Yakimanka District Moscow occupies the western half of the historic Zamoskvorechye, on the south bank of the Moskva River. It is the green and museum side of the area, with Gorky Park, Neskuchny Garden, the Muzeon sculpture park and both buildings of the Tretyakov Gallery.
The district takes its name from Sts. Joachim and Anna, the parents of the Virgin Mary, after an old church. Its main street, Bolshaya Yakimanka, grew from the road to Kaluga, and the district was long a quiet area of craftsmen and merchants before it became one of the most prestigious in the center. It is the part of Zamoskvorechye that most visitors reach first, because the Tretyakov Gallery stands here.
Quick Facts
| Russian name | Якиманка |
|---|---|
| Address | South bank of the Moskva River, between the Kremlin area and Gorky Park, central Moscow |
| District | Yakimanka |
| Metro | Polyanka (Kaluzhsko-Rizhskaya Line (Line 6, orange), Serves the north of the district around Bolshaya Yakimanka and Bolshaya Polyanka; the exit and the walking time were not verified) Tretyakovskaya (Kaluzhsko-Rizhskaya Line (Line 6, orange) and Kalininskaya Line (Line 8, yellow), Named after the Tretyakov Gallery, which stands on Lavrushinsky Lane; the exit and the walking time were not verified) Oktyabrskaya (Koltsevaya Line (Line 5, brown), Serves the south of the district toward Gorky Park; the exit and the walking time were not verified) |
| Opening hours | The streets, embankments and parks are public and can be visited at any time of day; museums, the sculpture park, churches and shops keep their own hours.
(as of October 2026 – check the official site) |
| Admission | Walking the district is free. The museums, the Muzeon sculpture park and other venues set their own admission and rules. |
| Best time to visit | The district can be visited all year. The parks and the sculpture park are best on a dry day in spring, summer or autumn, while the museums suit any weather. Crowd patterns were not 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 Yakimanka?
| Part | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gorky Park and Neskuchny Garden | Included in the standard ticket | Public parks along the river; events and rules vary, so check the park's own site. |
| Streets, embankments and Bolotnaya Square | Included in the standard ticket | Public spaces that can be walked free at any time. |
| Muzeon Art Park | Separate ticket or institution | A sculpture park behind the New Tretyakov Gallery with its own rules. |
| New Tretyakov Gallery (Krymsky Val) | Separate ticket or institution | A museum of 20th-century Russian art with its own ticket. |
| Tretyakov Gallery (Lavrushinsky Lane) | Separate ticket or institution | The historic gallery with its own ticket and guide on this site. |
| Church of St. John the Warrior | Separate ticket or institution | An active church with its own opening hours and rules. |
| Zamoskvorechye (eastern half) | Outside / not part of it | The area with Pyatnitskaya Street, covered by its own guide. |
| Cathedral of Christ the Saviour | Outside / not part of it | Across the river in Khamovniki, with its own rules. |
Why Visit Yakimanka?
Yakimanka groups several large sights along the river: Gorky Park, which was renovated in 2011, Neskuchny Garden running along the bank to the Third Ring Road, the Muzeon Art Park behind the New Tretyakov Gallery and the Tretyakov Gallery itself on Lavrushinsky Lane.
It also keeps older corners, such as the Church of St. John the Warrior on Bolshaya Yakimanka, built on the orders of Peter the Great, and the lanes around Bolshaya Polyanka. Metro stations on three lines serve it, so it is easy to combine with Zamoskvorechye proper, which lies to the east, and the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour across the river.
How Yakimanka Is Laid Out
Yakimanka stretches along the right bank of the Moskva River. Bolshaya Yakimanka Street runs south-west from the river near the Kremlin toward Kaluzhskaya Square, and Bolshaya Polyanka and Bolshaya Ordynka run parallel to it on the east side, where the district meets Zamoskvorechye proper. The boundary follows Balchug Street and Bolshaya Ordynka north of the Garden Ring and Korovy Val and Mytnaya streets south of it.
