The Diamond Fund (Алмазный фонд) is one of the most spectacular —and least known— sights at the Moscow Kremlin. While thousands of tourists queue up to see the Armoury or the cathedrals inside the grounds, this treasury gathers, in just two rooms, some of the most valuable jewels, diamonds and imperial regalia in Russia. In this guide I’ll explain what’s on display and, above all, how to get tickets step by step, because the booking system has a quirk worth knowing about beforehand.
This is step 5 of my guide to planning a trip to Russia in 10 steps, where you’ll find everything else in order.
What the Diamond Fund is
The Diamond Fund is a permanent exhibition located inside the Moscow Kremlin, in the Armoury (Оружейная палата) building. It’s run by Russia’s Gokhran, the Ministry of Finance agency in charge of safeguarding the state fund of precious metals and stones. The exhibition opened to the public in 1967 and has displayed ever since a unique collection of state regalia, historic gems and large natural gold and platinum nuggets.
Unlike a regular museum, you can’t just wander in: access is in small groups and on a timed tour, which adds to that feeling of visiting a genuine strongroom.
What you can see
Although the collection is small in number of pieces, each one is exceptional. These are the must-sees:
- The Great Imperial Crown. The star piece. It was made in 1762 for the coronation of Catherine the Great and is set with nearly 5,000 diamonds and a huge red spinel at the top. It’s one of the most recognisable symbols of the Russian monarchy.
- The imperial sceptre with the Orlov diamond. The sceptre features the famous Orlov diamond, around 190 carats and of Indian origin, which Count Grigory Orlov gave to Catherine II.
- The Shah diamond. A gem of about 89 carats engraved with the names of several rulers. It’s tied to a historical episode: after the death of the Russian diplomat and writer Alexander Griboyedov in Tehran, the Persian court sent it to the tsar as a gesture of reconciliation.
- The gold and platinum nuggets. Among them stands out the ‘Great Triangle’, a natural gold nugget of about 36 kilos, alongside other formations of extraordinary size.
- Contemporary jewellery. A room devoted to the master jewellers of the 20th and 21st centuries, with tiaras and modern pieces inspired by the imperial tradition.
Practical information
Where it is. Inside the Moscow Kremlin, in the Armoury building. You enter the grounds through the Borovitskaya Tower (Боровицкие ворота).
Opening hours. Sessions run daily from 10:00 to 17:20, except Thursdays, at intervals of about 20 minutes, with a break from 13:00 to 14:00. The ticket office usually opens at 9:00 (it’s worth checking the current schedule before you go).
Duration. The tour lasts about 45 minutes and is done in groups of up to 20 people.
Language and audio guide. The guided tour is in Russian, but foreign visitors can walk through the exhibition on their own with an audio guide, available in several languages, including English. It’s the recommended option if you don’t speak Russian.
Price. General admission costs 1,000 rubles per person (with reduced rates for certain categories, such as pensioners or students). Be careful: many agency websites resell the visit at noticeably higher prices, so it’s worth booking through the official channel.
How to buy tickets (step by step)
The main quirk is this: on the official website you don’t pay online, you only book. Payment is made in person, at the ticket office, on the day of your visit. That’s why, once you complete the booking, you’ll see the status ‘Not paid’ and no payment button will appear: that’s normal, it’s not an error.
The process has two stages.
Stage 1: book online
You book on the official website tickets.gokhran.ru (Note: online ticket booking is only available to individuals from 8:00 to 18:00 – Moscow time – on the website; outside these hours the site won’t load).
- Choose the date and time (the session) of your visit. Booking is available up to 34 days in advance.
- Select the number and category of visitors (maximum 4 tickets per order).
- Enter your contact details and the identification details of each visitor.
- Confirm the order.
You’ll receive an email confirmation with the date and time of your visit and the order number. Important: the same person (same name, email, phone and document) can only book once every six months.
Confirmation email not arriving? It’s not a problem. The only thing you really need to pay at the ticket office is the order number. Just note it down or save a screenshot of the confirmation screen; you don’t need a printed email.
