11 Best Sights in Ulitsa Tverskaya, Moscow

Once the place where foreigners had to go to phone home, Central Telegraph is a blocky, early constructivist building that's one block up Tverskaya ulitsa from Red Square. You can still make phone calls abroad here, as well as buy stamps, send a fax, or use the Internet—but mainly, Central Telegraph is a sight just worth a quick look from the outside now. The striking semicircular entrance is adorned with a huge digital clock and a large and constantly revolving lit-up globe. Inside are currency-exchange counters, a pharmacy, a coffee shop, and ATMs in the lobby, plus the main post office.

Built in 1629, this is one of the few lucky churches to have stayed open throughout the years of Soviet rule. As a survivor, the church was the recipient of many priceless icons from less fortunate churches destroyed or closed by the Soviets. Services are still held here daily. Be sure to look at the beautiful frescoes on the ceilings in the chapels on either side of you as you enter. Two famous icons, depicting the Coronation of the Virgin Mary and the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, hang in the vaults on either side of the vestibule.

The ornate art nouveau splendor of the National, built in 1903, belies its revolutionary function as the pre-Kremlin residence for Lenin and subsequent home for Communist Party operatives and fellow travelers, such as author John Reed. Beautiful mosaics adorn the hotel facade; inside, the luxurious rooms and restaurants conjure up the National's prerevolutionary elegance. A plaque on the outside of the hotel commemorates the five killed in December 2003, when a female suicide bomber blew herself up just outside the hotel's entrance. The bombing was attributed to Chechnya's separatist war.

One of Moscow's most historically important theaters, this performance space is renowned for its productions of the Russian classics, especially those of Anton Chekhov (1860–1904). Founded in 1898 by the celebrated actor and director Konstantin Stanislavsky (1863–1938) and playwright and producer Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko (1858–1943), the theater staged the first productions of Chekhov's and Maxim Gorky's (1868–1936) plays. It was here that Stanislavsky developed the Stanislavsky Method, based on the realism in traditional Russian theater. After the successful production of Chekhov's The Seagull (the first staging in St. Petersburg had bombed), the bird was chosen as the theater's emblem. An affiliated, more modern theater, with a seating capacity of 2,000, also confusingly called the Moscow Art Theater, was opened in 1972 on Tverskoi bulvar, near Stanislavsky's home. The mural opposite the old theater depicts Anton Chekhov, as does the statue at the start of Kamergersky pereulok. Book ahead for tours in English.

This impressive structure was built at the end of the 18th century by Matvey Kazakov for the Moscow governor-general. During the reconstruction of Tverskaya ulitsa in the 1930s, the building was moved back about 45 feet in order to widen the street. The top two stories—a mirror image of the mansion's original two stories—were added at that time. The building now houses the city government and mayor's office. Across the street there is a statue of the founder of Moscow, Yuri Dolgoruky, astride his horse.

A collection founded in 1999 by controversial sculptor Zurab Tsereteli, best known for his enormous statue of Peter the Great on the Moskva River, is gaining respect in a city suddenly enamored with contemporary art. Works by the likes of Picasso and Dalí and, especially, artists from the Russian avant-garde movement form the core of the museum's holdings. Special exhibitions range from retrospectives of eminent Russian émigrés to debut collections to experimental video art to interactive exhibitions. The museum's main building is a restored 18th-century mansion, but there are five other branches that are also in the city center. One ticket admits you to all of the branches for the day.

This is a good place to start if you want a refresher course on Soviet history. Originally built by Giliardi in 1787, the mansion was rebuilt in the classical style after the Moscow Fire of 1812; it was once the social center of the Moscow aristocracy and its entrance is flanked appropriately by two smirking lions. The building housed the Museum of the Revolution from 1926 to the late 20th century, at which time the museum was converted to its present purpose. Although the museum retains many of the former exhibits—heavily imbued with Soviet propaganda—they have been updated to reflect the changing political climate in Russia. The permanent exhibit, on the second floor, begins with a review of the first workers' organizations in the 19th century. The exhibits outlining the 1905 and 1917 revolutions include the horse-drawn machine-gun cart of the First Cavalry Army, the texts of the first decrees of the Soviet government on peace and land, dioramas and paintings portraying revolutionary battles, and thousands of other relics. The next rooms outline the history of Soviet rule, with extensive material devoted to Stalin's rise to power before whizzing through the short post-Soviet history.

