Moscow’s GUM: what to see, buy and eat on Red Square

GUM is the most famous shopping arcade in Russia and one of the prettiest buildings on Red Square. Entry is free and it’s open every day from 10:00 to 22:00. The big change of recent years: after the 2022 sanctions, the major Western luxury houses (Louis Vuitton, Dior, Gucci, Cartier, Prada…) closed their boutiques. But GUM is far from empty: today it mixes Italian and European brands that stayed, a growing number of Russian labels, the Soviet-style supermarket Gastronom No. 1, affordable canteens and the legendary 150-ruble ice cream.

GUM at a glance

• Where it is: Red Square 3, opposite Lenin’s Mausoleum.
• Metro: Ploshchad Revolyutsii, Okhotny Ryad, Teatralnaya or Kitay-Gorod, all a few minutes away.
• Opening hours: every day from 10:00 to 22:00.
• Admission: free.
• How to pay inside: cash in rubles or a Russian MIR card (foreign cards don’t work).
• How long you need: 45–60 minutes is plenty to wander around, take photos and grab an ice cream.

What GUM is and why it’s worth a visit

GUM (ГУМ in Russian, short for “Main Universal Store”) is a shopping arcade that opened in 1893 on the eastern side of Red Square. A nice historical irony: Moscow’s temple of consumerism sits right opposite Lenin’s Mausoleum.

When I was a little girl, the first thing I associated with GUM was its ice cream, served on a cone-shaped waffle. It’s still there, exactly as it was back then. But GUM is much more than luxury shops, which is why it’s worth visiting even if you don’t plan to spend a single ruble:

• It’s a gorgeous architectural landmark facing the Kremlin, with a spectacular glass roof.
• It hosts events and exhibitions all year round: the flower festival in summer or the ice rink in winter.
• You can eat at a reasonable price in the canteens on the third floor.
• It has a gourmet supermarket, Gastronom No. 1.
• You can buy souvenirs and Russian handicrafts.
• There’s a pharmacy, a shop to buy a Russian SIM and ATMs.
• You can take shelter from the cold, the heat or the rain and use its famous historic toilets.
• And, of course, there’s the GUM ice cream.

A bit of history

The Upper Trading Rows building (its original name) was built between 1890 and 1893 under architect Alexander Pomerantsev and engineer Vladimir Shukhov, who designed the glass roof. The project drew on the covered shopping arcades of 19th-century Paris and, when it opened in December 1893, it was the largest in Europe.

After the 1917 Revolution it was nationalized and filled with Soviet government offices. In the 1930s, the office of Lavrentiy Beria, head of Stalin’s secret service, was in the first arcade. Stalin himself wanted to tear it down more than once. After his death, GUM was renovated and reopened to the public on December 24, 1953, just one day after Beria was executed. The tsars, the USSR, the Cold War and perestroika have all come and gone, and here it still stands, as one of the symbols of Moscow.

The architecture: façade, glass roof and fountain

GUM has a façade roughly 242 meters long running down the eastern side of Red Square, with the feel of London’s great 19th-century railway stations. From the outside, it doesn’t look like a shopping arcade at all. Inside it’s laid out as three arcades on three levels linked by walkways, under a glass roof built to bear the weight of the snow. Here’s the floor plan with the location of the shops and services.

In the middle of the main arcade, on the ground floor, stands the famous GUM fountain, reopened in 2007 and redecorated with the seasons. It’s one of the most photographed spots in Moscow.

The historic toilets

Down in the basement are the historic toilets, restored to their original early-20th-century design. They’re paid (around 200 rubles per person, and the fee goes up every year) and include toilets, showers and a grooming area. The official website no longer lists a fixed price, so check it on the spot. If you just need an ordinary toilet, there are cheaper ones on the upper floors.

The cinema and the exhibition hall

On the third floor there’s a historic cinema with three screens (one of them VIP, with velvet sofas and a bar) showing new releases, Soviet classics and children’s films. On the ground floor is the exhibition hall, which hosts shows, concerts and press conferences. At night, GUM lights up with thousands of bulbs.

A tip: to take in the building properly, also walk along the pedestrian street Nikolskaya, which runs alongside GUM. It’s full of shops and restaurants, beautifully lit at night, and ends at Lubyanka Square.

Events, festivals and the winter ice rink

GUM puts on events all year round: art and photography exhibitions, designer showcases and seasonal celebrations. In summer it sets up a flower festival and, in winter, its big draw: the ice rink right on Red Square.

The GUM-Katok is set up every winter (last season, from December 1 to March 1) and opens daily from 9:00 to 23:30. An adult ticket is around 900 rubles and children’s tickets are cheaper; the first morning sessions on weekdays are usually free. Each year it’s decorated with a different motif from Russian folk crafts (gzhel, khokhloma, the Dymkovo toy…). Dates and prices change every season, so check them on the official website.

What to buy at GUM

GUM has more than a hundred shops and an estimated 60,000 people visit it every day. Admission is free and, even if you don’t buy anything, it’s worth walking through its galleries. Here’s the official list of shops.

The luxury brands: what left and what’s there now

If you’re picturing GUM as a showcase for the big Western houses, it helps to know what changed. After the 2022 sanctions, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Gucci, Cartier, Hermès, Prada, Tiffany, Burberry, Salvatore Ferragamo, Armani and Omega closed their boutiques. Their units didn’t stay empty for long.

