Kievsky River Pier is the central pier next to the Radisson Collection Hotel Moscow, on Taras Shevchenko Embankment in the Dorogomilovo district, and the departure point for several Moskva River cruises. Boats leave from here for tours of the center, and the railway terminal and the Kievskaya Metro stations lie a short way inland.
It is also known as the Hotel Ukraina pier, after the Stalin-era skyscraper behind it. Several operators sail from here, with trips from about an hour to about three hours. The walk from the Metro takes about 20 minutes, so allow time to find it. Schedules, operators and boarding points change, so check with the operator before you go.
Quick Facts
| Russian name | Причал «Киевский» |
|---|---|
| Type | River pier / station |
| Address | Taras Shevchenko Embankment, pier Hotel Ukraina, Moscow (набережная Тараса Шевченко, причал «Гостиница Украина») OpenStreetMap · Google Maps |
| District | Dorogomilovo |
| Metro | Kievskaya (Koltsevaya Line (Line 5, brown), Filyovskaya Line (Line 4, light blue) and Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya Line (Line 3, dark blue), The operator's own route is about 20 minutes on foot: leave on Bolshaya Dorogomilovskaya Street, cross to the opposite side, walk through Ukrainsky Boulevard to Kutuzovsky Prospekt, pass the Radisson Collection Hotel Moscow and go down to the river) |
| Opening hours | The ticket office of the main operator at this pier is reported open daily from 10:00 to 21:00. Cruises run in the navigation season and their times depend on the operator (as of October 2026 – check the operator's official site). |
| Admission | Walking on the embankment is free. Tickets are needed for cruises, sold online and at the ticket offices at the pier. |
| Best time to visit | Late spring to early autumn is the season for cruises, and weekends and evenings are the busiest. In winter the cruises are reduced or off. Crowd patterns were not verified. |
| Recommended duration | About 30 minutes to find the pier and buy tickets; one hour to three hours for the cruise, depending on the boat. |
| Last updated | October 7, 2026 |
How to Get to and from Kievsky River Pier
| Option | Duration | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walk to Kievskaya Metro station | About 20 minutes on foot, as given by the operator | Free | The three Kievskaya Metro stations are the nearest. Go through Ukrainsky Boulevard to Kutuzovsky Prospekt, pass the Radisson Collection Hotel Moscow and go down to the river. See the How to use the Moscow Metro as a tourist guide. |
| Metro from Kievskaya to the center | About 10 to 15 minutes to central stations; times not verified | Standard Metro fare; see the How to buy a Moscow Metro ticket guide | The dark-blue Line 3 runs to Arbatskaya and Ploshchad Revolyutsii, and the light-blue Line 4 to Aleksandrovsky Sad. Best for the Kremlin and Red Square. |
| River trams and cruises from the pier | About 1 hour for the river tram; 2 to 3 hours for cruises | Check the operator's fare | Boats leave from the pier at set times in the navigation season; some trips end at the Kitay-Gorod pier. See the How to take a Moskva River cruise guide. |
| Kievsky Railway Terminal | A few minutes on foot; not timed | Free | Best for trains and the connections of the terminal. See the Kievsky Railway Terminal guide. |
| Taxi | Depends on traffic | Check the app for the fare | Use a taxi app and the official pick-up point rather than offers from touts at the embankment. See the How to use taxi apps in Moscow guide. |
Why Visit Kievsky River Pier?
This is the easiest place to start a river trip in the center: a single embankment with ticket offices, several operators and views of the Radisson Collection Hotel Moscow, one of the Seven Sisters, and the Moscow City towers upstream. Trips run from short river tram rides of about an hour to longer cruises of two to three hours.
The pier is beside the Kievsky Railway Terminal, so it suits a stop between trains, and the route past the Kremlin, Zaryadye and Novodevichy shows the city from the water. Check which pier your ticket names, since boats sometimes start from another pier such as the one at Gorky Park.
Highlights of Kievsky River Pier
The Hotel Ukraina pier
The pier is on Taras Shevchenko Embankment below the Radisson Collection Hotel Moscow, the former Hotel Ukraina, which was built in the 1950s and is one of the Seven Sisters. The ticket and sales office of the Radisson flotilla is here, and it is open every day. See the 10 Most Impressive Soviet-Era Buildings in Moscow list on this site for the hotel.
Tip: Look for the sales office at the pier rather than at the hotel entrance.
