6 Days in Moscow: The First-Timer Itinerary

Six days covers Red Square, both halves of the Kremlin, Kitay-Gorod, the Tretyakov Gallery and Gorky Park, Novodevichy Convent and Sparrow Hills, a morning of ornate metro stations, and a full day trip to Sergiev Posad, the single most important monastery town outside the city. Same non-negotiables every time: bring cash, foreign Visa and Mastercard cards are dead since 2022, and the e-visa doesn’t cover US, UK, Canadian, or Australian passports. Want the slightly tighter version? See 5 days ; want the full week, go to 7 days .

Book these before you go:

Day 1: Red Square and Cathedral Square

Red Square early, then Cathedral Square inside the Kremlin walls (1,100 RUB standard, 600 discounted, closed Thursdays). St Basil’s is a separate ticket next door, roughly 700-2,000 RUB depending on the source, book via en.shm.ru to confirm the current figure. GUM for lunch, the State Historical Museum in the afternoon, and one more lap of the square after dark for the floodlit version.

Day 2: The Armoury Chamber and Kitay-Gorod

Book one of the Armoury’s four fixed slots (10:00, 12:00, 14:30, 16:30; 1,400 RUB standard, 800 discounted). Afternoon in Kitay-Gorod for the Romanov Boyars’ Chambers and the Zaikonospassky Monastery on Nikolskaya Street. Evening at the Bolshoi if you got tickets, otherwise a Georgian dinner of khinkali and khachapuri is the reliable backup plan.

South into Zamoskvorechye for the Tretyakov Gallery (700 RUB, closed Mondays) for a proper half day with Rublev’s Trinity icon, then Gorky Park for the afternoon, free entry and a good spot to sit by the river.

Day 4: Novodevichy Convent and Sparrow Hills

Novodevichy Convent in the morning (metro: Sportivnaya, roughly 1,000 RUB for foreign visitors, with a separate free cemetery), then Sparrow Hills for the classic MSU-and-skyline view, capped off with the Luzhniki cable car if you want the river crossing.

Day 5: The metro loop and VDNKh

Ride the circle line for Komsomolskaya and Mayakovskaya, the two most photographed stations in the system, a single 75 RUB fare on a Troika card . In the afternoon, VDNKh’s Soviet-era pavilions are worth a few hours, individual sections like the Cosmonautics museum run around 700 RUB, or swap in the Moscow City observation deck if skyline views interest you more than Soviet history.

Day 6: A day trip to Sergiev Posad

Take the suburban train from Yaroslavsky Station, roughly 1 hour 10 to 1 hour 20 each way, book through pass.rzd.ru rather than a third party. The Trinity Lavra of St Sergius, the most important monastery in Russian Orthodoxy, is within a short walk of the station, plan on 3-4 hours to see the cathedrals, the bell tower, and the holy spring before heading back into the city for the evening.

How does the full six days break down?

Day Focus Getting there Rough daily cost (RUB)
1 Red Square, Cathedral Square, St Basil’s Metro to Okhotny Ryad 3,000-4,500
2 Armoury Chamber, Kitay-Gorod Walking from the Kremlin 3,500-5,500
3 Tretyakov Gallery, Gorky Park Metro to Tretyakovskaya 2,500-4,000
4 Novodevichy Convent, Sparrow Hills Metro to Sportivnaya 2,500-4,000
5 Metro loop, VDNKh Circle line 2,000-3,500
6 Sergiev Posad day trip Train from Yaroslavsky Station 2,000-3,500

Is Sergiev Posad worth a full day away from Moscow?

Yes, and it’s the single best day trip option if you’re only adding one. It’s closer and faster than pushing on to Vladimir or Suzdal, and the Trinity Lavra’s working monastery atmosphere is a different register entirely from anything inside the city.

Getting around and back to the airport

The metro (75 RUB a ride) and Aeroexpress (700 RUB one-way, cash or Russian card only) cover everything except the Sergiev Posad train itself. Flights connect through Istanbul, Dubai, or a similar third-country hub in both directions, there are still no direct routes from the US, UK, or EU as of 2026.

Six days is enough to see the city properly and get out of it for a day, which is about the right balance for a first serious Moscow trip.