Footsteps - Jotaro's Travels: April 2026

Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Russia 2019 Day 6: Izmaylovskiy Market

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AhPek Biker - Riding Adventures

Russia 2019 Day 6:

Izmaylovskiy Market

Russia 2019 Day 6: 14th May (Tuesday)

Small Group (Non-cycling) Tour of Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg & the Golden Ring Cities).

Day 6 - Moscow (Izmaylovskiy Market & Moscow Metro):

Veliy Hotel>walk>Lenin Library Sta>ride Moscow Metro>Arbatskaya Sta>Ploschad' Revolyutsii Sta>Lubyanka Sta>Izmaylovo Sta>walk>Izmaylovskiy Market>Izmailovo Kremlin>Museum of the History of Vodka>van>Veliy Hotel>walk>Café Pushkin>walk>Veliy Hotel.

This is page 6 of a 14-page blog. Click Here To Go To Title Page

< D5: Red Square/Metro | Go to Other Days | D7: Moscow Cycling >

Route recommendations: Here are some tips on travelling to and around Russia:

1. Traffic Directions!

Driving in Russia is left-hand drive, and driving is on the right-hand side of the road. Do look to the correct side when crossing roads.

Speed limits are between 60 km/h within urban areas, 110 km/h along expressways, and 120 km/h on highways.

2. Getting to & around Russia.

In the morning, we followed Alex to continue our railway tour to admire the architecture and artwork of the Moscow Metro stations, and after that, we visited the Izmaylovskiy Market and ended the day with a posh dinner at Café Pushkin.
Since Russia's "special military operation" into Ukraine, accessibility to Russia by air has been limited. But several airlines (including Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad, and Turkish Airlines) still operate flights to Moscow and St. Petersburg.

We flew return with Thai Airways from Kuala_Lumpur (KLIA) to Moscow (Domodedovo Airport) with short transits at Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi Airport). Presently, Thai Airways still flies from Bangkok to Moscow but now lands at Vnukovo Airport.

We booked hotels, train tickets, and several meals via the internet. Ground arrangements (and airport transfers) in Moscow were made through Alexander of Angel Tour, who can be contacted through WhatsApp at this phone number: +7926-435-86-87.

Ground arrangements (and train station transfers) in St. Petersburg were made through Tayna (contact no.: +7921-923-12-27), a local agent in St. Petersburg.

Travelling around the cities was in a 16-seater van. Travelling between Moscow and St. Petersburg was by the Red Arrow Sleeper Train and the Sapsan High Speed Train. Within Moscow, we got around using the Moscow Metro.

For out-of-pocket spending, we exchanged some Russian Rubles before leaving. We also brought along our Big Pay debit cards, as these can be used to withdraw Russian Rubles at ATMs. Debit and credit cards can also be used, but many smaller shops or market stalls only accept cash transactions. Click here for exchange rates to Rubles (presently 1MYR = 18.67 RUR, i.e. Russian Rubles).

3. Immigration & Customs Requirements

Tourists entering Russia will need a tourist visa, which can only be obtained via a TOURIST CONFIRMATION VOUCHER issued by a Russian travel agency or a Russian hotel that has the license to invite foreign tourists. This can be done through a local travel agency with affiliation to a Russian travel agency to obtain this invitation letter. The following is a list of countries that are visa-exempt to enter Russia.

For Malaysians, leaving and returning to Malaysia, getting through immigration is easier now. Just install and register MyBorderPass, and getting through will be a breeze. A QR code will be generated, have this scanned, and you're through.

