Ancient Moscow was founded in 1147 and was initially a small fortified settlement on the banks of the Moskva River. Over time, it became an important trade and cultural center, playing a key role in the formation of Russian statehood and culture.
Ancient Moscow. Articles
Were people executed at Lobnoye Mesto? What happened on the platform?
Lobnoye Mesto on Red Square was not a permanent stone scaffold. From its raised platform, decrees and sentences were read aloud, speeches were made to the townspeople, and religious rites were performed. Executions did take place nearby, but separate wooden structures were usually erected for them. So the question ‘Were people executed at Lobnoye Mesto?’ cannot be answered without first clarifying whether it refers to the surviving platfo…
St Basil’s Cathedral: How Its Ensemble of Eleven Churches Is Arranged
A floor-by-floor plan reveals how the Cathedral of the Intercession on Red Square is arranged: the entire complex rests on a shared undercroft, while its constituent parts are linked by galleries. The stone structure built between 1555 and 1561 comprised nine distinct parts: the central Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos and eight surrounding pillar-shaped churches. Two later additions altered the original composition: the side…
Moscow's Most Unusual Tours: Bunkers, Darkness, and Water
Unusual tours in Moscow offer a different way to discover the city: participants descend into a museum bunker, follow a sensory route in complete darkness, take to the water, join a tasting or view the capital from above. This overview compares these formats in terms of content, duration, price, age requirements and physical restrictions.
Moscow: The Meaning of the Capital of Millions
In 1147, a small fortified city was founded on the high bank of the Moscow River.
Sightseeing tour of Moscow: what are there?
Sightseeing tour of Moscow is intended as an introduction to the city: to understand where the historic centre is, how it connects with the embankments, Vorobyovy Gory, Victory Park and Moscow City, and then decide which places to revisit separately. The format should be chosen not for its promise to ‘show you all of Moscow’, but according to the time available, mode of transport, number of stops and compositi…
Benefits of individual excursions
- The opportunity to discuss personal impressions and emotions with the guide during the process.
- Your photos will not be crowded with other participants.
- A personal guide remembers you, and you remember him. Such moments remain in memory.
- All attention is on you. Answers to all your questions.
- Without loud laughter and inappropriate jokes from other tour participants.
- You hear everything the tour guide says.
- Take a good look at the sight - they won't leave without you.
- At individual excursion you dive deeper.
- An atmosphere of tranquility and privacy.
- There is less strain on your hearing and attention, since the guide is literally right next to you and speaks only for you.
- The guide doesn't make stops at points of sale (at least we certainly don't).
- Possibility of adapting the route to your preferences and interests.
- Opportunity to gain insight or exclusive information.
- Possibility to visit places closed to large groups.
- The excursion can be either educational or easy, depending on your wishes.
- We pay special attention to the places that interest you.
- Take a break when needed - to rest or take photos.
- Absence of outside pressure.
- You don't have to get up early or come at an inconvenient time. You choose when.
How much more expensive are personal tours than mass tours?
If you are alone or in pairs, then a sum of several thousand for a walking tour of the city or twenty thousand for a car excursion is significant.
But if you're going for a walk with family or friends, the cost for an individual participant approaches one or two thousand - the amount that each person would pay for a group excursion with strangers.
For your group of 8 or more people, the price becomes even lower when calculated per person, which makes individual excursion around Moscow truly attractive.
***
A mass excursion is tourism, an individual excursion is a journey through the city’s secrets with a personal guide.
The Radius Bureau offers excursions on the history of Moscow in Russian and foreign languages. Choose a walking tour or a sightseeing program by car, or order a custom route. Our team will create a signature excursion for you. We organize educational walks for couples, friends and even solo excursions. Our guides accompany both demanding guests and those who already know Moscow well, including journalists and foreign tourists. We cooperate with companies such as Yandex, Faberlic and others. Our guides are intelligent, stylish professionals working in Russian, English, German, Spanish and Hebrew.