Tverskoy District Moscow is the central administrative district north of the Kremlin, built around Tverskaya Street, the old road to Tver. It holds Pushkin Square, the theater district around Theatre Square and the Bolshoi Theatre, the shopping streets Petrovka and Dmitrovka, and, since 2002, the old Kitay-Gorod quarter.
It is also the seat of the State Duma, the Federation Council, the Mayor of Moscow and the City Council, so it is a district of offices, hotels, theaters and shops rather than a quiet residential area. Many first-time visitors stay here, and much of it can be explored on foot from a handful of metro stations.
Quick Facts
| Russian name | Тверской район |
|---|---|
| Address | Central Moscow, north of the Kremlin, along Tverskaya Street from Manezhnaya Square to Triumfalnaya Square OpenStreetMap · Google Maps |
| District | Tverskoy |
| Metro | Pushkinskaya (Tagansko-Krasnopresnenskaya Line (Line 7, purple), One of three stations at Pushkin Square, linked with Tverskaya and Chekhovskaya; the exits and walking times were not verified) Tverskaya (Zamoskvoretskaya Line (Line 2, green), Under Pushkin Square on Tverskaya Street; the exit was not verified) Chekhovskaya (Serpukhovsko-Timiryazevskaya Line (Line 9, grey), At Pushkin Square; the exit was not verified) Teatralnaya (Zamoskvoretskaya Line (Line 2, green), At Theatre Square by the Bolshoi, together with Okhotny Ryad (Line 1) and Ploshchad Revolyutsii (Line 3); the exits were not verified) |
| Opening hours | The streets and squares of Tverskoy are public and can be walked at any time; theaters, museums, shops and cafes keep their own hours.
(as of October 2026 – check the official site) |
| Admission | Walking the district is free. Theaters, museums and other venues charge their own admission. |
| Best time to visit | The district can be visited all year, and it is best for walking in spring, summer and autumn. Theatergoers fill Theatre Square in the evening; crowd patterns were not otherwise verified. |
| Recommended duration | Half a day to a full day |
| Last updated | October 7, 2026 |
What Is (and Isn't) Part of a Visit to Tverskoy?
| Part | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tverskaya Street and Pushkin Square | Included in the standard ticket | Public streets and squares that can be walked free at any time. |
| Petrovka, Dmitrovka and Kuznetsky Most | Included in the standard ticket | Public streets of the district, free to walk. |
| Bolshoi Theatre | Separate ticket or institution | Performances need their own tickets; the theater has a ticket guide on this site. |
| Kitay-Gorod | Included in the standard ticket | The old merchants' quarter has belonged to the district since 2002 and has its own guide. |
| Moscow Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard | Separate ticket or institution | A venue with its own tickets and schedule. |
| Patriarch's Ponds and most of Tverskoy Boulevard | Outside / not part of it | Closely associated with Tverskaya, but they belong to the Presnensky District. |
| Arbat | Outside / not part of it | A separate district to the west, covered by its own guide. |
| Red Square and the Kremlin | Outside / not part of it | Next to the district and covered by their own guides; check the exact boundary on a map. |
Why Visit Tverskoy?
Tverskoy is the part of the center where several things sit within walking distance: Tverskaya Street, the Bolshoi Theatre on Theatre Square, Pushkin Square with its metro interchange, and the streets of Petrovka, Dmitrovka and Kuznetsky Most. It has the highest concentration of theaters in the city.
It also works as a base: hotels, hostels and aparthotels of every level are here, and metro stations on five lines serve it. Red Square and the Kremlin are next to the district, and Kitay-Gorod lies inside it. Note that the Patriarch’s Ponds and most of Tverskoy Boulevard, although they feel part of the area, belong to the neighboring Presnensky District.
How Tverskoy Is Laid Out
Tverskoy is a long, irregular district that stretches from the Kitay-Gorod quarter near the Kremlin north-west toward the Belorussky and Savyolovsky railway stations. Its main axis is Tverskaya Street, about 1.6 km long, which runs from Manezhnaya Square near the Kremlin to Triumfalnaya Square, crossing the Boulevard Ring at Pushkin Square.
Theatre Square, with the Bolshoi Theatre and the Teatralnaya, Okhotny Ryad and Ploshchad Revolyutsii stations, lies at the south end. Pushkin Square, with the Pushkinskaya, Tverskaya and Chekhovskaya stations, is the middle of the district. Petrovka and Dmitrovka streets and the western part of Kuznetsky Most run parallel to Tverskaya on its east side, and Kitay-Gorod lies to the south-east.
