Hello everyone! Finally, I managed to visit the famous unique Zaryadye Park in Moscow, in this post you will find out reviews, photos, prices for 2021, a description of how to get there by metro or car, what interesting things you can see there and whether it’s worth going there for a walk.
I’ll also tell you about the history of the park, what’s in it, and share my impressions of visiting this attraction, which is located in the very center of the capital.
I live in Zelenograd, I rarely go to Moscow itself, but sometimes I manage to get out there and visit some places I’ve never been to. Once again, when I found myself in the capital, I decided to go for a walk in the famous young Zaryadye Park, which is so often written about in the news.
I walked here before the coronavirus epidemic began, but now Zaryadye Park is closed to the public. I hope this is temporary, but for now I suggest you take a tour of the park online.
Zaryadye Park in Moscow, my review and description
You can get to Zaryadye on foot from the metro stations Kitay-Gorod, Teatralnaya, Okhotny Ryad, Revolution Square, or by car. The park is located next to Red Square.
Zaryadye Park address
If you are traveling by car, access to the Zaryadye underground parking lot from Moskvoretskaya Street costs 250 rubles per hour; on Mondays, parking hours are from 2 p.m. to 12 a.m., on other days from 10 a.m. to 12 a.m. The image above shows the location on the map; in any case, you won’t get lost here, if passers-by can tell you how to get there.
A navigator can help here; I haven’t traveled to the center of Moscow by personal car for a long time: expensive parking, traffic jams, the metro is faster and cheaper. I would advise leaving your car outside the third ring in any free parking lot and taking the metro.
Until 2006, the Rossiya Hotel stood on this site. Then it was demolished and they began to build a park; the park opened in 2021. At first there was a fence and a checkpoint around where everyone was checked for prohibited items. Now this fence has been removed, and you can walk freely from any side around the clock, entry is free.
Landscape of Zaryadye Park
This is not at all a park where you can walk in silence, breathe fresh air, ride a bike, here it’s the other way around. The center of the capital, surrounded by busy streets, traffic jams, crowds of people. The place is very small and is located on a completely artificial base; various plants from different climatic zones of the country are planted.
I left the Teatralnaya metro station as I was traveling on the green line. First, I walked through Revolution Square, Red Square, walked around St. Basil's Cathedral and went to the park itself.
The first thing I saw was a square with young birch trees and the Dome building, it was closed. And entry into this building is free, there are QR codes on the walls inside. Using a special mobile application, you can find out various interesting information from them. Unfortunately, it was not possible to get there.
Zaryadye Park entrance and Dome building
Walking further, I saw the media center building. In the media center of Zaryadye Park, video attractions “Flight over Moscow” and “Time Machine” are held, it’s like a 5D cinema with imitation of wind, smoke and smells, they show videos about Moscow and Russia.
The “Flight over Moscow” attraction creates the illusion that you are actually flying over various Moscow sights. “Time Machine” is a large panoramic screen that shows various historical events of the country.
In Zaryadye Park there is also the building of the Reserve Embassy. There is an ice cave inside; it was closed at the time of my visit, but it would be so interesting to look there in the summer!
Moscow, Zaryadye Park, photo
This building also houses a florarium and a scientific and educational center (lecture hall), where scientific lectures and master classes are held for children and adults. Classes on studying DNA, cloning plants, studying microorganisms and minerals under a microscope, and other lectures are held here. Florarium is an experimental unique greenhouse with an interesting design.
The park has a summer amphitheater; on holidays, concerts and various events are held here. Above the amphitheater there is a large glass dome with solar panels, below it there is a garden with various plants. Under the dome, both winter and summer, the same microclimate is maintained, despite the fact that it is without walls and there is constant access to fresh air.
There are buildings on the territory that have historical value:. Church of St. Barbara, Cathedral of St. Maxim the Blessed, Znamensky Cathedral, St. George's Church, Church of the Conception of St. Anne, Old English Court and the Chambers of the Romanov Boyars.
Znamensky Monastery
Zaryadye Park in Moscow consists of seven natural zones that can be found in Russia: steppe, meadow, mixed forest, northern landscapes, birch grove, coniferous forest, coastal forest. All the plants are young and short, so in the summer heat it will not be possible to hide in the shade from the trees.
What impressed me most was the walk across the bridge. The soaring bridge in Zaryadye Park is a complex V-shaped engineering structure with a flight over the Moscow River at an altitude of 15 meters. The length of the unsupported part is 70 meters.
Entrance to the bridge is free, and it offers views of the Stalin skyscraper above Kotelnicheskaya embankment. If you look straight ahead, you can see the plant of the United Energy Company; from the bridge you can see the Kremlin and many other attractions.
Floating bridge and views from it
If you go down under the bridge, there is an underground museum and access to the embankment. In the museum you can see various exhibits from archaeological excavations. From the embankment you can take a sightseeing tour along the Moscow River on a river bus.
The territory is constantly patrolled by police, smoking and drinking alcohol are prohibited, and violation is subject to a fine. There is a free toilet in the park. There is also a building of a gastronomic center on the territory, where there are various cafes, and in a separate building there is a restaurant “Voskhod”.
