Area Attractions

The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1912, is the largest museum of European art in Moscow and is located in Volkhonka street, just opposite the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Today the holdings of the museum contain around 700 000 art works of different epochs. The French art of the XIX – XX centuries is heart of the collection, in the museum there are also one of the most famous collections of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings in the world. More than one million people visits museum every year, it is now one of the most important cultural centers of Russia. There you can see artwork of Vincent van Gogh, Edgar Degas, Henri Matisse, Paul Gauguin, Rembrandt and others.

On 28 March (17 according to the old style) 1776, Catherine II granted the prosecutor, Prince Pyotr Urusov, the "privilege" of "maintaining" theatre performances of all kinds, including masquerades, balls and other forms of entertainment, for a period of ten years. And it is from this date that Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre traces its history. The Bolshoi building, which for many years now has been regarded as one of Moscow’s main sights, was opened on 20 October 1856, on Tsar Alexander II’s coronation day. On 29 October 2002 the Bolshoi was given a New Stage and it was here it presented its performances during the years the Historic Stage was undergoing massive reconstruction and refurbishment. The reconstruction project lasted from l July 2005 to 28 October 2011. As a result of this reconstruction, many lost features of the historic building were reinstated and, at the same time, it has joined the ranks of most technically equipped theatre buildings in the world. The Bolshoi Theatre is a symbol of Russia for all time. It was awarded this honor due to the major contribution it made to the history of the Russian performing arts. This history is on-going and today Bolshoi Theatre artists continue to contribute to it many bright pages.

The Tretyakov Gallery is an extensive museum complex. The gallery’s history starts in 1856 when the Moscow merchant Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov acquired works by Russian artists of his day with the aim of creating a collection, which might later grow into a museum of national art. In 1892, Tretyakov presented his already famous collections of appx 2,000 works to the Russian nation. The façade of the gallery building was designed by the painter Vitor Vasnetsov in a peculiar Russian fairy-tail style. It was built in 1902-04 to the south from the Moscow Kremlin. During the 20th century, the gallery expanded to several neighbouring buildings, including the 17th-century church of St. Nicolas in Tolmachi.

Garage Museum of Contemporary Art was founded in 2008 by Dasha Zhukova and Roman Abramovich. Garage is the first philanthropic institution in Russia to create a comprehensive public mandate for contemporary art. Garage Museum of Contemporary Art’s past and future have always had an important relationship to architecture, in that the organization believes that the spaces it inhabits play a central role in the development of a contemporary approach to making a public museum for art and publics. The organization was initially housed in (and received its name from) the renowned Bakhmetevsky Bus Garage in Moscow, originally designed by the Constructivist architect Konstantin Melnikov. In 2012, Garage relocated to Gorky Park, to a temporary pavilion specifically commissioned from award-winning architect Shigeru Ban. A year later, a purpose-built Education Center was opened next to the Pavilion. On June 12, 2015, Garage welcomed visitors to its first permanent home. Designed by OMA, this is a groundbreaking preservation project that has transformed the famous Vremena Goda (Seasons of the Year) Soviet Modernist restaurant built in 1968 in Gorky Park into a contemporary museum.

In 1996, the Moscow House of Photography was established. It was the first Russian state art institution focused on the art of photography. In 2001, it was transformed in the Multimedia Complex of Actual Arts.  In 2010, the Complex has returned to its renovated building numbering approximately 9,000 square metres (97,000 sq ft) of space.  Cumulative exhibition history of MAMM and Moscow House of Photography numbers more than 1300 exhibitions in Russia and abroad, average attendance of 30 to 35 thousands per month and more than 100 books issued.

VDNH (The Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy) is the largest exposition, museum and recreational complex in the world, one of the most popular public spaces of the capital city of Russia. Each year, it is visited by about 25 million people. VDNH is connected with Ostankino Park, and the total area of the two is more than 325 hectares  The Exhibition was opened on 1 August 1939. Its name has changed several times (VSHV, VPV, VDNH USSR, VVC). In the spring of 2014, the Moscow Government launched a large-scale project to revive VDNH, in honour of the 75th Anniversary of the Country's Main Exhibition. At the initiative of the Mayor of Moscow Sergei Sobyanin, and based on the results of e-voting by city residents, the complex was returned its legendary historical name of the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy.

Gorky Park, founded in 1928, today is the main Park of the capital. On weekends it is visited by about 250 thousand people. In the warmer months, you can walk along the picturesque paths, ride a catamaran, visit the open-air cinema or visit a live concert. While in winter it turns into the largest skating rink in Europe with artificial ice, the area of which is 15 thousand m2. The entire territory of the rink is decorated with themed decorations and lights that change every year. Gorky Park also includes the Museon sculpture Park, Sparrow hills and Neskuchny garden.

Tsaritsyno Museum-Reserve is the unique historical, architectural, art and landscape ensemble in pseudo-gothic style intended for the residence of The Empress Catherine The Great. Today Tsaritsyno is the largest historical and cultural museum and exhibition, natural and tourist complex. It attracts visitors with its grandeur architecture, vast and magnificent landscape park with ponds and fountain. It is also the center of modern scientific projects, various cultural events and family leisure. Tsaritsyno hosts annual festivals such as The Festival of historical gardens, Country Tsaritsyno, Day of Tsaritsyno history and The “Colorful sky” kite festival. The whole territory is available for the visitors with limited mobility and guests with special needs.

Zaryadye Park is a modern park for recreation and entertainment, where it also possible to learn something new, created by an international team of architects, engineers, landscape designers and other experts. All the attractions and new technology are delicately integrated into the landscape. Here, nature and technology, education and entertainment, history and modernity combine and complement each other.

TSUM (Central Universal Department Store) is a high end fashion department store of Russia located just steps away from Ararat Park Hyatt Moscow. The store has been a historical sight and the symbol of fashion in Moscow for more than 110 years. It was built in a Gothic Revival style ans is situated on Petrovka Street. TSUM has made its name in Russia and in the world by its expertise in fashion buying. with its 70,000 squre meters, it is the lagest department store in Eastern Europe.

Time moves around GUM: centuries, eras and governments change but the Main Department Store of the large country is still in the center. It is the bright individuality. It is the world attraction. It is the same recognizable symbol of the capital, like the Kremlin or the Bolshoi Theatre. The famous fountain, the center of GUM life, is the legendary construction captured in the millions of private shots. Today GUM lives like it once was conceived. It is ideal shopping city of Moscow. There is a pharmacy, bank branch & flower shop, restaurants & cafes facing the Red Square. In addition to the widest range of products, GUM offers a variety of services including kids club, designer’s gifts’ wrapping, historic toilet, valet parking & loyalty program. GUM creates the space filled with many bright and beautiful details.

Dream Island is the biggest theme park in Europe. It has nine zones representing different worlds and features globally famous heroes: smurfs, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Hello Kitty, Hotel Transylvania, Mowgli in the Land of Dinosaurs, Dream race, Snow Queen Castle and the Magic Village with a puppet theater and horror house. Each zone has attractions, designed for different age categories.

Always good throughout the year, the Moscow Zoo is well worth a visit, particularly for families with children. Established in 1864, this is the oldest zoo in Europe!

The planetarium has become one of the biggest and brightest stars on the Moscow museum circuit, now incorporating all kinds of high-tech gadgetry, interactive exhibits and educational programs. The centrepiece is the Large Star Hall (the biggest in Europe!), with its 25m silver dome roof, a landmark that is visible from the Garden Ring. Narration for the shows is available in multiple languages.