Izmailovo Kremlin

This is not a kremlin and it is not old: it was built from 2007 as a private complex in a deliberately storybook version of seventeenth-century Russian wooden architecture, all painted timber, tent roofs, carved gables and bright colours, and it works as a wrapper for the Vernissage market next door. That market is the reason to come - the largest and most varied souvenir and antique market in Moscow, running to hundreds of stalls: matryoshkas, lacquer boxes, khokhloma, shawls, Soviet badges and cameras, military surplus, icons of varying provenance, carpets, books and genuine junk, with prices that move if you bargain. Inside the complex are small museums of vodka, bread and Russian toys, wedding venues, workshops and eating places. It is unashamedly artificial, which stops it being a disappointment provided nobody has told you it is historic. Nearby stands the actual Izmailovo estate on an island, which is old and quiet.

The main sights

• The Vernissage market - hundreds of stalls of souvenirs, Soviet objects and antiques.
• The 2007 buildings - a storybook wooden kremlin built as a market wrapper.
• The small museums - vodka, bread and toy collections inside the complex.
• The bargaining - stall prices that are opening positions rather than fixed.

When to go

May to September; the market is fullest at weekends. Half a day.

Good to know

Nothing here is historic despite the name and the styling. Weekday stalls are a fraction of the weekend market. First prices are high for foreign visitors. Icons and antiques of uncertain origin are sold, and exporting genuine old items is restricted.

Nearby

The real Izmailovo estate on its island is a short walk; Izmailovsky park is beyond.

Key facts