (~$12.50) and 600 rubles (~$6.25) for Russian citizens. You can buy one at tickets.shm.ru. 

What’s on?

• This is one of the oldest residential buildings in Moscow. 
• Authentic objects reflecting the patriarchal life of the Moscow boyars of the 16-17th centuries.
• Recreated residential and business interiors, furniture, clothes and utensils of that time. 
• Examples of decorative and applied art of pre-Petrine Russia: tiled stoves, painted chests, antique books, fabrics, and more.

Central Museum of the Russian Cossacks

This brand new addition opened in 2025 in an 18th-century mansion and its exposition covers the entire history of the Cossacks in Russia from the 16th century to present day.

Address: Moscow, Bolshoi Levshinsky Lane, 8/1 building 1

How to get there: It’s a 10-minute walk from ‘Smolenskaya’ subway station, and a 13-minute walk from ‘Pak Kultury’ and ‘Kropotkinskaya’ subway stations.

Working hours: It’s open every day (except Wednesday) from 11 am to 7 or 9 pm. The ticket offices close an hour before the museum closes.

Ticket price: A general admission ticket costs 800 rubles (~$10.00) and 400 rubles (~$5.00) for Russian citizens. You can buy one at tickets.shm.ru. 

What’s on?

• Authentic items of Cossack life: uniforms, weapons, banners, coins, paintings, maps, sculptures, awards and much more.
• A saber awarded by Empress Catherine the Great to a colonel of the Don Cossack Army.  
• A model of a Cossack hut donated to the Historical Museum by Emperor Nicholas II.

Read more about the Cossack Museum here.

Historical Museum. Tula branch

This branch opened in 2019 on Metallistov pedestrian street in one of the most beautiful old houses in the city, the Belolipetsky Mansion.

Address: Tula, Metallistov St. 10

How to get there: It’s a 2-minute walk from the Tula Kremlin and Upa River embankment. The city of Tula is located 200 km south of Moscow and you can get there in two hours on the ‘Lastochka’ train. 

Working hours: It’s open daily from 10 am to 7 or 9 pm. The ticket offices close half an hour before the museum closes. Note that the last Tuesday of every month is a day off.

Ticket price: A general admission ticket costs 300 rubles (~$3.75). You can buy one at tickets.shm.ru.

What’s on?

• There is no permanent exhibition in the Tula museum yet, only temporary exhibitions are held. Check the schedule on the museum's website tula.shm.ru.

Read more about activities and sightseeing in Tula here.