Zamoskvorechye District Moscow means the area beyond the Moskva River, south of the Kremlin. It was once a quiet quarter of merchants and craftsmen, described as a village inside the city, and it still has lanes of low houses, small churches and old streets such as Pyatnitskaya and Bolshaya Ordynka.
Visitors often mix up the historic area and the administrative districts. The historic Zamoskvorechye is split into two districts today: Zamoskvorechye proper in the east and Yakimanka in the west, which holds the Tretyakov Gallery and Gorky Park. This guide covers the historic area as a walk.
Quick Facts
| Russian name | Замоскворечье |
|---|---|
| Address | South of the Kremlin, across the Moskva River, between Bolshaya Ordynka Street and the Garden Ring, central Moscow OpenStreetMap · Google Maps |
| District | Zamoskvorechye |
| Metro | Novokuznetskaya (Zamoskvoretskaya Line (Line 2, green), A guide says that exiting this station puts you on Pyatnitskaya Street; 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 nearby Tretyakov Gallery and linked with Novokuznetskaya by a passage; the exits were not verified) Polyanka (Serpukhovsko-Timiryazevskaya Line (Line 9, grey), Serves the north of the area near the river; the exit and the walking time were not verified) |
| Opening hours | The streets and squares are public and can be walked at any time; churches, museums, shops and cafes keep their own hours.
(as of October 2026 – check the official site) |
| Admission | Walking the area is free. The Tretyakov Gallery, churches and other venues set their own admission and rules. |
| Best time to visit | The area can be visited all year, and it is best on a dry day in spring, summer or autumn. Pyatnitskaya Street is livelier in the evening. Crowd patterns were not verified. |
| Recommended duration | Half a day |
| Last updated | October 7, 2026 |
What Is (and Isn't) Part of a Visit to Zamoskvorechye?
| Part | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pyatnitskaya Street and the lanes | Included in the standard ticket | Public streets that can be walked free at any time. |
| Bolshaya and Malaya Ordynka streets | Included in the standard ticket | Old streets with churches and mansions, free to walk. |
| St. Clement's Church and other churches | Separate ticket or institution | Active churches with their own opening hours and rules. |
| Tretyakov Gallery (Lavrushinsky Lane) | Separate ticket or institution | A museum with its own ticket, in the Yakimanka District; it has its own guide on this site. |
| Gorky Park and Neskuchny Sad | Outside / not part of it | Part of the historic Zamoskvorechye but in the Yakimanka District, with their own guides. |
| Zaryadye Park | Outside / not part of it | On the other side of the river, in the Kitay-Gorod area. |
| The Moscow Kremlin | Outside / not part of it | Across the river from Zamoskvorechye, visited with its own tickets. |
Why Visit Zamoskvorechye?
Zamoskvorechye shows a calmer, lower Moscow than the center across the river. Pyatnitskaya Street is now pedestrian, lined with bars and buildings of the 19th and 20th centuries, and the baroque St. Clement’s Church, with five domes, closes the view. Bolshaya Ordynka has old churches and merchant mansions.
The area is also next to the Tretyakov Gallery, so a walk can start with art and continue through lanes with few tour groups. It is an easy half day on foot from the Tretyakovskaya and Novokuznetskaya stations, with the Kremlin and Zaryadye Park a short distance across the river.
How Zamoskvorechye Is Laid Out
Zamoskvorechye lies on the south bank of the Moskva River, opposite the Kremlin. Its two main streets, Pyatnitskaya and Novokuznetskaya, run south toward the Garden Ring, where the ring is called Valovaya Street, and the old roads Bolshaya and Malaya Ordynka run parallel to the river. The Tretyakov Gallery stands on Lavrushinsky Lane at the northwest edge.
Administratively the area is divided. Zamoskvorechye District proper is the eastern half, and the Yakimanka District holds the western half, including the Tretyakov Gallery, Gorky Park and Neskuchny Sad. The boundary follows Balchug Street and Bolshaya Ordynka north of the Garden Ring and Korovy Val and Mytnaya streets south of it.
