Moscow City: What to See, Observation Decks & Skyscrapers in Russia’s Manhattan

Moscow City is Moscow’s futuristic skyscraper district, a mini Manhattan of glass and steel built on barely one square kilometer just 4 km from Red Square. Here you’ll find six of Europe’s ten tallest skyscrapers, two unique observation decks (one indoor at 327 m and one open-air at 354 m, the highest on the continent), panoramic restaurants, a shopping mall with cinemas and a kids’ play area, and the world’s highest ice cream factory. In this guide I’ll tell you what to see, how to get there, which tower to go up, where to eat with a view and all the practical tips to make the most of your visit.

What is Moscow City (and why it’s worth visiting)

The official name is the Moscow International Business Center (in Russian, ММДЦ «Москва-Сити»). Construction started in 1998 on what were back then abandoned factories and quarries in the Presnensky district, on a bend of the Moskva River. The first tower, Bashnya 2000, opened in 2001, and the complex hasn’t stopped growing since: there are now more than twenty completed skyscrapers and as many under construction. Five of them top 300 meters and, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat ranking, six of Europe’s ten tallest buildings are right here.

Until recently, Federation Tower (374 m) was Europe’s tallest skyscraper. Saint Petersburg’s Lakhta Center (462 m) took the crown. But Moscow City is now building One Tower (444 m), which once finished will be Europe’s tallest residential building and put Moscow back on top of the European ranking.

If you’re coming to Moscow with only a couple of days, Red Square, the Kremlin and the metro are non-negotiable. But trust me, spending half an afternoon at Moscow City pays off: seeing the tsarist city from 354 meters up, with the gilded Kremlin on one side and Stalin’s skyscrapers scattered on the other, is an experience no other European observation deck can give you.

Before going further, if you’re still in the planning phase, here are the essentials: how to get a Russian visa, the 10 steps to plan your trip and the main destinations in Russia (Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Trans-Siberian, Golden Ring and Sochi).

Map of Moscow City with the key spots from this guide

I’ve put together this interactive OpenStreetMap so you can locate the main towers, the observation decks, the Afimall mall and the metro stations at a glance. Click the markers for details:

How to get to Moscow City

The easiest way is by metro. There are three stations inside the complex itself, and depending on which tower you want to climb, one will suit you better than another:

• Vystavochnaya (Line 4, Filevskaya, light blue): the best for Afimall, Federation Tower (Panorama 360) and Imperia Tower (Moscow City Museum).
• Mezhdunarodnaya (Line 4, Filevskaya): exit at the foot of the OKO Tower. The most convenient if you’re heading to the «Выше только любовь» observation deck.
• Delovoy Tsentr (Line 8 yellow, Line 11 BKL and Line 14 MCC): the main interchange. It has direct exits to Afimall, Mercury Tower, Empire and Imperia.

From Red Square it takes 15-20 minutes: take Line 4 (Filevskaya) at Aleksandrovsky Sad station and get off at Vystavochnaya. One single line, no transfers. If you’re starting from a station that isn’t on Line 4, the typical move is to transfer at Delovoy Tsentr using one of the three lines that meet there.

The Moscow Metro is one of the most beautiful and cheapest in the world. If you’ve never used it, I cover everything in my guide on how the Moscow Metro works and in the one on public transport and the Troika card.

By bus: lines M2, M7 and S344 stop right at the complex. From the center (Manezhnaya / Lenin Library) it takes between 15 and 30 minutes depending on traffic.

By taxi: forget Uber, it doesn’t work in Russia. The app everyone uses is Yandex Go (InDrive also works). I explain how they work in my guide on taxis in Moscow and other Russian cities and in the roundup of essential apps for traveling in Russia. From Red Square, with no traffic, it’s 8-10 minutes via Novy Arbat or Kutuzovsky.

From the airport: the Aeroexpress drops you at Tverskaya station and from there you connect to the metro to Delovoy Tsentr. If you’re arriving from Vnukovo, there’s a direct connection on Line 8 (yellow) between the airport station and Delovoy Tsentr. Here’s the full guide on how to get from the airport to the center of Moscow.

The two star observation decks: which one to climb

This is the million-dollar question once you arrive at Moscow City. There are smaller observation decks (Bashnya 2000, Empire), but the two must-do ones are Panorama 360 in Federation Tower and «Выше только любовь» in OKO Tower. They’re completely different: one indoor with an “edutainment” experience, the other open-air and minimalist. If you have time and budget, they’re not mutually exclusive.

