< img src="https://mc.yandex.ru/watch/54617287" style="position:absolute; left:-9999px;" alt="" />< /div> A tour of the secrets of GUM and Pushkin

Secrets of GUM: Pushkin and the Masons

On one of those rare Moscow days when the sky, weighed down by clouds like heavy velvet, cast a shadow on the Kremlin, reminding us of bygone days, GUM, like a majestic monument to a bygone era, hid in the very heart of the capital. Its shop windows, sparkling with lights, beckoned to passers-by, and on this day among them there was one strange gentleman with an unusually light gait.

Alexander Pushkin, as if materialized from the past, glided between the arches and columns, examining the magnificence of Art Nouveau for which this building was famous. His feet stepped lightly on the marble floor, leaving only a light rustle behind them. He enjoyed the architectural delights, involuntarily comparing them to the poetry he loved so much.

But the poet had not come here only for the sake of contemplation. On this day, in the secret halls of GUM, the Masons of Moscow gathered – people whose influence extended far beyond the capital city. They, like Pushkin, were enchanted by the spirit of Art Nouveau, seeing in it a reflection of their secret plans and aspirations. In this shadow, between the magnificent walls, they discussed the future, hidden from the eyes of ordinary people.

Pushkin, known for his passion for riddles, was invited to this gathering as an honored guest. His inquisitive mind and sharp tongue always attracted attention. The Masons, those mysterious guardians of ancient secrets, saw in him a fellow spirit, a man capable of penetrating the essence of things hidden behind the veil of the visible.

When the meeting began, silence fell over the hall like an invisible veil. Pushkin, sitting in a circle, listened to the speeches, full of symbols and allegories. He understood that the Masons, like himself, were searching for the truth hidden in the labyrinths of history and architecture.

For a moment it seemed to him that the GUM building, with all its curves and arches, was coming to life, becoming part of the great mystery that everyone present was trying to unravel. At that moment he realized that Art Nouveau was not just a style, but a metaphor, a bridge between the past and the future, between the obvious and the hidden.

When the meeting came to an end, Pushkin left GUM, leaving behind only a light trace, like the glow of a candle in the night. He knew that this evening would become part of his inner world, a secret that he would take with him, like many other mysteries that remained unsolved. A light breeze greeted him on the street, and, breathing in the cool Moscow air, he dissolved into the flow of human faces, continuing his journey through time.

***

As is usual in such stories, all this is just a figment of the imagination, a play on words for the sake of a smile. And if you are attracted by real events, we invite you to the excursions of the Radius bureau, where true history comes to life!

  1. Thank you for the interesting tour! It gave me a lot to explore!!!
    Note: Review of the excursion Zamoskvorechye with guide Maria
    Eugene December 7, 2025
  2. I'd like to express my gratitude on behalf of our team! Thank you for keeping to our scheduled schedule despite our lack of organization. Our colleagues appreciated your preparation for the tour! It was informative.

    Note: Review of the tour "Modern Residential Complexes, Factory Past, and Avant-Garde" around the ZILART residential complex with guide Maria. prepared and conducted a tour based on an individual request for employees of the development company GC "Samolet"
    Team of the Samolet Group December 7, 2025
  3. Thank you! You have great talent. Good luck! ☺️ You are a wonderful guide! Thank you again!

    Note: Review on corporate excursion "The Heart of the Capital" with guide Maria
    Dmitriy December 7, 2025
  4. Thank you for a wonderful day today!!))
    Note: Review of the excursion "The Soul of Moscow" with guide Maria
    Natalia December 7, 2025
  5. Let me thank you on behalf of my whole family for a very educational and interesting walk!
    Note: Review of the excursion Palace Dungeons with guide Maria
    Eugene December 7, 2025
  6. Good afternoon
    I'd like to express my gratitude and that of my supervisor for organizing the tour! We were very pleased.
    We would like to repeat this in October, but on a different route – ZIL.

