On the more traditional list of what to see in Moscow, this is a massive, 350-foot fall obelisk that commemorates Yuri Gagarin’s 1961 orbit of earth and the feeling that the U.S.S.R. This statue was installed near a Moscow military facility in 2008 in honor of this Moscow mutt that got in a spacesuit and got shot into outer space. It did so in Sputnik 2, which made over 2,000 revolutions of the Earth before disintegrating on reentry. Laika was the first living thing to circle the Earth in outer space. The museum has an underground feel and is one of the oddest Moscow attractions you can imagine, and although only 50 to 55 of the games are playable, each of the machines paints a picture of life and entertainment in the past, during the Cold War behind the Iron Curtain. Located in the basement of a technical school in the suburbs, the Museum of Soviet Arcade Games features about 60 machines from the Soviet era including video games, pinball machines, and others. Tour packages are available at all hours of the day, catering to a range of ages, some of which focus more on the historical aspects of the bunker, while other take a nearly comic angle on the tangible threat of nuclear annihilation for all humankind. One of the remnants of the Cold War, and 165 feet below the surface of the city, it is a collection of tunnels and bunkers that you can now see, but it is only available via a scheduled tour. It is not open for too long each day, only from 10 am to 1 pm on Tuesdays through Saturdays. Lenin’s Mausoleum houses a glass sarcophagus with the embalmed body of… wait for it…. It was ordered to be built in 1500s by Ivan the Terrible and it is far from… terrible. They were designed to make the building look like the shape of a flame on a bonfire and although the Soviet government was pronounced in their anti-religiousness, even they knew better than to do anything with this iconic Moscow attraction. The onion-shaped domes of Saint Basil’s Cathedral are unforgettable and it is on everyone’s list of places to visit in Moscow. Around Red Square you will also find the colorful towers of Saint Basil’s Cathedral. It is well worth planning a night visit for some spectacular photographs. The cobblestone square is surrounded by beautiful architecture and a lot of the history of this city took place here and you obviously have access to the public area at any time of day or night. It is right in the heart of the city and on every tourist map you’ll find. While there are many different attractions that you will be able to see in Moscow, there is no doubt that the most iconic of these is Red Square, which is surrounded by the oldest and most prominent buildings in the city. What are the Best Things to Do in Moscow? Red Square At the time Moscow was only a small town, although it started to grow into a prominent trading city towards the late thirteenth century. The location of the city on the Moskva River is one of the reasons that it developed, and the earliest records of the city date to the twelfth century. While Russia is often cast in a negative light in the media in Western countries, Moscow is actually one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in the world and although there certainly are some political issues to consider there, it is a place with plenty of fun things to do and see. The Russian capital is the largest city in Europe with a population of over 13 million, and has a long history as the capital of one of the most important countries and empires in world history. Here’s my suggestion for the best things to do in Moscow. What to do in Moscow? Coming from the West, it is a question I get asked frequently.
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