Kremlin, Red Square and Kitay-gorod: a walk in Moscow

From the Alexander Garden into the Kremlin cathedrals, then out across Red Square, up Nikolskaya Street and back down to the old boyar houses on Varvarka and the river terraces of Zaryadye Park.

Best time: Morning on any day except Thursday, when the Kremlin is closed; buy Kremlin tickets ahead and arrive at opening.

The route, stop by stop

1
Alexander Garden
Garden along the Kremlin west wall; the Kremlin ticket offices are here. 10 min
A park of three gardens running 865 m along the Kremlin's west wall between the Manege and the Kremlin; the Kremlin ticket offices and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are here.
2
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Eternal flame by the Kremlin wall. 10 min
The war memorial by the Kremlin wall for Soviet soldiers killed in the Second World War, with an eternal flame; designed by D. I. Burdin, V. A. Klimov, Yu. R. Rabayev and…
3
Cathedral Square (Kremlin)
Inside the Kremlin: the Dormition, Archangel and Annunciation cathedrals around one square, plus the Tsar Cannon and Tsar Bell. Closed Thursdays. 90 min
The central square of the Kremlin, where its streets converged in the 15th century, framed by the three great cathedrals, the Palace of Facets and the Patriarch's Palace with the…
4
Red Square
Leave the Kremlin and walk round to the square: the Historical Museum, the Mausoleum and the Kremlin wall. 15 min
Moscow's main square, almost 73,000 square metres along the Kremlin's east wall, framed by St Basil's Cathedral, Lenin's Mausoleum, the State Historical Museum and GUM. The moat…
5
Kazan Cathedral
Small rebuilt cathedral at the north-west corner of the square. 10 min
The small Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan at the north-west corner of Red Square, a reconstruction of the original church demolished in 1936.
6
Nikolskaya Street
Pedestrian street of old Kitay-gorod: the old Mint and the Slavyansky Bazar hotel. 15 min
A pedestrian street through Kitay-gorod from Red Square to Lubyanka, known as one of Moscow's oldest streets; it carries the old Mint, the Slavyansky Bazar hotel and the…
7
GUM
Cut through the glass-roofed arcades of the 1893 Upper Trading Rows back to Red Square. 15 min
The Upper Trading Rows on Red Square, built in 1893 and a listed architectural monument: three glass-roofed arcades with bridges and a central fountain, still a working…
8
St Basil's Cathedral
The 1555-1561 Cathedral of the Intercession; inside, a maze of painted chapels. Closed the first Wednesday of the month. 45 min
The Cathedral of the Intercession on the Moat, built in 1555-1561 on the orders of Ivan the Terrible to mark the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan; inside, a maze of chapels and…
9
Old English Court
15th-17th-century chambers of the English Muscovy Company on Varvarka. 30 min
15th-17th-century chambers that were the residence of the English Muscovy Company and the English embassy house: the oldest surviving official representation of a foreign power…
10
Chambers of the Romanov Boyars
Romanov boyars house museum on Varvarka; closed Tuesdays. 30 min
The only surviving building of the Romanov boyars' large town estate on Varvarka, now a museum of 16th-17th-century Moscow boyar life and a branch of the State Historical Museum.
11
Zaryadye Park
End on the Floating Bridge over the Moskva with the Kremlin view. 30 min
A landscape park opened in 2017 next to Red Square on the site of the old Zaryadye district, with the Floating Bridge (Paryashchiy most) over the Moskva River and pavilions…

Walking directions

Kremlin, Red Square and Kitay-gorod

The route, stop by stop

More walks in Moscow