Things to Do in Russia

The late 18th-century Mikhailovsky Castle was designed to appease Emperor Paul I’s fear of being assassinated—an impenetrable fortress, protected by fortified ramparts, drawbridges, secret tunnels, and a moat. The Emperor’s paranoia was well-placed; in an ironic twist of fate, the Tsar was murdered in his sleep barely a month after moving in.

Open to the public since 1894, Hermitage Garden in central Moscow offers a great escape from the hustle and bustle of Russia’s capital. Throughout its history, the park has been known for its cultural attractions and even hosted the premieres of several Anton Chekhov plays at the end of the 19th century. During Soviet times, people also flocked to the park to play chess and watch films in an open-air cinema during the summer months. Today, visitors can stroll among linden, oak and maple trees, relax on a bench or hammock, grab a bite to eat at one of several cafes or enjoy a performance at one of three theaters: Novaya Opera, Hermitage and Sphera. Cherry blossoms in the spring and an ice rink in the winter are also popular draws, as is the annual Hermitage Garden Jazz Festival. Held every August and open to the public for free, the festival is the oldest of its kind in Moscow.

The Bronze Horseman is a statue of Peter the Great on a horse. Catherine the Great had the statue built in the late 1700s to honor Peter the Great as the founder of the city of St. Petersburg. She commissioned the French sculptor Etienne-Maurice Falconet who had spent a long time studying the movements of horsemen on reared mounts. The horse stands on a rock meant to represent a cliff. This huge block of granite weighs more than 1,600 tons and took more than nine months to transport from the Gulf of Finland.

Visitors can still see an inscription on the stone that says "to Peter the First from Catherine the Second” in Latin on one side and in Russian on the other side. The statue faces west to represent Peter “leading Russia forward” because he drew inspiration from countries in the west. Legend has it that St Petersburg can never be taken by enemy forces as long as the statue remains standing in Senatskaya Square. You will often see newlyweds having their wedding photos taken in front of the statue.

Suzdal’s Museum of Wooden Architecture and Peasant Life is an open air museum dedicated to showing how Russian peasants lived in centuries past. Just a short walk across the Kamenka River from Suzdal’s Kremlin, the museum consists of about 20 wooden buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries, including log houses, windmills, churches and a barn. Set up like a small village, the museum sits on the site of St. Dmitry’s Monastery, one of the oldest in Suzdal. Visitors can go inside three houses, as well as the 18th century Transfiguration Church, notable for its dome covered with silvery aspen shakes.

The museum is also home to a variety of cultural activities, including weaving demonstrations, pottery making and folk singing. Museum staff wear traditional costumes and English speaking guides can explain how the various buildings were used and provide insight as to how Russian peasants lived.

Officially known as the F.M. Dostoevsky Literary Memorial Museum, this museum celebrates the life of Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was opened in 1971 in the apartment where he lived first in 1846 and again from 1878 until his death in 1881. Notably, it is also where he penned his last novel, the Brothers Karamazov. The interior has been reconstructed based on recollections of Dostoevsky’s wife and friends and includes memorabilia donated by his grandson. A literary exhibit focuses on Dostoevsky’s life and work, while exhibit halls occasionally display contemporary art. The museum library holds about 24,000 volumes and museum collection also includes a large collection of graphic and applied art and a collection of photographs.

Every November, the museum hosts a conference on Dostoevsky and World Culture. It also hosts bus and walking tours of St Petersburg focused on Dostoevsky’s works and the city.

With a prime location on the corner of Nevksy Prospekt and the Moika River Embankment, the Stroganov Palace (Stroganovsky Dvorets) is one of the oldest aristocratic in St. Petersburg. Designed by renowned Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli, the palace is one of the best examples of late Baroque architecture in St. Petersburg. The light pink main façade faces Nevsky Prospekt and features a large entrance arch supported by two Corinthian columns that leads to an inner courtyard. Oak gates feature carvings of branches and lion’s heads, while windows are framed by cupid figures.

Today the palace houses part of the collection of the State Russian Museum and several rooms are open to the public, having been restored to their late 18th century appearance. The State Dining Room overlooks both Nevsky Prospekt and the River Moika and features large mirrors opposite the windows to create the illusion of a room much larger than it actually is. The Large Ballroom is simply grand, with glittering chandeliers, parquet floors made of exotic woods, stucco molding and patterned balcony railings, as well as a large painting by Valeriani. The Mineral Study, restored in 2005, is considered one of the masterpieces of 18th century Russian architecture.

