Visiting Moscow is still a fascinating experience, although the international situation has changed the rules of the game for foreign tourists. The big Western platforms like GetYourGuide, Civitatis or Viator stopped operating in Russia back in 2022 and haven’t returned yet.
That said, there are still several practical and safe ways to enjoy guided tours around the city. In this article I’ll walk you through the four platforms that work best today: Sputnik8 (the Russian platform with the biggest catalog, with a pay-on-arrival option), GuruWalk (free walking tours in English and Spanish), Moskvatrip (Moskva River cruises that do accept foreign cards) and Eatwith (food experiences with local hosts, also with foreign-card payment).
1. Excursions and tours with Sputnik8 (the Russian platform with the biggest catalog)
Sputnik8 is the go-to Russian platform for booking guided tours, day trips and local experiences in Moscow. It has a massive catalog (more than 20 options just in the capital) with tours in English, Spanish, French, Italian and German, run by independent local guides.
The big drawback is that Sputnik8 doesn’t accept foreign Visa or Mastercard for online payment (a direct consequence of the 2022 sanctions). But there’s a trick that most people don’t know about: a good chunk of the tours come with an “On place” option (pay on arrival), which lets you book online without paying anything and settle up with the guide in cash on the day of the tour, in rubles. That turns Sputnik8 into the perfect tool to lock in your spot before you travel.
Tour categories you can book
- Highlights and must-sees: classic walks through central Moscow, stopping at Red Square, GUM, St. Basil’s Cathedral and the area around the Kremlin.
- History and architecture: walking routes along the boulevards, tours through medieval Moscow and its ancient churches, or strolls through Soviet constructivist neighborhoods.
- Tour of the Moscow Metro: one of the most booked. A guided walk through the most spectacular stations with a guide who explains the mosaics, the sculptures and the Soviet history behind every stop.
- USSR-themed tours: the “little USSR in the heart of Moscow”, visits to Stalin’s bunkers or Soviet-nostalgia routes with guides who share first-hand stories.
- Viewpoints and panoramic views: a trip up the Ostankino TV tower (with an observation deck 337 m high) or up the OKO tower in the Moskva-City skyscraper district. If you’re interested in other high points, I’ve put them all together in this guide to the best viewpoints in Moscow.
- Dacha experiences: interactive visits to a Soviet-era Russian dacha on the outskirts of Moscow, with home cooking, the traditional tea ceremony with samovar, and in some cases a cooking class (pelmeni, borscht, kulebyaka).
- Food and drink: walking tours through gastronomic markets, USSR-style hidden-bar crawls or local craft-beer routes.
- Private car tours with a local guide: custom 3-4 hour tours where the guide picks you up in their own car and takes you to the spots you choose (MGU, the Gagarin monument, Stalin’s Seven Sisters, etc.).
- Hop On Hop Off bus tour: a 1-day ticket to hop on and off at the most central stops at your own pace.
- Day trips outside Moscow: Sergiev Posad, the Golden Ring and winter snowmobile rides through snowy forests on the city’s outskirts.
How to book step by step
- Head to the Sputnik8 page for Moscow and filter by category, language or tour type (private, small group, free).
- Look for the “On place” tag on the tour listing: it means you can book without paying online and pay the guide on arrival.
- If the tour doesn’t accept pay-on-arrival and you still want to book it, you’ll need a Russian MIR card (the guide on how to pay in Russia walks you through the options).
- You’ll get a confirmation email with the exact meeting point, the guide’s name and a contact phone number.
2. Free walking tours in English and Spanish with GuruWalk (no advance payment)
If what you want is a quick, cheap option in your own language for your first day in the city, the free tours from GuruWalk are probably the best you’ll find. The platform is still operating normally in Russia and lets you reserve your spot online completely free of charge.
The system is the classic free-tour setup: you book without paying anything, show up at the meeting point, and at the end of the walk you tip the guide whatever you feel is fair (in Moscow the going rate is around 10-20 euros per person, in cash). The guides are Russian native English or Spanish speakers who live in the city and know its history and lesser-known corners inside out.
Free tours currently available in Moscow
- Beginner’s Guide to Moscow: the most-booked tour in the city. About 2 hours and a half through the classic icons (Red Square, the Kremlin from the outside, GUM, the Bolshoi Theatre). Perfect for getting your bearings on day one.
- First Steps in Moscow: also around 2 hours and a half, with a broader approach that covers recent history, tsarist Moscow and the Soviet city on a single route.
- Main Architectural Gems of Moscow: a themed tour focused on the city’s architectural jewels, from Russian baroque to Stalinist buildings and the modern skyscrapers.
The big advantage compared to Sputnik8 is that here you don’t need any kind of card to book — the whole payment happens cash-in-hand to the guide at the end. If it’s your first day in Moscow and you haven’t changed money yet, the guide on where to exchange euros or dollars for rubles has the most reliable spots.
3. Moskva River cruises with Moskvatrip (payment with foreign card or PayPal)
One of the most unforgettable ways to see Moscow is from the water. And here’s some good news: Moskvatrip is one of the few platforms in Russia that still accepts foreign Visa and Mastercard, as well as PayPal, to buy tickets for Moskva River cruises. It’s an exception in the current landscape, and if you want to lock in your spot from home before traveling, it’s the most convenient option.
Types of cruises they offer
- Radisson cruise from the Hotel Ukraina: the most-booked one. Modern, air-conditioned boats from the Radisson Royal fleet, with a restaurant on board, audio guide, and departures year-round (yes, including winter, with the river frozen). About 2 hours and a half through the center.