A sensible route starts at Tretyakovskaya or Novokuznetskaya, follows Pyatnitskaya Street to St. Clement’s Church, turns to Bolshaya Ordynka for the churches and mansions, and ends near the river or the Polyanka station.
Highlights of Zamoskvorechye
Pyatnitskaya Street
Pyatnitskaya is a historic street of Zamoskvorechye, named after a church, now pedestrian and lined with bars and buildings of the 19th and 20th centuries. A guide points out the graceful bell tower of the Church of the Beheading of John the Baptist and the eclectic Korobkova Mansion. The street starts at the Novokuznetskaya station.
Tip: Walk it away from the metro, so that St. Clement's Church comes into view ahead of you.
St. Clement's Church
St. Clement's Church stands at the crossing of Pyatnitskaya Street and Klimentovsky Lane. The present church was built between 1762 and 1769 in the baroque style with five large domes, and there has been a church dedicated to Pope Clement I on this spot since at least 1612. It is the largest church of Zamoskvorechye. Check its own opening hours before you go inside.
Tip: Look at the five domes from the lane for the best view.
Bolshaya Ordynka Street
Bolshaya and Malaya Ordynka are among the oldest streets of the area and take their names from the road to the Golden Horde that once ran through it. Wealthy merchants lived on Bolshaya Ordynka. The street has the empire-style Joy of All Who Sorrow Church, built in 1834 to 1836 to a plan by Osip Bove, and the baroque St. Catherine the Martyr's Church at Vspolye.
Tip: Walk the street slowly, since the churches stand a little back from the pavement.
The Tretyakov Gallery on Lavrushinsky Lane
The gallery is named after Pavel Tretyakov, who began collecting Russian art in the middle of the 19th century and gave his collection to the city of Moscow in 1892. It stands on Lavrushinsky Lane, officially in the Yakimanka District, a short walk from Pyatnitskaya Street. It needs its own ticket and has its own guide on this site.
Tip: See the Tretyakov Gallery guide on this site before you plan the visit.
Kadashi and its lanes
Kadashi was a sloboda, a settlement of craftsmen, with the Kadashevsky lanes, and it is known for the Resurrection Church in Kadashi Sloboda. Officially it lies in the Yakimanka District, but it belongs to the historic Zamoskvorechye and adds a quieter loop to the walk. Check the church's own opening hours before you go.
Tip: Take a map and walk the lanes in a loop that returns to Bolshaya Ordynka.
Sadovnicheskaya Street and Sadovniki
Sadovnicheskaya Street runs through the Sadovniki neighborhood, a mixed residential, educational and industrial area that kept much of the traditional Zamoskvorechye air. It has the Church of St. George of 1653 at number 8 and the Paveletsky Terminal nearby. It is a good place to see the area beyond the tourist loop.
Tip: Use the Paveletskaya station if you arrive from the south or by train.
Atmosphere
Zamoskvorechye is a district of low buildings, narrow lanes and old churches that stands out from the larger buildings across the river. Pyatnitskaya Street is pedestrian and lively in the evening with bars, while Bolshaya Ordynka is calmer, with older houses and churches set back from the pavement.
Some lanes have been restored with lanterns, benches and cycling paths, and cafes and pubs fill the ground floors. By day the area is quiet, with residents and visitors on their way to the Tretyakov Gallery. The crowd varies by time of day and season, and no figures were verified.
History of Zamoskvorechye
The area beyond the Moskva River was called Zarechye, the territory behind the river, and it was long regarded as a kind of suburb of Moscow. The names of its oldest streets, Bolshaya and Malaya Ordynka, recall the road to the Golden Horde that ran through it. Wealthy merchants settled on Bolshaya Ordynka, while Bolshaya Yakimanka remained a quiet street of single-family households, many of which still farmed the floodlands.
There has been a church dedicated to Pope Clement I on Pyatnitskaya Street since at least 1612, and the present baroque church was built between 1762 and 1769. In 1782 Yakimanka was established as an administrative district, and Zamoskvorechye was divided between the Yakimanka and Pyatnitskaya police precincts. The Joy of All Who Sorrow Church on Bolshaya Ordynka was built between 1834 and 1836 to a plan by Osip Bove.
Thanks to its merchants and their slow way of life, Zamoskvorechye was thought of as a village inside the big city, and it managed to stay much the same even after the Emancipation reform of 1861. Pavel Tretyakov started collecting Russian art in the middle of the 19th century and donated his collection to the city of Moscow in 1892. Pyatnitskaya Street was flooded in 1908.
The Soviet period brought change. The Joy of All Who Sorrow Church was closed in 1933 and later used by the Tretyakov Gallery as a storeroom. A master plan of 1935 intended to complete a missing section of the Boulevard Ring and sweep away the lanes and courtyards between Pyatnitskaya and Yakimanka streets. The area suffered most in the 1970s and 1980s, when Yakimanka Street was turned into a wide avenue.
The Tretyakovskaya metro station, named after the gallery, opened its southern hall on 3 January 1971. Today the historic area is split between two districts: the western half, with the Tretyakov Gallery, Gorky Park and Neskuchny Sad, belongs to the Yakimanka District, and the eastern half is Zamoskvorechye District proper. Pyatnitskaya Street is now pedestrian, and many lanes have been restored.
Tickets and Booking for Zamoskvorechye
There is no ticket for the area itself. Churches and museums set their own rules, and no individual church was verified for this guide. The Tretyakov Gallery sells its own tickets; see its guide on this site. Cafes and bars take their own reservations, and the venues were not verified.
- Hotels: several hotels near the area have their own articles on this site, among them the Ibis Moscow Centre Bakhrushina and the Hotel Baltschug Kempinski Moscow.
- 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 Zamoskvorechye
2 hours
Start at Novokuznetskaya and walk Pyatnitskaya Street to St. Clement's Church. Continue to Bolshaya Ordynka for the churches and mansions and end at the Polyanka or Tretyakovskaya station.
3 hours
Follow the 2-hour route and add the Kadashi lanes and the Resurrection Church. Keep time for a coffee stop on Pyatnitskaya Street.
Half day
Add a visit to the Tretyakov Gallery on Lavrushinsky Lane, planned with its own guide, and end at the river or in Sadovniki. Check each church's hours first.
How to Get to Zamoskvorechye
The area is served by several metro stations. Novokuznetskaya (Line 2) puts you on Pyatnitskaya Street, according to a guide, and Tretyakovskaya (Lines 6 and 8) is named after the nearby gallery and is linked with Novokuznetskaya by a passage. Polyanka (Line 9) and Paveletskaya serve the north and south. The exits and walking times were not verified.
- Metro: use Novokuznetskaya for Pyatnitskaya Street and Tretyakovskaya for the gallery; the metro guides on this site explain the lines.
- Taxi: the taxi apps guide of this site explains the options; the streets of the center are busy.
Accessibility
No accessibility information for the area was found. The pavements, the lanes and the churches differ, so ask individual venues and check the metro maps before you go.
Food Nearby
Bars, pubs and cafes line Pyatnitskaya Street and many lanes of the area. No individual venue was verified for this guide, so check opening hours and menus on site.
What to Bring
Comfortable shoes for old pavements and a long walk, 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 Zamoskvorechye
St. Clement's Church from Klimentovsky Lane
The five domes of the baroque church rising above the lane, seen from below. The narrow lane gives a strong upward view.
Best time: Morning light.
Pyatnitskaya Street
The pedestrian street with its 19th- and 20th-century buildings and the bell tower of the Church of the Beheading of John the Baptist. It shows the mixed look of the area.
Best time: Evening, when the bars are lit.
Bolshaya Ordynka
The empire-style Joy of All Who Sorrow Church with its cylindrical dome, seen from the street. The older houses around it frame the view.
Best time: Late afternoon.
Photography Rules
No general photography rules for the streets were found. Churches and museums set their own rules, so look for signs and ask the staff before you photograph interiors, and avoid flash.
Family Suitability
The area is a walk with short stops, and the Tretyakov Gallery and the river embankment are close. The lanes are quiet and have little traffic, but there are few playgrounds, so it suits older children better. Stroller access on the old pavements was not verified.
Moscow Vibes Tips
- Do not look for the Tretyakov Gallery in Zamoskvorechye District proper; it lies in the neighboring Yakimanka District.
- Start at Novokuznetskaya and walk Pyatnitskaya Street away from the metro, so that the church comes into view ahead.
- Use Bolshaya Ordynka as a quieter alternative to the busy Yakimanka Street.
- Take a map into the Kadashi lanes, since the churches are easy to miss.
- Pyatnitskaya Street is livelier in the evening, so plan a stop there at the end of the walk.
- Combine the area with Zaryadye Park across the river, which has its own guide on this site.
Explore Nearby Zamoskvorechye
Sights near Zamoskvorechye
Tretyakov Gallery Moscowabout 400 m away (~7 min walk) · typical visit: 2–3 hours per buildingMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Zaryadye Park Moscowabout 1.1 km away (~18 min walk) · typical visit: 1–2 hours; 3 hours with the pavilionsMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Marfo-Mariinsky Convent Moscowabout 450 m away (~7 min walk) · typical visit: About 1 to 1.5 hoursMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Floating Bridge Moscow – about 950 m away (~15 min walk) · typical visit: About 30 minutes on the bridge, 1.5 to 2 hours with the parkMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Zaryadye Concert Hall Moscowabout 1.1 km away (~18 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.
Cathedral of the Archangel Moscowabout 1.1 km away (~19 min walk) · typical visit: 30–45 minutesMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Metro stations near Zamoskvorechye
Tretyakovskaya Metro Stationabout 50 m away (~1 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Polyanka Metro Stationabout 700 m away (~11 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Novokuznetskaya Metro Stationabout 150 m away (~2 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Restaurants and cafes near Zamoskvorechye
Bjornabout 500 m away (~8 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Mushroomsabout 850 m away (~14 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Oblomovabout 1000 m away (~16 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
El Gauchoabout 1.2 km away (~19 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Nightlife near Zamoskvorechye
Esse Jazz Clubabout 100 m away (~2 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Hotels near Zamoskvorechye
Hotel Baltschug Kempinski Moscowabout 800 m away (~13 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Ibis Moscow Centre Bakhrushinaabout 800 m away (~13 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Swissotel Krasnye Holmy Moscowabout 1.3 km away (~22 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Train stations and river piers near Zamoskvorechye
Paveletsky Railway Terminalabout 1.5 km away (~24 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Events and traditions near Zamoskvorechye
Moscow Summer Fairabout 1.2 km away (~19 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Non/fiction Book Fair in Moscowabout 1.4 km away (~22 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Orthodox Easter in Moscowabout 1.4 km away (~23 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Related guides
Serpukhovskaya Metro Station: Three-Vault Hall and Ring Line LinkMain 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.
Stolichki Pharmacy: Moscow Branches, Hours and PaymentsMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Zamoskvorechye and Tretyakov Gallery Walking Itinerary: Route and TipsMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Novospassky River Pier: Cruises, Route 3 and Metro WalkMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Browse more: More in Zamoskvorechye · All Neighborhoods
FAQ: Zamoskvorechye
What does Zamoskvorechye mean?
The area beyond the Moskva River, south of the Kremlin.
Is the Tretyakov Gallery in Zamoskvorechye?
In the historic area, yes; administratively it is in the Yakimanka District.
What are the main streets?
Pyatnitskaya, Novokuznetskaya and Bolshaya Ordynka.
Is Pyatnitskaya Street pedestrian?
Yes, it is now a pedestrian street with bars and old buildings.
Which metro station is best?
Novokuznetskaya for Pyatnitskaya Street, Tretyakovskaya for the gallery.
Is Gorky Park in Zamoskvorechye?
In the historic area, yes, but in the Yakimanka District; it has its own guide.
Is there an entrance fee?
No for the streets; venues set their own rules.
How long does a visit take?
About half a day on foot.
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Last updated: October 7, 2026.
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