Route developed
in collaboration with
his route follows Moscow through the era of the Russian Empire, from the seat of imperial power at Red Square to the country estates where the nobility spent their summers. Red Square and GUM open the route in the city’s political and commercial center, framed by the Kremlin wall and the 19th-century trading galleries built for Moscow’s merchant class. Tsaritsyno carries the theme into the countryside, with the unfinished Gothic Revival palace Catherine the Great commissioned as her summer residence. Novodevichy Convent adds the dynasty’s religious and family history, having served as the place where Romanov women were confined and later buried. Kuznetsky Most closes the route in the city center, tracing the street where 19th-century Moscow’s aristocracy shopped for fashion and books. Together, the four points span the empire’s political, religious, and social life within a single day’s taxi-accessible radius.
The central square of the Russian Empire, framed by the Kremlin wall on one side and GUM’s imperial-era trading rows on the other, still functioning today as Moscow’s political and commercial core.
A restaurant at the Metropol, opposite the Bolshoi Theatre, featuring historic interiors, marble, columns, and a view of Teatralnaya Square.
Chef Andrey Shmakov presides over the kitchen, blending Russian gastronomy with French techniques; the menu features a mix of dishes such as *botvinya* with pike-perch, *sugudai* (marinated fish) made from muksun, pike dumplings, and a Pozharsky cutlet served with Camembert and foie gras tartare.
Hotel Metropol, Moscow
more details →
A modern Russian restaurant located on the second floor of the Hotel National, offering views of the Kremlin. Its menu centers on Russian delicacies, featuring some fifteen varieties of caviar and an impressive collection of vodkas and champagnes. The kitchen is led by Roman Chistov, who works with traditional techniques and heritage Russian cuisine, incorporating seasonal local ingredients.
15/1 Mokhovaya Street, National Hotel, 2nd Floor, Moscow
more details →
A grand restaurant at the Central House of Writers on Povarskaya Street — a historical, architectural, and gastronomic landmark of the city. The kitchen serves lavish Russian cuisine, sometimes in an author’s interpretation by Chef Fyodor Verin. Classic beef stroganoff or Pozharsky cutlets sit harmoniously alongside sorrel shchi with pastrami.
Povarskaya Street, 50/53, building 1, Moscow
more details →Stroll through GUM’s covered arcades, built in the 1890s as the Upper Trading Rows for Moscow’s merchant class.
Take a photo with its colorful onion domes rising behind you.
A park at the foot of the Kremlin with a cantilevered bridge that extends over the Moscow River with no supports beneath its edge. Unusual architecture and a separate gastronomic quarter inside.
A Gothic Revival palace ensemble commissioned by Catherine the Great as her summer residence, its towers and pointed arches unlike any other imperial estate in Moscow. Construction stretched across two decades, and the empress reportedly rejected the finished palace on a visit, leaving parts of the ensemble incomplete for over a century. The estate was restored and opened to the public only in the 2000s, its ponds and pavilions now set within one of the city’s largest parks.
Examine the palace exterior, built in a mock-Gothic style unusual for its period.
See the light-and-sound show performed by the estate’s fountains.
Ride across the chain of ponds running through the park.
A fortified convent historically used by the Romanov dynasty to confine female relatives, its cemetery later becoming a burial ground for the imperial court and nobility.
Opened in 1913, Savoy is one of Moscow’s oldest luxury restaurants, famous for its Art Nouveau interiors and historic atmosphere. The menu combines Russian classics with European fine dining.
Rozhdestvenka St., 3/6, Moscow
more details →
Housed in a restored 19th-century mansion, Oblomov specializes in traditional Russian home-style cuisine prepared with premium ingredients. Its cozy atmosphere offers a glimpse into old Moscow hospitality.
1st Monetchikovsky Lane, 5с1, Moscow
more details →Follow the path along the pond beside the convent walls, with views of the towers and cathedral domes reflected in the water.
Follow the riverside path facing the convent, lined with the contemporary architecture of some of Moscow’s most prestigious residential addresses.
Follow the same bank to a large park popular with sports enthusiasts, with modern infrastructure for running, cycling, and outdoor activity.
The principal shopping street of aristocratic Moscow in the 19th century, lined with fashionable stores, bookshops, and tailors that catered almost exclusively to the nobility. Many of the shops were run by French and German merchants, giving the street a distinctly European character within the Russian capital. The name itself recalls an older Smithy Bridge that once crossed the Neglinnaya River, long since built over.
Café Pushkin appeared in Moscow thanks to the song «Nathalie»: Gilbert Bécaud imagined a fictional café in the heart of Moscow where the protagonist drinks hot chocolate and watches the snow.
In 1999, restaurateur Andrei Dellos decided to bring it to life; the restaurant opened on Tverskoy Boulevard, and chef Andrei Makhov created a menu based on traditional recipes.
26A Tverskoy Boulevard, Moscow
more details →
This Russian restaurant is helmed by Vlad Piskunov—a true guru and champion of the cuisine. In crafting the menu, the chef drew inspiration from the culinary traditions of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, utilizing regional ingredients and dishes based on historic recipes—such as *pelmeni*, Pozharsky cutlets, and game. In Piskunov’s hands, however, these dishes do not feel like museum pieces, but rather like classics given a modern touch.
Kutuzovsky Avenue, 2/1с6, Moscow
more details →
A casual restaurant-and-vodka-bar on Novinsky Boulevard, working with Russian cuisine and traditional beverages, slightly reimagined by the local bartenders. The menu features borscht, pickles, roasts, and other familiar home-style comforts for everyday dining.
Novinsky Boulevard 12, Moscow
more details →Wander beyond Kuznetsky Most into the surrounding streets, lined with 19th-century facades built for Moscow’s fashion trade.
Wander through this century-old department store, where the original 1908 building now houses Moscow’s luxury shopping scene.
SOVIET MOSCOW
Constructivism, nostalgia,
the best canteen food
explore route →
CONTEMPORARY MOSCOW
New architecture, new kitchens, new energy
explore route →
THE THEATRICAL TABLE
A theatrical journey through flavour, spectacle and Moscow nights
explore route →
Moscow From Above
A high-altitude escape through the city’s most beautiful vantage points
explore route →
