Europe attractions

Housed in the suitably opulent Shuvalov Palace, the Fabergé Museum is a tribute to legendary Russian jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé. The St. Petersburg highlight showcases Russia’s treasured series of Fabergé eggs alongside a dazzling collection of Russian art, jewelry, and artifacts.

Moscow’s Kazan Cathedral (Kazansky Kafedralny Sobor) was built between 1633 and 1636 to celebrate Russia’s liberation from Polish invaders in 1612, the end of the Time of Troubles. Prince Dmitry Pozharsky often prayed to a holy icon of Our Lady of Kazan, to which he attributed his success in removing Polish occupiers. Kazan Cathedral housed the icon for two centuries. In 1936, the church was intentionally demolished as part of a greater plan to remodel Red Square to host military parades for the Soviet Union. Using measurements and photographs of the original church, the All-Russian Society for Historic Preservation and Cultural Organization built a replica of the cathedral in 1993. Services are held within the cathedral twice each Sunday, as well as for vespers on Monday evening.

Founded by Peter the Great in 1714, the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography is Russia’s oldest museum. Its permanent collection is made up of almost two million items and includes a fascinating mix of cultural artefacts, curiosities, and scientific marvels from all around the world.

Created in 1941, the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Music Theatre may not be as well-known as the famous Bolshoi Theatre, but it has been staging world class opera and ballet performances for nearly a century. The theatre was formed by the combination of the Stanislavski Opera Theatre, originally founded in 1918, and the Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theatre, which produced both musical comedy shows and opera from the 1920s. Today, the theater is based in a building on Bolshaya Dmitrovka Street in the heart of Moscow and features one opera and two chamber music halls. The building was built on the site of Count Pyotr Saltykov’s estate and the lobby integrates remains of the estate dating from the mid-1800s. While showing many classic operas and traditional Russian ballets, the theater is known for being bold and experimental. It was the first in Russia to perform ballets by Nacho Duato, Jiri Kylian and Jorma Elo and hosted the world premiere of Vladimir Kobekin’s Hamlet.

Housed in imposing red-brick barracks along the Kryukov Canal, the Central Naval Museum is one of the world’s largest maritime museums and dates back to 1805. More than 700,000 items make up the huge permanent collection, offering comprehensive insight into Russia’s maritime heritage and military prowess.

The Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex(Kiev Olympic Stadium) is the premier sports venue in Ukraine and the second largest in eastern Europe. Located on Cherepanov Hill in Kiev, the complex’s history dates back to 1923 when it was known as the Red Stadium of Trotsky. Originally designed with an eye toward hosting the Olympic Games, the complex underwent extensive renovations prior to Ukraine hosting the final of Euro 2012. The renovation added a roof over the seating areas, a new press box and luxury boxes and a 13-story Sheraton Kiev Olimpskiy Hotel. With a seating capacity of more than 70,000 the complex regularly hosts major football matches and has hosted concerts by international stars such as Shakira, George Michael, Madonna and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Tours of the complex include the changing rooms of the FC Dynamo Kiev football team, the players’ tunnel, the stadium bowl and the second tier of the stadium, which offers great views of the surrounding area.

One of Moscow’s more unusual attractions, the embalmed body of the Communist revolutionary sits inside a granite and marble tomb on Red Square and attracts a steady stream of visitors. Lenin has been lying in state here since his death in 1924—with the exception of a brief stint in World War II when his body was removed for safekeeping.

While the magnificent Winter Palace is now home to the immense State Hermitage Museum, part of the original royal residence—known as the Winter Palace of Peter the Great (Peter I)—has been preserved, allowing visitors a glimpse of the emperor’s grand living quarters and personal items.

The A.S. Pushkin Memorial Apartment (Memorial'naya Kvartira A.S. Pushkina) in Moscow was once the home of the poet Alexander Pushkin and his wife Natalya Goncharova. Pushkin was one of the greatest Russian poets of the 1800s and is considered to be the founder of modern Russian literature. His most famous play, Boris Godunov, was written while he couldn't publish it due to the Tsar's political police. The couple was a great source of Russian romanticism, and the apartment provides insights into their lives in Moscow. They spent the first three months of their happy marriage in this pretty blue house in 1831. Visitors to the house can see oil and water color paintings and drawings, portraits of the poet, rare etchings and lithographs, red wood and Karelia birch furniture, gold plated bronze, leather bound books, manuscripts, old magazines and newspapers, and other antiques that decorated the couple's home. Many of the original pieces of furniture can still be seen in the Pushkin House. Across the street is a statue of the two lovebirds.

With an elegant Baroque façade that stretches along the Neva riverfront, the 18th-century Menshikov Palace is a striking sight. The building—which is one of the oldest in St. Petersburg and was once home to Prince Menshikov—houses part of the world-renowned State Hermitage Museum art collection.

The most luxurious house of its time in St Petersburg, the Menshikov Palace was also the first large stone building to be constructed in the city. Standing on Vasilievsky Island, it is the only surviving private structure from the early 18th century. Designed by Italian architects, the exterior combines a western Baroque style with traditional Russian architectures that has been dubbed “Petrine Baroque.” Inside, the rooms that hosted some of the first balls in the city have been restored to their original state, with parquet floors, Dutch tiles and marble accents. The exhibits likewise take visitors back to the 18th century, with collections of European and Russian applied art from the era, as well as sculptures, paintings, engravings and furniture. The palace has functioned as a branch of the State Hermitage Museum since 1967.

The Siege of Leningrad was one of the most significant events of WWII to take place on Russian soil. This museum tells the story of the epic battle from the perspective of both the military and the civilians who lived and died in the besieged city, giving visitors a fascinating—and harrowing—look at the tragic events that unfolded here.

