Love the Free Museum Week in Moscow - We Had Our Wedding Reception Here!

Hello again, everyone, who's stopped by for another review! I've been hearing about the museum action in Moscow for a long time, and I even managed to attend a similar event a few years ago - a day without turnstiles at Tsaritsyno. Last year, I saw it in the news again and tried to get into one of the Moscow museums.

The 'Moscow Museum Week' project has been around since 2019. That's when the Moscow Department of Culture issued a decree 'On conducting an action to ensure free entry to state cultural institutions.' Since then, every year, during the third week of the month, a new museum action takes place. Museums participating in the project are assigned one of the seven days of the week when all their locations are free to visit. This gives Muscovites and curious visitors the opportunity to plan their leisure time in advance and visit interesting museums without breaking the bank.

I was interested in one museum, but unfortunately, the tickets were already sold out. I had to put it off for next time. And in the following months, I was so busy that I forgot all about it.

And then, in December, the last museum week of 2025 started, and I booked a ticket for the first day. I wanted to share my impressions of the place I managed to visit and whether it's worth your attention.

Today, we have The Memorial Apartment of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin on Old Arbat.

Location and how to get there - since it was before New Year's, I wanted to see the decorated places, as it was on the way (Mandarin's 'Made in Moscow' Art Pavilion). So, I took the metro to Arbatskaya station. It's not far, but you can enjoy the walk to the museum. Or you can take the metro to Smolenskaya station and walk for a couple of minutes. The address of the apartment-museum - Arbat Street, house 53, building 1

The museum's working hours - you can check it in advance on the internet, and it's also indicated on the entrance to the museum territory.

A little backstory about the building:On January 23, 1831, A.S. Pushkin signed a lease agreement for an apartment in a mansion on Arbat, belonging to the noble family of Khitrovo. On February 17, 1831, the day before the wedding, Pushkin's Moscow friends gathered at the poet's place for a 'bachelor party.' After the wedding at the Church of the Great Ascension, Pushkin brought his young wife to this apartment. The first three months of the happy married life of the Puskins took place here.

My review of the museum and the story of how I experienced it from start to finish:

EXTERIOR OF THE BUILDING

• Since I visited not long before New Year's, the facade and Arbat Street were decorated accordingly. The house is included in the list of cultural heritage monuments of federal significance.

In Moscow, this is the only museumized memorial to the great Russian poet, where the poet did not just stop by or visit, but lived for three months in 1831.

• As I walked by this house, I always noticed the signs about A.S. Pushkin living there with the dates of his visits. And I never thought about what he actually did in this house all those months.
• Opposite the building, they've placed a big and beautiful monument to A.S. Pushkin and N. Goncharova holding hands under a blue arch in the same tone as the house.

ENTERING THE MUSEUM AND THE TERRITORY• The entrance to the territory is located to the right of the building. You won't get lost, everything is clear and informative, because on one of the columns there's a schedule of the place's working hours.

• As soon as you enter through the gates, you see the buildings decorated in a uniform blue tone. The territory is small, and in the corner, there's a restaurant where you can go and spend some time pleasantly.

• We, however, need the main entrance to the museum. You can't miss it, as it's located right next to the gates, on the right side.
INTERIOR OF THE BUILDING• As I entered the building, I found myself in front of the ticket counter, where they'll check your tickets and let you in further. At the entrance, you can see that you've indeed arrived at the right place - the Pushkin Museum.

• You'll need to leave your coat in the cloakroom, which is a must, especially if you're visiting during the colder months. There's no way you'll be able to carry it or wear it inside.

• From there, just follow the signs and you'll make your way to the Pushkin Museum Apartment. Be prepared for a lot of stairs, though – you'll be doing a lot of walking.

• After going down, you'll see a room dedicated to the history of Arbat Street right away. You can visit it for free while you're there. The room is small, but it's packed with interesting information.

• If you've already been to that room, then just follow the sign and head up to the top floor again, and of course, more stairs. Inside the building, everything is neatly arranged, and you won't see any visible defects for a house of this age – even the staircase looks like it was just installed.

Exploring the First and Second Floors of the House• There are so many preserved items and furniture that the Pushkin family used back in the day. You can spend hours walking around and examining every detail. In each room, there was a stand with information cards that you could read and compare with the actual items. Each card had the name of the item, the year it was made, and the material it was made of. Most of it was made of red wood.

• I was particularly blown away by the lamp in the initial room tour. I've never seen anything like it, and I found myself wanting something similar for my own home. It looks great and stylish with soft lighting.

• In each room, there are numerous paintings showing different moments in the life of the street or the poet. I'll show you a couple of my favorite paintings.1. A street in Moscow from back in the day when there were no cars.

2. Portraits of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin and Natalya Goncharova.

3. And the main painting - the wedding of the Pushkin family. On the side, there's a description of the painting, who's who on the image. I stood there for a while, comparing each person with the description.

• I'll show you a few rooms that caught my attention. Each room had its own atmosphere, like I was really there in Pushkin's time.1. The study and Pushkin's desk - "Pushkin's cabinet".

2. The living room with a piano and decorative items.

3. The room "In friendly company", where friends would meet.

4. The room dedicated to Bol's home in Moscow.

5. The second-floor halls where the main events of Pushkin's life took place - his bachelor party, wedding dinner, and first family ball in 1831.

6. The hostess's room and bedroom with antique items.

Tips for visiting the museum without breaking the bank:

How to visit an interesting museum for free? It's super easy: choose your preferred walking direction and free visit day. Get your electronic ticket on the museum's website or on the link. Save your ticket for the exhibit - you'll need it to visit the museum. And enjoy meeting the amazing exhibits!

• After visiting the museum, you can pop into the shop and grab some souvenirs. You can even buy a book with all the descriptions of the items and rooms I saw earlier. It's super useful and memorable.

My verdict on visiting this museum - it was fascinating and informative to visit this Memorial Museum of A.S. Pushkin. I wish I'd known about this place in school, so I could've learned more about Pushkin's life and family. Although he lived with his young wife for a short time, he left a mark on history that we should know. I highly recommend visiting!