4. Places & Things of Interest

A morning short tour shuttling between several Moscow Metro stations (riding the Moscow Metro with a fair bit of walking in between) to view their nice architectural design, and beautiful painted & mosaic murals on the walls and ceilings inside (click here for more on the Moscow Metro). Followed by a visit to a bazaar market and ending with a dinner of fine Russian Cuisine at Café Pushkin.
A. MOSCOW METRO STATIONS
Listed below are the stations we passed through or visited, the ones with the star are those with beautiful artwork inside or nice entrance architecture:
a. Lenin Library Station, (Библиотека им. Ленина) (GPS: 55.75228, 37.61038).
b. ✩ Arbatskaya (Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya line) / Arbatskaya (Filyovskaya line) (Арбатская (станция метро, Арбатско-Покровская линия) / Арбатская (станция метро, Филёвская линия) (GPS: 55.75296, 37.60068).

c. ✩ Okhotnyy Ryad Station (Охотный Ряд (станция метро)) (GPS: 55.75682, 37.61487).
d. Teatral'naya Station (Театральная) (GPS: 55.75656, 37.61960).
e. ✩ Ploschad' Revolyutsii Station (Площадь Революции) (GPS: 55.75645, 37.62335), touch the statue for good luck.

f. Lubyanka Station (Лубянка) (GPS: 55.75896, 37.62708), which is below the infamous KGB Lubyanka Square (Лубянская площадь) (GPS: 55.75975, 37.62593).

g. ✩ Komsomolskaya (Sokolnicheskaya line) / Komsomolskaya (Koltsevaya line) (Комсомольская (станция метро, Сокольническая линия) (GPS: 55.77531, 37.65596).
h. Kurskaya (Koltsevaya line) / Kurskaya (Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya line) (Курская (станция метро, Кольцевая линия) / Курская (станция метро, Арбатско-Покровская линия)) .
i. Izmaylovo Station (Измайлово (станция МЦК)) (GPS: 55.78844, 37.74385), the exit to Izmaylovskiy Market.

B. OTHER MOSCOW ATTRACTIONS
a. Bolshoi Theatre (Большой театр) (GPS: 55.76013, 37.61864)
b. Izmailovo Kremlin (Кремль в Измайлове) (GPS: 55.79430, 37.75041).

c. Izmaylovskiy Market (измайловский базар)) (website) (GPS: 55.79334, 37.75234).
d. Museum of the History of Vodka (Музей Истории Водки) (GPS: 55.79422, 37.74948).
e. Stalin's Bunker, Izmailovo (Бункер Сталина) (GPS: 55.79694, 37.75170).

5. Food

a. Breakfast

Breakfast: Paid buffet at Veliy Hotel Mokhovaya (Велий Отель Моховая Москва) (GPS: 55.75104, 37.61031).

b. Lunch

Instant Noodles at Veliy Hotel Mokhovaya (Велий Отель Моховая Москва) (GPS: 55.75104, 37.61031).
c. Dinner
Fine Russian Cuisine - Lamb with Bone Marrow, Russian Suckling Pig (Жаренный Поросенок, Zharennyi Porosenok), etc. at Café Pushkin (Кафе Пушкинъ) (GPS: 55.76400, 37.60517).

6. Accommodations

Third of four nights at Veliy Hotel Mokhovaya (Велий Отель Моховая Москва) (GPS: 55.75104, 37.61031) (now known as Mirros Hotel Moscow Kremlin) in Moscow.

7. Communicating with Each Other

When travelling in a group, it's important to be able to communicate with each other, especially if one gets lost from the rest. Back then, it was not easy to buy Russian Sim cards, and our Moscow guide got the Beeline physical SIM cards (with 14days unlimited data) at 700 RUR (MYR 37.50) for us before we arrived.

Even now, it is not easy to purchase a SIM card. However, it is possible to buy Russian Sim cards online; just be aware of the restrictions posted earlier.

8. Communicating with Locals

At hotels and tourist spots, locals speak fairly good English. In the smaller towns, most locals speak only Russian. As such, it would be good to know some basic Russian.

9. Dressing

When entering churches and monasteries, it is advisable to wear long pants, especially for women. Ladies will also have to wear headscarves or veils. Caps and hats should be taken off when in churches and monasteries.

10. Weather

Daytime and nighttime temperatures in Moscow were 15°C and 4°C, respectively.

Useful weather forecast sites for Russia is AccuWeather. For more detailed weather, including cloud cover and wind speed, use Weatherspark and Ventusky.

