A holiday to Russia would not be complete without enjoying the sights of Moscow, the capital city and also Russia’s cultural and historical center. Moscow is a combination of new buildings alongside ancient churches, monasteries, theaters, gardens, parks, and museums.
An outstanding art museum is the Tretyahov Gallery with an Old Gallery housing the works of Russian painters going back to the early fifteenth century and a New Gallery containing more contemporary artists, and the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts hosts famous paintings as well as plaster casts of ancient scuptures. The Polytechnical Museum is Russia’s largest technical museum with many technological achievements and historical inventions. Moscow is also the center of Russian performing arts with 93 theatres, 132 cinemas, and 24 concert halls. You can experience everything from ballet to concerts put on by pop and rock stars to classical music at the Moscow International House of Music with the largest organ in Russia.
There are 18 gardens (including 4 botanical ones) and 96 parks. The Neskuchnly Garden (101 acres) is the oldest park in Moscow and the residence of a former Emperor and has the Green Theater, one of Europe’s largest open amphitheatres that can hold up to 15,000 people. The Losiny Ostrov National Park was Russia’s first national park and is called “Elk Island” because elk can be seen there, and Lilac Park has a large rosarium. Children will enjoy the Moscow State Circus, the Moscow Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard, and the Moscow Zoo with more than 6,500 specimens.