Old Arbat is the main tourist artery of Moscow and one of the oldest streets in the capital. The history of Arbat dates back to the 16th century: for centuries this street was a merchant settlement, then the main center of the aristocracy and intelligentsia of Moscow, and now it has turned into a popular landmark and symbol of the city. The attractiveness of Old Arbat for tourists is not limited solely to architectural objects - it is a pedestrian street with trendy restaurants and cafes, as well as a street culture center imbued with a special atmosphere with original musicians and freelance artists.
In the article we will tell you everything about Arbat: which metro is the nearest, what entertainment this pedestrian zone offers, where to eat and stay.
How to get to Old Arbat
Before finding out the answer to this question, you need to understand where Old Arbat is located in Moscow. This tourist street is located in the Central District of the capital, it stretches from west to east for 1.2 km from Smolenskaya-Sennaya Square to Arbat Gate Square. To the north of Old Arbat lies New Arbat, and to the south is Prechistenka Street. Red Square is located just 2 km to the east.
The main question for guests of the capital who want to see the Old Arbat in Moscow is how to get to this pedestrian street by metro or land transport.
How to get to Old Arbat in Moscow by metro
The Old Arbat of Moscow is located near the metro; the names of the nearest stations correspond to the squares that border this pedestrian street:
- Smolenskaya station;
- Arbatskaya station.
You can get to Smolenskaya station via the blue and dark blue metro lines. It is optimal to take the second line to Old Arbat - this metro station is the closest (only 200 m from the western beginning of the street). The Arbatskaya station, which is located at the eastern edge of the street, can also be reached via the blue and light blue lines.
How to get to Old Arbat from the Arbatskaya metro station on foot depends on which line you were traveling on - Filevskaya or Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya. With the Arbatskaya station on the Filevskaya line, everything is simple - follow the signs to the Arbat Street exit. In the second case (if you were traveling on the blue line), you will go out to Vozdvizhenka Street and move along it to the west for about 500 m.
The most convenient way to get to Arbat by metro (to the Smolenskaya and Arbatskaya stations) is from the Circle Line.
How to get to Arbat in Moscow by ground transport
In addition to the metro, you can also use ground transport to get to Arbat Street in Moscow (how to get to any other point in the capital by metro and buses, you can read here). The stop is called “House of Books” on Novy Arbat Street; buses 6 and 39, trolleybuses 2 and 44, as well as night bus H2 go here.
You can get to the end of the street from the Smolenskaya Metro stop. There is even more choice of routes here - buses 64 and 132, night bus Bk, trolleybuses 10, 39, 79, ring buses B, Bk, as well as day and night trolleybuses Bch. Another option: get off at the Arbatskaya Ploshchad stop a little to the left from the beginning of the street. The routes of this stop are bus 6, trolleybuses 1, 2, 15, 31, 44.
How to get to Arbat
Walking is a great option for getting to Old Arbat in Moscow in good weather. For example, Vozdvizhenka and Znamenka streets will lead you from Red Square to Arbat. I also advise you to make a small detour and, walking along the embankment to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, go straight along Gogolevsky Boulevard to the main pedestrian street of the capital.
For those who are interested in how to get to Old Arbat from the Pushkin Museum, the route is also simple - follow Kolymazhny Lane to Gogolevsky Boulevard, and continue along the boulevard north to Arbat Square.
Story
The history of Arbat is inseparably linked with famous cultural and government figures living on this street. The first wave of aristocracy came after the fire of 1736. After him, eminent noble families began to populate the street: the Dolgorukys, the Kropotkins, the Rostopchins, the Sheremetevs, the Trubetskoys, the Golitsyns. It burned out again during the Patriotic War of 1812 with Napoleon.
Museum “A.S. Pushkin’s Apartment on Arbat”, © Andrey and Valeria
In the 30s it was possible to drive cars along Arbat. Joseph Stalin chose her to travel to his residence in Kuntsevo. The tragic story of the students from house number 43 is connected with this. In 1944, they were charged with trying to shoot a party leader from their apartment. The absurdity of the situation was that the windows faced the courtyard of the house.
© Alexander
It took twelve years to turn Arbat into a pedestrian zone. Its roadway moved to the wide New Arbat. In the 80s, intellectuals and families of party officials lived on the street.
What's worth seeing
What interesting things does Old Arbat offer for tourists who come to Moscow? Rather, it’s easier to say what this street, a kind of open-air museum, doesn’t have, than to list the countless number of various entertainments!
