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The 10 Best Museums in Boulevard Ring, Central Russia
The political, scientific, historical, architectural and business center of Russia, Moscow displays the country's contrasts at their most extreme. The ancient and modern are juxtaposed side by side in this city of 10 million. Catch a metro from one of the ornate stations to see Red Square, the Kremlin, the nine domes of St. Basil's Cathedral, Lenin's Mausoleum, the KGB Museum and other symbols of Moscow's great and terrible past, then lighten up and shop Boulevard Ring or people watch in Pushkin Square.
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1. Art Gallery of the European and American Countries of the XIX-XX centuries
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 495 reviews
Reviewed By ginsengNewYork
Located in an unassuming building near Pushkine Museum, these galleries contain some fascinating pieces of art from the great European and American painters of the 19th and early 20th centuries - Monet, Picasso, Degas, Van Gogh, Sisley, Gauguin, Cassatt and many more. It is well laid out, with the galleries spread over three compact floors. The rest of this incredible collection is in St Petersburg in the Hermitage beautiful modern wing.
2. K. Stanislavskiy's House Museum
3. Art Center. Moscow
4. Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,813 reviews
The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts (Russian: Музеи изобразительных искусств им. А.С. Пушкина) is the largest museum of European art in Moscow, located in Volkhonka street, just opposite the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. The International musical festival Svyatoslav Richter's December nights has been held in the Pushkin museum since 1981. The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts holds one of Russia's largest collections of foreign art from ancient times to the present day. Its modern presentation introduces visitors to the Museum's extensive study collections of toned plaster casts reproducing works of Graeco-Roman art, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The Museum also houses original paintings and sculpture, drawings and examples of decorative and applied art. In the halls on the ground floor original works of art are displayed from Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Rome, together with European paintings ranging in date from the 8th to the 8th centuries. Two halls, known as the Italian and Greek Courtyards, contain casts. The halls on the first floor display for visitors casts of art works from Ancient Greece and Rome, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The halls, hung with paintings, exhibit works of art from the 19th and 20th centuries. Known for its outstanding temporary exhibitions, this museum also has an impressive permanent collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist art.
Reviewed By SecondHalfTravels - New Mexico, United States
I bought a two-day ticket online, which worked out very well. I was glad I split my visit up into two days, as both branches would’ve been too much for me to take in in one day. The online system is not as user-friendly as the Hermitage’s, unfortunately, and the instructions were a bit confusing. You can buy the ticket up to 30 days in advance (unlike the Hermitage, which gives you 180 days), and you get two-day access to the two buildings of the Pushkin starting on the date you select for your ticket. You must print the voucher. Both Pushkin museum buildings open at 11 am (Note: wish they opened a bit earlier, at 10, as it’s a bit of a late start to the day!). At 11 am on the first day indicated on my ticket, I went to the Gallery of 19th and 20th Century European and American Art. There was virtually no line to get in, and I exchanged my printed voucher for a two-day ticket. I was expecting the gallery to be larger than it was, more like the General Staff building of the Hermitage, but it wasn’t that big, and I actually got through it in just over an hour. There are some extraordinary paintings, though, in this collection. The next day I went to the main Pushkin building with my two-day ticket. There was already a big line at 11 am, but I walked directly to the front of the queue and was waved in by a friendly security guard after showing my ticket from the day before. The ground floor was fantastic. Highlights for me were the ancient civilizations collection, especially the Egyptian artifacts and the treasures of Troy, and the Dutch masters section, including the Rembrandts. The second floor (first European floor) for me was less interesting. There are a lot of plaster cast replicas of famous Greek and Roman statues. There was also a temporary Venetian art exhibit included in the regular ticket that I wandered through. Currently there is also a popular temporary exhibit of Edo-era Japanese art upstairs requiring a separate ticket that I didn’t visit. I hadn’t bought the ticket online and there was a huge line to buy it, and it was just too much in addition to seeing the permanent collection. I left at 1:30 pm after two and a half hours. By that point on a Sunday, the museum had gotten extremely full, and the queue to get in even longer, so best to go early.
5. Moscow Kremlin
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 7,891 reviews
Moscow's most famous historical and political landmark, the Kremlin is a walled-in complex of cathedrals, palaces and government offices, with several buildings open to the public, including the Armoury, Patriarch's Palace and the State Kremlin Palace.
