The hilly lanes east of Kitay-gorod: Gilyarovsky's old Khitrovka slum, now a quiet square, the Ivanovsky Convent and the Lutheran cathedral on Starosadsky lane, then up to Pokrovka and the pond at Chistye Prudy.
Best time: Weekend morning or a weekday evening; the lanes are steep and can be icy in winter.
The route, stop by stop
- 1Church of All Saints on Kulishki
Start at Slavyanskaya Square by Kitay-gorod metro. 5 min
- 2Khitrovka and Ivanovskaya Gorka
The former Khitrov market square, now a garden; the Bunin and Kulakov dosshouses stand on the lanes around it. 20 min
- 3Ivanovsky Convent
Convent walls close off the bottom of the Ivanovskaya Gorka lanes. 15 min
- 4Lutheran Cathedral of Sts Peter and Paul
Lutheran cathedral on steep Starosadsky lane; concerts in the evening. 15 min
- 5Apraksin-Trubetskoy House (Pokrovka 22)
Up to Pokrovka street to the mansion at number 22; seen from the street. 5 min
- 6Chistye Prudy (Clean Ponds) and Chistoprudny Boulevard
End by the pond and the No. 39 tram on Chistoprudny Boulevard. 15 min
More walks in Moscow
- Kremlin, Red Square and Kitay-gorod
- Zamoskvorechye: Bolotny Island lanes and churches to the Tretyakov
- Boulevard Ring: Prechistenskiye Vorota to Chistye Prudy
- Patriarch's Ponds and Bulgakov's Moscow
- Arbat side-lanes to Prechistenka
- Gorky Park, Neskuchny Garden and Sparrow Hills along the river
- VDNKh pavilions and the space trail
- Metro palaces ride
- Taganka to Andronikov Monastery and Rogozhskaya Sloboda