    Note: This is about a tour for developers of the Samolet Group of Companies, conducted by guide Maria.
    Elya September 27, 2025
  7. Thanks to Alexander for the bar tour Baumanka! Fun, exciting and we discovered so many new places! Cool! New heights!
    Kira August 9, 2025
  8. Good afternoon
    Was on excursions along Sukharevskaya Square - we reached Tsvetnoy Boulevard, I didn’t expect it to be so interesting!
    For those who are in doubt whether to go or not - go, it really has become one of the cool summer memories!!!
    Kirill August 4, 2025
  9. Anastasia, good morning!
    Thank you and Masha for yesterday!
    The speakers are happy. The connection in the headphones often failed, especially at the checkpoint, but this is our current life situation. It was audible if they were standing close, no further than 1.5 meters. Colleagues have already asked for your contacts. I will gladly share and will be glad to have a new opportunity to work with you. Special thanks to the Director for the Bureau
    Note: excursion "Heart of the capital» for participants of the Moscow Oncology Forum 2025. Guides - Anastasia and Maria
    Tina July 8, 2025
  10. We would like to express our gratitude to Anton and Alexander for the conduct of the excursion!
    It was very interesting to hear how the Krasnaya district developed. Presni, how Prokhorov's figure influenced the development of our city. A pleasant dive into a quiet, previously unexplored area!
    Dmitriy July 8, 2025
  11. Good afternoon, thank you very much Anastasia, the excursion "Uncle Gilyai" just fire. Although we are Muscovites and know a lot about Moscow, the impressions were amazing, a lot of new and interesting, we will definitely contact you again.
    Victoria July 8, 2025
  12. Thank you for the excursions "The Heart of Moscow" And "Khamovniki". Anton, a man who knows and loves Moscow, took me around. A good storyteller, smart, well-read, able to captivate. You opened up my Moscow for me!!!! I will definitely come back next summer and walk around Moscow with you. I will recommend your wonderful excursion and walking program to all my friends!
    Julia July 1, 2025
  13. Excursions with the travel agency "Radius" are always positive emotions for you, if you have chosen this agency. On your next visit, you planned an excursion to Zamoskvorechye. This is not the first time we have met with the guide Anton. We definitely recommend him to all our friends. The tour is educational, not overloaded with dates, the information is voluminous, but easy to perceive, because it is presented not like in a history textbook, dryly and academically, but in a light narrative manner. Thank you for this approach. We will contact the Radius bureau more than once on our next visit to Moscow.
    Tatiana June 23, 2025
  14. Thank you so much for the tour ZamoskvorechyeDespite the weather, it was very interesting and educational!

    Note: we are talking about the excursion with the guide Anton
    Tatiana May 6, 2025
  15. Many thanks to Anastasia.
    There was a great tour of the area. Patricks.
    We learned a lot of new things. Anastasia is a master of her craft. The tour was exciting, not boring at all, lively and interesting. Everyone was satisfied. Full of new impressions. I definitely recommend it. You will be satisfied!
    Anna May 6, 2025
  16. Studied together with relatives and Radius The soul of Moscow on my birthday. Everyone enjoyed the walk immensely! Anton told us many interesting facts about the capital and its history, led us into such spiritual depths that no one present suspected. Although among us there were mainly those who either from birth or have been living in Moscow for a very long time and walk around it a lot. It was educational, soulful and unforgettable 🙂

    Overall, this wasn’t the first time I’ve walked around Moscow with Anton, and each time it was a real adventure!
    Olga May 4, 2025
  17. Anastasia, good afternoon!
    I wanted to express my gratitude once again for the wonderful excursion on Saturday - we really enjoyed the walk, the information and the communication with you, then we discussed for a long time what everyone remembered and what struck them. It would seem that you have lived in Moscow all your life, there was Moscow studies at school, but it turns out that you still don’t know so much!! In general, thank you very much, my mother said it was the best gift for her birthday!
    Note: this is about the excursion "Soul of Moscow«
    Arina January 13, 2025
  18. Good day to all! I would like to share my impressions of the excursion "Journey to Christmas". Our guide was Anastasia. So! Everything was just magical: a slight frost of -4, snow, numerous Christmas trees, decorations, lights, garlands and all this to the interesting educational story of Anastasia. Despite the fact that we knew something about the New Year, there was a lot that was new, unexpected and interesting. And all this to the music of Tchaikovsky. In general, we are delighted. Thank you for the New Year mood you gave us. It is priceless!!!! Thank you!
    Victoria January 5, 2025
  19. Thank you for the tour! Guide - Maria and driver Georgy. I liked everything very much! It was interesting, exciting! Good luck!
    Irina January 4, 2025
  20. Many thanks to Anton, who gave us a tour of VDNKh and the heart of the capital. There were many fascinating stories, practical advice and interesting facts. Excellent organization. Time flew by. I recommend!
    Tatiana December 25, 2024
  21. Our mixed-age company (from 16 to 80 years old) walked with Alexander along the alleys of Arbat... It was interesting for EVERYONE! There is still much to be surprised by in your hometown! Alexander opened up to us curious, touching, beautiful, poetic, historical, ... places. Thank you very much!!!
    I will definitely recommend this company to my friends and we will use its services ourselves.
    Excellent organization of excursions, all wishes were taken into account, punctuality at the highest level
    Olga December 11, 2024
  22. On my birthday, I went on an excursion with my friends. "Sinister Places". Excellent entertainment for a company. Professional guide Anton - special thanks to him for an interesting story and route. All recommended places and drinks were a hit with everyone. Lots of interesting, curious and funny facts. Thanks to this agency and of course to the tour guide Anton.
    Vyacheslav December 9, 2024
  23. The excursion is unusual, unconventional, I really liked it. The involvement of a girl in the role of Nina from "The Seagull" harmoniously fit into the narrative. I recommend developing in this direction. "Apartment 44" came in handy exactly at the moment when it was most needed. My wife is very pleased with both the excursion and the painting.

