Monkeys at Moscow Zoo.

Moscow Zoo


Renovations in honour of the zoo's 150th anniversary are ongoing, but the place should be in great shape in coming years. Huge flocks of feathered friends populate the central ponds, making for a pleasant stroll for birdwatchers. For a new perspective on Moscow’s nightlife, check out the nocturnal animal exhibit. Other highlights include the big cats (featuring Siberian tigers) and the polar bears. For more four-legged fun, follow the footbridge to see exhibits featuring animals from each continent.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Tsereteli Studio-Museum

0.19 MILES

Moscow’s most prolific artist has opened up his ‘studio’ as a space to exhibit his many masterpieces. You can’t miss this place – whimsical characters…

2. Moscow Planetarium

0.31 MILES

The planetarium has become one of the biggest and brightest stars on the Moscow museum circuit, now incorporating all kinds of high-tech gadgetry,…

3. Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

0.34 MILES

This neo-Gothic cathedral is the biggest Catholic church in Russia. Its construction was completed in 1917, but its history is one of turmoil: during…

4. Kudrinskaya Apartment Block

0.36 MILES

The 160m, 22-storey Stalinist skyscraper at Kudrinskaya pl contains elite apartments, mostly occupied by pre-eminent cultural figures during Soviet times.

5. Chekhov House-Museum

0.41 MILES

‘The colour of the house is liberal, ie red', playwright Anton Chekhov wrote of his house on the Garden Ring, where he lived from 1886 to 1890. The red…

6. Narkomfin

0.5 MILES

The model for Le Corbusier’s Unité d’Habitation design principle, this architectural landmark was an early experiment in semicommunal living. Designed…

7. Central House of Writers (CDL)

0.54 MILES

The Central House of Writers is an elaborate art nouveau mansion dating to 1889. The historic mansion housed the administrative offices of the writers'…

8. Patriarch’s Ponds

0.58 MILES

Patriarch’s Ponds hark back to Soviet days, when the parks were populated with children and babushky. Today you’ll see grandmothers pushing strollers and…