Moscow in 5 Days on a Budget (With Daily Costs)

Five days builds on the 4-day plan of the Kremlin, St Basil’s, the Tretyakov, and two free park days, adding one splurge-optional day at the Moscow City towers and a free wander down Arbat Street. Sort out cash before anything else, since Western cards do not work anywhere in Russia. Days 1 through 4 are unchanged; Day 5 is the one where you decide whether the view deck is worth it. Shorter trip? See the 3-day or 4-day versions. Have more time? See the 6-day plan, which adds a Bolshoi evening 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
5 Moscow City towers (optional splurge), Arbat Street 1,800-3,000 RUB

Is the Moscow City observation deck worth the ticket?

If you’ve already done the free viewpoints, maybe. The OKO deck runs 1,800 RUB adult (about USD 23), an open-air platform at 354m billed as the highest in Europe, reached directly by Mezhdunarodnaya metro station. It’s a genuine splurge, not a budget default; skip it if 5 days already feels tight on cash.

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 Georgian dinner, 400-700 RUB.

Day 5: Moscow City and Arbat Street

Morning: decide on the OKO observation deck, 1,800 RUB, or skip it and keep the day free.

Midday: walk the Moscow City towers cluster on foot regardless, a working financial district as much as a sightseeing stop, free to view from ground level.

Afternoon: wander Arbat Street, Moscow’s pedestrian tourist strip, free to browse, though it’s also where the fake-police and string-bracelet scams concentrate, keep your passport in your bag, not your hand.

Evening: a farewell dinner, splurge at a mid-range restaurant (roughly 5,000 RUB for two without drinks) or keep it cheap at a stolovaya.

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 splurge or 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.

Five days balances splurges and free days well; extend into a 6-day plan and you add a Bolshoi evening and Patriarch’s Ponds.