    Note: Review of the excursion-performance, which the guide Alexander specially developed as part of the order "Dream Tour".
    Alexei October 29, 2024
  24. We were on the excursion "Sinful Places", our group was small, three people, one of whom had a birthday, which we told the guide Alexander, and the format of the excursion turned into a real holiday! In addition to the walk and very interesting facts on the topic of the excursion, we went to incredibly creative establishments with delicious drinks and unusual serving, a cheerful contingent and a cool unusual interior, our guide Sasha took into account all our little wishes, conducted the excursion very cheerfully and sincerely! Thank you very much for a wonderful holiday! Very cool, we are delighted!
    Maria October 26, 2024
  25. This is the second time I've been walking and wandering around Moscow with the private excursion bureau Radius. The founder, native Muscovite Anton Latynin, a theater and art critic, leads the excursions himself and out of love.

    "Theater capital" - an author's route through the places of Meyerhold, Stanislavsky, Nemirovich-Danchenko, Tairov (undeservedly forgotten, it was he who created the current Pushkin Theatre on Tverskoy Boulevard).

    Two and a half hours of fascinating stories and urban theatre legends. I'll tell you one:

    The great composer Sergei Prokofiev lived in Kamergersky Lane. And he managed to die on the same day as Stalin. There was a terrible crush in Moscow, everything was blocked off, the entire capital wanted to say goodbye to the leader. So, to see Prokofiev off, the coffin was carried out from Kamergersky Lane on the roofs. I can vividly imagine this picture.

    Review from Alexandra's tg channel.
    Alexandra Tsvetkova, musician, singer-songwriter, finalist of the "New Wave" September 30, 2024

Advantages of individual excursions over group ones

  • You choose when to go on an excursion and are not dependent on the schedule.
  • Less strain on hearing and attention - guide always nearby and speaks only for you.
  • We pay attention to the places that interest you - from the history of Alexander Pushkin to the secret corners of GUM.
  • An atmosphere of peace and privacy where you can discuss personal impressions with your guide.
  • The opportunity to adapt the route to your taste - be it the history or culture of Moscow.
  • Without loud laughter and inappropriate jokes from other tour participants.
  • The excursion can be either educational or easy - your choice.
  • Your photos will not be crowded with other participants.
  • All attention is on you. Answers to all your questions.
  • No one is in a hurry. Take in the sights at your own pace.
  • A personal guide remembers you, and you remember him. Such moments remain in memory.
  • Take a break when needed - to rest or take photos.
  • Possibility to visit places closed to large groups.
  • You hear everything the tour guide says.
  • The guide doesn't make stops at points of sale (at least we certainly don't).
  • Opportunity to gain insight or exclusive information.
  • On a private tour you will delve deeper into the history and atmosphere of Moscow.
  • Absence of outside pressure.
 

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, making a private tour truly attractive.

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A mass excursion is tourism, an individual excursion is a journey through the city’s secrets with a personal guide.

The Radius excursion bureau offers cultural and historical excursions around Moscow, revealing the rich history and culture of the city. Our highly qualified guides conduct individual and corporate tours in several languages, including English, German and Spanish. We create unique routes, choosing the format of the walk according to your wishes: on foot, by car or even on the Radisson Royal ship on the Moscow River. Our excursions are suitable for everyone - from romantic walks to visits for demanding guests.

We also experiment with neural networks, creating funny stories for the site, for example, a tale about Pushkin and his walk through GUM. For corporate clients, we have successful cases with Yandex, Faberlic and Russian Railways. Gift certificates for our excursions will be an original gift for friends and family. We are proud that our guides work without cliches and memorized texts, providing a lively and exciting presentation of the material.