The Akademicheskaya Hotel offers easy access to the whole of Moscow via public transport and, although not in the very heart of the downtown, does have some interesting sights in the immediate vicinity.
Gorky Park, better known in Moscow as Park Kultury (its full official title is The First Park of Culture and Leisure in honor of Maxim Gorky), begins just five minutes walk from the hotel. As well a variety of rides and attractions that are likely to appeal to younger visitors, including an ice-rink in winter and boating in summer, the park also contains the remains of two famous Moscow gardens Golitsinskiy and Neskuchniy with some fine buildings and follies from the late 18th and early 19th centuries, set in picturesque woodland.
Near the entrance to the park on Krymskiy Val stands the Central House of Artists, which is home to the modern collection of the State Tretyakov Gallery. While many of the Gallery's halls are taken up with the monumental excesses of Socialist Realism, the Tretyakov has now moved the works of all 20th century artists to this venue, and the halls dedicated to pre-Revolutionary and 1920s Avantgarde art contain a rich collection of paintings by Kandinsky, Chagall, Malevich and other world-renowned Russian artists. There are also regular temporary exhibitions by contemporary artists, and the museum is well worth a separate visit.
The Sculpture Park, or Graveyard of Fallen Monuments, occupies the lot behind the gallery. Originally used as a dumping ground for the official Soviet statuary that became persona non grata after the fall of communism, it now contains a briefly fascinating mix of weird and wonderful sculpture from any number of sources.
Major attractions |
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| Distance: | 5 kilometers |
| Taxi: | 10 – 20 minutes Show driving route |
| Public transport: | It will take 25 minutes to get to the cathedral. Walk northeast down Donskaya Ulitsa as it curves and merges into Leninsky prospect. When you reach the prospect turn right and keep walking straight, continue onto Kaluzhskaya Square and Ulitsa Bolshaya Yakimanka until you reach Oktyabrskaya Metro Station. Take the orange Kaluzhsko-Rizhskaya metro line and travel two stops to Kitay-Gorod. When you exit the station, keep walking straight down Ulitsa Ilinka, which leads to the Red Square, where the cathedral is. Show transit route |
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| Distance: | 5 kilometers |
| Taxi: | 10 – 20 minutes Show driving route |
| Public transport: | You will need about 25 minutes to get to the Kremlin. Walk northeast down Donskaya Ulitsa as it curves and merges into Leninsky prospect. When you reach the prospect turn right and keep walking straight, continue onto Kaluzhskaya Square and Ulitsa Bolshaya Yakimanka until you reach Oktyabrskaya Metro Station. Take the orange Kaluzhsko-Rizhskaya metro line and travel two stops to Kitay-Gorod. When you exit the station, keep walking straight down Ulitsa Ilinka, which leads to the Red Square. The entrance to the Kremlin is by St. Basil’s Cathedral. Show transit route |
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| Distance: | 5 kilometers |
| Taxi: | 10 – 20 minutes Show driving route |
| Public transport: | The Red Square is about 25 minutes away. Walk northeast down Donskaya Ulitsa as it curves and merges into Leninsky prospect. When you reach the prospect turn right and keep walking straight, continue onto Kaluzhskaya Square and Ulitsa Bolshaya Yakimanka until you reach Oktyabrskaya Metro Station. Take the orange Kaluzhsko-Rizhskaya metro line and travel two stops to Kitay-Gorod. When you exit the station, keep walking straight down Ulitsa Ilinka, which leads to the Red Square. Show transit route |
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| Distance: | 8 kilometers |
| Taxi: | 15 – 25 minutes Show driving route |
| Public transport: | The trip will take 30 minutes. Walk northeast down Donskaya Ulitsa as it curves and merges into Leninsky prospect. When you reach the prospect turn right and keep walking straight, continue onto Kaluzhskaya Square and Ulitsa Bolshaya Yakimanka until you reach Oktyabrskaya Metro Station. Take the orange Kaluzhsko-Rizhskaya metro line and travel two stops to Kitay-Gorod. When you exit the station head southwest and walk pass Novaya and Lubyanskaya Squares. Then turn left onto Teatralny Proezd that leads to Teatralnaya Square, where the Bolshoy Theater is. Show transit route |
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