Reviewed By CAPerth
The Kremlin is a collection of several attractions, the Architectural Ensemble (basically the main Kremlin grounds, museums and several historic Orthodox Cathedrals), the Armoury (the Treasury including carriages, Faberge eggs, jewellery, armour and ceremonial clothing), the Diamond Fund (basically a collection of individual stones and some set pieces) and the Ivan Bell Tower. We purchased our tickets on line for the Architectural Ensemble (day ticket) and Armoury (timed ticket, different day) from the official website as soon as our dates were available (17 days prior). The Diamond Fund tickets are purchased from inside the Armoury. Prices are quite cheap given the world class exhibits. We did not attempt to buy tickets to the Bell Tower following advice on line and confirmed by our guide that it is like winning the lottery and you have to hang around for hours on the one in a hundred chance that you might score tickets. Note that even though you buy in advance, you still have to queue up to exchange your “voucher” for a ticket and you will need your original passport as ID. Not sure if this is much quicker than buying tickets direct but since we were in peak time and Armoury tickets are quite limited, advance purchase is highly recommended. We visited the Cathedrals as part of a tour with Viki Tours (Armoury we did ourselves, audio guide is free and very good but covers the main exhibits only – to get detailed commentary on everything would take a whole day) and we had planned our visit to coincide with the Ceremonial mounting parade of Horse Guard and Foot Guard of the Presidential Regiment at midday on Saturday. This is a worthwhile addition if you can plan it, but may have also accounted for the very large crowd there that day (or that could be normal in June). Unfortunately, no photography is allowed inside the cathedrals or the Armoury Museum.
6. Armoury Chamber
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,933 reviews
A dazzling array of treasures from the 4th to the 20th century are housed in this Kremlin museum, including thrones and carriages of the tsars, the works of Moscow silver and goldsmiths, arms, jewels, precious Russian Easter eggs and other Russian and foreign decorative arts.
Reviewed By RitaC651 - Melbourne, Australia
We were overwhelmed by the treasures we saw and were surprised that such an amazing collection survived Russia’s turbulent history. Hundreds of objects made of gold and silver were encrusted with gems. The gold carriages were unbelievable. The collection of crowns was my favourite. So many display cases were filled with items that showed the wealth and lavish lifestyle of the Tsars. There were displays of clothes worn by the royal family, some famous Faberge eggs and many other items. Everything was beautifully styled. There were military uniforms, weapons and horse armoury that were all heavily decorated. There was also a number of religious items. This museum shows the connection between the wealth and power of the Tzar, the church and the state. No wonder there was a revolution in Russia.
7. Cathedral of the Archangel (Arkhangelsky Sobor)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 206 reviews
This church at Cathedral Square is most notable for what lies underneath it - the burial grounds of most of Russia's rulers up until the 1690s - as well as the muraled walls showing who lies beneath.
Reviewed By drogilmour - Guatemala City, Guatemala
St. Michael Archangel’s cathedral had been a burial place of Moscow Princes and Tsars. The tombs of the Ryurikovich dynasty are located endlong the cathedral's walls. The tombs of the Romanov dynasty are situated near the south-western and north-western pillars. You will find signs in English, placed on top of the gaskets The first Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible (Ivan the IV) and two his sons are buried in a special tsar's shrine set in the altar part of the cathedral. Here also look for the sign. Russian tsars were buried here until the capital was moved to St. Petersburg. In 1333, the first Great Moscow Prince Ivan Kalita ordered to lay the foundation of church devoted to St. Archangel Michael, respected in Rus as a guardian of soldiers and Russian princes in their feats of arms. A new majestic cathedral was erected on this site in 1505-1508, Built with five onion shape caps, the central golden one represents Jesus and the four tin coloured ones, each of the evangelists.
8. Cathedral of the Annunciation
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 221 reviews
The magnificent interiors of this chapel belonging to the royal family include spectacular frescoes, icons painted by the masters and a gleaming agate jasper tiled floor.
Reviewed By KatrinaMolini - Corciano, Italy
This was a private church of Russian princes and tsars. I was very impressed by the multi-tier iconostasis that includes almost a hundred icons situated in six rows and the stunning blue western portal with carved ornament.
9. Diamond Fund (Almazny Fond)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,804 reviews
The Orlov Diamond, a gift to Catherine the Great from Count Orlov, her lover, is only one of the many diamonds and jewels on display in this incredible collection at the Kremlin.
Reviewed By supermic - Hoogland, The Netherlands
The treasures of the Almaznyy Fond include items that were used during the coronations and other special occasions, which were designed to demonstrate the glory and richness of the Russian empire. The question of how this wealth was obtained is of course not answered here. The Diamond Fund collection includes the so-called crown jewels including the Great Imperial Crown, which was made for the coronation of Empress Catherine II in 1762 The Diamond Fund collection contains the seven world-famous gems. The Orlov diamond is the largest and most famous of them. It adorns the imperial scepter of Empress Catherine II. The collection also includes jewelery masterpieces from the 18th-20th centuries, rare gems, insignia, gold and platinum gold nuggets of invaluable value. Tickets for the Diamond Fund cannot be obtained online, but can be purchased at kiosk numbers 4 and 5 (and in the Armory in possesion of a armoury ticket) and cost 500 RUB. Note that the Kremlin is closed on Thursdays. The entrance is at by the Borovitskaya Tower (number 20) and it is recommended to use the 45 min audio guide.
10. State Museum of Oriental Art
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 170 reviews