- Radisson cruise from Gorky Park: same fleet, different dock. The route is the best one for photographing the Hotel Ukraina skyscraper, the White House, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and Zaryadye Park from the water.
- River Lounge cruise with restaurant: the more informal version. A 2 and a half hour ride with a tasting menu included and a bar on board.
- River Palace boat: the premium option. A 3-hour cruise with signature cuisine on board, ideal for an anniversary dinner or a romantic evening.
- Radisson ERWIN cruise: a floating restaurant by chef Alexander Rappoport specializing in Russian fish and seafood.
- Cruise from the Moskva-City complex: 3 hours, departing from the most modern skyscraper area of the city. Great if you’re staying in that part of town.
- Short cruise from the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour or from Zaryadye Park: quick options of 1 hour and 15-20 minutes, with an audio guide on board and a lower price. A solid alternative if you’re tight on time.
- Party boat on Fridays and Saturdays: a 2 and a half hour party boat with DJ and open bar, designed for younger groups looking for a night out on the water.
Once you’ve bought your ticket online, you’ll get a PDF in your inbox — no need to print it (you just show it on your phone at the dock). For specific questions they have email support at order@moskvatrip.ru.
4. Food experiences with Eatwith (payment with foreign card, Google Pay and Apple Pay)
Eatwith is an international platform that connects travelers with local hosts who open their homes to offer home-cooked dinners, cooking classes and food tours. It operates in more than 130 countries and, unlike most Western platforms, is still active in Russia: it has verified Moscow hosts and accepts foreign Visa and Mastercard, Google Pay and Apple Pay with no issues at all.
This is the most interesting option if you want to step off the traditional tourist trail and experience Moscow “from the inside”: eat with a Russian family, learn to make pelmeni by hand, or have a local foodie show you the markets only Muscovites know about.
Experiences currently available in Moscow
- Mongolian home-cooking tasting menu: a tasting menu at the home of a host who cooks traditional Mongolian dishes (which share a lot of common ground with Siberian cuisine). A quirky option to discover another side of Eurasian gastronomy.
- Moscow Foodie Walk: a walking route lasting several hours through markets, bakeries and neighborhood spots with a local foodie guide. Tastings along the way are included.
- Dinner “Delicious journey – FORTUNA”: a home-cooked menu with wine pairing at the home of host Fortuna, blending traditional Russian recipes with a personal touch.
- Cooking class: pelmeni, okroshka and more: a hands-on 3-hour workshop where you learn to prepare Russian filled dumplings by hand, the cold summer soup okroshka and other classic dishes. You take the recipes home with you.
- Rustic dinner at a villa with locals: a getaway to a dacha on the outskirts of Moscow for a traditional dinner with several generations of the same family. Very authentic atmosphere.
- A walk through Moscow’s most authentic food market: a tour through one of the least touristy fresh-produce markets, with tastings of cured meats, cheeses, honey and smoked fish from the Baltic and the Russian Far East.
If after the experience you still want to keep exploring local food, the guide on where to eat in Moscow has a curated list of restaurants by cuisine and neighborhood.
Conclusion: yes, you can still do organized tourism in Moscow
The fact that the major Western platforms have stopped operating in Russia doesn’t mean you can’t book guided tours in Moscow. It means you have to switch channels: use Sputnik8 for the widest catalog (with pay-on-arrival as a safety net), GuruWalk for free tours in your own language, Moskvatrip for boat trips with foreign-card payment, and Eatwith for the most authentic food experiences, also with international payment options.
With these four platforms you have pretty much every kind of guided visit covered, without needing to open a Russian MIR card before you travel.
Frequently asked questions
Why don’t Civitatis, GetYourGuide or Viator offer tours in Russia anymore?
The three platforms suspended their operations in Russia in March 2022, following the start of the conflict in Ukraine and the mass exit of Western companies from the Russian market. Four years later they still don’t offer activities in Russian territory and there are no signs of a near-term return. That’s why now you have to use Russian platforms (Sputnik8) or global ones that have kept their Russia catalog active (GuruWalk, Eatwith, Moskvatrip).
Can I book a tour in Moscow with a foreign card?
It depends on the platform. GuruWalk doesn’t require a card because you pay the guide in cash at the end of the tour. Moskvatrip and Eatwith do accept foreign Visa and Mastercard, as well as PayPal, Google Pay and Apple Pay. Sputnik8 doesn’t accept foreign cards, but many of its tours come with an On place option that lets you book without paying upfront and settle with the guide on arrival.
What’s the difference between a free tour and a paid tour?
With a free tour you don’t pay a fixed closed price: you book online without paying anything and at the end you tip the guide based on your level of satisfaction (in Moscow the usual is between 10 and 20 euros per person). With a paid tour you pay a fixed price either in advance or on arrival. Free tours tend to be general overview walks through the center; paid tours tend to be themed, specialized, private, or include monument entry tickets.
What languages are guided tours in Moscow offered in?
English is the language with the most offer across every platform. In Spanish there are GuruWalk free tours nearly every day and a few paid Sputnik8 tours with Spanish-speaking guides. You can also find tours in French, Italian, German and, to a lesser extent, Portuguese or Chinese, especially on Sputnik8.
Do I need to book the tours before traveling or can I do it from Moscow?
You can do it either way. Platforms that accept foreign cards (Moskvatrip, Eatwith) let you book comfortably from home weeks or months in advance. GuruWalk free tours can be reserved at any time and are free until the end of the walk. And with Sputnik8 the smart move is to book with the pay-on-arrival option to secure your spot, especially for the most in-demand tours (Metro, Kremlin, dachas), which tend to fill up in high season.
