Zamoskvorechye: Bolotny Island lanes and churches to the Tretyakov: a walk in Moscow

Cross the Patriarshy Bridge from the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour to Bolotny Island and GES-2, then walk the quiet merchant lanes south of the river past Kadashi and the Tretyakov Gallery to Bolshaya Ordynka and Pyatnitskaya.

Best time: Late morning or afternoon, Tuesday to Sunday (the Tretyakov Gallery is closed on Mondays).

The route, stop by stop

1
Cathedral of Christ the Saviour
Start at the rebuilt cathedral on the embankment. 15 min
Russia's largest Orthodox church, 103 m high, on the Moskva embankment near the Kremlin: a 1990s rebuilding of the cathedral blown up on this site in 1931.
2
Patriarshy Bridge
Pedestrian bridge with one of the best free Kremlin views. 10 min
A pedestrian bridge from the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour to Bolotny Island with one of the best free views of the Kremlin and the river. Muscovites walk it in the evening…
3
Church of St Nicholas on Bersenevka
Small 1657 church next to the Averky Kirillov chambers; quiet courtyard. 10 min
A small church finished in 1657 next to the Averky Kirillov chambers, on a site where a monastery was recorded in 1390. Tonkosti notes its courtyard is always quiet, a contrast…
4
GES-2 House of Culture
The 1907 power station turned house of culture; free to walk in, with a canteen and a birch grove. 30 min
A white power station of 1907 on Bolotny Island that once fed Moscow's first electric trams, rebuilt as a house of culture with exhibitions, a cinema, workshops, a library and a…
5
Church of the Resurrection in Kadashi
Moscow Baroque church of 1687-1695 with a 43-metre bell tower over the lanes. 10 min
A Moscow Baroque church built in 1687-1695 with money from the craftsmen of the Kadashevskaya sloboda, with a 43-metre six-tier bell tower over the Zamoskvorechye lanes. Locals…
6
State Tretyakov Gallery (Lavrushinsky)
Russian art from icons to the early 20th century behind a Vasnetsov facade. Closed Mondays; allow at least 2 hours if you go in. 120 min
The national collection of Russian art from icons to the early 20th century, founded in 1856 by merchant Pavel Tretyakov, in a building with a mosaic facade in the neo-Russian…
7
Marfo-Mariinsky Convent
Walled garden and Shchusev church of the 1909 convent of mercy on Bolshaya Ordynka. 20 min
A convent of mercy founded in 1909 by Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, with a Pokrov church by Alexei Shchusev and murals by Mikhail Nesterov, set in a walled garden…
8
Church of St Clement
The largest church in Zamoskvorechye, on the corner of Klimentovsky lane. 10 min
The largest church in Zamoskvorechye, a huge parish church on the corner of Pyatnitskaya and Klimentovsky lane. Locals drop in on the way along the old merchant street; most…
9
Pyatnitskaya Street
Finish on the old merchant street with cafes towards Novokuznetskaya metro. 15 min
The main artery of Zamoskvorechye, almost 2 km from the Vodootvodny Canal to the Garden Ring, an old road south lined with old mansions and churches, with lanes full of small…

Walking directions

Zamoskvorechye: Bolotny Island lanes and churches to the Tretyakov

The route, stop by stop

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