Public Parks and Estates

Content

Gorky Central Park
Kolomenskoye Estate
Relaxing in the City Centre
Historical and Architectural Park Areas
Botanic Fans
Becoming One with Nature
The Most Visited Parks
Family Recreation
No Russian?

Moscow is one of the world’s green cities, with green spaces covering almost one third of Moscow’s total area. What is special about this city is that its parks are not numerous but extremely vast, and each of these park areas is interesting in its own way. Moscow’s parks and mansions are a remarkable cultural phenomenon, where one can relax outside, learn a lot about Moscow’s history and participate in one of the many events and public festivals. In Moscow, anyone can find a park to his or her liking, including lovers of leisurely strolls and botanists (for instance, Serebryany Bor or the Main Botanical Garden), fans of historical architecture (Kolomenskoye, Tsaritsyno or Izmaylovo Parks) or families with children. The latter will find a wide variety of family entertainment in any park, but the Zoo and the Sokolniki Park are especially popular with them.

Small gardens and parks, such as the Alexander Garden and the Zaryadye Landscape Park can be found even beneath the Kremlin’s walls. If you feel like getting away from the urban fuss, you are most welcome to visit the well-known Gorky Park, Sparrow Hills and the Victory Park, just behind the Garden Ring.

Gorky Central Park

The Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure, located just across the Moskva River, is Moscow’s most popular park. There are larger parks in the city, but any visitor will find something exciting to do around here. The park boasts places of entertainment for the whole family, open-air concert and theatrical venues, sport areas and shady alleys. The Garage Contemporary Art Centre is situated here too. The Gorky Park holds a huge number of events, exciting lectures and master classes

A former royal residence, the Kolomenskoye Historical and Architectural Conservation Area is one of Moscow’s best-known country estates. Here you will see unique Russian architectural monuments dating as far back as the reign of Ivan the Terrible, churches, towers and palace pavilions. The park features numerous archeological monuments, a wooden architecture museum and exciting historical exhibitions. Large-scale festivals, fairs and concerts are held here in summertime.

Relaxing in the City Centre

If tired of visiting museums and walking around stone-paved streets, you might want to get some rest in a quiet corner of nature away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Moscow offers you quite a few nice parks. Go out a bit further and you will find the Bauman Garden, a stone’s throw from the Garden Ring. Don’t forget to visite the newly opened Children’s Park (Russian: Детский парк) in Tagansky District.

Hermitage Garden.

Situated on Karetny Ryad Street, not far from Pushkinskaya Square, this romantic garden is home to as many as three theatres! Unsurprisingly, it is highly popular with art lovers. Theatregoers, however, are not the only ones fond of the Hermitage Garden, since it is a great place to stroll under the shade of the trees, visit stylish cafés and admire historical buildings.

Ekaterininsky Park.

A visit to this park will make you feel as if you have travelled back in time. Charmingly old-fashioned, it features almost no innovations. The park boasts a carefully tended 300-year-old willow and a great many century-old oaks. In summer, you can have a boat ride on one of the park’s ponds. Ekaterininsky Park.

Krasnaya Presnya Park.

Adjacent to the Moscow City Business Centre, this park is steeped in history. It was founded in the 1930s on the site of Studenets, an old manorial estate. Today, the park features old-time gazebos and alleys, as well as state-of-the-art recreation facilities. Youth festivals are held here on a regular basis.

Historical and Architectural Park Areas

Moscow boasts so many historical and architectural parks and former manorial estates that admirers of authentic living history have a wide selection to choose from. It’s hard to say which Moscow country estate is the best known one. Kolomenskoye, a former royal residence, is undoubtedly among the most celebrated ones. The Izmaylovo Open-Air Museum, however, is well worth a visit too.

Kuskovo Estate.

Located in the east of Moscow, this picturesque country estate used to be the summer residence of the Sheremetev Counts in the 18th century. Today, visitors can visit the French formal park featuring sculptures and magnificent ponds, the stylish Grotto and Hermitage Pavilions, the Greenhouse, along with the Holland and Italian Lodges.

Lefortovo Park.

One of the most popular places to stroll, the Lefortovo Palace and Park is one of Moscow’s oldest parks dating back to the reign of the Emperor Peter the Great. Among its landmarks are the Catherine Palace, the great Rastrelli Grotto, the rotunda-surrounded ponds, and the list goes on.

Vorontsov Park.

18th- and 19th-century buidings can be seen in the Vorontsov Park, located in the southwest of Moscow. Once owned by Boyar Vorontsov, this country estate is now a park boasting century-old oak and linden trees, as well as a picturesque cascade of ponds, out of which flows the Ramenka River.

Victory Park.

Russia’s tallest Monument to the Victory (141 m) is located in this park on Poklonnaya Hill, a favourite place for roller skaters and bikers. Among the Park’s landmarks are the Victory Museum, which hosts an exhibition dedicated to the Great Patriotic War, and the Memorial Synagogue accommodating a museum devoted to the Holocaust.

Botanic Fans

Botanic fans will find a few pieces of paradise in Moscow, including the Main Botanical Garden and the Apothecary’s Garden. Situated in the city centre, the latter is Russia’s first botanical garden founded as early as 1706. Interestingly, a larch planted by Peter the Great himself is said to still grow in the garden. The beautiful Lilac Garden (Russian: Сиреневый сад), situated in the northeast of Moscow, is a park centered round a lilac arboretum.