With a huge archive and the country's best collection of political posters and medals, the museum has a reputation for hosting excellent temporary exhibits. Explanations are only in Russian, but you can arrange a tour in English by calling ahead. The fine gift shop sells Russian souvenirs (including some beautiful amber) and great vintage items like flags and political-rally posters.

The beginning of Russian satirist and novelist Mikhail Bulgakov's (1891–1940) novel The Master and Margarita is set in a small park surrounding these ponds, named after the patriarch of the Orthodox Church, who once owned the area. Shaded by trees and with plenty of benches, it's a nice spot for a break, and there are several good restaurants nearby, including a pavilion near the ponds where they serve kitschy Soviet cuisine in an opulent setting. In winter the pond is used as a skating rink. The surrounding neighborhood has become one of Moscow's poshest.

The most popular meeting place in town is located at the intersection of ulitsa Tverskaya and the Boulevard Ring. Every evening in good weather you will see crowds milling by the bronze statue of Alexander Pushkin (1799–1837), which stands at the top of a small park. It's the work of Alexander Opekushin and was erected by public subscription in 1880. It is impossible to underestimate Russia's love for the poet, who is credited with founding modern Russian literature. One of his most famous lines, from his novel in verse Eugene Onegin (1823), is about Moscow: "Moscow, how many strains are fusing / in that one sound, for Russian hearts! / what store of riches it imparts!" Summer and winter, fresh flowers on the pedestal prove that the poet's admirers are still ardent and numerous. Also at this site is the country's first McDonald's, once the busiest in the world, and a restaurant and shop called Armenia, which sells that country's famed Ararat brandy and other delicacies.

This major intersection is where the grand boulevard of Moscow, the Garden Ring, crosses Tverskaya ulitsa. In the center of the square stands a statue of the revolutionary poet Vladimir Mayakovsky (1893–1930), who it's generally believed committed suicide after he became disillusioned with the revolution he had so passionately supported.

The square is a center of Moscow's cultural life—and lately it's also become the political opposition's preferred site for anti-Putin rallies. (In order to prevent the latter, city authorities occasionally cordon off much of the square, supposedly to undertake emergency construction work.) The Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, which opened in 1940, stands on one corner (in its foyer are various food outlets); the Satire Theater is next door, on the Garden Ring; and the Mossoviet Theater is nearby, at 16 Bolshaya Sadovaya. The multitiered tower of the elegant Peking Hotel, opened in 1956 as a mark of Sino-Soviet friendship, rises nearby.

While you're here, it's worth riding the escalator down for a peek at the spectacular interior of the Mayakovskaya metro station, which, like many early stations, lies deep underground (it doubled as a bomb shelter during World War II). Stalin made a famous speech here on the 24th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution, at the height of the Siege of Moscow. Colorful, pastel mosaics depicting Soviet achievements in outer space decorate the ceiling.

This last section of ulitsa Tverskaya leads to Belorussky railway station, which also has two interconnecting metro stations. The entrances to all three stations are spread along the edge of sprawling ploshchad Tverskaya Zastava, known for its gnarled traffic patterns caused by construction projects that have occupied it for years. Lately, the area surrounding the square has become home to a number of popular restaurants, including the gastropub favorite Ragout and a midrange steakhouse called Torro Grill. Belorussky station is where trains roll in from Western Europe (and from Sheremetyevo airport on the Aeroexpress) and is the site of the former Triumphal Gates, built in the 19th century by the architect Osip Bove to commemorate the Russian victory in the war with Napoléon. The gates were demolished in a typical fit of destruction in the 1930s. A replica of the original gates was erected in 1968 near Poklonnaya Hill, at the end of Kutuzovsky prospekt.