Moscow, Russia

Moscow Kremlin

The historic center of Moscow - the Moscow Kremlin. Its present-day look of the walls and towers dates back to the 17th century. Today, the Kremlin serves as the residence of the President of Russia; numerous churches and museums are located on its territory. The ensemble of the Moscow Kremlin is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. On the eastern side, the Kremlin adjoins the city’s most famous square - Red Square. It is surrounded by St. Basil’s Cathedral, the Middle Trading Rows, the GUM building, the Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, the Resurrection (Voskresensky) Gates leading to Manezhnaya Square, and the State Historical Museum. Adjacent to the square are Nikolskaya, Senatskaya, and the most famous of all - the Spasskaya Tower with its clock chimes. Along the Kremlin wall there are built a necropolis (memorial cemetery) and the Lenin Mausoleum.

St. Basil’s Cathedral

“Official” name of the church is the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, on the Moat. It was built in 1561 by order of Ivan the Terrible to commemorate a victory in the war with the Kazan Khanate. There are still ongoing, heated debates about the authorship of such an unusual Orthodox church in terms of its architecture. According to the most widely accepted version, the church was built by two Pskov craftsmen-Barma and Postnik. Other researchers claim it was the same person, simply known as Yakovlev Postnik, while Barma was his nickname. A third hypothesis holds that the builder was, in fact, some Italian master from the Renaissance era. However, all three versions agree on one thing: having seen such a magnificent temple, Ivan the Terrible ordered that the builders be blinded so that they would not be able to repeat their masterpiece.

Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

This is the largest cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church: its height is more than one hundred meters, its total area is almost 4,000 square meters, and it can hold up to 10,000 believers. The church has a long and complicated history. After the war of 1812, Emperor Alexander I ordered the construction of a grand cathedral in memory of the courage and strength of spirit of the Russian people. More than 40 years of construction took place under the guidance of the best architects and icon painters, and in 1883 the white-and-gold cathedral was consecrated. During the Soviet era, the cathedral was blown up to build the Palace of Soviets on its site (construction was hindered by the Second World War). After the war, the resulting gigantic pit was filled with water and an open-air pool was arranged on the sacred site. And only in the late 1980s did they decide to remove the pool and return the city its great cathedral.

Revolution Square Metro Station

Moscow students come here before their exams to touch the border guard’s dog’s nose (a 100-percent guarantee against failing), so all four dogs have faces polished to a shine; and, they say, touching a student’s graceful leg cures one of miserable love. At first, the station was supposed to be “entertaining,” but during the course of the work, the team came up with the idea of creating a gallery of images of revolution heroes here. The authors were horrified, but they did it: 80 bronze sculptures were cast on time. Behind the statues stood real people. For example, for the figure of a sailor-signalman, Olympic Rudakov, a cadet from a naval academy, served as the model. In 1953, when he was a captain first rank, he danced a waltz with Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom on the day of her coronation.

Pagoda House (Tea House)

A pagoda house in Moscow or the Tea House was built for the founders of the Perlov Tea Company. The building is an architectural monument created in the late 19th century in the late Renaissance style. The pagoda house is one of the most beautiful structures in Moscow; it is often called a Chinese box and an architectural marvel. The work of architect Karl Gippius delighted all the residents of the capital. The use of colored plaster and numerous decorative ceramic details in the form of Chinese ornaments on all the walls gave the building a vibrant polychrome look. On the façade, the Perlov family coat of arms is installed-a tea bush on an azure shield with six natural pearls-pearls, not without reason: the surname of the tea-trading dynasty, the Perlovs!

Old Arbat

The name Arbat has been forever attached to this street and the surrounding area since the 15th century. It was then that it first appeared in Moscow chronicles. Already at that time, the street had important strategic significance, since the old Smolensk Road began there. In the late 17th century, Arbat entered a new phase of its development. Aristocratic mansions began to “spring up” with extraordinary speed, making the street one of the most aristocratic. The Soviet era was marked by a tram line laid along Arbat and, in essence, by the destruction of the appearance of this historic street. The current look of Arbat is, to a large extent, the work of architects from the mid-1970s, who proposed a project to redevelop the street into a pedestrian zone. In 1986, Arbat became a pedestrian zone.

