Of course, everyone knows about St. Basil's Cathedral (on Red Square) and Christ the Saviour Cathedral (just a short distance SW of the Kremlin, near Kropotkinskaya Metro, on Volkhonka Street), but what many visitors don't realize (even after they have been in the city for a while) is just how many beautiful Russian Orthodox churches are to be found in Moscow's city center alone, without even venturing out into the suburbs and neighboring towns.  Not only are there many of them, often tucked away into discreet little nooks, crannies and alleyways, but each one is unique, and they come in a surprising variety of sizes, styles, colors and shapes. 

St. Basil's Cathedral:

Christ the Saviour Cathedral:

In order to make a comprehensive list, this page would need to be very long.  Instead of mentioning individual churches, this page will simply reference particular parts of the city center, where the viewing tends to be best.  There are many other beautiful neighborhoods and individual sites that contain stunning examples of these uniquely-Russian architectural and religious wonders, but the three areas discussed below seem to have some of the heaviest concentrations of churches in a relatively small, easily walkable area.  These three areas also have numerous cafes, restaurants and other attractions, in addition to their churches. 

If you really want to find all the churches in a particular area, you will need a street map (available in most local bookstores) which indicates the locations of the various churches.  Without such a map, you can easily walk right by a beautiful church and never realize that it was there.  When visiting any particular church, especially those with enclosed gardens and yards, please be respectful of those who live and work there, and do not be overly-aggressive in your desire to get photos or explore the grounds.  Not all areas are open to the public, or available for photos. 

Good neighborhoods for churches in the city center, referenced by Metro station, are as follows:

Tretyakovskaya/Novokuznetskaya - Generally, the area near these two Metro stations, especially to the south and west, all the way down to the Dobrininskaya and Oktyabrskaya stations is packed with churches.  Reference the Trip Advisor Inside Page in the "Background" section entitled "Neighborhoods."  This area is a part of the Zamoskvorechy area, described therein.

A few of the churces in the Tretyakovskaya/Novokuznetskaya area:

Taganskaya/Marksistskaya - From these stations, the area west to the Moscow River and north to the canal has several churches.

Some churches in the Taganskaya/Marksistskaya Area:

Kitai-Gorod - Along Varvarka St, which runs between Kitai-Gorod and Red Square, there are several churches, one after the other, along with several others to be found in the area to the north of Varvarka Street, in the Kitai-Gorod area.  Reference the Trip Advisor Inside Page in the "Background" section, entitled "Neighborhoods."  This area is a part of the Zaryadie area, described therein.

Some Kitai Gorod area Churches: