One of the main sights in Moscow is Arbat Street.
There are more sights in this street than in Red Square. Old Arbat is not long. In fact it’s 1,2km. But it’s a must to see even if you are
going to spend in Russian capital just a few days. It is situated in historical
central Arbat district of Moscow. The beginning of the street is in square Arbat
Gates and it ends in Smolenskaya square. (Metro stations Arbatskaya or
Smolenskaya square) There is no traffic in this street. Arbat is a pedestrian
street. It is a very old street. The first houses were built in it in the 15th
century.
In this street there are monuments and museums to many
famous people, who lived here. There is Pushkin’s house-museum and opposite it
you’ll see a sculpture of him and his wife Natalia. There are Lermontov’s,
Skryabin’s and Ocudjava’s houses. Alexander Suvorov was born in one of the houses in this
street.
There are monuments to B.Ocudjava and N.V.Gogol. There you’ll
find one of the youth cult places a Wall, devoted to Viktor Tsoy, the leader of the
musical group “Cinema”. If the weather is warm you will see a lot of street musicians
and painters in Arbat. You are offered a wide choice of Russian souvenirs: wooden and clay, balalaykas and Matryoshras in
the street. There are a lot of shops for tourists on both sides of the street
and cosy cafes and restaurants where you can enjoy Russian cuisine: tasty pies and pancakes with caviar.