A sensible route starts at Theatre Square, follows Petrovka or Dmitrovka north to the Boulevard Ring and returns down Tverskaya Street to Manezhnaya Square. The Patriarch’s Ponds and Tverskoy Boulevard are close but belong to the next district.
Highlights of Tverskoy
Tverskaya Street
Tverskaya is the main street of the district, about 1.6 km long, running from Manezhnaya Square to Triumfalnaya Square. It began as the road to Tver in the 12th century, and it was along this street that the tsars entered Moscow from St. Petersburg. After the fire of 1812 it was rebuilt as an upper-class street. Look for the buildings of the late 1920s, among them the Central Telegraph.
Tip: Walk it from Manezhnaya Square toward Pushkin Square to follow the old route of the tsars.
Pushkin Square
Pushkin Square, called Strastnaya Square before 1937, is a pedestrian space on Tverskaya Street where the Boulevard Ring crosses it. It has three metro stations, Pushkinskaya, Tverskaya and Chekhovskaya, which are linked. The Izvestia building of 1927 by Grigory Barkhin stands on the square. It is the easiest meeting point of the district.
Tip: Use it as a meeting point, since three lines connect here.
Theatre Square and the Bolshoi Theatre
Theatre Square is the center of the theater district. The first public theater here, the Petrovsky, opened in 1780 and burned down in 1805, and in 1825 Joseph Bove built a larger Bolshoi Theatre on the same site. Performances need tickets; the Bolshoi has its own guide on this site. The square is reached from the Teatralnaya, Okhotny Ryad and Ploshchad Revolyutsii stations.
Tip: See the Bolshoi ticket guide before you plan an evening.
Petrovka, Dmitrovka and Kuznetsky Most
Petrovka and Dmitrovka are two streets parallel to Tverskaya, and the western part of Kuznetsky Most also lies in the district. They are shopping and business streets with theaters, boutiques and hotels, quieter than Tverskaya. The Okno Aparthotel and the Petrovka Loft Mini Hotel have their own articles on this site.
Tip: Use Petrovka as a calmer alternative to Tverskaya Street.
Central Telegraph and the Izvestia building
When Tverskaya was redeveloped from the late 1920s, new buildings filled the gaps between old ones. Two of them date from 1927: the Central Telegraph, designed by Ivan Rerberg, and the Izvestia building on Pushkin Square, designed by Grigory Barkhin. They show the street's early Soviet architecture. Look at their facades from the pavement.
Tip: Look at the upper floors of both buildings, which are easy to miss from street level.
Moscow Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard
The Moscow Circus stands on Tsvetnoy Boulevard in the north-east of the district, near the Tsvetnoy Bulvar metro station. It is one of the family venues of the center. Performances need tickets from the venue itself; its schedule was not checked for this guide. Check its own site before you plan a visit.
Tip: Check the circus's own site for the schedule before you go.
The railway stations in the north
The district extends north-west to the Belorussky and Savyolovsky railway stations, so it is where several arrival routes meet. The Belorussky station is where the Aeroexpress from Sheremetyevo arrives. The Aeroexpress has its own guide on this site. Triumfalnaya Square lies on the way from Tverskaya Street.
Tip: See the Aeroexpress guide if you arrive from Sheremetyevo.
Atmosphere
Tverskoy is a district of wide streets with stone buildings of the 19th and 20th centuries, hotels, theaters and shop fronts. Tverskaya Street is busy with traffic and walkers, and Pushkin Square is a constant meeting point.
The parallel streets, Petrovka and Dmitrovka, are quieter, with boutiques and cafes, and Theatre Square draws theatergoers in the evening. The government buildings give some streets an official look, and the crowds are a mix of office workers, visitors and people on their way to the theaters. The crowd varies by day and season, and no figures were verified.
History of Tverskoy
The street that gives the district its name began in the 12th century as the road from Moscow to Tver. Until the 1820s the territory of today’s Tverskoy lay apart from the Kremlin, separated by the Neglinnaya River, and a stone bridge built in 1595 connected Tverskaya Street with Red Square. The tsars entered the Kremlin along this street when they came from St. Petersburg, and triumphal gates were put up on it for coronations.