Panorama 360 (Federation Tower, 89th floor, at 327 m)

It’s the more popular and tourist-oriented of the two. It sits on the 89th floor of Federation Tower Vostok (the East one), 327 meters above ground. The whole floor is transparent, with six-meter-tall glass walls and 360-degree views over the entire city. The elevator climbs at 7 meters per second: you’re at the top in under a minute and your ears pop on the way up.

What I like best about Panorama 360 is that it’s not just an observation deck, it’s an experience: included with the ticket you get the world’s highest ice cream factory (free unlimited tastings of freshly made ice cream), a chocolate factory with free samples, a small ice cream museum, an augmented-reality zone (you download the app and your phone identifies the buildings you’re looking at), and, since 2022, the world’s highest library (it took the record from one in Shanghai that sat at 231 m). There’s also a panoramic restaurant and a souvenir shop.

• Address: Presnenskaya nab., 12 (Federation Tower Vostok). Physical ticket booths are on the 2nd floor of Afimall City.
• Hours: Monday to Thursday 11:00-21:00; Friday 11:00-22:00; Saturday 10:00-22:00; Sunday 10:00-21:00.
• 2026 prices (box office): 2,900 rubles. Online at pnr360.ru there are promotional sessions from 1,000-2,000 rubles for the first slot of the day (11:00 on weekdays, 10:00 on weekends).
• Children: under 14 must be accompanied by an adult. Babies aged 0-1 enter free (two per adult), but you’ll need to show their ID.
• Wheelchair accessible.
• Official website: pnr360.ru

«Выше только любовь» / Above Only Love (OKO South Tower, 92nd floor, at 354 m)

This is the highest open-air observation deck in Europe. It sits on the roof of the OKO South Tower at 354 meters, already higher than the Ostankino Telecommunications Tower (337 m), Federation Tower (Panorama 360 is at 327 m) and the Eiffel Tower (300 m). The name “Выше только любовь” literally translates as “Above only love”, and it’s the romantic tagline of the place (#ВышеТолькоЛюбовь, #onlyloveisabove).

The experience is radically different from Panorama 360: there’s no glass here, you walk straight onto the rooftop, you feel the wind, and your photos come out without reflections or panes in between. The platform is fenced for safety and has free binoculars and telescopes (one with 600x magnification). If it’s cold they’ll lend you blankets; if the weather forecast is bad on the day of your visit, you can request a 100% refund or change the date.

• Address: 1-y Krasnogvardeyskiy Proezd, 21 building 2 (OKO South Tower).
• Hours: weekdays from 12:00 to 23:00; Saturday and Sunday from 10:00.
• 2026 prices: adult 1,800 rubles; child aged 6-14 1,000 rubles. Children under 6 are not allowed for safety reasons. Under 16 only with an adult.
• Includes: guided lift up, blankets, binoculars and telescope, professional photographer, Wi-Fi, a complimentary drink or ice cream, and a 20% discount at Ruski restaurant.
• Official website: smotrovaya.com (354group.com also works).

The meeting point is usually the Afimall fountain (ground floor) or the lobby of the 354 restaurant complex inside the tower itself. They give you a wristband and a staff guide takes you up. After a brief introduction you can stay as long as you want until closing time.

So which one should I pick?

Quick recommendation: if you’re going with small kids or you want an “all-inclusive” experience with ice cream, chocolate and interactive zones, go to Panorama 360. If what you’re after is the photo without glass, the wind in your face and the real sense of altitude, head to «Выше только любовь». If you have the time, do one in the afternoon and the other at sunset; at current exchange rates the prices come to roughly €18-30 per person, so doing both isn’t crazy. If you want more observation deck options around Moscow (Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Vorobyovy Gory, Ostankino Tower, Hotel Ukraina…), I’ve put them all together in my guide to the best views of Moscow.

The most interesting towers (and what each one offers)

You’ll hear that Moscow City has “22 skyscrapers” or “15 towers.” It depends on how you count the double complexes and the buildings still under construction. These are the most relevant ones for a tourist visit:

Federation Tower

The complex is made up of two towers: Vostok (East, 374 m, 95 floors) and Zapad (West, 242 m). Vostok is Europe’s second tallest skyscraper after Saint Petersburg’s Lakhta Center. This is where you’ll find the Panorama 360 observation deck (89th floor) and the Sixty restaurant (62nd floor).

OKO Tower

Two skyscrapers designed by the American firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (the same studio behind Dubai’s Burj Khalifa). The South tower stands at 354 m and 85 floors and houses the «Выше только любовь» observation deck along with the Ruski restaurant (85th floor), Birds (84th floor, at 336 m, one of the highest in Europe) and Insight, plus the unusual Ice Bar (a constant -15°C inside).

