Red Square, Moscow

Red Square: What It Is, What It Isn’t, and How to See It Well

Red Square has never meant what most English speakers assume. The Russian word “Krasnaya” means both “red” and “beautiful”; the square’s name predates the Soviet period by centuries and refers to the latter meaning. It has been Moscow’s central public space since the 15th century, market, execution ground, parade route, which means it was doing all of these things simultaneously at various points in its history. The square has been the central public space of Moscow since the 15th century: market, parade ground, execution site, and ceremonial heart of whatever government held power. It is 695 metres long and 130 metres wide, and you feel the scale the first time you walk into it from any of the surrounding streets.

The current travel context for Russia applies here as much as anywhere: Western sanctions and the security situation following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine have significantly changed the logistics of visiting. Direct flights are mostly suspended, credit cards from Western networks don’t function, and most Western governments advise against non-essential travel. This is the factual situation; check current advisories before planning.

The Buildings

St. Basil’s Cathedral at the south end of the square was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible to commemorate the capture of Kazan in 1552. The eight onion domes (plus one smaller central dome) in different colours and patterns make it the most recognisable building in Russia. The interior is surprisingly small and dark; the building’s drama is entirely exterior. Admission costs around 600 roubles.

The Kremlin walls run along the western edge of the square. The word “kremlin” means fortified citadel and Moscow’s is the most famous of many such structures throughout Russia. The complex inside covers 28 hectares and contains the presidential administration buildings, five palaces, four cathedrals, and the Armoury museum, which holds the accumulated treasures of the Russian state including Fabergé eggs, coronation regalia, and carriages dating to the 16th century. Tours of the inside require advance ticket purchase at kassa.kreml.ru.

Lenin’s Mausoleum sits below the Kremlin wall at the centre of the square’s western side. Lenin’s embalmed body has been on display here since 1924, with brief interruptions for conservation work. Entry is free, the queue is usually 20-30 minutes, no photography is allowed inside, and the seriousness of the guards is not performative. The changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (at the Kremlin wall near the Alexander Garden, adjacent to the square) happens on the hour every hour from 8am to 8pm.

The State Historical Museum occupies the large red brick building at the north end of the square. The collection runs from prehistoric Russia through the early Soviet period with particular strength on medieval Russian history. The building’s late 19th-century interior decoration is a destination in itself: each room is different in style, covered in frescoed ceilings, ornate tiling, and painted walls that accumulated over decades. Admission around 800 roubles.

GUM

The third major building on the square, along the eastern side, is GUM (pronounced “goom”), the former State Universal Store. It was opened in 1893 as a shopping arcade, nationalised by the Soviets, partly used as office space, and eventually restored to retail use in the 1990s. The interior is extraordinary: three parallel arcades under glass and steel roofing, five stories high, with natural light flooding down. It currently contains luxury brands and expensive restaurants. The ice cream counter on the ground level (the same soft-serve ice cream that was sold here in the Soviet era) costs around 50 roubles and is the most honest thing in the building.

Timing

The square itself is open 24 hours and free to enter. It’s at its most atmospheric early morning (before 8am) or late at night, when the lighting on the cathedral and the Kremlin walls is specifically designed for effect and the tourist density drops to near zero. Dawn in winter, with snow on the paving stones, is how most serious Moscow photography is done.

Military parades take place on May 9 (Victory Day) and close the square for several days around the date. The New Year’s ice rink and outdoor market occupy much of the square from late November through January.

Around the Square

Kitai-Gorod, the district immediately east of Red Square, contains some of the best-preserved pre-revolutionary architecture in Moscow, including the Chambers of the Romanov Boyars (Gostiny Dvor area) and the 16th-century Zaikonospassky Monastery on Nikolskaya Street. This area is almost entirely absent from tourist itineraries and consistently more interesting than the souvenir district surrounding the square itself.

The Tretyakov Gallery, about 3 kilometres south of Red Square in Zamoskvorechye, has the most important collection of Russian art in the world. The old building collection (pre-20th century) is the primary destination; the famous Rublev Trinity icon and the Wanderers collection are here. Allow half a day.