Moscow Kremlin
Московский Кремль
The seat of Russian power and a 500-year-old fortress. Its highlights include the five golden-domed churches of Cathedral Square, Ivan the Great Bell Tower, the Tsar Bell and Tsar Cannon, and the Armoury Chamber treasury.
The Kremlin is a fortress on the triangular hill on the north bank of the Moskva River. Its 2,235-meter red walls and 20 towers were built by Italian craftsmen between 1485 and 1495. It is both the seat of the Russian presidency and a museum complex open to the public. Visitors enter from Alexander Garden through the Kutafya Tower and go through the Trinity Tower into the complex. The main area is Cathedral Square. Here you will find the Dormition Cathedral, where tsars were crowned; the Archangel Cathedral, the burial place of Ivan the Terrible and 45 other grand princes and tsars; the Annunciation Cathedral, the family church of the tsars, which houses Rublev icons; the 81-meter Ivan the Great Bell Tower, which you can climb with a separate ticket; the 200-ton Tsar Bell, which has never been rung; and the Tsar Cannon, which has never been fired. The Senate Building, where the president works, the Grand Kremlin Palace and the State Kremlin Palace, a performance venue, can only be viewed from the outside.
The Armoury Chamber is Russia’s oldest museum. It holds Fabergé eggs, tsarist coronation robes, carriages and the Monomakh’s Cap. It requires a separate ticket and entry at timed slots. The Diamond Fund requires an additional ticket. Entry prices in 2025 were about 1,000 rubles for Cathedral Square and about 1,500 rubles for the Armoury Chamber. The safest option is to buy online in advance at kreml.ru. The ticket office is underground in Alexander Garden. The Kremlin is closed on Thursdays. Large luggage must be stored under the Kutafya Tower. Photography is prohibited inside the churches. In summer, the complex opens at 09:30, and on Saturdays from 10:00 there is a cavalry and infantry changing-of-the-guard display at 12:00 on Cathedral Square. A full visit takes about 2.5 to 3 hours. Afterward, you can stroll along the Kremlin embankment to the Big Stone Bridge for a panoramic view.
Opening hours
10:00–17:00 (May 15–Sep 30 09:30–18:00); closed Thursdays
Nearby sights
- Moscow Metro
- Lenin's Mausoleum
- State Historical Museum
- Red Square
- Alexander Garden & Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
- GUM Department Store
- Saint Basil's Cathedral
- Nikolskaya Street