One Tower (under construction)

Once finished, it’ll be Europe’s tallest skyscraper at 444 meters and the tallest residential building on the continent. It’ll bump the Lakhta Center off the top of the European ranking. You can’t visit it yet, but its silhouette is already part of the Moscow City skyline.

Mercury City Tower

339 meters and 75 floors. This is the one with bronze-tinted glass that turns bright orange in the sun. It has a giant LED screen on the façade (between floors 67 and 68) that’s visible from far away at night. It was Europe’s tallest tower for a while. Inside, you’ll find the ILONA-K Artspace contemporary art gallery on floors 2 and 40.

Imperia Tower (Empire Tower)

239 m and 60 floors. This is where two often-overlooked spots that I find really interesting are located: the Moscow City Museum on the 56th floor (at 215 m, with an observation platform included and the detailed history of every building in the complex), and the Camera immersive theater, also on the 56th floor, where the audience plays the role of actors and directors in experimental performances.

Evolution Tower

255 m and 53 floors. This is the tower shaped like a DNA double helix: the façade rotates 156 degrees on its axis (each floor is twisted 3 degrees relative to the one below), held up by eight perfectly straight columns. It made the shortlist for the CTBUH “Best Tall Building Europe” award and finished second at the Emporis Skyscraper Award. It connects directly to Vystavochnaya metro and the Bagration Bridge.

City of Capitals

Two towers stacked like misaligned cubes, a tribute to Russia’s two capitals: the Moscow tower (302 m, 73 floors) and the Saint Petersburg tower (257 m, 65 floors). Deconstructivist style, offices and premium apartments.

Bashnya 2000 and the Bagration Bridge

Bashnya 2000 was the first skyscraper of the complex (104 m, 34 floors, completed in 2001). It stands on the other side of the river and connects to the rest of Moscow City via the Bagration Bridge: a covered pedestrian walkway with shops, cafés and an observation deck on the upper level. After you’ve toured the towers, cross the bridge over to Bashnya 2000 and head down to the Tarasa Shevchenko embankment: from across the Moskva River you’ll get the best photos of the full skyline, especially at dusk when the lights come on.

If you’re into Russia’s monumental architecture, after Moscow City I’d recommend taking a tour of Stalin’s Seven Sisters: the seven Stalinist skyscrapers of the 1940s and 1950s scattered across the city. They’re the perfect counterpoint to Moscow City’s glass architecture.

Restaurants with views in Moscow City

Eating with a view at Moscow City is an experience in itself. These are the best-known options:

• Sixty (Federation Tower, 62nd floor, ~220 m). By the Ginza Project group. International cuisine with an emphasis on seafood. One of Europe’s highest restaurants and with a unique twist: in good weather the windows open and it turns into a terrace at almost 220 meters. Always book ahead; minimum spend at the window-side tables. Phone +7 495 653 83 69.
• Ruski (OKO South Tower, 85th floor). Traditional Russian cuisine, reinterpreted. If you’ve been up to the «Выше только любовь» observation deck, you get a 20% discount here.
• Birds (OKO Tower, 84th floor, at 336 m). Contemporary European cuisine, one of the highest restaurants on the continent.
• Restaurant 360 (Federation Tower, 89th floor). Located right on the Panorama 360 platform, so you can combine the observation deck and a meal.
• Ice Bar (OKO Tower). The bar at -15°C, where everything is made of ice. They lend you thermal clothing and serve a drink (there’s a non-alcoholic option). Adults only.

Afimall City shopping mall and entertainment

Afimall City is the commercial heart of Moscow City: 283,000 m² and around 450 stores spread over four floors. The ground and first floors host mainstream and mid-range brands; the second focuses on luxury; the fourth is dedicated to children’s fashion and entertainment. The Western brands that left Russia in 2022 have been replaced by Russian, Turkish, Chinese and Central Asian labels, plus some Western ones that came back under a different name or via parallel imports.

Beyond shopping, Afimall and the surrounding buildings have cinemas, a virtual reality park, event halls, restaurants and the complex’s concert hall (in the circular building next to Afimall, which now also houses the new Sensorium Hall, with an architectural clock aiming at the Guinness record for the world’s largest).

