Thursday, September 24, 2026

Russia 2019 Day 13: Moscow Victory Park & Old Arbat Street

You are at - Jotaro's Blog/Footsteps-AhPek Biker/Russia 2019/ D13: Victory Park & Old Arbat Street     |     Go to D1/D2/D3/D4/D5/D6/D7/D8/D9/D10/11-1/D11-2/D12/D14
                                     AhPek Biker - Riding Adventures                                   
Russia 2019 Day 13:
Moscow Victory Park & Old Arbat Street

Russia 2019 Day 13: 21st May (Tuesday)
Small Group (Non-cycling) Tour of Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg & the Golden Ring Cities).
Day 13 Moscow Victory Park & Old Arbat Street:
Tchaikovsky House (St. Petersburg)>Moskovsky Station>Sapsan HSR>Leningradsky Station (Moscow)>Moscow Metro>Veliy Hotel Mokhovaya>Vorobyovy Sta>Luzhniki Cable Car>Sparrow Hills>Luzhniki Cable Car>Vorobyovy Sta>Moscow Metro>Park Pobedy Sta>walk>Victory Park>Park Pobedy>Moscow Metro>Smolenskaya Metro Sta>Old Arbat Street>walk>Veliy Hotel Mokhovaya.

This is page 14 of a 15-page blog. Click Here To Go To Title Page
< D12: Folklore Show            |            Go to Other Days             |              D14: Bangkok/KL >

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.
    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 Tanya (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 affiliated with 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  
    In the early morning, we took a high-speed Sapsan four-hour train ride from St. Petersburg's Moskovsky Station (Московский вокзал) back to Moscow's Leningradsky Station (Ленинградский вокзал). Alex met us at the hotel and took us to Sparrow Hill & Victory Park, a couple of places that he had missed showing us earlier; his tour task was then completed. We then went forth ourselves to the Old Arbat Street to view the place and had dinner there before taking a nice night walk back to the hotel.
    - Sapsan HSR bullet train ride from St. Petersburg's Moskovsky Station (Московский вокзал) (GPS: 59.92949, 30.36219) to Moscow's Leningradsky Station (Ленинградский вокзал) (GPS: 55.77608, 37.65535). For Sapsan and other Russian trains on-line tickets purchase, Click Here.
The following sites are in Moscow:
    - Ostankino TV Tower (Останкинская телебашня) (GPS: 55.81968, 37.61166).

5. Food
    a. Breakfast
        Inclusive Russian & Western Breakfast buffet at Tchaikovsky House (Дом Чайковского) (GPS: 59.93567, 30.31245).
    b. Breakfast 2
        Sandwiches, coffee and tea at the Viennese Coffee House (Венская кофейня) (GPS: 59.92679, 30.36106), Galeria Shopping Mall (ТРЦ Галерея) (GPS: 59.92758, 30.36056)  in the St. Petersburg's Moskovsky Station (Московский вокзал) (GPS: 59.92949, 30.36219).
    c. Brunch
        Inclusive light meal pack on board the Sapsan train:
        Fit Disc Apricot and Almond Snack, Ham & Cheese Croissant Sandwich, Hot Coffee, mineral water and complimentary Sapsan postcard.
    d. Afternoon Tea
        Crimean Cheburek, Veal Samosa from Vostok stall, & ice cream from stall at the Mosmarket (Мос.Мар4кет) (GPS: 55.71403, 37.54963) at Luzhniki Cable Car Station (GPS: 55.71326, 37.55100).
    e. Dinner
        Authentic Russian fare at Varenichnaya № 1 (Вареничная № 1) (GPS: 55.74988, 37.59355) restaurant in Old Arbat Street:
6. Accommodations
    One 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 14 days 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 helps 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 temperatures in St. Petersburg were 14°C. Daytime and nighttime temperatures in Moscow were 20°C and 7°C, respectively.
      A useful weather forecast site 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.
___________________________________________________________________________
PRELUDE
The day before was a free and easy day, with us making a visit to the St. Isaac's Cathedral, and later in the evening attending the colourful and interesting Russian Folklore show. 
Today, we leave St. Petersburg, taking the Sapsan HSR train to Moscow, where Alex, our Moscow tour guide, will take us to visit places that we had missed earlier.
 __________________________________________________________________________
DAY 13: MOSCOW VICTORY PARK & ARBAT STREET

