Back in the USSR

Description:

Unbelievable as it seems now, it is not so long ago that Moscow’s streets were awash in sickles and hammers, not McDonalds and Gucci. Those nostalgic for the days of the Evil Empire, here’s a tour for you. This one-day itinerary takes you back to the Soviet Union, with its cosmonauts, secret police, imposing architecture and one particularly cranky dictator. Bonus: Even communists get hungry, so there’s a special food inclusion. Happy travels, comrade!

user rating

Author: Sonya


Day 1 - Moscow


A perfect place to start any trip, especially one dedicated to the Soviet Union, is Moscow’s most iconic destination -- Red Square. While there, don’t forget to pay your respects to the man who started it all, Lenin, who lies in eternal repose in his Mausoleum. Next, walk northwest up Tverskaya, Moscow’s main artery where Red Army tanks once rolled through to do battle on the Eastern front. Stop at the Museum of Modern History for a concise look back at the 20th century, an exciting time for the Russian people. Further up Tverskaya, enter Mayakovskaya metro, a proud architectural achievement of the 1930s which later doubled as a fall-out shelter. Ride the metro to Dynamo station, next to the stadium of what was formerly the KGB’s sport team. In Frunze Central Airfield you’ll find a museum to Soviet aeronautics and glimpse the former Young Pioneers sports complex. Crisscross the city for lunch at Mama Zoya, a famous Georgian restaurant (Stalin was Georgian!) with a view of Gorky Park, the Soviet Union’s culture park. Then it’s on to the museum of the Federal Security Service, once known as the KGB, in Lubyanka. It is still one of the most feared buildings in the city. Take the metro north to see the VVTs, a massive park which once housed the achievements of Soviet technology and agriculture, before dinner at Praga, a favored destination of the Soviet elite. Finally, end up with a night view of where it all ended – the Bely Dom. When Boris Yeltsin stood on a tank in front of this government building, it was sayonara to the Soviet Union.


1

Red Square (Krasnaia Ploshchad')

Location:

view in google maps
Red Square
(Krasnaya Ploshad)
125009 Moscow, Russia


2

Lenin's Mausoleum (Mavzolei V.I. Lenina)

user rating

Location:

view in google maps
Red Square (Krasnaia Ploshchad')
103073 Moscow, Russia

Phone:

+7 495 232 5657(Tourist Information)


3

Museum of Modern Russian History (Muzei Sovremennoi Istorii Rossii)

user rating

Location:

view in google maps
Ulitsa Tverskaia, 21
125009 Moscow, Russia

Phone:

7 495 699 6724


4

Mayakovskaya Station

user rating

Location:

view in google maps
1-st Tverskaya Zastava Ploshchad'Yamskaya street
Moscow, Russia


5

Moscow Dynamo

Location:

view in google maps
Leningradsky Prospekt, 36
Central Stadium Dinamo
125167 Moscow, Russia

Phone:

7 495 612 7172


6

'Yunye Pionery' Sportivnyi Kompleks (Young Pioneers Sports Complex)

Location:

view in google maps
Leningradskii Prospekt, 31
125284 Moscow, Russia

Phone:

7 495 613 0239/ 7 495 613 0335


7

Central House of Aviation and Cosmonautics (Tsentral'nyi Dom Aviatsii i Kosmonavtiki)

Location:

view in google maps
Ulitsa Krasnoarmeiskaia, 4
125167 Moscow, Russia

Phone:

7 495 212 5461 / 7 495 213 4333


8

Gorky Park

user rating

Location:

view in google maps
Krymskii Val, 9
Krymsky Val
117049 Moscow, Russia

Phone:

7 495 237 1100


9

Mama Zoya

user rating

expert pick

Location:

view in google maps
16D Frunzenskaya nab.
119146 Moscow, Russia

Phone:

7 495 242 8550


10

History Hall of the Federal Security Service (Muzei Federal'noi Sluzhby Bezopasnosti)

Location:

view in google maps
Ulitsa Bolshaia Lubianka, 12
101000 Moscow, Russia

Phone:

7 495 914 8538


11

All-Russian Exhibition Centre (Vse-rosiiskii Vystavochnyi Tsentr - VVTs)

user rating

Location:

view in google maps
Мира просп
129223 Moscow, Russia

Phone:

7 495 760 3386


12

Praga (Prague)

Location:

view in google maps
Arbat Ulitsa, 2/1
119019 Moscow, Russia

Phone:

7 495 290 6171


13

White House (Belyi Dom)

Location:

view in google maps
Krasnopresnenskaia Naberezhnaia, 2
103274 Moscow, Russia


Contact   ·   Privacy   ·   Terms