From Patriarch's Ponds to the Old Arbat

⏱ 1 h🚶 2.5 km🍽 1📍 3 stops

🐢 A little — under 3 km

The bench at Patriarch's Ponds where “The Master and Margarita” begins, then on foot to the Old Arbat for artists, musicians and the Tsoi Wall. An inexpensive lunch at the end.

🏛 History and architecture🌳 Parks and nature⏱ An hour or so

🗺 Open in Yandex Maps

1
🌳 Patriarch's Ponds (Patriarshiye Prudy)
A square pond surrounded by old lime trees and benches, a calm park amid quiet lanes and the setting of The Master and Margarita.
“The Master and Margarita” begins here
📖 More about the placeCollapse
© Dimа · CC BY-SA 3.0
© Shuvaev · CC BY-SA 4.0
© Gennady Grachev from Moscow, Russia · CC BY 2.0
- In 1683 Patriarch Joachim ordered the local Goat Marsh drained and three fish ponds dug.
- After the fire of 1812 two ponds were filled in and one remained; Trekhprudny Lane recalls the three.
- From 1932 to 1992 the pond was officially called Pionersky ("Pioneer").
- The 1976 Krylov monument (sculptors Andrei Drevin and Daniel Mitlyansky) is surrounded by scenes from 12 fables.
- The stone pavilion by the water was built in 1986 on the site of a wooden one from 1938.
- The Master and Margarita begins here; the sign banning talking to strangers refers to the novel's first chapter.
- A skating rink has been flooded on the pond since 1900, with an area of about 12,000 m².
🚶 on foot
2
🚶 Old Arbat (Staryi Arbat)
A pedestrian street about a kilometre long, with 19th-century mansions, cafés and street artists.
Artists, musicians, the Tsoi Wall
📖 More about the placeCollapse
© Florstein · CC BY-SA 4.0
© Елена Нечипоренко · CC BY-SA 4.0
© Valeri Pizhanski from Odintsovo, Russia · CC BY-SA 2.0
- The name Arbat has been known since the late 15th century; its origin is disputed, either from the Turkic arba (cart) or the Arabic rabad (suburb).
- In 1986 the Arbat became Moscow's first pedestrian street.
- Andrei Bely was born and raised at no. 55, and Pushkin spent the first months of his marriage in the neighbouring house, no. 53.
- The Vakhtangov Theatre (no. 26) grew out of Evgeny Vakhtangov's studio; its building was destroyed in a bombing raid in 1941.
- The Tsoi Wall in Krivoarbatsky Lane appeared in 1990, after the musician's death.
- Krivoarbatsky Lane is also home to Konstantin Melnikov's house-studio of 1927–1929, made of two merged cylinders.
- On the corner with Plotnikov Lane stands a monument to Bulat Okudzhava, who sang about the Arbat in his songs.
🚶 on foot
3
🍽 Grabli restaurant on the Arbat
ул. Арбат, 1
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Lunch on Arbatskaya Square
🍴 A self-service restaurant on the 2nd floor at the start of the Arbat: you pick hot dishes, salads and pastries yourself. What to order: cheesecake or another homemade dessert, pastries, pumpkin cream soup.