The Chistye Prudy, Myasnitskaya and Sretenka Walking Itinerary links three streets that locals walk for pleasure and visitors often skip. It starts at a pond on the Boulevard Ring, follows an old shopping street with a famous modernist building and ends at a monastery and a short boulevard.
It assumes about three hours at an easy pace, with a stop for coffee, and no tickets. By the end you will have seen the single pond that gives the area its name, the building by Le Corbusier, the tea house with a dragon on its facade and the monastery that stands over Sretenka, and you will have a feel for the streets east of Lubyanka.
At a glance: Start at the pond on Chistoprudny Boulevard, follow Myasnitskaya past Le Corbusier's building to the Perlov Tea House, then walk to Sretensky Monastery and finish on Sretensky Boulevard.
Half Day: The Pond, the Tea House and the Monastery
The route runs west along one street from the pond to the Lubyanka area and then turns north to the monastery, so the walking is short and mostly flat. Most of the sights are seen from the outside, and the only places where you may want to go in are a shop, a cafe or the monastery grounds.
- Chistye Prudy – Start at Chistye Prudy (Line 1, red) and walk to the single pond on Chistoprudny Boulevard, past the monument to the playwright Alexander Griboyedov of 1959; the name means clean ponds, from the older ponds that were joined into one (40 minutes)
- Myasnitskaya – Follow the old shopping street west to Myasnitskaya 39, the Tsentrosoyuz building by Le Corbusier and Nikolai Kolli of 1933, now a government building to look at from outside, with a monument to Le Corbusier nearby (30 minutes)
- Perlov Tea House – Walk on to Myasnitskaya 19 for the Chinese-style facade with a bronze dragon and a pagoda roof, built by a tea merchant; check whether the shop is open if you wish to go in (20 minutes)
- Sretensky Monastery – Walk toward Bolshaya Lubyanka and the monastery, founded in 1397 and restored after the Soviet period, whose grounds are open to look around within the monastery's rules (30 minutes)
- Sretenka – Follow the old street north from the monastery, with its low houses and shops, for the feel of the district (30 minutes)
- Sretensky Boulevard – Finish on the shortest boulevard of the Boulevard Ring, with the monument to Nadezhda Krupskaya at its start, and take the Metro at Sretensky Bulvar (Line 10, light green) (20 minutes)
Tip: Walk the street rather than ride it: the buildings are small and the details, such as the dragon on the tea house, are easy to miss from a bus.
Moscow Vibes Tips
- Look up at the Perlov Tea House facade from the opposite side of the street, where the dragon, the pagoda roof and the tiles fit in one frame.
- Look at Le Corbusier's building from the pavement on the side that faces Myasnitskaya, where the long glass facade and the columns are easiest to see.
- Take a seat on the boulevard benches by the pond for the view of the water, and bring a drink from one of the cafes; the pond area is calm on weekday mornings.
- Dress modestly at the monastery, keep your voice low and ask before photographing people.
- Add the Kitay-Gorod area at the end if you have time; the Kitay-Gorod and Zaryadye Park Walking Itinerary starts nearby.
- Carry some rubles for the cafes and the tea shop, since foreign cards are reported not to work.
Explore Nearby Chistye Prudy, Myasnitskaya and Sretenka Walking Itinerary
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Chistye Prudy: Clean Pond, Boulevard and Menshikov TowerMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Myasnitskaya: Moscow’s Butchers‘ Street, Tea House and Post OfficeMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Sretenka: Moscow’s Old Pilgrim Road, Monastery and BoulevardsMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
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FAQ
Are there several ponds at Chistye Prudy?
No. The name means clean ponds, but only one pond remains, which was made from several older ponds.
Can I go inside Le Corbusier's building?
No. The Tsentrosoyuz building is used by government offices, so you can only look at it from outside.
Is the Perlov Tea House a museum?
It is a tea shop in a historic Chinese-style building, so you can look at the facade for free and go in if it is open.
Can I visit Sretensky Monastery?
Yes, it is a working monastery whose grounds can be visited within its rules; see the Sretenka guide for the district.
Which Metro station is best to start?
Chistye Prudy on Line 1, or Turgenevskaya or Sretensky Bulvar on the nearby lines.
How long does the route take?
About three hours at an easy pace, with a stop for coffee.
Can I combine it with other walks?
Yes. Lubyanka and Kitay-Gorod are close; see the Kitay-Gorod and Zaryadye Park Walking Itinerary.
Can I pay with a foreign card?
Foreign Visa and Mastercard cards are reported not to work in Russia, and your country's sanctions rules may restrict some services, so carry some rubles and check this yourself.
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Last updated: October 8, 2026.
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