Moscow: what to see in 1 day

Moscow in a day is explored starting from Red Square, the symbolic heart of the city, then passing by the Kremlin until reaching the elegant streets of the historic center.

It's a route that alternates religious architecture, political power, and contemporary urban life, then leaving the afternoon choice between two different ways to continue the day.

At Red Square stand side by side the Cathedral of Saint Basil, with its bulbous domes colored and become the most recognizable symbol of Russia, and the Mausoleum of Lenin, where the embalmed body of the Soviet leader is still displayed: this is the starting point.

On the square also faces the GUM, the historic department store with its nineteenth-century iron and glass gallery, today home to luxury boutiques.

From here you enter the Kremlin, the fortress that for centuries was the center of Russian power, with its internal cathedrals and the Armory, the museum that houses Fabergé eggs and the treasures of the Tsars.

For lunch, the streets around Nikolskaya Street, pedestrian and illuminated, offer numerous restaurants where you can taste dishes like pelmeni or borscht.

The Tretyakov Gallery collects the most important collection of Russian art, from medieval icons to the avant-gardes of the early twentieth century.

Along the river, Gorky Park has been renovated in recent years in a contemporary way, with installations, fountains and spaces for sports.

Toward evening, Arbat Street, historic pedestrian street frequented by artists and street musicians, becomes the most natural point for a walk before dinner.

Red Square, the Kremlin, and the GUM explain Moscow's historic power on their own, while the afternoon choice between the Tretyakov Gallery and Gorky Park tells its daily life.

The monumental stations of Moscow's metro and the Zamoskvorechye neighborhood remain good reasons to return. Seeing Saint Basil's colorful domes against Red Square's sky is perhaps the most direct image of Moscow.