7 historical places in Moscow you can visit FOR FREE

1. ‘GUM’ department store

Standing on the Red Square, ‘GUM’ is not only Moscow's most luxurious shopping center, but also a place where people come just for the aesthetic pleasure. It’s a historic complex built in the late 19th century with an intricate glass roof, three shopping rows across several floors, a fountain and incredible architecture in the Russian style.

‘GUM’ is also always decorated with installations for various occasions, depending on the season. There’s also a historic store and a canteen, but those cost money!

2. ‘TSUM’ department store

The seven-story Neo-Gothic building was constructed in 1908. It housed Moscow's most fashionable store at the time – ‘Mur & Meriliz’ – founded by two Scotsmen. It had Moscow's first elevators and revolving doors available to everyone.

In Soviet times, it was renamed the ‘Central Universal Store’ (‘ЦУМ’; TSUM’); it did not lose its charm and remained absolutely elite. And, today, the world of luxury shopping continues inside.

3. ‘VDNKh’ Soviet-era exhibition park

A huge open-air park-museum built in the USSR in the Stalinist Empire style to demonstrate Soviet achievements in all spheres of life. Luxurious fountains, pavilions dedicated to the Soviet republics and several free museums on various themes still operate there today.

4. Kolomenskoye Museum-Reserve

In the 16th century, Russia's first stone tent-roofed church was built there. It was founded on the occasion of the birth of future Tsar Ivan the Terrible and Kolomenskoye later became his residence.

You can walk around the vast park territory all day. In the 2000s, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich’s ‘terem’ was restored there, a truly fairy-tale wooden palace!

5. Tsaritsyno Museum-Reserve

The luxurious palace ensemble near Kolomenskoye was built for Catherine the Great herself; she named these lands ‘Tsaritsyno’, which means ‘belonging to the tsarina’. She commissioned talented architect Vasily Bazhenov to build the pseudo-Gothic palace, but construction of the ambitious project dragged on so long that the empress died before the work was completed. However, today city residents happily stroll among the palaces and buildings.

6. Any of 500 historic churches

To enter the famous St. Basil's Cathedral or the Moscow Kremlin cathedrals, you need to buy a ticket. However, most other historic churches in Moscow can be entered absolutely free of charge.

One of the most interesting historic churches is the Baroque Pope Clement Church (yes, yes, in Orthodoxy, the Catholic Pope of Rome is also venerated as a saint). You can also visit the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, restored in the 1990s according to the original 19th-century design or any other church in the city center.

7. Krutitsy Metochion

This place on the steep bank of the Moskva River has been known since the 13th century and it’s a former residence of the patriarchy. After the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution the place was used for various needs and stood abandoned for many years, but a large-scale restoration was recently completed, so now you can enjoy a pleasant walk among the ancient churches.