Stage 2: pay at the ticket office on the day of your visit
The booked ticket can only be paid for on the day of your visit and, at the latest, one hour before the start of your session, at the ticket office located in the Alexander Garden (ul. Manezhnaya, plot 2-10, building 3).
At the ticket office you’ll need to:
- Show the order number, whether printed (voucher) or on your phone screen (the booking confirmation).
- Present the original ID document of each visitor included in the booking. For foreigners, a passport is valid.
- If you booked a reduced rate, bring the document proving you’re entitled to that rate.
If you don’t pay within that window, the booking is automatically cancelled and the confirmation is no longer valid for collecting the ticket.
How to pay
Payment at the ticket office is made in rubles, in cash or by card. If you pay by card, it must be your own bank card.
Keep in mind an important limitation for foreign travellers: because of the sanctions, Visa and Mastercard cards issued outside Russia don’t work in the country. The realistic options are to bring cash in rubles or to have a Russian Mir card, which is accepted at the ticket office card terminal.
How to combine the visit with the Kremlin Armoury
The Diamond Fund occupies two rooms in the same building as the Armoury (Oruzheinaya Palata), and you reach both after going through the security check at the Borovitskaya Tower. What’s more, both close on Thursdays. That makes them very easy to combine on the same day, but with one important nuance: they are two different museums, with separate tickets. Each has its own ticket and its own entrance; in fact, with the Diamond Fund ticket you can already enter the Kremlin through Borovitskaya, with no need to also buy the Armoury one (and vice versa). You’ll find all the details of that visit in the Moscow Kremlin guide.
- The Armoury is run by the Kremlin Museums (kreml.ru). It works in sessions at 10:00, 12:00, 14:30 and 16:30, the visit lasts between an hour and a half and two hours, and the ticket is bought online (at full price) or at the ticket office on the day.
- The Diamond Fund is run by Gokhran. As we’ve seen, it’s only booked online and paid for at the ticket office; sessions run every 20 minutes and last about 45 minutes.
The good news is that both ticket offices are in the same Kremlin ticket complex, in the Alexander Garden (ul. Manezhnaya 2-10). Diamond Fund tickets are paid at windows no. 4 and 5 of the Information Centre, and Armoury tickets at the Kremlin Museums windows, so you can sort out both in a single stop.
Important for planning your day: the Diamond Fund requires you to pay the booking at the ticket office at least one hour before its session. That’s why it’s best to go first to windows 4 and 5 early in the morning, as soon as the ticket office opens, and pay for the Diamond Fund ticket before going into the Armoury.
Mini-itinerary for one day (rough guide):
- ~9:00 — In the Alexander Garden: pay your Diamond Fund booking (windows 4 and 5, with passport and order number), choosing a midday session, and have your Armoury ticket ready (ideally bought online in advance).
- 10:00 — Session at the Armoury (1.5-2 h).
- ~12:40 — Session at the Diamond Fund (45 min). Since it’s already paid for from the morning, you meet the one-hour-ahead rule, and it’s in the same building.
Bear in mind that touring the Kremlin grounds and Cathedral Square requires a different ticket and is accessed through the Kutafya Tower (not Borovitskaya). If you want to add that part, you have to buy it separately.
Refunds
Only tickets bought at the ticket office are refunded, by presenting the original and filling in a request. If you paid by card, the refund goes back to that same card. The refund must be processed, at the latest, one hour before the start of the visit.
Final tips
- Book in advance. Sessions sell out, especially in high season. The booking window opens 34 days ahead.
- Arrive early. You have to pay at the ticket office at least an hour before your session, and before that you need to clear the security check to enter the Kremlin through the Borovitskaya Tower.
- Travel light. Access isn’t allowed with backpacks, suitcases or large bags (handbags are fine); there’s a cloakroom in the Alexander Garden. You also can’t take photos or film inside the rooms.
- Bring your passport. It’s mandatory for collecting the tickets and the details must match the booking.
- Sort out payment before you travel. If you’re not bringing cash in rubles, make sure you have a working Mir card; it’s the most convenient way to pay on the spot.