Moscow Central Botanical Garden

Situated in the north of Moscow and affiliated with the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Main Botanical Garden boasts unique botanical collections (over 800 plant species), land zoning, an arboretum and an exhibition of tropical and subtropical plants. There is even a Japanese garden, especially popular among visitors in May during the cherry blossom season, a rose garden and a large glass greenhouse that is open to visitors on a tour.

A new Moscow park, Zaryadye, was opened in September 2017. The park presents all of Russia’s biomes, including polar zones, grasslands, steppes and other ecosystems. Under the “Glass Bark” is the garden with evergreen subtropical plants, and visitors can get a feel of the Arctic and learn more about Arctic nature in the “Ice Cave” Pavilion. The Park is located in the historic part of Moscow, Kitai-Gorod, near Red Square.

Becoming One with Nature

Situated in the northeast of Moscow, the Losinoostrovsky Urban Forest is Moscow’s largest urban forest and part of a vast national reserve. The huge Bitsevsky Forest in the southwest of Moscow is the second largest historical park in the area, famous for its surviving 200-year-old oaks and linden trees.

Ostankino Estate.

In the northeast of Moscow is located the Ostankino Museum and Estate. As of now, the inside of the former palace of the Sheremetevs is under reconstruction, so visitors just have to make do with admiring the palace from outside. The park has paths for horseback riding, a pond with fountains, a theatrical sculpture park and a boathouse.

Sparrow Hills.

The wild landscape has been perfectly preserved in the Sparrow Hills Natural Reserve and visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of the city from Moscow’s most popular viewing platform. The Reserve features eco paths and themed events are regularly held here.

Serebryany Bor.

Another natural reserve in the northwest of Moscow boasts the city’s most popular beaches and comprises the research, recreational and hiking zones. The park has eco paths with directional signs.

The Most Visited Parks

Moscow’s most visited parks are widely different from each other and include historic sites, parks for outdoor activities and picturesque country estates. In wintertime, parks often offer ice rinks and slides, and in summer they host festivals and concerts.

Alexander Garden.

This park located right beneath the Kremlin’s walls features cozy alleys, weird fountains and historical monuments, as well as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with an eternal flame, near which the honor sentinels from the President’s Regiment stand on guard.

Muzeon Park of Arts.

The Muzeon, a true open-air museum situated on a scenic embankment of the Moskva River has lately gained in popularity. Visitors to the park are welcome to have a look at the vernissage and to enjoy numerous Soviet and post-Soviet sculptures.

Tsaritsyno Estate.

One can see neo-Gothic palaces and dive into the atmosphere of the glorious reign of Catherine the Great in this park founded by Catherine herself. Located in the south of Moscow, this palace museum and park reserve is steeped in history.

Sokolniki Park.

In the Sokolniki Park one can not only have a leisurely stroll, but also participate in sporting events, ride a bike, visit the great amusement park and the Museum of Calligraphy and have a bite in a cozy café. In winter, a skating rink appears and skate rentals become available.

Family Recreation

In our days, every park has child-friendly facilities. In Gorky Park, an ice rink is available in winter, and the Green School and the Popular Observatory, where kids will learn many exciting facts about the Universe, are open in summer. In Sokolniki Park, children are offered playgrounds, aviaries and they will surely be glad to visit the Child Creativity House.

Zoo.

Any child would be interested in paying a visit to the Moscow Zoo, the second largest zoo in Europe. Over 1,000 animal and bird species inhabit the vast territory in the heart of Moscow. It’s a bit crowded here on weekends during the summer months, so you’d better come here on weekdays to wander freely around here.

VDNKh.

VDNKh, a huge trade show and amusement park and a fine sample of Stalinist architecture, accommodates Moskvarium and stages interactive child shows and tours to the Robostantsiya (Robostation) Museum. The park also offers playgrounds, including a safe playground for children with disabilities.

Izmailovo Park.

The Izmaylovo Park is a great place for strolls with children, featuring a boathouse, an adventure park, the Czar’s beehive, rides and an equestrian club. In Izmaylovo, you can take a ride on the Ferris wheel or just a have a walk in the scenic Serebryanka river valley.

No Russian?

Strolling around urban parks and estates is a great way to relax if you don’t speak Russian. You won’t need any accompanying texts to enjoy the beauty of nature and architectural landmarks. Visitors to the Moscow Zoo can get booklets in English and all of the signs there are both in Russian and English. Some parks offer guided tours in foreign languages, but that’s rather an exception.

Moscow’s Most Romantic Places

When it comes to romantic places in Moscow, the Bolotnaya Square area is what comes to mind right away. One of Moscow’s most popular wedding places, a curved pedestrian bridge spanning the Obvodny Canal, is located here. It is locally known as the Kiss Bridge (Russian: Поцелуев мост) or the Love Bridge (Russian: мост Любви). The area around the Patriarch’s Ponds is romantic in its own way. Open-air celebrations don’t often take place here, but Bulgakovian mysteriousness is all over in these old Moscow neighbourhoods.

The Tsaritsyno Open-Air Museum offers all visitors to use the services of tour guides or to join a guided tour available in 15 languages (English, German, Japanese, Farsi, Hebrew, Finnish and more). Tours in foreign languages are also available in the Izmailovo Kremlin, located on the premises of the Izmailovo Park (make sure, however, that you book such a tour in advance), and in Gorky Park