Pass The Passport
Completed: Visit The Red Square

Bucket List / Travel Goals

Visit The Red Square

Ticked off in November 2009

Cobbles, crimson walls and the candy-striped domes of St Basil's, in the square at the heart of Russian history.

Visit The Red Square

The adventure

Walk in through the Resurrection Gate and the square opens out in one hit: the long red-brick wall and towers of the Kremlin on one side, the ornate arcades of GUM on the other, and at the far end St Basil's Cathedral, its onion domes twisted and striped like something from a fairy tale. The cobbles stretch for over 300 metres, so the cathedral grows as you walk towards it.

The square has seen coronation processions, executions, military parades and Soviet May Days, and Lenin's embalmed body still lies in the granite mausoleum against the Kremlin wall. On a winter evening, with snow on the domes and GUM's lights glowing, it feels almost theatrical; in summer the clock on the Spasskaya Tower chimes over a sea of visitors.

Why it’s epic

  • St Basil's was built in the 1550s for Ivan the Terrible to celebrate the capture of Kazan.
  • The name comes from the old Russian word krasnaya, which once meant beautiful as well as red.
  • The Kremlin and Red Square have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990.
  • The Kremlin Armoury holds Fabergé eggs, royal carriages and the crowns and thrones of the tsars.

What it is

Red Square sits between the Kremlin, St Basil's Cathedral and the GUM department store.

How to do it

Entry to the square is free. Allow time for the Kremlin and its Armoury.

Top tip

Check UK Foreign Office advice on travel to Russia before planning a trip.

Need to know

  • The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to Russia, and most travel insurance won't cover you while that advice stands.
  • There are no direct flights from the UK, British visitors need a visa arranged in advance, and UK bank cards don't work in Russia.
  • The square is sometimes closed for parades and events, especially around 9 May.

My experience

Ticked off, but the full story is still to be written up.

Over to you

Is “Visit The Red Square” on your bucket list, or have you already done it? Tell me in the comments, and if you've got a question about it, ask away and I'll answer.