Moscow urban hiking: Danilovsky market and Gorky park

A walk in the south of the center of Moscow, we will leave from the metro station to cross the Danilovsky market and then enjoy the beautiful Gorky park on the banks of the Moskva River.

All the paths described are always very simple and go through residential areas, calm and silent, and large roads, noisy and dusty. Today I start from the Oktyabrskaya metro station south of central Moscow. It is a residential neighborhood with many offices from which the communication routes leading out of Moscow. I will walk among bank branches, new colorful residential buildings and ancient monasteries. I will take a break at the Danilovsky market for my usual coffee to finish at the Gorky park which is preparing and renovating after the long winter for spring awakening.

I exit from Oktyabrskaya metro from port number one and immediately I find myself in front of the busy and very noisy intersection between Leninskiy Prospekt and Krymsky Val, two main arteries of the Moscow traffic system. I walk towards the underpass immediately to the right and I arrive in the square where the huge statue of Lenin, in front of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, observes the SUVs and the old Ladas divide the roadway. I continue along the children’s library and turn right into one of the slightly quieter streets, I really can’t stand the traffic. As described several times, you can easily avoid the noise and boredom of the main streets by walking parallel to them, but inside the courtyards. You will probably not see shops and supermarkets, but you will have an experience of how people live. There will be more silence, less traffic and less dust. Playgrounds, benches, small gardens and back shops are the main features of these Moscow neighborhoods. Safety is what will surprise you, Russia, specifically Moscow, is one of the safest places in the world, you can walk peacefully at any time.

The Danilovsky market

I continue to walk parallel to Mytnaya Avenue until I come to another large road intersection. Here I find the Danilovsky market with its strange architecture similar to a circus tent. On the left you see an austere, imposing and very serious building, it is the state mint. I enter the market and walk among the stalls. Here you can find dried fruit, seasonal fruit, dairy products, fish and meat. It is one of the trendiest markets in the city. Given the trade restrictions, today you don’t have a great variety of products, but here you will find everything that exists in Moscow. Along the perimeter there are bars and restaurants from all over the world, the Greek, the Vietnamese, the Marcocchino or the Chinese one, choose what suits you the quality is good. Today I am satisfied with a coffee that I drink on the benches set up outside. Winter is finally allowing a few warm days and the sun on my face is always an immense pleasure that I have been missing for too long

I continue going out of the market towards Serpukhovskiy avenue where you can meet a very colorful red church with colored striped domes and a roof with blue and white tiles. The Church of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God was consecrated in 1911 but after a few years it was used for something else. Today it is disputed between various properties and, despite being renovated, it is not yet in operation.
I walk in the tree-lined avenue and arrive at the enclosure walls of the Donskoy monastery, this too is closed and I cannot enter.

Relax in the Gorky park

Through an area of ​​old exhibition buildings, factories, schools and arriving at Gorky park through the passage under Leninskiy Prospekt. The park is undergoing complete cleaning, the benches stored during the winter have arrived. Workers are painting stairs and railings with orange, blue and green. Teams of gardeners clean lawns and flower beds of winter dirt left over after the snow melts. The ponds are still partially covered by ice despite today’s 15° C. The buds are starting to swell, the constant wind along the Moskva River warms the air and it is very pleasant to sit at one of the many cafes to enjoy finally the spring atmosphere. Soon the park will be the site of many events and the point to enjoy the summer sunsets of many citizens. In the center of the park is the Garage modern art museum, and in the summer there are always very interesting screenings in the open-air cinema. Last year everything was canceled due to covid, this year we should return to normal. I walk wandering around the park between new play areas for children and adults. In 2019 various themed playgrounds were opened with musical games, huge swings, a section with real sand where children and adults have fun together!

After a nice and varied walk, I leave the park, and I walk left towards the same subway station from which I arrived and even today I go home.

Enjoy your good walk in Moscow!