A major city in the heart of Russia
Moscow is the historical, cultural, religious and political center of Russia. The heart of the wild capital is the Kremlin, which dates back to the 15th century, and the Red Square. The rest of the city is built around the Kremlin in Europe on the basis of a rare circular pattern.
The center of Moscow is a diverse, vast and varied area with a considerable number of theaters, museums, restaurants, nightclubs and shopping malls. There is plenty to go around the clock, and there is certainly no stopping the traveler in between.
Also outside the city center, Moscow offers a variety of attractions. The city’s parks and monasteries in particular are well worth a visit. Likewise, the Ostankino TV tower, one of the tallest structures in the world, and the All-Russian Exhibition Center, originally built to showcase the achievements of the Soviet Union, are great places to visit.
Moscow’s various attractions are reached by metro, whose stations are famous for their beauty. The stations, built during the Soviet era, are incredibly decorative and full of art, like the little sights themselves.
The Moskva River, which crosses Moscow, brings a distinctive atmosphere to the city.
Summer is the best time to travel
Moscow is a great destination all year round, but at its best the city is in the summer, when temperatures are approaching heat readings. The best weather is from June to August, but in spring and autumn, for example, in Moscow you can enjoy a heat of almost 20 degrees.
Winters are cold in Moscow. The thermometer will sink to the side of the frost in December at the latest, and in January the frost may be as high as ten degrees.
Book a reasonable budget
Moscow is an expensive tourist city, the price level of which is visible to the tourist especially in accommodation. A budget holiday is also successful in Moscow, but a traveler looking for quality must prepare with a plush budget for a city holiday.
The diverse city offers almost endless possibilities. Stunning cultural sites are at the heart of the city, but Moscow is also a great shopping destination, a great food city, and full of interesting architectural details. The city also hosts numerous sporting events.
A diverse cultural destination
Moscow’s cultural life is especially known for its legendary Bolshoi Theater. The Bolshoi is housed in a building dating back to 1824, whose ornate interiors lead visitors to a different world.
Bolshoi’s ballet or opera performances in particular, which can be followed even without proficiency in the Russian language, are a must-have experience for anyone culturally hungry.
Due to the great popularity of the Bolshoi Theater, tickets should be purchased well in advance, either through a travel agency or through ticket sales on the Bolshoi website. Teatralnaya Kassa ticket kiosks sell theater tickets on site in Moscow.
Museums and history
Like St. Petersburg, Moscow is a city of museums.
Of the museums, especially the Tretyakov Gallery, one of the largest art museums in Europe, and the Pushkin Art Museum are interesting places to visit. The Bulgakov Home Museum, on the other hand, serves friends of literature and history.
Of the other museums in Moscow, many different museums of literature and theater, as well as museums presenting the history of Russia and Moscow, are excellent.
Unfortunately, in many museums, the signs are only in Russian.
Sports, music and circus
Moscow’s cultural offer is enhanced by a good music offer.
Friends of the classical are pampered by the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, for example. Light music listeners, on the other hand, find various concerts every day in bars and music clubs. The city’s concert offerings are comprehensively listed weekly in The English Times.
Another circus suitable for tourists in Moscow is represented by, for example, two circuses and the city’s internationally high-quality football and hockey teams.
Shopping and gifts
Moscow is a diverse but in many places expensive shopping city. An absolute must-see is the traditional and expensive GUM department store on the edge of the Red Square.
Particularly good places for shopping are the versatile Tverskaya Street with its side streets and the Old Arbat pedestrian street. Typical Russian gift items, such as Maatuska dolls, fur caps or samovars, can be obtained from Old Arbat. Tverskaya, on the other hand, is of more interest to fashion shoppers.
If you have enough time in Moscow, it’s a good idea to research and compare the selections and prices of different stores carefully – the differences can be huge. Especially in Old Tea gift shops, the comparison is worthwhile.
The city of parks
Lively and congested Moscow surprises the tourist with the abundance of parks: in total there are more than a hundred parks and gardens.
Moscow parks are located in different parts of the city. Many of them are not only nice places to relax but also major sights with their value buildings. The parks are good places to visit because you can see local life at its most authentic.
Moscow’s most famous parks include Izmailov Park, which is many times larger than New York’s Central Park, and Kolomenskoye Park, whose historic church from the 16th century is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Those more interested in plants can visit the city’s botanical garden, founded by Peter the Great in the 18th century.
A tremendous All-Russian exhibition center
The VDNH Exhibition Center, or All-Russian Exhibition Center, is a huge area in the northern part of Moscow and is especially suitable for tourists looking for Soviet nostalgia.
The region was established to showcase the country’s finest achievements in various fields during the Soviet era. In all, there are about 400 buildings in the area, many of which are pavilions dedicated to certain things.
Buildings that have previously showcased the achievements of socialism have ironically been put to use by the market economy. Most of the buildings have shops. Today’s Russians are happy to head to the exhibition center for a picnic.
The exhibition center is located in the Ostankino area, which also houses a huge monument to the conquest of space and the Museum of Cosmonautics dedicated to the conquest of space, a TV tower of more than 500 meters and the massive Kosmos Hotel built for the 1980 Olympics.