Today the Italian and European labels that stayed are the ones in charge: Max Mara (along with Marella, Marina Rinaldi and Weekend), Brunello Cucinelli, Etro, Pinko, Furla, Liu Jo, Ermanno Scervino, Boggi Milano, Hugo Boss, Lacoste and Karl Lagerfeld. And Russian brands keep growing their presence: fashion like 12 STOREEZ and LIMÉ, watches by Konstantin Chaikin, jewelry by MIUZ Diamonds, the Imperial Porcelain of St. Petersburg or the khokhloma signed by Alena Akhmadullina. Many of these shops are run by the Bosco di Ciliegi group, which controls a big share of GUM’s retail.

In short: GUM is still the most elegant shopping centre in Moscow, just with a different cast of brands. That said, prices here are among the highest in the city. One practical thing for travelers: there are also electronics shops (Samsung, Huawei, a Restore: outlet with Apple products and the Russian brand Bork), in case you need a charger or a phone repair.

Gastronom No. 1, the Soviet supermarket

On the ground floor is Gastronom No. 1, GUM’s only supermarket. It sells delicatessen products and, with its marble counters and shop windows overlooking Red Square, it recalls the legendary Soviet store that operated here from 1953 to 1990. It’s expensive but high quality: black and red caviar (which you can taste before buying), cured meats, Soviet-era sweets, tea, chocolates and a good selection of vodka and wine.

Souvenirs and Russian handicrafts

If you’re after quality Russian handicrafts, GUM has the Imperial Porcelain shop, the khokhloma store and the Crystal & Porcelain shop, with matryoshkas, gzhel, samovars, amber jewelry and porcelain. It’s not the cheapest (there are more affordable souvenirs in other areas), but the quality is high.

Buying a Russian SIM card (MegaFon)

On the third floor there’s a MegaFon store, one of Russia’s big mobile operators. The important caveat: since January 1, 2025, buying a Russian SIM as a foreigner requires biometric registration, which makes doing it on the spot a hassle. That’s why many travelers arrive with an eSIM already set up from home.

ATMs and bank (careful with your foreign card)

GUM has Alfa-Bank ATMs and a VTB bank branch, but they won’t be much use if you’re coming from abroad: since 2022 foreign cards don’t work in Russian ATMs. To get hold of rubles you have two options: bring cash in euros or dollars and exchange it, or get yourself a Russian MIR card.

The pharmacy

GUM has a pharmacy (Doktor Stoletov) in case you need to buy medication you didn’t bring from home.

The Bolshoi Theatre box office

In GUM’s first-line arcade there’s an official Bolshoi Theatre box office, open every day from 11:00 to 20:00, where you can buy tickets for the opera or ballet. I explain how it works in my guide to the Bolshoi Theatre.

What to eat at GUM

Stolovaya No. 57, the Soviet canteen

Stolovaya No. 57, on the third floor, is a trip through Soviet cooking: Russian (Olivier) salad, borscht, pelmeni, chicken Kiev and period desserts. It’s self-service: you grab a tray, queue up, choose your food and clear your own table. An honest note: it’s not as cheap as it was a few years ago. The average bill is around 750–1,000 rubles per person (about €9–11), similar to any café in the centre. Even so, it’s still one of the most affordable hot meals you’ll find right by Red Square.

Café Festivalnoye

On the same floor is Café Festivalnoye, named after the 1957 World Festival of Youth. It has changed: today it works as a food court with several stalls, one pan-Asian (tom yam, pho bo, spring rolls), one with baked potato and blini, one Caucasian (kharcho, lobio, lyulya) and an Italian one with pizzas. It’s still self-service and affordable, and from its little balconies you eat almost under the dome, with views of the fountain.

Bosco Cafe and the higher-end newcomers

If you want something more refined, the Bosco Cafe, on the ground floor with a terrace next to Red Square, serves Italian and Russian cuisine and excellent pastries. In recent years GUM has also opened venues that weren’t there before: Café Pushkin “by the fountain” (a branch of the famous Moscow restaurant), an Abrau-Durso champagne bar and the AVA Café. These are high-priced options; the old Beluga Caviar Bar, on the other hand, is gone.

The GUM ice cream

And there’s no better way to end your visit than with the legendary GUM ice cream. It costs 150 rubles (a little over a euro), is sold at the kiosks on the ground floor next to the fountain, and is served on a cone-shaped waffle, just like when I tried it as a child. It’s been made on-site at GUM since 1954 and comes in a dozen or so flavors: vanilla, crème brûlée, chocolate, strawberry, blueberry, pistachio, melon… Queues sometimes form, but it’s well worth it.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to get into GUM?

Nothing. Admission to GUM is free and you can stroll through its three arcades even if you don’t buy anything. It’s open every day from 10:00 to 22:00.

How much does the famous GUM ice cream cost?

150 rubles, just over a euro. It’s sold at the kiosks on the ground floor next to the fountain, in around ten flavors.

Are the Western luxury brands still at GUM?

No. Houses like Louis Vuitton, Dior, Gucci, Cartier, Prada and Tiffany closed their boutiques in 2022. Today GUM is full of Italian and European brands that stayed and a growing number of Russian labels.

Is GUM worth visiting if I’m not going to shop?

Yes. It’s one of the prettiest buildings on Red Square, admission is free, and you can see the fountain, the historic toilets, the Soviet supermarket Gastronom No. 1 and try the ice cream. In winter they also set up an ice rink on Red Square.

Where can you eat cheaply at GUM?

On the third floor are Stolovaya No. 57, a Soviet-style canteen, and Café Festivalnoye, a food court with Russian, Asian, Caucasian and Italian food. They’re not as cheap as they used to be, but they’re still among the most affordable options right on Red Square.