Sights of Zaryadye Park
What is remarkable about Zaryadye Park, besides the wonderful views of the historical city? The park is divided into natural zones: birch grove, mixed forest, coniferous forest, floodplain forest, large meadow and northern landscapes. The park's topography is artificially formed: there are hills and lowlands. The maximum drop height is 27 meters.
In addition to natural landscapes, the park has a dome, a protected embassy, an ice cave, a glass crust, large and small amphitheatres, a stage and a floating bridge.
The children's playground is located near the embankment, in the area of floodplain forests.
All about prices in Zaryadye Park
I'll start with the price of a ticket to visit the media center in Zaryadye Park. For the “Flight over Moscow” session, the cost of an adult ticket is 790 rubles, preferential categories of citizens are 640 rubles, children over 14 years old are 400 rubles, younger are 150 rubles. Viewing is not recommended for children under 6 years of age and height below 120 cm. The film is only 8 minutes long.
For the “Time Machine” session in the media center, an adult ticket is 600 rubles, privileged categories of citizens are 480 rubles, children over 14 years old are 300 rubles, under 14 years old are 150 rubles. It is better to buy tickets for the sessions online in advance; to do this you need to register on the official website of Zaryadye. You can purchase it on the spot, but you will have to stand in line, and there may not be tickets for the upcoming sessions.
Prices for visiting the cafe are average in Moscow, ice cream - from 100 rubles, hot dogs and hamburgers also from 100 rubles. and higher. The average bill for lunch or dinner at the Voskhod restaurant is 2,000 rubles per person.
Restaurant Voskhod and gastronomic center in Zaryadye Park
You can sign up for an excursion and various lectures at the Reserve Embassy, as well as find out the schedule on the official website of the park or on site, in the media center building. Some lectures for children are provided free of charge. An excursion to the florarium costs 190 rubles on weekdays, 250 on weekends. Children and students – 152 rubles. on weekdays, 200 on weekends. You can book a group tour at a discount.
Entrance to the archaeological museum costs 100 rubles. From the embankment, which is located next to the park, you can take a sightseeing tour along the Moscow River on a river bus, it costs about 1000 rubles per person, children accompanied by adults are free, you can bargain with them, sometimes they give discounts.
How to get to Zaryadye
If you go by car, check the parking issue. In Moscow it is difficult to find a place for a car. Parking for park visitors is available for an additional fee - 250 rubles per hour, entry from Moskvoretskaya Street (for more details, see the official website). It may be cheaper to leave your car somewhere on the neighboring streets and get there on your own.
- From the nearest metro Kitay-Gorod to Zaryadye Park is a 5-minute walk. The last car to the center, to the right and further along the long passage following the signs. But keep in mind that now people are allowed into the park only in one place from Vasilyevsky Spusk (September 2017). You will have to go around the park along Varvarka Street. - is no longer relevant, now the fences have been removed and passage is possible along the entire perimeter.
- The Revolution Square metro station is also a 10-minute walk away. From the metro, turn left and continue straight along Rybny Lane.
- From the Okhotny Ryad and Teatralnaya metro stations you can walk through Red Square. This route will take at least 20 minutes.
In case anyone hasn't heard
Construction of Zaryadye Park began in 2015. In Moscow, this is the first large-scale project in more than 50 years to create a unique space near the walls of the Kremlin at the intersection of a diverse natural landscape, high technology and architecture. Zaryadye, the first park built within the Boulevard Ring, has already become a center of attraction for residents and guests of the capital. History of Zaryadye
The name of the park comes from the name of one of the oldest districts of Moscow, Zaryadye, whose history goes back more than 8 centuries. At different times, Zaryadye was a center of trade, an embassy quarter and even a slum.
In the 20th century, it was planned to place one of Moscow's high-rise buildings here, but the project was not completed. On the laid foundation in 1967, the Rossiya Hotel was built, at that time the largest in the world.
At the beginning of the 21st century, the Moscow government decided to dismantle a huge, severely dilapidated and obsolete building. In 2006, the hotel was closed and dismantled. In its place it was planned to build a new hotel and office complex with parking. But at the beginning of 2012, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that a modern park would be built in the historical Zaryadye district.
In the first stage of the international competition to create a landscape and architectural concept for the park, applications from 27 countries, from 420 companies united in 90 consortia were considered. The competition jury included leading experts in architecture and urbanism, including Saskia Sassen, professor at Columbia University, Antoni Vives i Thomas, vice-mayor of Barcelona, and Martha Thorne, executive director of the Pritzker Prize. The victory was won by an international consortium, including architects from the Diller Scofidio + Renfro bureau (New York), specialists from the landscape workshop Hargreaves Associates (New York) and urban designers from Citymakers (Moscow). Construction of Zaryadye Park began in 2015. In 2017, construction of the park was completed. You can read more about the history of Zaryadye here.
But Zaryadye is not only landscapes, it is also a very complex engineering and IT infrastructure that helps organize modern educational programs and interactive recreation.
As a matter of principle, we don’t show the finished version right away - go and see for yourself. Only technohardcore!
This is how the best observation deck in Moscow is created - the soaring bridge of Zaryadye Park: a V-shaped console located at a height of 13 m above the river level. It offers panoramic views of the Kremlin, the embankment and the park itself.
