Moscow in 4 Days on a Budget (With Daily Costs)

Four days builds on the 3-day plan of the Kremlin, St Basil’s, the Tretyakov, and a free park day, adding VDNKh’s vast grounds and the in-city Kolomenskoye estate, both free to walk. Sort out cash before anything else, since Western cards do not work anywhere in Russia. Days 1 through 3 are unchanged; Day 4 is a second nearly-free day. Shorter trip? See the 2-day or 3-day versions. Have more time? See the 5-day plan, which adds a splurge day to this one.

Book these before you go:

Day Focus Est. spend (excl. lodging)
1 Red Square, Kremlin and Armoury Chamber, cash sorted 3,500-5,000 RUB
2 St Basil’s, Metro palace stations, Tretyakov Gallery 2,500-3,500 RUB
3 Gorky Park, GUM, Zamoskvorechye, all free 500-1,000 RUB
4 VDNKh grounds and Kolomenskoye estate, both free 500-1,000 RUB

Is a Golden Ring day trip worth adding to 4 days?

Not on this itinerary. Sergiev Posad and Saint Petersburg use Moscow as a base and need their own dedicated planning (Saint Petersburg alone is a 3.5-4 hour Sapsan ride each way, an overnight, not a day trip). See Moscow, Russia as a base for day trips if that’s the plan; this itinerary stays inside the city.

Day 1: Red Square and the Kremlin

Morning: land, exchange cash (USD, EUR, or CNY) at a bank counter rather than a street window, and settle into a central budget bed near a metro stop.

Midday: walk Red Square, free and open at all hours. Photograph St Basil’s from the outside for now; its ticket is tomorrow’s stop.

Afternoon: the Kremlin’s Armoury Chamber , 1,400 RUB adult, booked online from 17 days ahead. Arrive 45 minutes early for airport-style security; large bags go in free storage at the Kutafya Tower, not inside.

Evening: a stolovaya cafeteria meal, 600-900 RUB, near Red Square. Card terminals here only read Russian-issued cards, so pay cash.

Day 2: St Basil’s, the Metro, and the Tretyakov

Morning: St Basil’s Cathedral , a separate ticketed building from the Kremlin, not part of it, roughly 1,000-2,000 RUB (confirm the current price before you go, sources disagree).

Midday: ride the Metro’s palace stations, Komsomolskaya and Mayakovskaya, for the price of a single Troika-card ride, roughly 75 RUB.

Afternoon: the Tretyakov Gallery , around 700 RUB, Russia’s premier collection of Russian art and one of the best-value tickets in the city.

Evening: a biznes-lanch-style dinner or Georgian khachapuri, 400-700 RUB.

Day 3: Gorky Park, GUM, and Zamoskvorechye

Morning: Gorky Park, free, 24 hours, along the Moskva River. Rent a bike if you want to (extra cost); walking it costs nothing.

Midday: window-shop GUM, the 1893 arcade facing Red Square, free to walk through even though it’s a private mall today, not a Soviet state store.

Afternoon: wander Zamoskvorechye, the old merchant quarter across the river, quieter and lower-rise than the Kremlin side, free to explore.

Evening: a stolovaya or biznes-lanch dinner, 400-900 RUB.

Day 4: VDNKh and Kolomenskoye

Morning: the VDNKh grounds, the vast former Soviet exhibition park, free to enter; the restored Cosmos pavilion carries a modest separate fee if you want to go inside.

Midday: ride the metro south to Kolomenskoye, a former royal estate roughly 10km from the Kremlin. Park entry is free; individual museum buildings run 50-350 RUB if you want to see inside them.

Afternoon: keep wandering Kolomenskoye’s grounds, genuinely one of the lowest-commitment “estate” stops in the city, no dedicated travel day required.

Evening: a farewell Georgian dinner, 400-700 RUB, or a splurge at a mid-range restaurant if your budget allows, roughly 5,000 RUB for two without drinks.

How much should you actually budget per day?

Roughly 500-5,000 RUB a day (about USD 6-64) excluding lodging, from nearly free park days to a paid-ticket day. Add the Aeroexpress fare (about 500 RUB) if you’re arriving via Sheremetyevo, and keep enough cash on hand since foreign cards won’t cover any of it.

Four days covers the city properly on a free-heavy budget; extend into a 5-day plan and you add one optional splurge day at the Moscow City towers and Arbat Street.