Description

Highlights:

• Sneak peek at the most modern events and shows in one of the oldest cities in the world.
• Discover royal and elegant Moscow in glamorous places where locals hang out.
• Modern art exhibitions, funky outdoor parties, roof top bars and restaurants, exotic night clubs.
• Indulge in an authentic dining experience and a memorable night out.
• Meet locals in their most fun environment.
• An excellent range of cafes, restaurants, bars, clubs.

Itinerary:

• Historic City Centre Tour

  Drop into a local coffee bar to kick off your day and make friends with your guide. There are heaps of great cafes and restaurants along Tverskaya street, so why not make a day of it, go for a walk and then grab a bite in one for lunch or dinner.

• Red Square Tour

  Moscow’s most famous central square, where GUM (the State Department Store) is located and celebrated its 120th anniversary last year. There you can get a taste of Russia’s Communist past, and try some traditional Russian snacks at Cafeteria #57.

• Sculpture Park Tour

  There it is more likely to meet locals than tourists. A unique sculpture garden with monuments dedicated to various historical characters, Soviet leaders, Peter the Great, and even Pinocchio.

  Catch a film under the stars at the open-air Cinema during summer season!

   

• Main Streets of Moscow

  • Tverskaya street existed as early as the 12th century and is now famous for its parades. It was through this street that the tsars arrived from the Northern capital to stay at their Kremlin residence.
  • Znamenka, a street of aristocracy.
  • Vozdvizhenka, home to the Russian State library, the largest collection of books in all of Russia.
  • Volkhonka - one of the oldest streets in Moscow, uniting the Kremlin with the Christ the Savior Cathedral and leading to the Golden Mile of Moscow.

• Luxurious River Cruise

  Experience the excitement of taking a luxurious river cruise. If you are looking for vivid impressions, if you love to move with the rhythm, join DJ cruise on the Moskva River, that will blow your mind with blasting music! Snow-white yacht, beautiful sunset, wide open decks, cosy sofas, light refreshing breeze and good music from local Djs are here for you!

• Breathtaking Views

  Cap it all off with a cold beer in Sixty restaurant. Considered to be the highest restaurant in Europe (on the 62nd floor of the Federation Tower), with breathtaking views of the skyline, sunsets and dawns and ultramodern urban style. Perfect lookout for the best views of the city – Moscow is ready to welcome you on your next adventure!

From our tour. Impressions of our American tourists:

On the agenda was a walk through some of the streets where the feel of the 'true Moscow' exists.  We strolled the 16th C. Maroseika street; this word is the former name of the Ukraine.  We encountered the first and only 'tourist signage' we saw in our 3 days here. 

Our guide admitted she does not understand how visitors can come here and manage on their own without the customary support services and information provided for visitors having no Russian language skill.  Neither do  we.  I have said I would never tour China without being guided; the same applies to Russia. 

The quiet side streets were a world away from the nearby busy main routes of the city center.  We came across a handful of embassies, including Armenia's.  In this neighborhood is a renowned tea shop.  The choices were overwhelming.  My friend and I both made a choice without sampling anything.  No tea is served here; just sold.  Aren't they missing an opportunity? 

The tea I purchased cost 960 RUB for 100 grams.  Since the tea accessories included some of the clear glasses in the metal holders we liked from yesterday's tea experience, we decided to buy a set of two...a perfect split since there is only one tea drinker in each of our respective households.

Our walk continued back to where we were last night providing the daytime view of the gate fronting Gorky Park and a distant view of a modern skyline with multiple skyscrapers being developed called "Moscow City".

One should not miss the work of Chagall, Kandinsky, and Malevich in Tretyakov Gallery.  I texted our guide via Viber so she could plan our agenda accordingly for the morning.  Mikhailovich Tretyakov was a successful Moscow industrialist in the mid-1800's, who was determined to amass a collection of national art that would be worthy of a museum of fine arts for the entire country.  In 1892, he donated his collection to the Moscow city government. 

The canvasses we saw today were generally gigantic, and the colors were bold and bright.  We spent all of our 40 allotted minutes that we had in the rooms on the 4th floor; we could have stayed longer.  Arguably, the collection's pièce de résistance is Kazmir Malevich's "The Black Square." 

My friend and I were two of only 4 people touring these 10 rooms just after the museum opened at 10am, a virtual private time with the masters.  A young man, surely an art student, stood in front of "The Black Square" and looked at it more intently and longer than I have ever seen anyone study a painting in a museum.  I wanted to talk to him and ask his ideas and reactions....alas, no time. 

Many of the artists whose work is here studied Cubism in Paris, and its effect on their work is obvious. Still, it is easy to see how they returned to Russia to evolve the style with distinctive Russian overtones.  Without being able to take photos, I resorted to the usual strategy; take a look at a small sampling of what's here.  My friend and I decided it was definitely worth the visit, something we could not have done without Friendly Local Guides.

*This Moscow day tour can be modified to meet your individual preferences.