The Tretyakov Gallery stands on Lavrushinsky Lane near the river. Further south, along the embankment, are the New Tretyakov Gallery and the Muzeon Art Park on Krymsky Val, then Gorky Park, and beyond Titovsky Proezd the Neskuchny Garden, which run all the way along the river to the Third Ring Road. Bolotnaya Square lies in the north, between the river and the Vodootvodny Canal.
A sensible route starts at Polyanka or Tretyakovskaya, goes to the Tretyakov Gallery, then follows the embankment to the Muzeon and Gorky Park, and ends in Neskuchny Garden or at the Oktyabrskaya station.
Highlights of Yakimanka
Gorky Park
Gorky Park lies along the river at Krymsky Val, and the neighboring area from Krymsky Val to the Neskuchny Garden received little attention until the 1920s. The park was named after Maxim Gorky and was given a new lease of life with a large-scale renovation in 2011. Check its own site for events and rules, since they were not verified here.
Tip: Go on a weekday morning if you want the park calm.
Neskuchny Garden
On the other side of Titovsky Proezd, Gorky Park becomes the Neskuchny Garden, which runs along the bank of the Moskva River to the Third Ring Road and is run as part of Gorky Park. The land was once home to the finest country houses of the Golitsyn, Demidov, Trubetskoy, Stroganov and Orlov families. It is calmer than the main park.
Tip: Walk the river path through the garden for a quieter view.
Muzeon Art Park
The Muzeon Art Park was established in 1991 or 1992 in the park on the Krymskaya Embankment behind the New Tretyakov Gallery, on Krymsky Val. It displays more than 700 sculptures, among them fallen monuments of the Soviet period in the area known as the Fallen Monument Park. Check its own site for entry rules.
Tip: Combine it with the New Tretyakov Gallery, which stands at its entrance.
The New Tretyakov Gallery on Krymsky Val
The Tretyakov Gallery on Krymsky Val, at number 10, was established in 1986 and is dedicated to 20th-century Russian and Soviet art. A large green field stood near Krymsky Bridge until 1972, when the building was begun. It is a separate museum with its own ticket and has a guide on this site.
Tip: See the Tretyakov Gallery guide on this site before you plan the visit.
The Tretyakov Gallery on Lavrushinsky Lane
The historic building of the Tretyakov Gallery stands on Lavrushinsky Lane, near the river, in the Yakimanka District. It is the gallery of Pavel Tretyakov, who gave his collection to the city of Moscow in 1892, and it needs its own ticket. It is a short walk from the Tretyakovskaya station.
Tip: Plan the two Tretyakov buildings as separate visits, since they have separate tickets.
The Church of St. John the Warrior
The church at Bolshaya Yakimanka 46 was built between 1704 and 1717 on the orders of Peter the Great to commemorate the Russian victory over Sweden at Poltava, to a design by Ivan Zarudny. It is an example of the standard octagon-on-cube structure, in yellow, red and green, and it remained open throughout the Soviet years. It is an active church with its own opening hours.
Tip: Look at the octagonal tower and the colors from the street.
Bolotnaya Square and Red October
Bolotnaya Square lies in the north of the district, south of the Kremlin, between the Moskva River and the Vodootvodny Canal. Nearby, the former Red October chocolate factory has been converted into a cultural cluster. The Church of St. Nicholas in Bersenevka, a rare 17th-century Moscow baroque church, stands in the same area.
Tip: Walk from the square along the canal toward the river, since the area is flat and open.
Atmosphere
Yakimanka is the green side of the center, with wide parks along the river, sculptures in the open air and quiet residential streets behind them. Bolshaya Yakimanka and Bolshaya Polyanka are older streets with low houses and churches, while the embankment has paths for walking and cycling.
By day visitors cross between the Tretyakov Gallery, the sculpture park and Gorky Park, and in the evening the parks fill with walkers. The streets away from the river are calmer. The crowd varies by season and day, and no figures were verified.
History of Yakimanka
The district is named after Sts. Joachim and Anna, the parents of the Virgin Mary, after the Yakimanskaya church that gave Bolshaya Yakimanka its name. The street was formed from the road to Kaluga. The western part of the district, between the river and Bolshaya Yakimanka Street, was regularly flooded, so the inhabited area was contained within a tract about 700 meters wide between Bolshaya Yakimanka and Bolshaya Ordynka, the old Kaluga and Serpukhov roads.