Street performers
First of all, there are a large number of artists, musicians and other creative personalities who entertain the public in every possible way! Of course, street performers expect to make a profit from their work, but the decision whether to reward their work is up to you.
The approach of evening, warm weather and a day off significantly increase the chances of seeing street art masters!
Tsoi's Wall
Fans of the Kino group and simply admirers of the work of Viktor Tsoi should take a look at Krivoarbatsky Lane, where the wall named after him is located - a kind of graffiti museum, where there are many inscriptions in praise of the unforgettable rock idol.
This house is assigned the address Arbat Street, 37.
Theater named after Evgenia Vakhtangova
I advise connoisseurs of theatrical art to look into the Vakhtangov Theater, located right in the middle of the famous street in a house decorated with columns, at number 26, where Vladimir Etush and Vasily Lanovoy work to this day. Spending an evening watching a performance in the theater would be a great idea! You can see such performances as Anna Karenina, Demons, Running, The Thunderstorm, Uncle Vanya, Notes of a Madman, Pier and many other masterpieces embodied by the geniuses of the stage.
Ticket prices range from 200 to 3000 rubles.
Arbat Museums
There are many different museums located on the main pedestrian street of Moscow! Of course, not as great as the Tretyakov Gallery or the St. Petersburg Hermitage, which you can read about here. Here the museums are aimed at making your experience as fun and interesting as possible.
Old Arbat, 16
For example, at 16 Old Arbat , there is a museum with a whole range of entertainment:
- Bringing Down the House,
- ribbon maze,
- Mirror Maze,
- Giant's house
- Petting zoo.
A ticket to each museum costs 500 rubles. For the same price, you can smash plates in the anti-stress attraction called “Bash the Dishes!”
Museum opening hours are from 11:00 to 00:00, seven days a week. Yes, children under 5 years old have free admission to the museums!
Museum of Illusions
Another Museum of Illusions in Moscow can be visited at Maly Nikolopeskovsky Lane, 4. Don’t forget to bring a great mood, a camera and 350 rubles. Entrance is open to visitors of all ages from 11:30 to 23:00. For children under 4 years of age, admission to the museum is free.
Museum of the History of Corporal Punishment
At Arbat Street, 25/36, there is the Museum of the History of Corporal Punishment, where you can see with your own eyes the reconstruction of torture instruments and be horrified and amazed at the same time. Children under 18 years of age are admitted strictly accompanied by an adult. The museum is open daily from 12:00 to 22:00. But their prices are strange: a woman’s ticket costs 300 rubles, and for some reason men pay 400 to enter the museum.
Moscow Museum of Perfumery
Right at the entrance to the museum on Arbat Street, 36/2 building 1, it becomes clear just by the scent gently floating in the air what it is dedicated to. The Moscow Museum of Perfumery promises to transport visitors through time through aromas that are offered to be enjoyed in abundance. The museum doors are open from 12:00 to 22:00. The price of excursions is from 1000 to 5000 rubles.
Memorial apartment of A.S. Pushkin
And if you want to visit a “more serious” museum, I recommend going to the A.S. Pushkin Memorial Apartment at the end of the street, in building 53, where you can literally visit the great writer and poet! Alexander Sergeevich spent three months in this apartment after the wedding. On the second floor of the museum, pieces of furniture from that era are preserved, and on the first floor there is an exhibition “Pushkin and Moscow”, which will allow you to fully experience Pushkin’s life. In addition, the museum hosts many different exhibitions, performances and concerts.
It is not possible to get there every day: the museum is open daily from 10.00 to 18.00 (ticket office until 17.30), on Thursdays from 12.00 to 21.00 (ticket office until 20.30). Days off: Monday, Tuesday. The last Friday of the month is sanitary day.
The cost of a full entrance ticket to the museum is 350 rubles. However, many will fall under preferential categories - full-time full-time students, university students, pensioners, children from 7 to 17 years old can pass for only 100 rubles. Children under 6 years old inclusive visit the museum for free.
Moscow Memorial Museum named after. A.N. Scriabin
Located at Bolshoi Nikolopeskovsky Lane, 11, the museum keeps the furnishings in the apartment in its original form from the days of the composer’s life! The museum also hosts concerts, music festivals, family and educational programs for children and much more.
