The main symbol of Moscow and we would say of Russia is Red Square. One says Moscow and among other things this immense square comes to mind that has one of the most famous and photographed icons in the world, Saint Basil’s Cathedral.
When we arrived in Moscow, the first thing we did once we left the hotel was take the subway and go to Red Square. We needed to see if what everyone who had visited said was true. And so it was… first of all, we couldn’t believe that everything was so full of snow, despite the cold, the setting of seeing everything white was special. When we arrived at the square it was like thinking that what we saw was not real.
Not only is it immense but each building that surrounds it is one more beautiful than the other, the colors, the lights at night made us more surprised than we expected.
It is a good starting point to start exploring the Russian capital and not die trying. There are also many points nearby to explore. Of course, if you want to know everyone, we recommend starting very early in the morning…
What you will be able to see in the Red Square of Russia – The main monuments of Moscow
The square is more than 3 blocks long and one block wide. Standing in the center you can see St. Basil’s Cathedral in front of you, to your right the Kremlin and Lenin’s mausoleum, to your left the Gum Galleries and behind the State Museum of Russian History.
The name of the square is not related to color, communism, or anything like that. Only the word red in Russian formerly meant pretty and that is why it owes its name, well applied by the way.
It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, there were concerts, military parades (one of the most important in the world, held in this place on Victory Day) and famous for so many historical events.
ST. BASIL’S CATHEDRAL – The famous Russian cathedral
Without a doubt, the symbol of the city and the most photographed. It really impresses with its architecture and color, different from any place in the world, it looks like it’s from Disney. Not so striking on the inside or at least it didn’t impact us as much.
It was built by Tsar Ivan the Terrible, who they say supposedly ordered the blinding of the person who had built it, so that nothing similar could be done, but it is not something that has been proven.
It can be visited from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and the entrance fee is 500 rubles.
Visit the KREMLIN in Red Square
On one side of the square we find the famous Kremlin surrounded by the imposing and characteristic red wall from which the towers rise with their beautiful clock.
Many associate the Kremlin with the government, but the reality is that this place takes its name from its wall, having been built as a fortress. It is not the only one in Russia, there are several, but this is the best known and most important because it has been the residence of the Tsars and today it is the Government House but it does not function as a residence.
The complex currently includes four palaces and four cathedrals, surrounded by the Kremlin Wall on which the Kremlin towers are located. The eastern part borders Red Square.
What is there to visit inside the Kremlin?
I must admit that the interior of the Kremlin did not exceed my expectations, I expected to find something more imposing, but it really draws more attention from the outside or at least that is my opinion.
It must be taken into account that the government buildings cannot be visited, so we will only have an exterior view of them.
Within the walls, in addition to these buildings, we will find the cathedral square , which covers 4 different buildings that can be visited inside. The importance of these cathedrals lies in the fact that all the tsars were crowned here and the inauguration of the president also takes place.
Next to this square you can find other important points such as the Tsar Bell and Pushka Cannon
What to visit outside the square?
Outside the square and in an adjacent building is the armory , a place where a large collection of weapons is obviously kept, but also important objects of art, clothing and crowns used by the tsars, carriages, silverware among others. Many consider their visit essential, I start from the base that I did not find the visit incredible and therefore the armory was not something that drove me crazy, but as I always say, things must be visited to create your own opinion and we are also talking a place full of history that is worth it in that sense.
Inside the armory there is also a visit to the diamonds In this case, paying to see jewelry did not attract my attention.
The amount of time you dedicate to the visit depends on you, there is no mandatory tour, but you will decide what to visit first and how much time to dedicate to each thing, we will have spent a little more than 2 hours including the armory. In any case, the entrance to the armory is different from that of the plaza, so you can visit them at different times.
Kremlin tickets
We bought the tickets on the same day of the visit to the other side of the kremlin, more precisely in the alexander gardens You have to go around the wall completely, you cannot access it through the red square. There is a low building where only tickets to visit the Kremlin are sold. Along with the tickets they will give you a map so you know where to access depending on what you are going to visit. It is accessed through 2 different towers called Borovitskaya and Kutafiva.
Its value is 500 rubles for the cathedral square and another 700 for the armory. If they want to visit the diamond room it will be another 500 more.
The square can be visited from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. while the armory from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. but with different access times; at 10, 12, 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. In our case we had 2:30 p.m. but we finished the visit to the square earlier and we were able to enter without problems an hour before the time set at the entrance. I really don’t know if they don’t control it or how it works. The only day the Kremlin is CLOSED is Thursday.
Tickets can also be purchased online on the Kremlin website.
Changing of the Guard at the Kremlin and Red Square
When you enter the Kremlin, you will pass through the Alexander Gardens and in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a monument in honor of the soldiers who fell in World War II, where at 12 noon we saw the changing of the guard. Only the 4 people who are on guard and their replacements participate in it, but it is worth witnessing.
LENIN’S MAUSOLEUM ON RED SQUARE
The first thing that came to mind when we saw the mausoleum was to remember that of Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam, who preserves his body in an identical state to that of Lenin. Both are truly impressive and his visit is similar, with strict respect and silence, an imposing mausoleum with several guards at his disposal. One has to avoid talking, stopping and obviously taking photos since the visit is very quick just to turn around and leave. It’s a long time in line for just a minute.
Worth? Well, that’s up to each person to think about whether it’s morbid or not, if it’s because of seeing such an important figure or if it’s just another point on the tourist route. In our opinion, if it is worth it, it is not something that is seen everywhere and appreciate the importance given to this type of personalities, being the only way to do so by visiting them.
Before entering the mausoleum, you walk through a corridor where important soldiers, personalities and rulers, including Stalin, are buried.
The line to enter is at the end of the square, next to the State Russian Museum. We went in the morning and there were already quite a few people waiting. Depending on the season, it is advisable to go very early to be first as soon as entry is enabled or more in the afternoon when the number of visits decreases.
Keep in mind that the hours are from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and it is only open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Admission is free
STATE MUSEUM OF RUSSIAN HISTORY
It was the only building that we did not visit in the square, not because of the value since the entrance fee is only 400 rubles, but because we preferred to spend our time in other places that were more interesting to us.
Its exterior architecture attracts a lot of attention, making it one of the most striking in the square.
If you want to visit it, its hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
KAZAN CATHEDRAL
It is not one of the most striking, both inside and out, as it is small, but it is one of the oldest in Moscow. In addition, admission is free so you don’t lose anything by entering and taking a look.
The hours are from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
GALLERIES GUM Warehouses
Imposing on the outside and even more so on the inside, the gum galleries are the most luxurious in Moscow and why not in the world. Its decoration is truly incredible and despite being difficult to buy something, it invites you to want to explore it completely. At night everything illuminated is even more beautiful.
What is economical is eating since on the top floor there are several restaurants with a kind of self-service. In this place we realized that we shouldn’t order hot chocolate, you can’t imagine how thick it is… like this throughout Russia since it is literal hot chocolate. From there we always ask for cocoa, which is what we usually drink.
It is open every day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.