In the 18th century, under Peter the Great, the situation changed. After the Church of St. John the Warrior was built on Bolshaya Yakimanka between 1704 and 1717, merchants and officials began to settle in the area. Bolshaya Yakimanka remained a quiet street of single-family households, many of which still farmed the floodlands, while Bolshaya Ordynka was inhabited by wealthy merchants. Yakimanka was established as an administrative district in 1782.
The street had few buildings, which helped it survive the fire of 1812, and French troops used it as the road to Kaluga when they retreated. The floodland was gradually built up in the 19th century, after the Babiegorodskaya Dam was completed. The land of the present Gorky Park and Neskuchny Garden had been home to the finest country houses of the Golitsyn, Demidov, Trubetskoy, Stroganov and later Orlov families.
Pavel Tretyakov gave his collection to the city in 1892, and the historic gallery stands on Lavrushinsky Lane. A large green field existed near Krymsky Bridge until 1972, when the new building of the Tretyakov Gallery was begun, and the gallery on Krymsky Val was established in 1986 for 20th-century art. Many churches of the district were closed in the Soviet period, and the Church of St. John the Warrior remained the only open one.
The Muzeon Art Park was established in 1991 or 1992 behind the gallery on Krymsky Val, and Gorky Park was renovated in 2011. Today Yakimanka contains the western half of the historic Zamoskvorechye, with the Tretyakov Gallery and the territories of Gorky Park and Neskuchny Garden, while the eastern half is administered as Zamoskvorechye District proper.
Tickets and Booking for Yakimanka
There is no ticket for the district. The two Tretyakov Gallery buildings sell their own tickets and have a guide on this site, and the Muzeon Art Park, Gorky Park and the churches set their own rules; no individual venue was verified for this guide. Check each venue’s own site for hours, events and prices before you plan a visit.
- Neighboring area: Zamoskvorechye, with its own guide, lies to the east.
- 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 Yakimanka
2 hours
Start at Tretyakovskaya and walk to Lavrushinsky Lane to see the Tretyakov Gallery from the outside. Walk along the embankment to the Muzeon sculpture park and the New Tretyakov Gallery.
3 hours
Follow the 2-hour route and continue into Gorky Park for a loop along the river. Plan a museum visit with its own ticket if you want to go inside.
Half day
Add the Neskuchny Garden along the river and the Church of St. John the Warrior on Bolshaya Yakimanka. Finish at the Polyanka or Oktyabrskaya station.
How to Get to Yakimanka
The district is served by three metro stations: Polyanka (Line 6) in the north, Tretyakovskaya (Lines 6 and 8), named after the gallery, and Oktyabrskaya (Line 5) in the south toward Gorky Park. The exits and walking times were not verified, so check the route on a map.
- Metro: use Tretyakovskaya for the Tretyakov Gallery and Oktyabrskaya for Gorky Park; the metro guides on this site explain the lines.
- Taxi: the taxi apps guide of this site explains the options; Krymsky Val and Bolshaya Yakimanka are busy roads.
Accessibility
No accessibility information for the district was found. The embankment paths are level, as far as is known, but the access to the museums, the parks and the churches differs, so ask each venue before you go.
Food Nearby
Cafes and restaurants line Bolshaya Yakimanka, Bolshaya Polyanka and the parks along the river. No individual venue was verified for this guide, so check opening hours and menus on site.
What to Bring
Comfortable shoes for long walks in the parks, 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 Yakimanka
The Muzeon sculpture park
Soviet-era monuments standing among trees on the river bank, with the New Tretyakov Gallery behind them. The mix of statues and greenery makes unusual frames.
Best time: Late afternoon light.
The Church of St. John the Warrior
The octagonal tower in yellow, red and green on Bolshaya Yakimanka, seen from the pavement. The colors stand out against the street.
Best time: Morning light.
The river path in Neskuchny Garden
The path along the Moskva River with trees on one side and the water on the other. It gives a calm view away from the city.
Best time: Autumn, when the leaves change.
Photography Rules
No general photography rules for the streets and parks were found. Museums and churches set their own rules, so look for signs and ask the staff before you photograph interiors, and avoid flash.
Family Suitability
Gorky Park, the Neskuchny Garden and the sculpture park give space to run and walk, so the district suits families well. The museums are better for older children. Stroller access on the embankment paths was not verified.
Moscow Vibes Tips
- Do not look for the Tretyakov Gallery in Zamoskvorechye District proper; it lies in Yakimanka, though it belongs to the historic area.
- The Tretyakov Gallery has two buildings, on Lavrushinsky Lane and on Krymsky Val, with separate tickets, so choose the one you want.
- Walk the embankment between the Muzeon and Gorky Park, since it links the sights without crossing roads.
- Take the Neskuchny Garden path for a quieter alternative to the main park.
- Look for the Church of St. John the Warrior on Bolshaya Yakimanka, which many visitors miss.
- Combine the district with Zamoskvorechye proper, where Pyatnitskaya Street is a short walk east.
Explore Nearby Yakimanka
Sights near Yakimanka
Tretyakov Gallery Moscowabout 1.5 km away (~25 min walk) · typical visit: 2–3 hours per buildingMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Cathedral of Christ the Saviour Moscow – about 1.5 km away (~24 min walk) · typical visit: 45 minutes to 1.5 hours; about 1 hour 20 minutes for the full guided tourMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
New Tretyakov Gallery Moscowabout 100 m away (~2 min walk) · typical visit: 2–3 hoursMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Muzeon Art Park Moscowabout 150 m away (~2 min walk) · typical visit: 1–2 hoursMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Gorky Park Moscowabout 250 m away (~4 min walk) · typical visit: 2–4 hoursMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Garage Museum of Contemporary Art Moscowabout 350 m away (~6 min walk) · typical visit: 2–3 hoursMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Metro stations near Yakimanka
Tretyakovskaya Metro Stationabout 1.8 km away (~29 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Polyanka Metro Stationabout 1.1 km away (~19 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Oktyabrskaya Metro Stationabout 500 m away (~8 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Restaurants and cafes near Yakimanka
Mushroomsabout 1.0 km away (~17 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Ainaabout 1.2 km away (~19 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Bagebiabout 1.3 km away (~20 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Multikulturaabout 1.3 km away (~21 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Hotels near Yakimanka
Maidens Hotel Moscowabout 1.4 km away (~22 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Library Hostel Moscowabout 1.8 km away (~29 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Ibis Moscow Centre Bakhrushinaabout 2.0 km awayMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Events and traditions near Yakimanka
Moscow Summer Fairabout 1.3 km away (~20 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Orthodox Easter in Moscowabout 1.5 km away (~24 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Orthodox Christmas in Moscowabout 1.5 km away (~24 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Related guides
Zamoskvorechye: Pyatnitskaya Street, Ordynka and Old ChurchesMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Khamovniki: Novodevichy Convent, Prechistenka and the Golden MileMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Sergey Yesenin Museum Moscow: Poet’s Home, Hours and TipsMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Marfo-Mariinsky Convent Moscow: Shchusev Cathedral, Hours and ToursMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Neskuchny Garden Moscow: Free Entry, Orlov Summer House and PondsMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Browse more: More in Yakimanka · All Neighborhoods
FAQ: Yakimanka
What is Yakimanka?
A district on the south bank of the Moskva River, the western half of the historic Zamoskvorechye.
Is the Tretyakov Gallery in Yakimanka?
Yes, both buildings are in the Yakimanka District.
Is Gorky Park in Yakimanka?
Yes, together with the Neskuchny Garden.
Is Yakimanka the same as Zamoskvorechye?
No, it is the western half; the eastern half is Zamoskvorechye District proper.
Which metro station is best?
Tretyakovskaya for the gallery, Oktyabrskaya for Gorky Park.
What does the name mean?
It is named after Sts. Joachim and Anna, through an old church.
Is there an entrance fee?
No for the streets; venues set their own rules.
How long does a visit take?
About half a day, longer with museum visits.
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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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