Moscow 4 Day Itinerary (No Tourist Traps)
Four days is our 3-day plan , Red Square, the Kremlin, and the Tretyakov, plus a fourth day southwest of the center. Prices are RUB, and foreign Visa or Mastercard cards are dead here since 2022, so plan on cash. Our 5-day plan is this same route with a metro-architecture loop added.
Book these before you go:
- Kremlin Cathedral Square and Armoury tickets : separate tickets, both closed Thursdays
- St Basil’s Cathedral : MIR cards only online, cash at the box office otherwise
- Tretyakov Gallery : 700 RUB, closed Mondays
- Your hotel on Ostrovok.ru : foreign Mastercard works online, Visa does not
- Apartments on Sutochno.ru : the short-stay alternative, same foreign-card caveat applies
| Day | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1 | Cathedral Square, St Basil’s, GUM, Red Square after dark |
| 2 | Armoury Chamber, Kitay-Gorod, metro palace stations |
| 3 | Tretyakov Gallery, Gorky Park |
| 4 | Novodevichy Convent, Sparrow Hills |
Day 1: Red Square and the Kremlin core
Book Cathedral Square for a morning slot (1,100 RUB standard, 600 RUB discounted, arrive 45 minutes early for security), then St Basil’s Cathedral on its own separate ticket, then the State Historical Museum. Lunch inside GUM, a private mall today despite the Soviet-era name, and return to Red Square after dark once the tour groups clear.
Day 2: The Armoury and Kitay-Gorod
Book one of the Armoury Chamber’s four fixed daily entry times if you want the Fabergé eggs and coronation regalia (1,400 RUB standard, 800 RUB discounted, closed Thursdays). Otherwise walk Kitay-Gorod, immediately east of the square, then ride out to Komsomolskaya and Mayakovskaya metro stations, marble and mosaics for a single 75 RUB fare.
Day 3: The Tretyakov Gallery and Gorky Park
The Tretyakov (700 RUB, closed Mondays) in Zamoskvorechye holds the Rublev Trinity icon and the Peredvizhniki collection; allow half a day. Gorky Park, free, is the easy afternoon follow-on, a short walk or metro hop away.
Day 4: Novodevichy Convent and Sparrow Hills
A UNESCO-listed 16th-century convent (metro: Sportivnaya) roughly 5km southwest of the Kremlin, Novodevichy runs about 1,000 RUB for the convent and exhibition; its separate cemetery, with Chekhov, Gogol, Bulgakov and Khrushchev among the graves, is free. From there continue to Sparrow Hills for the classic wide shot of Moscow State University above the river, a free viewpoint reached directly by its own metro station.
Is Novodevichy worth a half day when you’ve already seen the Kremlin’s cathedrals? Yes, it’s a genuinely different building style and quieter than anything on Red Square, and the cemetery costs nothing extra. Pair it with Sparrow Hills rather than treating either as a standalone trip; they sit on the same southwestern arc of the city.
Before you go
Read the current US State Department and UK FCDO advisories in full before booking anything. If Lenin’s Mausoleum interests you, confirm its status separately; it’s free but open only Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, 10:00-13:00, with restoration work affecting access in 2026.