I've gotta say, if you're looking for a day trip from Moscow, Kolomna is the way to go! I've been there twice now - once in May 2023 by car, and again in December 2025 on my own. You can catch a train from Kazansky Station (which is a short walk from Komсомольская metro) to Kolomna in just 2 hours. Trains run throughout the day, roughly every hour, and a one-way ticket costs 448 rubles, while a return ticket is 896 rubles.

I left Moscow at 8:40 and arrived at Kolomna Station by 10:40. It was pretty quiet on the train, even on a weekday in December - and it was even emptier on the way back.

Moscow to Kolomna TrainFrom Kolomna Station to the city center, it's just a 20-25 minute walk.Here's what the streets look like in Kolomna (not exactly the main tourist area)

THE CITY CENTER

Kolomna Kremlin is the main attraction in the city. You can enter the grounds through the Michael's Gate.

Michael's GateOn one side of the gate, you've got Marinkina Tower, and on the other, Granovitaya Tower.

Marinkina Tower Granovite Tower Granovite Tower Kolomenskoye Kremlin Kolomenskoye KremlinLažechnikov Street - the main street of Kolomna, lined with cafes, restaurants, souvenir stalls, and museums. It's super clean and pretty, and you can walk the whole thing in 5-10 minutes.

Lažechnikov Street Lažechnikov StreetKuprin House - now it's a stylish hotel in the city center (Lazariev Street, 10)

Kuprin House Kuprin HouseChurch Square. It's got the Church Bell Tower, Uspensky Cathedral, Tikhvin Church, Voskresenskaya Church, and a monument to Cyril and Methodius.

Church Bell Tower and Uspensky Cathedral, Kolomna

Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God Church Resurrection Church, Kolomna
Monument to Cyril and Methodius, KolomnaPyatnitskaya Gate.

Pyatnitskaya Gate Pyatnitskaya GateIn the center of Kolomna, there's also a pretty standard general education school. The building fits in perfectly with the city's architecture.

General education school, Kolomna
General education school, KolomnaBobrenkov Bridge and observation deck

Bobrenkov Bridge

Observation deck, Moscow River
Kolomna Museums.

I was really looking forward to exploring the city's museums, but what I found was a bunch of souvenir stalls masquerading as museums, catering to tourists.

Signs (center of Kolomna) Signs (center of Kolomna)

Signs (Center of Kolomna)So, for example, Museum of History of Old Russian Honey (Lazechnikov St, 5B). I didn't go inside the museum itself, but the courtyard is really nicely decorated. Museum of History of Old Russian Honey Museum of History of Old Russian Honey Museum of History of Old Russian Honey Museum of History of Old Russian HoneyI only visited the Local History Museum of the city (Lazechnikov St, 15). Local History Museum, KolomnaThe entrance to the local history museum costs 250 rubles for an adult. But, honestly, even that's a bit too much for my taste – the museum is really small. It's the smallest local history museum I've ever been to, with only 4 tiny rooms. One room is on the ground floor (there's another room there too, but you have to pay extra to get in, because the second room on the ground floor hosts temporary exhibitions), and three rooms are on the second floor. The most interesting room on the second floor is where you can learn about the history of Kolomna. Local History Museum, Kolomna Local History Museum, Kolomna Local History Museum, KolomnaThe museum takes about 10-15 minutes to get through. But, on the day I was walking around the city, it was -15 degrees outside, so it was a great place to warm up for a bit.
WHERE TO WARM UP IN KOLOMNA?
I stumbled upon a ton of authentic cafes and restaurants in the heart of the city. Most of them open at 12:00, but some start serving breakfast as early as 10:00. I chose one of those spots: «Литературное cafe Лажечников» (ул. Лажечникова, 13). The cafe itself is pretty unique and stylish.

Литературное cafe Лажечников

Литературное cafe Лажечников The staff was super friendly, and the food was a solid 10 out of 10 - it was delicious. Before 12:00, they only serve breakfast. I ordered oatmeal, a dessert, and a cappuccino, which cost me exactly 800 rubles.

Литературное cafe Лажечников
Литературное cafe Лажечников Other popular spots in the city:«Рульки вверх» ул. Красногвардейская, 3;

«Барин и Бараш», ул. Лажечникова, 3;

«Рюмочная на Патриарших», ул. Октябрьской революции, 249.

The main baked goods in Kolomna are kalach, which you can buy at Калачная (ул. Зайцева, 14).

Калачная, Коломна There's also a little stall called «Закутное окно» on the side of the building, which sells baked goods. «Закутное окно», Коломна For a cheaper snack, you can try the souvenir shops in the center.

COLOMNA SOUVENIRS

In the central part of the city, there are plenty of souvenir stalls and shops. The main souvenirs you can bring back from Kolomna are: pastila and mead.

Сувенирный магазин, Коломна They also sell gingerbread, city-themed cookies, and non-edible souvenirs like magnets, toys, coins, and figurines.I just got a small pastila bar for 80 rubles and tried it at home - it was super tasty.

Kolomenskaya PastilaI headed back to Kazansky Vokzal on the electric train at 3:40 PM, and I had just enough time to explore the center of Kolomna for five hours. If I'm being honest, I only had four hours of actual exploring time, since I had to factor in the time it took to get to and from the train station, plus a visit to a local café for breakfast and a quick stop at the city's history museum. On a warm summer day, you could easily spend more time wandering around Kolomna, but I think three or four hours is a good amount of time to see the sights when it's chilly outside.
All in all, my one-day trip to Kolomna cost me 2,130 rubles, including the round-trip train fare, a hearty breakfast at a local café, admission to the history museum, a pack of Kolomenskaya Pastila to snack on, and a bun for the road.

Krestovozdvizhensky Sobor, Kolomna