Many of the posts below link to my Facebook posts from 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.)
Although we had had an inclusive Russian & Western Breakfast buffet at Tchaikovsky House, we were itching to try something different. So it was breakfast round #2 of sandwiches, coffee, and tea at Viennese Coffee House at the Galeria Shopping Mall when we arrived at St. Petersburg's Moskovsky Station (Московский вокзал).
(Sorry, no photo of food, just of us buying the food 😂)


8:30am - Leaving St. Petersburg for Moscow on Sapsan HSR bullet train.
The train is a high-speed train travelling up to 250km/h and would take us about 3.5 to 4 hours to reach Moscow's Leningradsky Station.

The train took us through rural Russia with rustic Russian villages.


Brunch: the train comes with an  inclusive light meal pack of:
        Fit Disc Apricot and Almond Snack, Ham & Cheese Croissant Sandwich, Hot Coffee, mineral water, and complimentary Sapsan train postcard.


While enjoying my lunch, I flipped through the in-train Sapsan Magazine, and was pleasantly surprised to see an advert for Brompton bicycles, showing how convenient the tri-fold bike is for multi-mode cycling adventures with trains. See, I am an avid cyclist and have used my Brompton bicycle for many cycling adventures around the world! See my AhPek Biker blogs for these adventures.
Russians can now easily buy their Brompton bicycles from Brompton Russia!

As we approached Moscow, through the window I could see the Ostankino TV Tower.
Standing 540.1 metres tall, it was designed by Nikolai Nikitin. As of 2026, it is the tallest free-standing structure in Europe and 15th tallest in the world. Between 1967 and 1974, it was the tallest in the world.
Ostankino was built to mark the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. It is named after the surrounding Ostankino district of Moscow.


1:00pm - We arrived at Moscow's Leningradsky Station. As we exited the station, we saw this imposing building; it's one of Moscow's Seven Sisters. This one is the Hilton Moscow Leningradskaya. Built in the early 1950s in the Stalinist neoclassical style, which mixes the Russian neoclassical style with the style of American skyscrapers of the 1930s. A main element of Stalinist neoclassicism is its use of socialist realism art. The hotel, completed in 1954, was designed to be the finest luxury hotel in Moscow.
The Seven Sisters are a group of seven skyscrapers in Moscow designed in the Stalinist Empire style. They were built from 1947 to 1957. At the time of construction, they were the tallest buildings in Europe, and the main building of Moscow State University remained the tallest building in Europe until 1990.


The girls had planned well; a Mercedes Sprinter van sent by Moscow Private Tours was already waiting to transfer us back to our Veliy Hotel Mokhovaya. The driver Stanislav took us on a leisurely drive, passing by the Moscow Museum of Modern Art. At its front were giant Easter egg sculptures. I wonder whether they are Matryoshka nesting eggs, half expecting something to pop out!
 

Nearer our hotel, we passed by Vladimir the Great Statue, today the sun is out bright, and the statue looked better too. As a recap, Vladimir the Great was the Prince of Novgorod from 970 and Grand Prince of Kiev from 978 until his death in 1015. The Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church both canonised him as Saint Vladimir. Originally a follower of Slavic paganism, Vladimir converted to Christianity in 988, and Christianized the Kievan Rus.


Stanislav dropped us off to check in at the Veliy Hotel Mokhovaya. Alex, our Moscow guide, met us at the hotel to take us on a whirlwind tour of Moscow attractions that he had missed showing us earlier.
From the nearby Lenin Library Station, we took the Moscow Metro to the Vorobyovy Gory Metro Station. Here we walked over to the Mos Market (near the Luzhniki Cable Car Station) for a light meal of Crimean Cheburek and Veal Samosa. Russia is a huge country, so we get to savour food from its outer and former territories too. Both are pastries, with the former from Crimea and the latter from Central Asia, where they are called Samsas (which we got to try again during a 2026 Central Asia Tour).


4:00pm - We're on the Luzhniki (Лужники) Cable Car Ride, taking it from the Luzhniki Cable Car Station (lower station) to the Kosygina Cable Car Station (upper station). 
 The return fare for the ride is 600 Rubles (at the time of this blog).