The museum's operating hours are largely identical to Pushkin's apartment: Wednesday, Friday - Sunday - from 11.00 to 19.00, Thursday - from 13.00 to 21.00. Monday, Tuesday - days off. The last Friday of the month is sanitary day. Entrance fee to the museum: for adults - 300 rubles, preferential categories (schoolchildren, pensioners) - 150 rubles. Preschoolers, orphans, disabled children, military personnel, war veterans, and full-time students enter the museum free of charge.
Book collapse
As for cultural education: another of the wonderful advantages of Arbat is the presence of book sales, usually located at the end of the street! There you will find several counters with a lot of different literature, which you can buy from 20 rubles per book! It could be Paulo Coelho, Leo Tolstoy, children's fairy tales, and even publications from past centuries, but they command a considerable price!
Cinema "Khudozhestvenny"
In the eastern part of Arbat Street (Arbatskaya metro station is closest) there is an excellent cinema! Most of all, it is remarkable because the cost of tickets does not exceed 250 rubles. I once watched a movie with great pleasure, lying on an ottoman, for only 50 rubles! True, don’t expect to see new items there, but how many things from the old repertoire have not yet been seen?
Tsoi's Wall
Viktor Tsoi’s wall appeared on Arbat immediately after the news of the death of the leader of the Kino group in a car accident.
Fans of his work painted the blank wall of house No. 37, facing Krivoarbatsky Lane, with graffiti with portraits of the singer and lines from his songs. Particularly noticeable is the word “CHANGE!”, which, strangely enough, has not yet been painted over.
Where to stay on Arbat
You can even live on the main tourist street of Moscow! There are a lot of options, and they all cost at least 500 rubles per day (16- or 10-bed rooms).
BEAR HOSTELS
The hostel is located in the area of Old Arbat Street, address - Bolshaya Molchanovka, 23, building 2. It is very affordable in its pricing policy and offers to book a place from 449 rubles per night in a multi-bed room. Multi-bed - a room in which two or more people live. It is possible to choose accommodation in a mixed, male or female room. If you want more privacy, you can take a double room at a price of 3 thousand per bed. Free Wi-Fi, bed linen and towels, guest kitchen, 24-hour front desk, personal locker are provided.
Finding this hostel is very simple: from the Arbatskaya metro station on the purple (blue) line, you need to turn right, cross the street along the underground passage and go straight to house No. 21A, (Promsvyazbank). Then go through the arch and turn left. In the second entrance, on the fifth floor, it will open its doors for you!
Hotel Arbat
Those who like to relax more comfortably can use it in Moscow (the nearest metro is “Smolenskaya”), located at Plotnikov Lane, 12. Double occupancy starts from 7 thousand rubles per day, single occupancy from 6 thousand. Room area 18 sq. meters with a bed and shower. In the room: hairdryer, refrigerator, telephone, TV, satellite and cable TV, Internet, air conditioning. The room rate includes breakfast (buffet).
Memorial apartment of A. S. Pushkin
An old two-story mansion in which the poet spent the first months after his wedding to N. Goncharova. The ground floor contains authentic exhibits depicting the era in which Pushkin worked, materials about his circle and friends.
The surviving interiors of the second floor show the everyday side of the newlyweds’ lives; it was here that they held their first family ball. In front of the mansion there is a monument to Pushkin and Goncharova; the sculptor captured the moment after the wedding - the couple holding hands leaves the temple.
Location: Arbat street - 53.
Where to eat
Another vast topic! Old Arbat offers a huge variety of places to suit every taste: from the 19th century Prague restaurant at the beginning of the street to the well-known McDonald's at the end.
But I’ll probably highlight a couple of the most interesting ones in my opinion:
Hard Rock Cafe
An ancient three-story mansion, the interior of which resembles a museum, is located at 44 Arbat Street, near the Smolenskaya metro station on the blue line. By pulling the guitar-shaped door towards you, you will enter the world of rock and roll and will not want to leave! The atmosphere is created not only by excellent music, but also by the interior - all the walls are decorated with memorabilia (for example, Ozzy Osbourne's suit, Jimi Hendrix's coat, a letter from Nancy, and so on). In addition, they have their own store and also host live performances.
The menu focuses on drinks; the food here is mostly fast food and not very cheap, but you don’t have to have a fat wallet to visit this cool establishment! I take French fries and just slowly enjoy them for 210 rubles =) And if you get into happy hour, you will be able to drink two glasses of beer for the price of one (220 rubles) - usually on weekday evenings.
