Kremlin

You will not have visited Moscow if you have not been to the Kremlin. To visit the Kremlin, you really need to allocate a lot of time because the place is quite big. I believe I spent close to 5 hours within the Kremlin during my Russia trip. I guess now you understand why I didn't have time to eat proper meals in Russia. Do take note that no photo taking is allowed within the cathedrals.

The Kremlin, is a historic fortified complex at the heart of Moscow, overlooking the Moskva River (to the South), Saint Basil's Cathedral and Red Square (to the East) and the Alexander Garden (to the West). It is the best known of kremlins (Russian citadels) and includes four palaces, four cathedrals and the enclosing Kremlin Wall with Kremlin towers. The complex serves as the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation.

Below is the picture of the entrance of the Kremlin upon exiting one of the metro exits that leads directly to the it. The tickets can be bought on the right side of the picture, while the entrance is on the left side.

Below is the picture of the ticket booth at the Kremlin. I believe we bought the 350 roubles ticket which gives us access to all the cathedrals within the Kremlin.

You'll see the famous Spasskaya tower while entering the Kremlin. Impressive sight isn't it?

Spasskaya tower

There is a policeman guarding the building below and warning the tourists away. I guess it's because this is the building where the officials work.

Below is the first main building that you'll see upon climbing up from the entrance. There's nothing that you can do here though as it is not open for viewing.

Below is another building which you have not access to, and a policeman will warn you away if you go too near.

Finally after passing through so many no-gos, I see the first "attraction". The Tsar Cannon. It's mostly of symbolic impact, and it was never used in a war.

Tsar Cannon

If I recall correctly, below should be the Cathedral of the Dormition, Church of the Twelve Apostles and the Cathedral of the Annunciation.

Below is the close-up picture of the Cathedral of the Dormition, where all the Tsars are crowned. Look at the drawings within its arch. It's quite beautiful.

Close-up of cathedral of the Dormition

Below should be one of the side entrances of the Cathedral of the Dormition. Just take a look at the drawings on the door.

Side entrance of the cathedral of the dormition

Below is a picture of Ivan the Great Bell Tower, the tallest tower within the cathedral square. Do you know that this tower contains 22 bells?

Ivan the Great Bell Tower

If I recall correctly, the picture below should be the Cathedral of the ArchAngel, the main necropolis for members of the Tsars of Russia until the relocation of the capital to St. Petersburg.

Cathedral of the ArchAngel

Below is the picture of the Tsar bell which has quite an interesting history. Made of bronze, the bell was broken during casting and has never been rung. Apparently it was at one time also used as a chapel, with the broken area forming the door.

Tsar Bell

After visiting all the cathedrals, it was almost close to 4 hours. We made our way out of the Kremlin. Apparently, the exit area is different from the entrance area. Below is the picture of the exit from Kremlin. The yellow building is the Armory.

Kremlin exit, and the Armory (yellow building)

The scenery near the Kremlin exit is quite nice too, as you can see from the picture below.

However, to get back to the metro, we had to walk back near to the entrance of the Kremlin. A tiring, but fruitful visit. Don't you think?