ROUND ABOUT RUSSIA
Discovering Moscow’s sights beyond Red Square
It’s easy to be intimidated by Moscow. The sheer size of the sprawling Russian capital makes navigating it a challenge, while the lack of a tourist information centre means visitors are on their own when it comes to exploring this city of more than 12 million people.
It’s hardly surprising, then, that many short-term visitors to Moscow spend much of their time in the sight-heavy district around the Kremlin. But once you’ve wandered around Red Square and gawked at Lenin’s tomb, it’s advisable to spread out and investigate the many other treasures – architectural and cultural – that the city has to offer.
For a treasure trove of Russian spoils, from centuries-old religious icons by Andrei Rublev to colossal canvases by Ilya Repin and Alexander Ivanov, head to the State Tretyakov Gallery, a short walk from the banks of the Moscow River (Lavrushinsky Pereulok 10-12; open Tues-Wed, Sat-Sun 10am-6pm, Thurs-Fri 10am-9pm; entry 450R/`800; tretyakovgallery.ru).
A stroll back across the river, in the fashionable Kropotkinskaya district, the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts is among the city’s most popular museums. Housed in a recently renovated early 20th-century building, its vast collection includes masterpieces by Van Gogh and Picasso. The wing next door is home to the Museum of 19th and 20th Century European and American Art. Packed full of work by impressionists and postimpressionists such as Monet, Renoir, Gauguin, and even more by Van Gogh, it’s a delight to wander its compact halls (Ulitsa Volkhonka 12 and 14; both open Tues-Wed, Fri-Sun 10pm-7pm, Thurs 10am-9pm; entry to each 300R/`500; artsmuseum.ru).
Opposite, the mammoth Cathedral of Christ the Saviour dominates the skyline. The original church was blown up in the 1930s as part of Stalin’s anti-religion campaign. Marble from its walls was later used in