Bucket List Checkoff: The Red Square, Moscow

As an architecture nerd, visiting the Red Square in Moscow has been on my bucket list for years and WOW it did not disappoint. I could spend a year just walking around, there is so much to do and so many pictures to take! The cathedrals and museums are a once and a lifetime must-see, even though it was raining and freezing the when we went.

How to get there:

Luckily, the Red Square is in the center of Moscow so getting there by Metro is easy. Nearly every Metro line has a stop near to the Red Square, but the 3 closest lines are red (Okhotny Ryad station), green (Teatralnaya station) and blue (Phoshchad Revolyutsll station). See below for Russian names. The Moscow Metro is dirt cheap, it’s 110 RUB per round trip, which translates for a little less than $2.00.

If you’re not a Metro person, that’s okay because Uber is also inexpensive. We were taking Uber Black cars around for the same price as UberX in the US.

What to do/see:

St. Basil’s Cathedral

Built in the 16th century, it’s probably the most Instagrammable spot on the Red Square. The amazing colors and patterns makes it super unique. It’s at the southern end of the Red Square so it’s a bit of a hike, but 100% worth it!

The GUM 

The GUM is a huge, beautiful mall. It’s  three stories tall and covered in marble, honestly it looks more like a hotel than a mall. As an American I recommend not shopping in Russia (higher taxes), but it’s still really cool to walk around. They do an amazing job decorating for each season and it’s always very clean with cheerful music.

The Historic Toilet

The Historic Toilet is located inside the GUM. Honestly, I don’t know what all the fuss is about and I’d recommend not wasting your money. Essentially, in the past, paying to use the bathroom in Europe was common, so in this ‘historic toilet’ you pay $2.55 to use the bathroom. Granted it’s a very pretty bathroom but if you go across the street to the Ritz Carlton or the Four Seasons, the bathrooms are just as fancy and free. My advice is to save your money and just look at the pictures online.

State Historical Museum 

We didn’t go inside to tour the state museum but it’s really pretty on the outside!

 Voskresenskiye Gate

The Kremlin 

I could do a whole blog post on just the Kremlin, it’s huge and there is so much to see. Sadly, every part is worth doing. There are three main parts of the Kremlin that you need tickets for, the Armory, the jewels, and the Cathedrals. Each one requires a separate ticket that you can purchase at the main ticket booth right inside the gate. Where it gets a little tricky is whether or not you want to do the guided tours or the self-guided tours. See below for the different options.

The Kremlin turned out to be 10 times larger than I expected it to be! You can easily spend a full day here and do all three things it has to offer.

The Kremlin Armory

We didn’t do the Kremlin Armory because it’s a 1.5 hour long guided tour and spaces were all filled up for the day. So get there early and get tickets because looking online, it looks so cool! I wish we had time to do this. The cost is 700RUB per person ($12).

The Kremlin Jewels 

The Kremlin Jews you can either see as a self guided tour or a guided tour. I’d recommend the self guided tours, you can either get a pamphlet that tells you everything about the jewels or you can get a tape and listen to it. I like these options better because I’m not crouched around a glass case with a bunch of other people and I can go at my own pace. Seeing the jewels is 500RUB ($8.50), keep in mind they don’t take cards. Sadly, they don’t allow you to use our phones to take pictures 🙁

The Kremlin Cathedrals

The The Kremlin Cathedrals were my favorite part. For these, there is only the self guided tour and at each location you get a pamphlet with information with information. The cost is 500RUB ($8.50), you have to show your ticket when you walk into each cathedral.

Tips for when you go:

• On a map, the Kremlin looks small but it’s really big! Wear comfortable shoes and warm clothes because it’s all outside and there is a lot of walking. 
• Wear as little jewelry/medal as possible because you have go through a medal detector almost everywhere. 
• Most restaurants right off the square have a Russian and an English menu, they are the same just in different languages.