Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
KREMLIN ETIQUETTE
You may only purchase
tickets
for the set entry times to the Armoury and the Diamond Fund an hour
before the session; Soviet-style bureaucracy prevents you from purchasing a ticket in advance. Even if
you are in possession of a ticket, you will still have to queue for both attractions separately and watch
tour groups and people with connections being ushered in before you. It's all part of the experience..
The Armoury Chamber
The unmissable
Armoury Chamber
(ticketed entry at 10am, noon, 2.30pm and 4.30pm;
R700,studentR200),insidetheKremlin,boastsastaggeringarrayoftreasures,amongthem
the tsars' coronation robes, jewellery and armour. A separate part of the Armoury Chamber
houses the
Diamond Fund
(ticketed entry Fri-Wed at twenty-minute intervals 10am-1pm
and 2-5pm; R500) - a priceless collection of jewels, it includes the 190-karat Orlov Dia-
mond which belonged to Catherine the Great, and the world's largest sapphire.
The Museum of Modern History
The
MuseumofModernHistory
at Tverskaya ul. 21 (Tues, Wed & Fri 10am-6pm, Thurs,
Sat & Sun 11am-7pm, closed last Fri of the month; R250;
sovr.ru
; Tverskaya) brings the
Communist past alive with striking displays of Soviet propaganda posters, photographs and
state gifts, although there's a frustrating lack of English translation.
The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts
Founded in 1898 in honour of the famous Russian poet, the
PushkinMuseumofFineArts
at Volkhonka ul. 12 (Tues-Sun 10am-7pm, Thurs until 9pm; R400, student R200, separate
fee for Impressionist wing;
arts-museum.ru
; Kropotkinskaya) holds a hefty collection of
European paintings
, from Italian High Renaissance works to Rembrandt, and an outstand-
ing display of Impressionist works.