As we go up on the Luzhniki Cable Car Ride, a view of the Luzhniki Cable Car Station (lower station), from which we ride up to the Kosygina Cable Car Station (upper station).
Behind the station is the Luzhniki Stadium (website link), which has a total seating capacity of 81,000, making it the largest football stadium in Russia and the sixth-largest stadium in Europe. To its left is a peep of downtown Moscow, with its skyscrapers.


A beautiful winter view photo of the Luzhniki Cable Car Ride and Kosygina Cable Car Station, taken from a poster at the station. In the background is the majestic main building of University of Moscow one of Moscow's Seven Sisters.


A short walk from the top station is Sparrow Hills, the highest point of Moscow. From here, there is a panoramic view of the Moscow cityscape.
Beautiful views, but there are no sparrows 🤣🙄.


Further along is another of Moscow's Seven Sisters -  the main building of the University of Moscow. It is the headquarters of the university and is the tallest among the "Seven Sisters". It was the tallest building in Europe for 37 years, from 1953 to 1990.

A closer view of the main building of the University of Moscow, showing how majestic it is!

We take the cable car back down.
The journey down was as beautiful as the one up!
We crossed the Moskva River with a view of downtown Moscow far away. Whilst below us, cruise boats slowly meandered along the river.


It was a hot day at 29°C, so we popped into the Mosmarket again for some cooling ice-cream time.


Saw this artwork panel carving at Park Kultury Station while riding the Moscow Metro from the Vorobyovy gory Metro Station to Park Pobedy Station.
We had earlier seen many of the Moscow Metro murals on Day 5 of our Russia Tour.


We exited the station and walked over to Victory Park to visit the Triumphal Arch of Moscow.
This monument is dedicated to Russia's victory over Napoleon during the French invasion of Russia in 1812. i.e., to the Russians, the Patriotic War of 1812.
 

Victory Park sculptures:
- The Monument to the Heroes of World War I - dedicated to Russian soldiers who gave their lives in World War I. This monument was unveiled by Russian President Vladimir Putin in a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I.
Another nearby monument, Monument Pobedy - commemorates the victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War (i.e. Eastern Front of World War II), where more than 27 million Russian soldiers & civilian died defending their country. In World War II, Other countries also had millions of casualties, so it's understandable that people from that era find it hard to forget and forgive the cruelty that the war had inflicted on them.
Click here for the list of WWII casualties.


En route to our next destination, while riding the Moscow Metro, we saw more of the Moscow Metro murals in these nice ceiling artwork at Smolenskaya Station.


Our next destination was Old Arbat Street, because of the many historic buildings and due to the numerous artists who have lived and worked in the street; the Arbat has also become an important tourist attraction.
As we exited the Smolenskaya Metro Station, we saw this impressive building looming over us; it is the The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, another of the Seven Sisters of Moscow.


8:00pm - Arbat Street is not just renowned for its historic buildings, with many restaurants; it is also a great place to eat too. We did just that and had a great dinner at Varenichnaya № 1, consisting of:
Borscht Soup, Zakuski Starter, Chebureki, Ukrainian Vareniky Dumplings, Pelmeni Dumplings, and Blini Pancakes.
Chebureki is something like our Malaysian curry puffs, except it is bigger. Zakuski are entrées and snacks in Russian food culture. They are considered to be an integral part of any Russian festive meal, and we did have a feast here, a delicious one indeed!


It's our last night in Moscow, in fact, it's the last night of our Russia Tour, so we took a leisurely walk from Arbat Street back to our hotel, the Veliy Hotel Mokhovaya.
It's just a two-kilometer walk, but it took us two hours. I DID say that it was a leisurely walk! Along the way we admired shops with colourful wares, beautiful statues, churches, stately old buildings, and brightly lit modern offices.

Спокойной ночи!
(that's "Spokoynoy nochi!", "Good night!" in Russian)

(For more photos of Day 13, Click Here)
< D12: Folklore Show            |            Go to Other Days             |              D14: Bangkok/KL >
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
You may also like :










Tribal Costumes of Central Asia: May 2026
Photos of Kyrgyz traditional costumes we saw in Jeti-Oguza during 2026 Central Asia tour.



Posted by at
Labels: , , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)