Sightseeing  in Moscow

The Kremlin
The Kremlin at the center of Moscow is an outstanding historical and architectural monument that serves as a symbol for the whole Russia.
The Kremlin is Russia's mythic refuge, a self contained city with a multitude of palaces, armories, and churches, a medieval fortress that links the modern nation to its legendary past in the ancient state of Kievan Rus'. As the dominance of Kiev faded and its empire fragmented under the weight of foreign invasion and internecine strife in the 11th and 12th centuries, regional princes gained power. In 1147, as Kievan Rus was experiencing its final death throes, a chronicler recorded that a feast was held at the hunting lodge of Prince Yuri Dolgorukiy, ruling prince of Rostov and Suzdal. The lodge was perfectly situated atop a hill overlooking the Moskva and Neglina rivers, prompting its development (in such troubled times) as a fortified town, or Kremlin.
Address: Kremlin, Sobornaya Ploshad, Moscow, Russia

The Red Square And The Lenin Mausoleum
Red Square is a large open square in the center of Moscow. Along one side stands the eastern wall of the Kremlin, on the next - the brightly-colored spiraling onion domes of St. Basil's Cathedral, to the north - the elegant turn of the century arcades of the GUM department store (mall) and Kazan Cathedral and to the west - Russia's imposing National Historical Museum and the 1990s replica of the Resurrection Gate.
Red Square was founded at the end of the 15th century when Ivan III ordered to demolish wooden constructions around the Kremlin walls to prevent the tsar's residence from a fire. On the site of wooden constructions by the Kremlin's western wall a trade square started to form. Originally, it was called Torgovaya Square (Trade Square), then it got the name of Trinity Square, as the Trinity Church was located in the southern side of the square. The square obtained its modern name in the 17th century.
Now Red Square served as the site of frequent Soviet military parades and demonstrations on major national holidays, such as May 1st (International Worker's Solidarity Day) and November 7th (the Anniversary of the October Revolution).
Address: Red Square, Moscow, Russia

Kitai-Gorod
Kitai-gorod is a business district within Moscow, Russia, encircled by mostly-reconstructed medieval walls. Kitai-Gorod is one of the oldest historical parts of Moscow. It joins the Kremlin from the east side, and Moscow River - from the south side. In the north it borders with Okhotny Ryad, and in the north-east - with Old and New squares.
Its three main streets — Varvarka, Ilyinka, and Nikolskaya — are lined with banks, shops, and storehouses. Two of the most beautiful churches in Moscow, St Nicholas at Nikitniki (1653) and St. Nicholas the Great Cross (1689, destroyed in 1933) at one time dominated the district's skyline.
Address: Kitai-Gorod, Moscow, Russia

St. Basil’s Cathedral
With its round, brilliantly coloured cupolas, the cathedral looks like a fairytale castle.St. Basil Cathedral is one of the most outstanding and remarkable monuments of Old Russian architecture. The Cathedral was ordered by Ivan the Terrible to mark the 1552 capture of Kazan from Mongol forces. It was completed in 1560 and today the cathedral is one of the world’s architectural wonders.
In the middle of the 20s of the 20th century St. Basil Cathedral got the status of museum. During restoration work in the seventies a wooden spiral staircase was discovered within one of the walls. Visitors now take this route into the central church, with its extraordinary, soaring tented roof and a fine 16th Century iconostasis. In St. Basil Cathedral there are 9 icon-stands containing about 400 icons of the 16th-19th centuries. The icons are great examples of Moscow and Novgorod schools of icon painting. The walls of the cathedral are decorated with oil paintings and frescoes of the 16th-19th centuries.
Address: 4 Krasnaya Ploshad, Kremlin, Moscow

The Tretyakov Art Gallery
The Tretyakov Gallery houses one of the most celebrated and extensive collections of Russian art and artifacts in the world. The gallery was named after the financier and entrepreneur Pavel Tretyakov (1832-98). The Gallery's collection consists entirely of Russian art and artists who have made а contribution to the history of Russian art or been closely connected with it. The collection contains more than 130 000 works of painting, sculpture and graphics, created throughout the centuries by successive generations of Russian artists.
A visit to the Tretyakov Gallery is a definite must for anyone interested in Russian art and culture.
Address: 10 Lavrushinskiy Pereulok, Moscow, Russia

The Arbat
This famous old street in Moscow is home to artists and street vendors, and is definitely worth a visit for people in Russia for the first time.  The Arbat located between Arbatskie Vorota Square and Smolenskaya Square.
The street boasts an impressive selection of cafes, restaurants and bars, where you can sample everything from a decent cup of coffee and a French pastry, to a genuine Lebanese shawerma (kebab) or a tasty thick milkshake in a genuine 1950s American Diner. The Arbat is a symbol of old Moscow. Its exotic name comes from an Arabian word "arbad" ("rabad") that means "suburb, estate". This word was probably brought to Moscow by Crimean Tatars or Arabian merchants in the 15th century. In the middle of the 17th century there were attempts to rename the street Smolenskaya, but this name did not find acceptance.
The Arbat feature memorial museums dedicated to Alexander Pushkin, Marina Tsvetaeva, and Mikhail Lermontov. The street also features a number of old mansions decorated with moldings, balconies, and caryatids.
Address: Arbat Street, Moscow, Russia