Moscow’s cultural and exhibition life is not limited to the Tretyakov Gallery and the Pushkin Museum. The island has collected 10 non-obvious museum locations where you can learn a lot of new things and have a cool weekend.
Contents
- The Lights of Moscow Museum
- Water Museum
- Museum of Soviet Slot Machines
- Museum of Optical Illusions
- Bunker-42 Museum
- Museum of Darkness
- Teapotland Museum
- Museum of Unique Dolls
- Museum of Russian Splint and Naive Art
- Museum of Money
The Lights of Moscow Museum
- Address: 3-5 Armenian Lane, building 1.
- Website: http://www.ognimos.ru
- Working hours: daily from 10:00 to 18:00.
- Admission: 600 rub.
- Excursions: 150 rubles for a child, 300 rubles for an adult plus 4000 rubles. — excursion service.
“Lights of Moscow” is the history of the city through the evolution of the lighting system. The museum will immerse you in the history of lighting technology and show how lanterns changed the appearance of the capital. You will find a collection of historical street lamps — from oil and kerosene to modern electric ones. The exhibition contains original samples and reconstructions of lanterns that illuminated the streets of Moscow in different eras. There is especially much to learn about the development of urban lighting from the 19th century to the present day.
“Lights of Moscow” is the history of the city through the evolution of the lighting system. Photo: natalia volkova/Shutterstock.com
Is it possible for free?
There are many free — or very budget —leisure options in the capital. The top 10 of such Moscow entertainment can be found in this collection.
Water Museum
- Address: Sarinsky proezd, 13.
- Website: https://www.mosvodokanal.ru/about/museum.php
- Working hours: Monday–Thursday — from 10:00 to 17:00, Friday — from 10:00 to 16:00.
- Admission: free.
- Excursions: by appointment.
The first museum in Russia created to foster respect for water resources. The exhibition tells about the importance of water in human life, the history of water supply and water purification in Moscow. The halls feature models of the first Kremlin sewerage systems, schemes of the Moscow sewerage and its development, installations and filtration systems, ancient water supply systems, layouts and documents related to the development of urban water supply infrastructure. And they also talk about modern methods of water purification and ways of its rational use.
The first museum in Russia created to foster respect for water resources. Photo: Water Museum
Museum of Soviet Slot Machines
- Address: Moscow, Rozhdestvenka str., 12.
- Website: https://15kop.ru
- Working hours: daily from 11:00 to 21:00.
- Admission: 850 rubles.
- Excursions: included in the ticket price.
Do you want to get nostalgic? We know how: come to the museum, where there are more than 50 working Soviet-era slot machines. Guests are invited not only to watch, but also to play retro devices that entertained residents of the USSR in the 70s and 80s, among them – “Sea Battle”, “Basketball”, “Sniper”, “Gorodki” and many others.
Museum of Optical Illusions
- Address: Moscow, Arbat str., 16/2.
- Website: https://museumofillusions.moscow
- Working hours: from 10:00 to 22:00 daily.
- Ticket price: 300-600 rubles
- Excursions: on request.
Interactive installations and visual deceptions will allow you to take a lot of unusual photos. The exhibits make you doubt your own feelings: what is big and what is small; where is the floor and where is the ceiling; where reality ends and illusion begins.
Interactive installations and visual deceptions will allow you to take a lot of unusual photos. Photo: Museum of Optical Illusions
Bunker-42 Museum
- Address: Moscow, 5th Kotelnicheskiy lane, 11.
- Website: https://bunker42.com
- Working hours: daily from 10:00 to 21:00.
- Admission: from 1300 rubles for adults, from 1000 rubles for children (depending on the selected program).
- Excursions: included in the ticket price.
“Bunker-42” is an underground complex located at a depth of 65 meters. It was built in the 1950s as a secretbunkers in case of nuclear war. Today there are guided tours on the history of the Cold War and the USSR. You will see secret rooms, walk through tunnels, explore communication and ventilation systems, and also be able to participate in interactive historical quests.
“Bunker-42” is an underground complex located at a depth of 65 meters. Photo: Pavel L Photo and Video/Shutterstock.com
Museum of Darkness
- Address: Moscow, Avtozavodskaya str., 18.
- Website: https://progulka-v-temnote.ru
- Working hours: daily from 11:00 to 20:00.
- Admission: from 1300 rubles.
- Excursions: conducted daily, every hour. You can order them through the website or by phone. The cost of the tour is included in the ticket price.
Here all the exhibits can be explored only by touch, because the visit takes place in complete darkness. Guided tours are conducted with visually impaired guides, which allows visitors to temporarily immerse themselves in a world without light and learn how blind people navigate. This is not only a sensory adventure, but also an opportunity to reconsider your views on life in the dark, to understand the importance of perceiving the world through other senses.
Where to stay in Moscow
A trip around the capital begins with the question “Where to stay?”. He doesn’t have a universal answer, but all the clues are here, in the article “Districts of Moscow”. A selection of stylish apartments with beautiful views from the windows will help you make your choice.
Teapotland Museum
- Address: Moscow, Vinokurova str., 7/5, building 3.
- Website: https://www.teapotland.ru
- Working hours: daily from 11:00 to 19:00.
- Admission: 690 rubles. You need to make an appointment by phone +7 (985) 244-28-04.
- Excursions: also by appointment, from 500 rubles.
There are more than 1000 different teapots from all over the world in “Teapotland”. Here you can find unique specimens from different eras and cultures — from ancient porcelain from China and Japan to modern design models. Each exhibit is not just an object, but a work of art reflecting the cultural and historical traditions of various countries.
Museum of Unique Dolls
- Address: Moscow, Pokrovka str., 13, p. 2.
- Website: https://dollmuseum.ru
- Working hours: 12:00-17:00.
- Admission: 300 rub.
- Excursions: by appointment.
A collection of unique dolls created by famous craftsmen from different eras. The works of modern masters and antique specimens are collected here. In total, the museum’s collections contain almost 6,000 exhibits made of wax, porcelain, fabric and wood. Among them are rare antique French Bru and Jumeau dolls, Steiner walking dolls, English wax Montanari and Pierotti. The entrance fee includes a printed guidebook and a quest guide for children.
A collection of unique dolls created by famous craftsmen from different eras. Photo: Museum of Unique Dolls
Museum of Russian Splint and Naive Art
- Address: 10 Maly Golovin Lane, Moscow.
- Website: https://naive-museum.ru
- Working hours: 12:00-19:00.
- Admission: 250 rub.
- Excursions: for groups of 4 people or more, 200 rubles. for the participant.
The museum contains colorful prints, posters, and pictures that tell about the life, customs, and beliefs of the Russian people. And there is also a collection of naive art, in which artists, without having a professional education, create amazing and sincere paintings. Until the end of 2024, for example, the museum hosts an original exhibition dedicated to Pushkin and his family — also in the style of naive painting.
Museum of Money
- Address: Moscow, Leningradskoe shosse, 59.
- Working hours: 11:00-18:00.
- Admission: 200 rub.
- Excursions: 250 rub.
The Museum of Money is a private collection that has been collected since 2011. She will introduce you to the history of money, its evolution, and the different ways of exchange and payment. You will see ancient coins, banknotes of 130 countries, modern electronic payment systems. The museum tour is a separate fascinating journey through the history of finance.
The Museum of Money is a private collection that has been collected since 2011. Photo: museum.ru
As you can see, there are many unusual cultural leisure options waiting for you in Moscow. The museum life of the capital leaves a huge field for unexpected discoveries and interesting experiments.
Cover photo: Baturina Yuliya/Shutterstock.com