River trams
The river trams of the Radisson flotilla, open-deck boats that have run since 2019, make a one-hour trip without stops from the Hotel Ukraina pier past Moscow City to the Berezhkovsky Bridge near the Novodevichy Convent and back. Tickets are sold online and at the pier. See the Novodevichy guide on this site.
Tip: Choose the open deck on a clear day for photographs.
Radisson yacht cruises
The yachts of the Radisson flotilla sail a cruise of about two and a half hours through the center of Moscow, with a restaurant on board and a glass-roofed hall. Most bookings start at the Hotel Ukraina pier, but boats can start at the Gorky Park pier if one is overbooked, so check your confirmation. There is no language guidance on some cruises.
Tip: Read your booking confirmation for the exact pier before you set out.
Other operators and longer cruises
Other companies also sail from the embankment next to the Kievsky Railway Terminal, including cruises of about three hours without stops, and a boat trip that runs to the Kitay-Gorod pier, so the arrival pier differs from the departure pier. Check the operator and the route when you buy. See the How to take a Moskva River cruise guide on this site.
Tip: Check whether the boat returns to this pier or ends at another one.
The view from the water
From the pier and the boats you see the Radisson Collection Hotel Moscow, the Russian government building known as the White House, the Moscow City towers upstream and the Novodevichy Convent downstream, from the water. The Bagration pedestrian bridge crosses the river nearby. See the How to visit Moscow's observation decks guide on this site for high views.
Tip: Sit on the side facing the center to see the Kremlin towers on the return.
Eurasia Square and the Kievsky Railway Terminal
The embankment lies beside the square in front of the Kievsky Railway Terminal, the only Moscow station with a river frontage, and the square, formerly called Europe Square, was renamed Eurasia Square in 2024. A stop at the terminal and its roof makes a good start or end. See the Kievsky Railway Terminal guide on this site.
Tip: Combine the cruise with a short walk around the station square.
Atmosphere
On a summer afternoon the embankment is full of people with tickets in hand queuing at the booths, while the yachts and open river trams moor at the pontoons and the loudspeakers announce departures. The big hotel rises behind the pier, and across the water the glass towers of Moscow City catch the light.
In the evening the boats set off with lit decks and the river is dark and calm, with the bridges lit. In winter the pier is quiet and the cruises are reduced or off. The pier is busiest at weekends in the navigation season.
History of Kievsky River Pier
The pier lies on Taras Shevchenko Embankment below the Hotel Ukraina, which was built in the 1950s as one of the Seven Sisters, and next to the Kievsky Railway Terminal, built between 1914 and 1918, the only Moscow station with a frontage on the Moskva River. The pier is named after the hotel and the station.
River cruising on the Moskva River grew in the 21st century with several operators. The river trams of the Radisson flotilla, open-deck boats that run a one-hour route from the Hotel Ukraina pier to Moscow City and the Berezhkovsky Bridge near the Novodevichy Convent, have run since 2019.
The square in front of the station, long called Europe Square, was renamed Eurasia Square in July 2024, and the pier remains on the embankment beside it. Cruise routes include trips through the center that end at the Kitay-Gorod pier and cruises that return to the starting pier.
Boats sail in the navigation season and the operators and routes change from year to year, so check the current schedules with the operators and the official sources.
Tickets and Payment at Kievsky River Pier
Tickets for cruises are sold by the river-cruise operators, on their official websites and at the ticket offices at the pier, and the main operator’s office is reported open daily from 10:00 to 21:00. Sales usually open ahead of the season, and if your date is not yet on sale, the schedule has not been released. Cruise tickets are tied to a boat, a time and a pier, and your confirmation tells you where the cruise starts, which may be the Gorky Park pier if the boat is overbooked. Commentary on some cruises is in Russian only.
- Metro: pay the city fare at the turnstiles; see the guide on buying a Metro ticket.
- Payment: foreign Visa and Mastercard cards are reported not to work in Russia, so check the payment options on the operators’ sites, and the sanctions rules of your own country may restrict some Russian payment services, so check this yourself.
- Taxis and touts: avoid unofficial sellers on the embankment and buy only from the operator’s booth or site.
Rates for Russian citizens and concessions differ, so check the official website of the operator you choose for all ticket categories.
Flights, Transfers and Planning
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How to Get to Kievsky River Pier
The pier is on Taras Shevchenko Embankment below the Radisson Collection Hotel Moscow. The nearest Metro is Kievskaya, with stations on Line 3 (dark blue), Line 4 (light blue) and Line 5 (brown). The operator’s route is about 20 minutes on foot: leave the Metro on Bolshaya Dorogomilovskaya Street, cross to the opposite side, walk through Ukrainsky Boulevard to Kutuzovsky Prospekt, pass the hotel and go down to the river.