In the time of Pushkin there were five churches on Tverskaya, and none of them has survived. The fire of 1812 destroyed wealthy mansions and peasant houses alike, and Tverskaya was rebuilt as an upper-class street, a status it has kept. The north-east of the district, east of Petrovka Street, developed more slowly because of frequent floods of the Neglinnaya.
Theater life began on what is now Theatre Square in 1780, when the English entrepreneur Michael Maddox and Prince Urusov set up the Petrovsky Theatre. It burned down in October 1805 after 425 shows. In 1825 Joseph Bove built a larger Bolshoi Theatre on the same site, and the district has since become the city’s theater district.
Redevelopment of Tverskaya Street began in the late 1920s with infill buildings such as the Central Telegraph by Ivan Rerberg and the Izvestia building on Pushkin Square by Grigory Barkhin, both dating from 1927. The street was named Gorky Street in the Soviet period, and Pushkin Square, formerly Strastnaya Square, was renamed in 1937. The Tverskaya metro station opened in 1979 under the name Gorkovskaya and took its present name in 1990.
Since 2002 the district has also included Kitay-Gorod, the old merchants’ quarter that was once a separate territory managed directly by the Central Administrative Okrug. Today Tverskoy houses the State Duma, the Federation Council, the Mayor of Moscow, the Moscow City Council and Moscow Police Headquarters, and it contains the highest concentration of theaters in the city, including the Bolshoi.
Tickets and Booking for Tverskoy
There is no ticket for the district itself. Theaters, museums and other venues sell their own tickets, and each sets its own rules; for the Bolshoi Theatre, use the ticket guide on this site. Plan ahead for popular performances, since the sales windows and the seats differ by venue.
- Hotels: the district has many places to stay, from hostels to luxury hotels; several have their own articles on this site, among them the Standart Hotel Moscow, the Okno Aparthotel and the Petrovka Loft Mini Hotel.
- Payment: foreign Visa and Mastercard cards are reported not to work in Russia, and the sanctions rules of your own country may restrict some Russian payment services, so check this yourself.
Rates for Russian citizens and concessions differ at most venues, so check each venue’s own page for all categories.
Plan and Book
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Suggested Itineraries for Tverskoy
2 hours
Start at Pushkin Square and walk Tverskaya Street toward Manezhnaya Square, looking at the buildings of the late 1920s. Return along Petrovka Street for a calmer view and a coffee stop before the metro.
3 hours
Begin at Theatre Square with the Bolshoi Theatre, walk up Petrovka Street to the Boulevard Ring, then follow Tverskaya Street back down from Pushkin Square to Manezhnaya Square.
Half day
Add Kitay-Gorod to the 3-hour route, walking Varvarka and Nikolskaya streets, or add an evening at one of the theaters. Check the venue's schedule before you plan it.
How to Get to Tverskoy
Tverskoy is served by many metro stations. At Pushkin Square the Pushkinskaya (Line 7), Tverskaya (Line 2) and Chekhovskaya (Line 9) stations are linked, and at Theatre Square the Teatralnaya (Line 2), Okhotny Ryad (Line 1) and Ploshchad Revolyutsii (Line 3) stations serve the Bolshoi. The Mayakovskaya station is also in the district. The exits and walking times were not verified.
- Metro: use Pushkin Square for Tverskaya Street and Theatre Square for the Bolshoi; the metro guides on this site explain the lines.
- Taxi: central streets have heavy traffic, so the metro is usually quicker; the taxi apps guide of this site explains the options.
Accessibility
No accessibility information for the district as a whole was found. The metro stations, the pavements and individual venues differ, so ask each venue about access and lifts before you go.
Food Nearby
Cafes and restaurants line Tverskaya, Petrovka and Dmitrovka streets and the lanes between them. No individual venue was verified for this guide, so check opening hours and menus on site.
What to Bring
Comfortable shoes for long walks on paved streets and layers for the season. Bring rubles in cash for small purchases, since foreign cards are reported not to work.
Best Views and Photo Spots of Tverskoy
Tverskaya Street from Pushkin Square
The wide street with its stone buildings of the 19th and 20th centuries, seen along its axis from the square. The line of buildings shows the district's scale.
Best time: Evening, when the street is lit.
Theatre Square
The Bolshoi Theatre facade with its columns, seen across the square. The open space gives room for the whole building.
Best time: Dusk, when the facade is lit.
