How to Cruise the Moscow River
When visiting the city of Moscow, an excellent activity that is also relaxing is a Moscow River tour. Though many points of interest in the city are accessible by Metro, taxi, or foot, cruising the river by boat allows you a different perspective of such noted landmarks as Gorky Park, the Kremlin and Red Square. The cruise travels through central Moscow along two bends in the river and is relatively inexpensive. There are also snacks and drinks on board.
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Instructions
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Become familiar with the Moscow Metro system. You can still navigate the Metro and not read Russian. Internationally accepted color coded lines and a specific station name will allow you to explore anywhere in the city. Access the Brown Line, a circular route located directly beneath the Garden Ring, from any Metro station in the city. Once on the Brown Line, exit at the Kievskaya Station. From the surface, the Moscow River is directly across the avenue. Confirm the location by noting the government building across the river with the name ‘Mockba” bordered by lawn.
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Purchase tickets for the cruise at the kiosk located along the river's shore. The cruise lasts approximately 2 hours for a one-way trip. The boat disembarks at Novospasskiy with the Proletarskaya Metro only blocks away. For an added price, opt for a round trip ticket.
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Scan the Moscow skyline and locate the Seven Sisters--seven post-war buildings sharing the exact architecture and built by German prisoners-of-war. It is difficult to find a location where all seven come into view, but it may be a great game while on the cruise. Don’t confuse the Sisters with Moscow University.
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Look to the south of the city and see in the distance Moscow University, identifiable by its massive building set atop Lenin Hill. The building will be a constant source of reference for the cruise.
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See the massive Moscow Sports Complex, the first significant landmark to come into view and located at the first bend in the river. The complex was the center of the Olympics and unmistakable because of the domed stadium at the center.
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Cruise north toward the Kremlin and see Gorky Park on the right. Gorky Park is a recreational park that is part amusement park and part museum. You will see children’s rides, a Ferris wheel and the equivalent of a Wild Mouse coaster. A burdensome Russian space shuttle is displayed along the riverbank.
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Note the Peter the Great statue standing in victory where the river forks. An inlet meanders south before stopping, leaving a peninsula. The boat continues port toward Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
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Admire this majestic cathedral in passing. Destroyed at one time, Christ’s Cathedral has been recently rebuilt, retaining all its former glory. The impressive gold cupola can be seen well before Peter’s statue.
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Approach the second bend and the intimidating fortress that is the Kremlin. It's Moscow as it looked 800 years ago. The yellow and white buildings within the fortress are in stark contrast to the reddish brown wall surrounding the compound and bordering the river.
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See Red Square, which borders the eastern Kremlin wall. Lenin’s Tomb is the black marble tomb in the distance, partly obstructed by Saint Basil’s Cathedral. Saint Basil’s appears much smaller after seeing the magnificent cathedral upstream, but it's several centuries older. Saint Basil’s offers a striking scene with the river in the forefront. Electric poles and wires make for a disappointing photograph, however.
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Disembark at the Novospasskiy Bridge and walk north to the Proletarskaya Station, on the Pink Line and one stop southeast of the Brown Line ring.
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Resources
- Photo Credit James Barnett