- Bus and tram: several routes stop near the Kievsky Railway Terminal.
- Taxi: use a taxi app and the official pick-up point.
Accessibility
No official accessibility details were found. Boarding is by pontoons and gangways, and the route from the Metro is a 20-minute walk with some stairs to the river, but step-free access was not verified, so contact the operator before you travel.
Food Nearby
The Kievsky Railway Terminal and the shopping complex beside it, the Europe or Eurasia area, and the streets around Kutuzovsky Prospekt have cafes and restaurants, and some boats have a bar or restaurant on board. No individual venue was verified for this guide, so check opening hours on site.
What to Bring
A jacket or windbreaker for the open deck, comfortable shoes for the walk from the Metro, your booking confirmation on your phone and cash in rubles for small purchases, since foreign cards are reported not to work.
Photography Rules
Photography is allowed from the embankment and the boats, and drones are subject to Moscow's strict rules, so avoid flying them near the river and the government buildings. Follow the crew's instructions on board.
Family Suitability
A short river tram trip suits families with older children, and the open deck is popular, but the 20-minute walk from the Metro, the gangways and the cold on the water are limits for young children. Strollers can be hard to manage on the pontoons.
Moscow Vibes Tips
- Read your booking confirmation for the pier, since cruises can start from the Gorky Park pier instead.
- Check whether your boat returns to this pier or ends at the Kitay-Gorod pier.
- Take the walk from the Metro in daylight if you can, since the route passes under Kutuzovsky Prospekt traffic.
- Sit on the side facing the center when you start the cruise to see the Kremlin on the return.
- In the evening bring a warm layer, since the river is cold even in summer.
- See the Kievsky Railway Terminal guide on this site if you arrive by train.
Explore Nearby Kievsky River Pier
Metro stations near Kievsky River Pier
Kiyevskaya Metro Stationabout 1.1 km away (~17 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Krasnopresnenskaya Metro Stationabout 1.1 km away (~18 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Smolenskaya Metro Stationabout 1.1 km away (~19 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Sights near Kievsky River Pier
Krasnaya Presnya Park Moscowabout 850 m away (~14 min walk) · typical visit: About 1.5 to 2.5 hoursMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Moscow Zooabout 1.2 km away (~19 min walk) · typical visit: 2–4 hoursMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Moscow Planetariumabout 1.2 km away (~20 min walk) · typical visit: 1.5–3 hoursMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Pushkin Memorial Apartment on Arbat Moscowabout 1.3 km away (~21 min walk) · typical visit: About 1 hourMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Melnikov House Moscowabout 1.5 km away (~24 min walk) · typical visit: About 1.5 to 2 hours (guided tour)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Train stations and river piers near Kievsky River Pier
Kievsky Railway Terminalabout 1.1 km away (~18 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Restaurants and cafes near Kievsky River Pier
Matryoshka Restaurantabout 100 m away (~1 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Hotels near Kievsky River Pier
Radisson Collection Hotel Moscowabout 200 m away (~3 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Lotte Hotel Moscowabout 1.1 km away (~17 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Hotel Belgrad Moscowabout 1.1 km away (~18 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Related guides
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Novodevichy: Convent, Cemetery and UNESCO Walk in KhamovnikiMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
How to take a Moskva River cruise: Piers, Boats, Prices and SeasonMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Krasnaya Presnya: 1905 Barricades, Moscow Zoo and Metro ArtMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
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Browse more: More in Dorogomilovo · All Airports & Transport · All River Piers and Stations
FAQ: Kievsky River Pier
Where is the Kievsky River Pier?
On Taras Shevchenko Embankment, below the Radisson Collection Hotel Moscow.
How far is it from the Metro?
About 20 minutes on foot from Kievskaya, as given by the operator.
Is it the same as the Gorky Park pier?
No, it is a separate pier; some cruises start from either.
How long are the cruises?
About an hour on the river tram, two to three hours on others.
Do the boats return to the same pier?
Some do and some end at another pier; check the route.
Is there commentary in English?
Not always; check the operator.
Is it open in winter?
Cruises are mostly seasonal; check the operators.
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 check this yourself.
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Last updated: October 7, 2026. Found an error or something out of date? Report it and we will check and fix it.
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