Literary Arbat and writers’ houses

Route step by step

1. 1

   Old Arbat

   One of Moscow’s best-known pedestrian streets, where historic buildings sit alongside theatres, cafés, souvenir shops and everyday street life. Arbat is less about a single landmark than about the walk itself and the side lanes that reveal a quieter, more residential side of the city centre.

   At stop: 55 min12 min walk

   Place details
2. 2

   Melnikov House

   One of Moscow’s key avant-garde landmarks, architect Konstantin Melnikov’s cylindrical home stands in Krivoarbatsky Lane. Its compact form is radically different from the surrounding city and vividly demonstrates the experimentation of 1920s Moscow architecture.

   At stop: 55 min10 min walk

   Place details
3. 3

   Marina Tsvetaeva House Museum

   A small literary museum in Borisoglebsky Lane dedicated to Marina Tsvetaeva’s life and Moscow years. The historic house, personal story and intimate exhibition rooms create a very different experience from the city’s large state museums.

   At stop: 60 min15 min by metro

   Place details
4. 4

   Mikhail Bulgakov Museum

   Located in the famous building on Bolshaya Sadovaya, the museum is closely connected with Mikhail Bulgakov’s life in Moscow and the atmosphere that entered his writing. For fans of The Master and Margarita it is one of the city’s essential literary stops.

   At stop: 70 min

   Place details