Kolomenskoye Museum-Reserve

People in Kolomenskoye-more precisely, back then, when it was still called “Dyakovo Gorodishche”-lived here since the Stone Age, as confirmed by numerous archaeological finds, and in the 14th century, the Moscow rulers moved in nearby, including Ivan Kalita: the nobility really took a liking to the picturesque hills above the Moskva River. Today, Kolomenskoye is a green reserve with vast expanses overgrown simply with grass, fragrant apple orchards, footbridges, springs, and an incredible number of architectural monuments. One of the main monuments is the UNESCO-acknowledged Church of the Ascension of the Lord, standing on a steep bank above the river. Next to it is the operating church of the Kazan icon of the Mother of God.

Novodevichy Convent (Convent of the Virgin of Smolensk)

Elegant, lacy, resembling a fairytale realm, the Novodevichy Convent is located in one of the quietest and most picturesque corners of the capital. Here, before being crowned tsar, Boris Godunov lived as a sister-queen’s guest. And it was here, in 1598, that he accepted his election to the throne; therefore, throughout his reign he granted the convent special favors-providing funds for a new iconostasis, the expansion of the cells, and the construction of stone walls with battlements. Another landmark event is the imprisonment of Tsarevna Sofia in the convent by Peter I. From there, she organized the famous Streltsy revolt, which ended in failure. Since those days, from 1689 onward, the Novodevichy Convent has been preserved to the present day in almost unchanged form, offering a vivid example of the “Moscow Baroque” style.

Experimentanium Museum

The Museum of Entertaining Sciences “Experimentanium” opened in Moscow in 2011 and quickly became a favorite place for parents with children, as well as an ideal destination for school excursions. In the museum, visitors learn about the laws of mechanics, optics and acoustics, find out where electricity comes from, try to solve puzzles and resist optical illusions. The knowledge gained can be years ahead of the school curriculum. The museum’s main difference from the same Polytechnic Museum is that all exhibits can be touched with your hands and tested in action; according to the creators’ idea, this encourages children’s urge to experiment. There are cafés and a shop of science-popular books and educational games at the museum.

Moscow Zoo

This is the oldest and largest zoo in Russia: it was created back in 1864, its area is almost 22 thousand hectares, and it has nearly 8 thousand residents. One of the most popular areas of the zoo is the dolphinarium, which even has its own website. Year-round, fun water shows are held here with dolphins, beluga whales, and a walrus. Just as interesting are the terrarium and the exoticarium. Zoo kids are loved just as much as the animals: visitors can ride ponies and carousels, enjoy candy floss, lollipops on sticks, and incredibly tasty doughnuts, attend workshops at the Young Biologists club, and enjoy themed performances at the children’s theatre “Tik-Tak”.

Big Ferris wheel

This is the very same wheel that, in the film “Day Watch,” broke loose from its place and sped through the streets, knocking everything down in its path. In real life, the wheel is in perfect order, and it has already turned 25 years old (although there were long periods of downtime, when the attraction at VVC was not operating-first due to bureaucratic disputes, then because of an accident). The height of the wheel is 73 meters (one of the tallest in Eastern Europe), and the rotation speed is one turn every seven minutes. The enclosed cabin fits eight people. The attraction operates year-round, and the ticket price is 250 rubles.

Moscow City Sightseeing Tour

On the excursion, you will learn how Moscow first appeared on the map of Europe, what was in these lands before Yuri Dolgorukiy arrived, how the Moscow rings grew and developed (Boulevard Ring and Garden Ring), where the White City walls went, and you will hear the story of the seven Moscow hills and of the seven most wonderful places in the capital. You will be immersed in an almost festive atmosphere of one of the greatest cities in the world, and as you move from the central old streets and monumental squares to more distant and modern districts of the capital, you will trace the history of Moscow from Yuri Dolgorukiy to the present day.

For a more detailed list of excursions and their prices, you can view them after booking the cruise in your “Customer Personal Account”.