With an imposing Neoclassical façade over 1,900 feet (580 meters) long, the Carlo Rossi–designed General Staff Building is one of St. Petersburg’s architectural highlights. The grand building, which is part of the enormous State Hermitage Museum complex, houses a large collection of impressionist and post-impressionist art works.

Founded by Peter the Great in 1710, the Alexander Nevsky Monastery is not just a tribute and final resting place to one of Russia’s great military leaders (and the patron saint of St. Petersburg), but to many of Russia’s most important cultural figures as well. The grounds comprise two baroque churches, a cathedral, and a pair of cemeteries.

Gaming enthusiasts won’t want to miss a visit to this quirky museum—the counterpart to the St. Petersburg museum of the same name. Come to play on the many working games at the interactive museum that's styled like a Soviet-era games arcade and is home to around 60 restored arcade machines from the 1970s and 80s.

Spend a few hours at the St. Petersburg Planetarium (Sankt-Peterburgskiy Planetariy) and learn all about Russia’s long history of space exploration. Attend a talk or film screening, gaze through telescopes in the observatory, or visit the “star hall.”

Hidden beneath the unassuming façade of a residential building, Bunker-42 was once one of the USSR’s best-kept secrets—a nuclear bunker buried 197 feet (60 meters) underground. Now preserved as a museum, the site offers insight into Soviet-era Russia and the Cold War.

GUM is an abbreviation meaning “Main Universal Store”, from the Russian “Глáвный универсáльный магазѝн”. It is the name of a private shopping mall located in central Moscow, just opposite Red Square. The building is a trapezoidal shape, with a steel framework and a glass roof. This made it quite unique at the time of construction, in the 1890s. From 1890 to the 1920s, the Red Square GUM was known as the Upper Trading Rows and served as a State Department Store. It was built to replace the previous trading rows, which were destroyed during the 1812 Fire of Moscow. However, GUM hasn’t always served as a shopping destination. In 1928, Joseph Stalin converted it into office spaces, and it only reopened as a department store in 1953. It then became one of the only stores in the former Soviet Union not to suffer from consumer goods shortage, often resulting in long shopper queues spilling into Red Square.

Possibly the finest art museum in Ukraine, the LvivNational Art Gallery is home to more than 60,000 pieces of art from all over the world. Its history can be traced back to a Polish museum started in 1907 and expanded with additional collections in 1914 and 1929. Significantly, it features a large number of pieces by Polish artists that were acquired during World War II, giving it the most impressive collection of Polish art outside of Poland. The gallery has been in its current location, in the renovated palace of Count Potocki, since 2005. Art is displayed in the gallery throughout thirty halls that are divided by epochs and art movements. In addition to Polish artists, it includes works from leading Dutch, Flemish, French, Italian Austrian, German, Russian and Ukrainian masters from the 14th to 18th centuries. Two particular highlights are Georges de la Tour’s “Payment of Dues” and Tiziano Vecellio’s “Portrait of a Man,” but works by Rubens, Bruegel, Goya and Caravaggio are also featured.

Encircled by poignant monuments and memorials, the Victory Museum—or the Museum of the Great Patriotic War—is the focal point of Moscow’s Victory Park (Park Pobedy). Opened in 1995 to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, it’s Russia’s largest and most important museum of military history.

Opened in 1989 to mark the centennial of her birth, the Anna Akhmatova Museum in the Fountain House of Sheremetev Palace celebrates the life and works of one of Russia’s most renowned poets. The twice Nobel Prize–nominated writer lived here for over 20 years and now, enthusiasts can get a sense of where she worked and view her personal effects.

Nikolaevsky Palace is one of St. Petersburg’s lesser-known palaces, but its striking neoclassical facade and unique architectural features make it well worth a visit. The historic palace also plays host to the popularFeel Yourself Russian! show—a showcase of traditional Russian music and folk ballet.

Mosfilm Film Studio in Moscow is the leading film company in Russia, producing many of the country’s most beloved TV shows and movies. Visit to take a walk through the Hollywood-style film sets, see historic props, and observe the spots where classic Soviet movies were filmed.

Moscow’s enormous Trampoline Park NEBO is a family-friendly destination that older kids in particular will enjoy, especially on a cold or rainy day. Challenge yourself on trampolines, aerial walkways, or the climbing wall—or attempt an obstacle course or two. You can even take private trampolining lessons.

Explore the science behind sight, light, and optical illusions—the Museum of Optics explains it in a way that kids (and others with no prior knowledge) understand. Displays include holograms, colorful butterflies, a laser harp, and more.

Whether you’re a gaming enthusiast or just nostalgic for arcades of old, this quirky museum is the place to travel back in time and indulge your inner child. Filled with more than 40 restored arcade machines from the 1970's and 80's, the museum is fully interactive with many working games to play on.

The State Museum of the Political History of Russia covers a lot of ground, with exhibitions featuring everything from the Russian Revolution to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the evolution of modern-day Russia. Each gallery offers a wealth of information, and multimedia and interactive displays bring history to life.

To see tropical animals in St. Petersburg, a city better known for its subzero winters, visit Ekzoopark. A family-friendly destination regardless of the weather, the indoor park is home to more than 400 species (some endangered) from habitats such as deserts, rain forests, and savannas.

In St. Petersburg, it doesn’t really matter what the weather is doing outside, because it’s always warm inside Piterland Aquapark. Spend the day relaxing and having fun, taking full advantage of the park’s pools, waterslides, and saunas. Or, just lounge around under a palm tree on the artificial beach.

Moscow’s Sky Town is the place to go if you or the kids are seeking some thrills and need to burn some energy. The high-ropes and obstacle courses include nets, ziplines, swings, climbing walls, and other challenging adventures.