Alexander Pushkin was Russia’s most celebrated poet and the Pushkin Museum and Memorial Apartment is a lasting memorial to his life and work. Located in one of the oldest stone mansions in St Petersburg, the apartment museum is just two blocks from Nevsky Prospekt on the banks of the Moika River. A fine example of a nobleman’s apartment in the 1830s, it became a museum in 1925.

The carefully preserved apartment is where Pushkin lived in 1836 and 1837 and where he died after being wounded in a duel. The centerpiece of the museum is Pushkin’s study, where objects belonging to his family, friends and contemporaries are on display. Visitors can also see Pushkin’s writing desk, a death mask, a lock of his hair and other personal items. In the basement of the building are exhibits on the history of the house, Pushkin’s life in St Petersburg in 1836, and the duel that killed him.

Tverskaya Street has been one of Moscow’s main thoroughfares since medieval times. Once the stomping ground for Russian czars promenading to the Kremlin, it’s now a shopping hub, and hosts monuments of well-known Russian figures, such as Romantic poet Aleksandr Pushkin and 12th-century prince and Moscow founder Yuri Dolgorukiy.

GUM is an abbreviation meaning “Main Universal Store”, from the Russian “Глáвный универсáльный магазѝн”. It is the name of a private shopping mall located in central Moscow, just opposite Red Square. The building is a trapezoidal shape, with a steel framework and a glass roof. This made it quite unique at the time of construction, in the 1890s. From 1890 to the

1920s, the Red Square GUM was known as the Upper Trading Rows and served as a State Department Store. It was built to replace the previous trading rows, which were destroyed during the 1812 Fire of Moscow. However, GUM hasn’t always served as a shopping destination.

In 1928, Joseph Stalin converted it into office spaces, and it only reopened as a department store in 1953. It then became one of the only stores in the former Soviet Union not to suffer from consumer goods shortage, often resulting in long shopper queues spilling into Red Square.

From ancient Egyptian art to Byzantine masterpieces, through French impressionism and the Dutch Golden Age; the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts presents one of Russia’s largest and most comprehensive collections of international art. More than 600,000 works feature in the permanent collection, housed in a recently renovated museum complex.

Opened in 2003, the Izmailovo Kremlin on the outskirts of Moscow pays homage to the other kremlins around Russia. Built in a pseudo-Byzantine style, it was inspired by both Russian fairytales and the design of early Russian palaces. More than a half dozen museums can be found within the Kremlin walls, including the Museum of the History of Vodka, the Museum of Bread, the Museum of Miniatures, the Museum of the History of the Russian Navy and the Chocolate Museum. There are also a couple restaurants and a wooden church dedicated to St. Nicholas of Myra, the patron saint of arts and crafts. Visitors can also learn more about traditional Russian matryoshka (nesting) dolls and even try painting their own.

Adjacent to the Kremlin is the Izmailovo Vernissage, a large flea market where visitors can buy a variety of souvenirs and kitschy items such as fur hats, chess sets, Soviet paraphernalia and, of course, matryoshka dolls. Prices are generally lower than elsewhere in Moscow and bartering is expected; transactions are cash only. The Vernissage is open daily, but many vendors only come out on the weekends.

With an imposing Neoclassical façade over 1,900 feet (580 meters) long, the Carlo Rossi–designed General Staff Building is one of St. Petersburg’s architectural highlights. The grand building, which is part of the enormous State Hermitage Museum complex, houses a large collection of impressionist and post-impressionist art works.

Opened in 1989 to mark the centennial of her birth, the Anna Akhmatova Museum in the Fountain House of Sheremetev Palace celebrates the life and works of one of Russia’s most renowned poets. The twice Nobel Prize–nominated writer lived here for over 20 years and now, enthusiasts can get a sense of where she worked and view her personal effects.

Part of Moscow’s vast All-Russian Exhibition Center (VDNK), the Russia – My History historical park chronicles some of the key moments in Russia’s history through an innovative series of interactive exhibits and multimedia installations. Organized throughout the country by the government and the Russian Orthodox Church, the exhibit offers a nationalistic view of historical events and figures.