Pushkin Square
The square with the Izvestia building of 1927 on one side and the street traffic around it. It gives a clear view of the early Soviet architecture.
Best time: Morning, with fewer people.
Photography Rules
No general photography rules for the streets were found. Theaters and museums set their own rules, so look for signs and ask the staff before you photograph interiors, and avoid flash. Take care near government buildings and follow any signs.
Family Suitability
Tverskoy is a district of long walks and theaters rather than playgrounds, so it suits older children better. The Moscow Circus and the Bolshoi are family venues, and the squares have room to walk. Stroller access on the pavements and at the venues was not verified.
Moscow Vibes Tips
- Use Pushkin Square as a meeting point, since three metro lines connect there.
- Do not look for the Patriarch's Ponds in Tverskoy; they belong to the next district, Presnensky.
- Walk Petrovka or Dmitrovka instead of Tverskaya when you want a calmer street.
- Look at the upper floors of the buildings of the late 1920s on Tverskaya, since the shop fronts below are modern.
- Plan the Bolshoi separately, since tickets for it are sold on a different schedule from other venues.
- Check the exact district boundary on a map if you need Red Square or Kitay-Gorod, since sources describe it differently.
Explore Nearby Tverskoy
Sights near Tverskoy
State Central Museum of Contemporary History of Russia Moscowabout 400 m away (~6 min walk) · typical visit: About 1.5 to 2 hoursMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Chekhov Moscow Art Theatreabout 600 m away (~10 min walk) · typical visit: About 3 hours for a performanceMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Moscow Museum of Modern Artabout 600 m away (~10 min walk) · typical visit: About 1.5 to 2 hours per venueMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Vysokopetrovsky Monastery Moscow – about 650 m away (~11 min walk) · typical visit: 2–3 hours (if doing the overview tour and/or the belltower mini-tour)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Hermitage Garden Moscowabout 800 m away (~13 min walk) · typical visit: About 1 to 2 hoursMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Tchaikovsky Concert Hall Moscowabout 800 m away (~13 min walk) · typical visit: About 2.5 to 3 hours for a concertMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Metro stations near Tverskoy
Tverskaya Metro Stationabout 100 m away (~2 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Pushkinskaya Metro Stationabout 200 m away (~3 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Chekhovskaya Metro Stationabout 200 m away (~3 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Restaurants and cafes near Tverskoy
Cafe Pushkinabout 150 m away (~2 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Turandotabout 150 m away (~2 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Pafosabout 250 m away (~4 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Loonaabout 250 m away (~4 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Nightlife near Tverskoy
Craft Republicabout 100 m away (~2 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
The Hat Moscowabout 400 m away (~6 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Hotels near Tverskoy
Hotel Metropol Moscowabout 1.1 km away (~18 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Standart Hotel Moscowabout 150 m away (~2 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Okno Aparthotelabout 650 m away (~10 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Events and traditions near Tverskoy
Pushkin Day and Russian Language Day in Moscowabout 250 m away (~4 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Moscow Tea Party Festivalabout 350 m away (~6 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Easter Gift Festival in Moscowabout 350 m away (~6 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Related guides
Kitay-Gorod: Walls, Varvarka Street and What to SeeMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Moscow Museum of Archaeology: Underground Bridge, Hours, TipsMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Bulgakov Museum Moscow: Hours, Tickets and the Bad ApartmentMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Patriarch’s Ponds and Tverskoy Boulevard Walking Itinerary: RouteMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Savyolovsky Railway Terminal: Suburban Trains, MCD-1 and MetroMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Browse more: More in Tverskoy · All Neighborhoods
FAQ: Tverskoy
Where is Tverskoy?
In central Moscow north of the Kremlin, around Tverskaya Street, Theatre Square and Pushkin Square.
Is Tverskoy the same as Tverskaya Street?
No. Tverskaya is the main street of the district, which is much larger.
Is Kitay-Gorod part of Tverskoy?
Yes, since 2002; it has its own guide on this site.
Are the Patriarch's Ponds in Tverskoy?
No, they belong to the Presnensky District, though they are close to Tverskaya.
Where is the Bolshoi Theatre?
On Theatre Square, in the south of the district.
Which metro station is best?
Pushkin Square for Tverskaya Street; Teatralnaya for the Bolshoi.
Is it a good area to stay in?
It is central and well served by the metro, with many hotels.
Is there an entrance fee?
No for the streets; venues charge their own admission.
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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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