11. Navigation

I used MapMyRide to track our routes and stops. Geo-tagging of places of interest was via FaceBook or Google Maps.

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PRELUDE

A day earlier, we spent a full day in Moscow, starting with a ride on the Moscow Metro to visit several of its beautiful stations. This was followed by very interesting visits to St. Basil's Cathedral and the Kremlin.
Today will be our second full day in Moscow, with continued exploration of the Moscow Metro followed by visits to a flea market and a liquor museum!
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DAY 6: IZMAYLOVSKIY MARKET

Small Group (Non-cycling) Tour of Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg & the Golden Ring Cities).

Day 6 - Moscow (Izmaylovskiy Market & Moscow Metro):

(Zoom in to see more of Central Moscow)

(Click Here Russia 2019 Days 6: Moscow - Izmaylovskiy Market Route Map)

Many of the posts below are linked to my Facebook postings during the trip and are embedded here with some comments. (NOTE: Click on respective posts to link to the FB post to read more details. If you can't see the posts, please log out of your Facebook first.)

Kicked off the day with a touch for good luck at the Ploschad' Revolyutsii Station. Several of the sculptures are widely believed to bring good luck to those who rub them. At least the rubbed part is not a male strategic part 😂.

The Teatral'naya Station is unique; in addition to the beautiful artwork, there is also nice classical music playing. The songs played are by Russian composers such Tchaikovsky, including his classics such as Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker. The music gives a hint of what is above - the Bolshoi Theatre.

Nice ceiling painting at Komsomolskaya Station.

Close-up of ceiling mural at Komsomolskaya Station.

I like the impressive gilded artwork at some of the stations.

Our last Moscow Metro stop for the day was the Izmaylovo Station. This is not an underground station; it is a half-opened station and has no artwork. We stopped here to go to the nearby Izmaylovskiy Market flea market.

The Umbrella Squad!
As we exited the station, it started to rain, fortunately we were prepared. Here we are at the entrance to the Izmaylovskiy Market, with our umbrellas out. In the background is the Izmailovo Kremlin.

The drizzle did not deter us from exploring the Izmaylovskiy Market, but we had to side-step puddles as the lanes between the stalls are not tarred. When we visited the market must have been fairly new as not all the stalls were yet operating.
Most of the stalls were selling Russian souvenirs, such as the Matryoshka (Russian nested doll), and Palekh and Fedoskino Lacquer Boxes. While some others sold modern clothing and fabric.

See who I met at the street market in the Izmaylovskiy Market?
A doll of the former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak.

We were surprised to see dolls of other Malaysian premiers. There must be quite a few Malaysian tourists visiting Russia.

Other stuff at the Izmaylovskiy Market included old cameras etc.

There were also Fabergé egg replicas, and jade jewellery.

From the Izmaylovskiy Market, a bridge crosses over to Izmailovo Kremlin. This is not a true, operational kremlin, it was built as a theme park. Built between 1998 and 2007 with wooden buildings, stylized with Russian architecture. The complex has seven museums and exhibition grounds: the Museum of Russian Folk Toys, the Museum of the Founding of the Russian Navy, the Museum of the History of Vodka, the Museum of Bread, the Museum of Chocolate, the Museum of Miniatures, etc.

A 21-gun salute to welcome us to Izmailovo Kremlin? But these WW11 howitzers were on display only, and have been painted with friendly floral patterns 😄.

There was even a replica of the wooden St. Nicholas Church.

Hoho Ho! At the Museum of the History of Vodka. On display are different brands and bottles of vodka that Russia (and even the rest of the world) has to offer!

"Za zda-ró-vye!" (За здоровье!) To health!"

While waiting for our van, we saw this super long car, and the girls stretched out to show how long it is!

Later in the evening, we took a walk over to Café Pushkin for dinner.
Shall I order the Beluga Sturgeon Caviar at 10k+ roubles (rm700) per serving?
The most expensive caviar is from the beluga sturgeon (Huso huso). The fish is found primarily in the Caspian Sea, which is bordered by Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan.