Now we move on to the main part of the episode, to our main topic.
Moscow — a city of parksWhen foreigners think of Moscow, they imagine many buildings, many cars, traffic jams, and bustle. And that's true. But few people know that Moscow is one of the greenest megacities in the world.
There are more than 96 parks and 18 gardens here. The total area of green zones, together with the forests located inside the city, is over 450 square kilometers. What does that mean? Per capita, that's about 27 square meters of parks per person. For comparison, in Paris it's 6 square meters per person, in London a little over 7, and in New York 8.5.
For example, Izmailovsky Park is one of the largest urban parks in the world. Its area is over 15 square kilometers. That's almost six times larger than Central Park in New York.
Izmailovsky Park was created in 1931. In the past, Russian tsars used to hunt here. Today it's one of Muscovites' favorite places to relax. In summer, people bike and rollerblade there; in winter, they ski and skate.
Palaces and estates: the Moscow VersaillesIn and around Moscow, there are amazing palaces and estates that are rarely mentioned in tourist brochures.
Kuskovo EstateKuskovo Estate is one of the most beautiful estates in Moscow. It is called the "Moscow region's Versailles." Versailles is a French royal palace.
Today, Kuskovo is a museum where you can immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the 18th century. It also houses the only Museum of Ceramics in Russia, with a huge collection — over 30,000 exhibits.
TsaritsynoThere is also Tsaritsyno — the largest palace and park complex in Moscow. It is the only palace in Russia built in the "Russian Gothic" style — red brick walls, white stone patterns, and pointed towers. The Gothic architectural style originated in France in the mid-12th century. It spread throughout Western Europe and later to Russia. Empress Catherine the Great ordered this palace to be built, but she didn't like it — she called it a "prison." A prison is a place where lawbreakers, murderers, and thieves are held. Construction of the palace stopped for almost two hundred years. Today, there is a restored palace, museums, and a vast park with ponds and fountains.
Izmailovo KremlinIf you want to see a Russian fairy tale with your own eyes, go to the Izmailovo Kremlin. This is not an authentic ancient Kremlin, but a cultural and entertainment center built between 1998 and 2007. It is stylized to look like antiquity: wooden
terems (buildings) with patterned windows and roofs, colorful domes and roofs, forged metal grilles and fences.
Here you can:
- stroll through "Vernisage" — a huge market selling souvenirs, matryoshka dolls, boxes, paintings, antiques, and much more;
- visit the Museum of Bread, the Museum of Vodka, the Museum of Toys, and other museums;
- eat delicious shashlik and drink Russian kvass;
- simply feel like you're in a Russian village without leaving Moscow.
Izmailovo Kremlin is a must-visit place for tourists.
Moscow MetroThe Moscow Metro is not just transportation. It's an underground palace. Many stations look like museums: marble, chandeliers, mosaics, sculptures.
The Moscow Metro is one of the largest in the world. It has about 300 stations. Every day, the metro carries over 8 million people — almost the entire population of New York City! And over a year, that's 2.7 billion passengers.
Did you know that electric buses have been operating in Moscow for several years now? These are buses that run on electricity and are almost silent. There are already over a thousand of them. And at the end of 2025, the first fully driverless tram in Russia was launched in Moscow. I've ridden on one! There's still a special operator sitting in the cabin — a person who monitors the system — but the tram itself drives without a driver. By the end of 2026, there will be 15 such trams!
Arbat Street and the Tsoi WallArbat Street is the heart of old Moscow. It's a pedestrian street, always crowded, with musicians playing and artists painting portraits. But there's one special place on Arbat known to every Russian rock fan. A rock fan is a person who really loves rock music.
So, one of Arbat Street's attractions is the Tsoi Wall. Viktor Tsoi was a legendary rock musician, the leader of the rock band Kino. He died in a car accident in 1990. The very next day, fans wrote an inscription on the wall of one of the buildings on Arbat: "Today Viktor Tsoi died." Later, someone added: "Tsoi is alive."
Since then, the wall has become a place of pilgrimage. Fans come here and sing Tsoi's songs. The wall is covered with many drawings, lyrics from Tsoi's songs, and portraits of the musician.
Zaryadye ParkIn 2017, Zaryadye Park opened opposite the Kremlin.
This is not an ordinary park. Its territory is divided into four climatic zones: forest, steppe, tundra, and floodplain meadows. This symbolizes the climatic zones of Russia. There is a "floating bridge" there — an unusual structure that hangs over the Moskva River. The bridge seems to hang in the air. The bridge offers an incredible view of the Kremlin.
Inside Zaryadye, there is an ice cave (the temperature inside drops to -12°C).
Kolomenskoye Museum-ReserveThere is a place in Moscow where you can feel like a 17th-century Russian tsar. It's the Kolomenskoye Museum-Reserve.
This vast territory spreads over almost 400 hectares — that's more than three hundred football fields. Kolomenskoye's main treasure is the wooden palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, Peter the Great's father.
Today, inside the palace is a museum: you can walk through the tsar's chambers (rooms), see stoves with tiles, antique furniture, and a reception hall.
On Kolomenskoye's grounds, ancient buildings from the 16th-17th centuries have been preserved.
How Moscow Became the CapitalDid you know that Moscow hasn't always been the capital of Russia?
Moscow was founded in 1147. For almost 300 years, it was the capital of the Russian Tsardom. But in 1703, Peter the Great began building a new capital — St. Petersburg. And in 1712, he moved the capital there.
Moscow ceased to be the capital for 200 years.
After the 1917 revolution, Moscow again became the capital — first of Soviet Russia, then of the USSR.
Personal StoryRecently, my family and I discovered a place right in the city center — a bunker.
The bunker is located at a depth of 65 meters. To get there, you need to descend almost three hundred steps. When we went down, I was amazed by the scale. Huge concrete tunnels, heavy and thick doors. We were told that the bunker began construction after the US developed atomic weapons — the atomic bomb.
It's a whole underground city covering 7,000 square meters. The bunker could operate in isolation from the outside world for a whole month! In isolation means without access to the outside, when the bunker is closed and no one can go up to the city.
I was particularly impressed by the central command post. From here, strategic aviation carrying nuclear weapons was controlled. Strategic aviation consists of large planes that carry atomic bombs and can fly for a very long time without refueling.
As we walked through one of the tunnels, an alarm sound suddenly went off. Such a loud and frightening (terrible) sound. The lights went out. Many people were scared; it was terrifying. But it was just part of the show, to let visitors experience the atmosphere of that time. Honestly, it sent a chill down my spine.
I've heard there's also Stalin's bunker in Izmailovo, under the stadium. It's probably also interesting, but they say it's neither as big nor as deep.
ConclusionFriends, today we learned:
- That Moscow is one of the greenest megacities in the world, with 96 parks;
- That Moscow has its own Versailles;
- That Moscow has a fairy-tale Kremlin called Izmailovo;
- That the Moscow Metro has about 300 stations and that driverless trams run through the city;
- That on Arbat Street, there is the Tsoi Wall — a memorial site for the legendary rock musician;
- That Zaryadye Park is divided into climatic zones — from forest to tundra;
- That Moscow was the capital, then wasn't for 200 years, and then became it again.