All You Need to Know about Moscow River and Moscow Bridges

Moscow Bridge. Photo by Alexander Smagin

Moscow River is the main waterway of the Russian capital. Within the city, its length is 80 km, width varies from 120 m to 200 m. The narrowest part of the river is located near the Kremlin, and the most extensive is near the Luzhniki Stadium that hosted World Cup 2018. The depth of the Moscow River averages from 3m to 6m, and in some places it reaches 14 m.

Taking a walk along the Moscow River by boat, you will witness the architecture of Moscow from different eras and styles.

You will learn about the different epochs of the city from the foundation of Moscow in 1147 till Soviet times of 20^th century.

While traveling on the Moscow River, in short time and without traffic jams or tiresome walking, you can see all the gems of historical and cultural center of the capital.

Depending on the itinerary and duration of the Moscow River cruise, the tour can be 3 or 5 hours tour.

Undoubtedly, Moscow bridges and embankments are among the most scenic spots of Moscow, as well as the most romantic. Here is our short overview of them:

Great Stone Bridge – is the main bridge of Moscow. Back in the 17th century on this site was constructed the first stone bridge of Moscow.

Patriarshy Bridge is one of the youngest bridges of Moscow, built in 2004. The bridge is pedestrian and connect the Christ the Saviour Cathedral with Bersenevskaya embankment, extremely popular place among locals for its trendy art galleries, cafes and panoramic views. Patriarshy Bridge used to be a shooting location for former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s to address the nation on his New Years’ speeches.

Borodinsky Bridge erected in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Borodino, a fierce legendary battle during the Russo-French war of 1812, which every schoolboy in Russia knows about.

Bagration Bridge one of the pedestrian bridges with most picturesque views of the Moskva River with its numerous upper-level observation platforms. The bridge was built to mark the 850th anniversary of Moscow in 1997.

Krymsky Bridge was in Top 5 Europe’s longest bridges back in the early 20th century. The bridge was named after the ancient Krymsky ford which Crimean Tartars used to attack the Russian capital in the 16^th century.

And now let’s slightly move to the embankments of Moscow river! It has 37 embankments and the most popular are Kremlevskaya, Sofiyskaya, Pushkinskaya, Vorobyovskaya and Kolomenskaya.

You can get the most spectacular views of the Kremlin from Kremlevskaya and Sofiyskaya embankments.

Pushkinskaya embankment is the most romantic in Moscow. It meanders along Gorky Park and Neskuchnyi garden and is rich for all kinds of entertainment as well as cozy nooks, including Olivkovy beach, the famous Green theater as well as a pier for river cruisers.

Vorobyevskaya embankment is part of Vorobyevy Gory (Sparrow Hills) nature reserve. This place opens a beautiful panorama of the river and city from the observation deck and is believed to be the place for taking serious decision in life.

Embankment in Kolomenskoye has a special charm due to its peculiar geographical relief. The river journey around Kolomenskoye would be the most peaceful in your life.

Taras Shevchenko embankment is popular among photographers for its modern Moscow City skyscrapers. Highly recommended for your night boat trip.

Embankments of Moscow are the pride of the capital. A distinctive feature of each of the promenades is its architecture and beautiful views. Almost all the embankments of Moscow have a rich history and a lot of notable buildings.