Krusty Krab
Ideal for SpongeBob lovers! This establishment is stylized as a cheerful cartoon, which creates a light, joyful atmosphere. Steering wheels on tables, ship barrels instead of chairs. The menu includes fast food, soups, salads with an average bill of 1,500 rubles.
The establishment is located at 4 Arbat Street. Open from 11:00 to 23:00.
I can’t pick a favorite among the cafes, since I don’t have any myself, but there really is a lot of choice! On a budget you can have a snack in the Mu-Mu canteen, enjoy Cinnabon cinnamon rolls in the cafe, eat pizza with friends at the Italian restaurant Rucolla, drink coffee at Starbucks, and also find many more establishments with European, Asian, Oriental, traditional Russian cuisine and so on. .
Grocery stores
Several small shops line the street with a bright "Grocery" sign. The prices are affordable, but I’m not very sure about the quality of the product. So it’s better to go to the trusted “Sedmoy Continent” at the end of the street (opposite the tall Stalinist building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) in building 54/2с1. The store is open 24 hours a day and has an abundance of gastronomy. There is also a dried fruit stall inside at the entrance that sells incredibly delicious dates and delicious dried braided melon!
Theater named after E. Vakhtangova
Cultural center of Old Arbat. The history of the theater goes back almost a hundred years. The first performance took place in 1921. Initially, the troupe settled in a former residential mansion, adapted for performances. The room was small, and the theater hall could seat only 150 people. Gradually the theater expanded and gained popularity among Muscovites.
At the very beginning of the war, the theater was completely destroyed during a bombing. The modern, majestic building, decorated with columns, was built in the late forties on the site of the previous one.
In front of the entrance in 1997, a fountain “Princess Turandot” was installed, dedicated to the performance, which became a real symbol of the theater.
Location: Arbat street - 26.
Anticafe on Arbat
And now you have collected a whole package of delicious things in the Seventh Continent and want to spend time in a wonderful company of friends. Where to go? Go to the anti-cafe! Again, there are several of these in the area of the main pedestrian street of the capital. And their cost is usually standard - 2.5 rubles per minute.
A little about the specifics of the anti-cafe - here you will be offered a cozy place with board games, unlimited tea and cookies, pets and other goodies that create comfort!
Jeffrey's coffee
Jeffrey is a moose =) But very hospitable, since the time cafe is named after him.
It is located very close to Old Arbat (the nearest metro stations "Arbatskaya" and "Smolenskaya" are located about 800 m) - at Starokonyushenny Lane, 45. Opening hours: Mon-Thu: 8.30–23.00, Fri: 8.30–0.00, Sat- Sun: 10.00–0.00. You can bring food and drinks with you. You will definitely like it!
Ah, Arbat...
There is so much here that it is impossible to list. And visit museums, and buy souvenirs, and meet interesting people, and show yourself off. You don’t even have to go anywhere, but simply slowly walk past the street lamps, admiring the architectural monuments, sculptures, inhaling this unique atmosphere of the street, feeling with every cell of your body a subtle connection with the spirit of the Arbat and its secrets!
Central House of Actors
The building of the creative association is located directly opposite the theater. The house was built in 1913 and is the tallest on Arbat. Previously, it had huge apartments with luxurious interiors, which were turned into communal apartments after the revolution.
Externally, the house resembles a medieval Gothic castle with many bay windows and narrow windows. And the most striking detail is the sculptures of knights decorating the façade of the building. In the early 90s, the Actor's House was located here. Now creative evenings, festivals, and master classes are held here. There are several theater venues, thematic clubs and studios.
Location: Arbat street - 35.
Monument to Bulat Okudzhava
Near house number 45, where Bulat Okudzhava was born and lived, a monument to the Arbat singer was erected in 2002. The composition is a pedestal paved with paving stones with two semi-arches, a table with benches and a sculpture of the poet himself emerging from the gateway. Quotes from the bard's songs are applied to the arches, and the sculpture casts a “bronze shadow.”
Museum of Optical Illusions
The unique museum opened in 2014 and occupies about 1000 square meters. meters _ The museum houses installations and paintings that come to life when interacting with visitors. This effect is especially pronounced when photographing exhibits; photography here is not only allowed, but is also part of the program. Here you can also watch the process of creating 3D drawings.
Location: Maly Nikolopeskovsky Lane - 4.
