Moscow Behind the Icons

Información

Get out of the guidebook and into local life in Moscow, with a new take on the typical spots Taste a cheburek and find out why locals love them so much Hear stories of how city sites — everything from monuments to a McDonald’s — have been influenced by soviet history Retreat to a quiet secret spot away from the bustle of Moscow See iconic sites like Pushkinskaya Square, Red Square, and St. Basil’s Cathedral.

You can’t go to Moscow and miss the classic sites like Red Square and St. Basil’s Cathedral — but that doesn’t mean you have to see them like a tourist! Get a local’s perspective on Russia’s emperor days, soviet history, and modern-dayMoscow with stops at the classic landmarks, but paired with detours into the spots only locals know.

Your Moscow tour will start at Pushkinskaya Square, a main spot for locals to gather and meet. It is the epicentre of many of Moscow’s historical layers: here you’ll find a monument to Pushkin, the main figure of Russian literature and the big macho of his times; the avantgarde building of the former main soviet newspaper; and even the first McDonald’s in Russia. These “landmarks” all come from very different periods of Russian history, and convey a lot what was happening in the country during their eras.

From there, we’re going 100% authentic with a taste of local Russian fast food. We’ll visit a spot that’s popular for selling chebureks, deep-fried pastries filled with minced meat. (Don’t worry if you’re meat-averse — for vegetarians there are chebureks with potatoes and cheese.) Wash it down with a traditional Russian soft drink or tea, and find out why the locals love this place. This snack spot is rarely visited by tourists, so you’re getting the true taste of local life!

After our short snack stop, your Moscow tour will continue with a visit to the most unlikely of beautiful sites: a grocery store! Not just any grocery store, though — Eliseevsky is famous for luxurious, neo-baroque interiors.



Meeting/pick-up point: Pushkin Monument on Pushkinskaya Square, metro station: Tverskaya.
Duration: 3 hours.
Start/opening time: At 10am.
End/closing time: At 1pm.
Languages: English.
Others: Cheburek (snack) and drink included.