The main wooden arch with light and walking people in Sokolniki park, Moscow,  Russia.

© AlxeyPnferov/Getty Images/iStock


Changed beyond recognition in recent years, Sokolniki park is criss-crossed by cycling paths, and blends into a proper forest bordering on Losiny Ostrov national park (Национальный парк Лосиный остров). The area by the entrance (a short walk from Sokolniki metro station), centred on a fountain, is full of cool places to eat and welcoming benches. Further away, to the left of the entrance, is a funfair with rides and carousels. Another attraction is the Rosarium (Розариум), a manicured rose garden.

At least three outlets in the central part of the park hire out bicycles and other sporting equipment. In summer, beach bums head to the Basseyn (Бассейн) open-air swimming pool, which turns into a party zone in the evening. Come winter, the park opens a skating rink and Moscow's longest (200m) sledding hill. Dozens of intriguing exhibitions are scattered around the park, including the Modern Museum of Calligraphy and a showroom of ZIL limos, which transported Soviet leaders. All kinds of urban culture and sport festivals, including the popular Equestrian Fest (Конный Фестиваль; 29 August to 1 September), take place year round, with the main events occurring during weekends.

Transportation

  • metro: Sokolniki

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Yelokhovsky Cathedral

1.49 MILES

Built between 1837 and 1845, the Church of the Epiphany in Yelokhovo has been Moscow’s senior Orthodox cathedral since 1943. With five domes in a Russian…

2. Hilton Moscow Leningradskaya

1.71 MILES

The Leningradskaya – now owned and operated by Hilton – is the smallest of the Stalinist skyscrapers that dot the city. At 136m, it towers over…

3. Aptekarsky Ogorod

1.96 MILES

Moscow's lovely botanic garden was established in 1706. Originally owned by the Moscow general hospital to grow herbs and other medicinal plants, its name…

4. Krasnye Vorota Apartment Block

2.02 MILES

This 131m Stalinist skyscraper houses the Ministry of Transportation. The block is allegedly slightly lopsided, due to settling of the soil on one side of…

5. Moscow Cathedral Mosque

2.23 MILES

The original building of Moscow’s main mosque dates back to 1904, but it was demolished in 2011 and rebuilt from scratch. Unlike many religious…

6. Vasnetsov House-Museum

2.33 MILES

Viktor Vasnetsov was a Russian-revivalist painter, who drew inspiration from fairy tales and village mysticism. In 1894 he designed his own house in…

7. Central Museum of the Armed Forces

2.42 MILES

Covering the history of the Soviet and Russian military since 1917, this massive museum occupies 24 halls plus open-air exhibits. Over 800,000 military…

8. Cosmonautics Museum

2.44 MILES

The soaring 100m titanium obelisk outside VDNKh is a monument ‘To the Conquerors of Space’, built in 1964 to commemorate the launch of Sputnik. In its…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "russia/moscow/meshchansky-basmanny/attractions/sokolniki/a/poi-sig/1494569/1336049",
      "position": "superzone"
    }