Moscow Making Travel Fun With "Let's play Moscow!"

Around 2,000 participants from 18 countries, attending the IV Children's International Cultural Forum, tested the interactive programme for kids, “Let's play Moscow”. This is a tourism route built around children’s interests and family activities. Young travellers are invited on a special ‘mission’ to discover Moscow. The interactive excursions have been translated into English and Chinese, so foreign visitors can also become ‘heroes’ on these missions.

The “Let's play Moscow” project turns Moscow’s younger visitors into the main characters on their journey. Children and their parents follow a themed route through fascinating places in Moscow, using a map with cartoon characters on it. A paper map can be obtained at tourist information centres, in some hotels of participating partners, and other locations across the city.

There are two routes available for foreign tourists – an interactive walk called “Secrets of the Green Planet” in central Moscow, and a space-themed route called “To the Lunar Seas”, through VDNKh. On the “Secrets of the Green Planet” route, the journey begins at Christ the Saviour Cathedral, passes through GES-2 House of Culture, the Alexander Garden, and Red Square, ending at Zaryadye Park. Adults may admire historic sites while children learn how modern city dwellers live in harmony with nature. During the “To the Lunar Seas” route, children discover space travel and even build their own rocket, passing through the expositions of the Atom Museum and the Cosmonautics and Aviation Centre. For adults, it’s an opportunity to explore the beauty of VDNKh – one of the city’s iconic sites.

Along the way, young visitors are encouraged to complete tasks and collect stickers. These tasks require different types of thinking, from analysis to deductive reasoning, and parents may need to lend a hand, as “Let’s play Moscow” helps families bond and share short adventures together. While following the route, families can also learn more about various topics through information revealed by QR codes on maps. This playful approach to learning aids memorisation.

After completing a mission, players receive a souvenir at Moscow’s tourist information centres. All the missions are free: simply pay entrance fees at participating museums if they are included in your itinerary, and the “Secrets of the Green Planet” route is entirely free.

With this city-wide family game, Moscow once again confirms its status as a child-friendly megacity. Tourists with children already know popular family routes – the Central Children's Store on Lubyanka Street, the Moscow Zoo, and the Dream Island amusement park. Such interactive projects as “Let’s play Moscow” allow children and adults to fall in love with the Russian capital in a playful format.