What to do at Moscow City with kids

If you’re traveling with children, Moscow City keeps them entertained without much effort. You’ve got:

• Cosmik (Afimall, 4th floor): a huge park with bowling, go-karts, billiards, ping-pong, an ice rink, a wind tunnel, laser tag and an arcade zone. It takes up the whole floor.
• VR Park (Afimall): around 30 virtual reality attractions.
• Ice cream and chocolate factory at Panorama 360 (Federation Tower, 89th floor): kids love watching ice cream being made on the conveyor and being able to eat as much as they want.
• Metro Museum on the second level of Vystavochnaya station: historical photos, metro driver simulators and the chance to take a “qualifying exam” as a driver, just for fun. It’s right inside the platform itself, so it’s a quick visit that pairs nicely with a trip up to Panorama 360.

Contemporary art at Moscow City

Moscow City is a business complex, but it has invested heavily in public art and galleries:

• «Echo»: an installation by Canadian artist Husam Chaya, located between the Novotel and the IQ-quarter. It used to stand in Zaryadye Park and was moved here. It creates acoustic distortions inside and is one of the best photo backdrops around.
• ILONA-K Artspace: a contemporary art gallery on floors 2 and 40 of Mercury Tower. It hosts exhibitions of Russian artists.
• Conversion (Recycle group): two panels by the Krasnodar collective Recycle, made of recycled plastic, originally shown at the 2015 Venice Biennale and now exhibited inside Federation Tower.
• «Vrata mnogogrannosti» (Gates of Multifacetedness): a sculpture by Yunus Safardiar, the artist who cast the foundation stone of the complex back in 1995. It’s one of the most photographed spots.

Where to stay near Moscow City

The complex itself has several hotels inside the towers (Novotel Moscow City next to Afimall, hotels inside Imperia Tower, etc.), but personally I don’t recommend staying here if you’re only in town for a few days: Moscow’s historic center is livelier and better connected to the must-see attractions. Check out my detailed picks in the guide on where to stay in Moscow.

Practical tips for your visit

• Best time of day: sunset and the start of the evening. You go up while it’s still light, watch the sun drop toward the Urals, and then the whole city lights up. Massively better than a midday visit.
• Rainy or very cloudy days: skip it. Low clouds will hide the buildings. At «Выше только любовь» you can ask for a refund if the forecast is bad; at Panorama 360 you can’t, so check the weather report before booking online.
• Summer between 14:00 and 16:00: Panorama 360 gets pretty hot with all those south-facing glass walls. Better in the morning or at night.
• Buy your tickets online: weekends and public holidays usually mean queues. Online is cheaper (Panorama 360 has promotional prices for the early sessions) and guarantees your slot.
• Visit Moscow City after the historic center: if you’ve already walked around Red Square, the Kremlin, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and the parks, you’ll recognize every building from above. It really pays off.
• Cross to the other side of the river (Tarasa Shevchenko embankment) for the classic shots of the full skyline. The best ones come at nightfall, when the towers light up.
• Essential apps: Yandex Maps (instead of Google Maps), Yandex Go (instead of Uber), Yandex Metro. I cover them in my guide on apps for traveling in Russia.
• Payments: foreign Visa and Mastercard haven’t worked in Russia since 2022. Bring enough cash in euros or dollars to exchange for rubles on arrival (banks in the center give good rates), or get yourself a Russian MIR card. At Moscow City a few tourist-oriented spots may take international cards, but don’t count on it as a rule.

Going with a guided tour in English?

If you’d rather not organize everything yourself, there are guided tours of Moscow City in English that include entry to one of the observation decks, a walk through the complex and, in some options, a boat ride on the Moskva River at the foot of the skyscrapers. Since Western platforms (GetYourGuide, Civitatis) barely operate in Russia anymore, the easiest route is to book through Russian agencies or local guides who accept foreign cards. I’ve put together the available options on my guided tours in Moscow page.

What to see near Moscow City

If you have time to spare, there are some really interesting spots around Moscow City:

• Victory Park (Park Pobedy): the great Soviet memorial to World War II. You get there by metro from Delovoy Tsentr on the yellow line in just a few minutes. There’s an Orthodox church, a mosque and a synagogue, symbolizing the different faiths that fought against fascism, and the Museum of Victory with more than 300,000 items.
• White House / Russian Government building: a half-hour walk along the Krasnopresnenskaya embankment. Famous for the events of 1993.
• Vagankovskoye Cemetery: one of the oldest cemeteries in Moscow, where Vladimir Vysotsky, Sergei Yesenin and Andrei Mironov are buried, among others.
• Novodevichy Convent: across the river. UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Triumphal Arch (Triumfalnaya Arka) on Kutuzovsky: commemorates the victory over Napoleon.

Frequently asked questions about Moscow City