Moscow

Introduction

Moscow's Belarus Station, Moscow

© GregW

Moscow is the capital of Russia, and the country's primary political and economic centre. Formerly a communist strong-hold, this city is coming out of its repression and embracing capitalism to the fullest extent. The once empty shelves are now filled with expensive designer and luxury goods. Unlike many areas and cities in the country, Moscow has seen its population growing over the last decades, and is rivalling cities like Paris and London regarding the number of inhabitants, of which the total urban area now has well over 13 million. With the growing numbers of cars, this might give first time visitors a feel of one big polluted area with constant traffic jams and compared to its neighbour St. Petersburg it really needs to grow on you before you uncover its beauty.

Neighbourhoods

• Central Moscow - Just north of the bend in the Moscow River. Includes the Moscow Kremlin.
• Moscow Central-North (Krasnoselsky South, Meshchansky South & Tverskoy South raions) - North from the Kremlin, East from Tverskaya Street, North from Pokrova Street, the area within the Boulevard Ring.
• Moscow Central-South (Yakimanka North & Zamoskvorechye raions) - Bordered by the Garden Ring and on north the Moskva River
• Moscow Central-West (Arbat, Khamovniki North, Presnensky East, Tverskoy South raions) - North from the Moskva River, West from Tverskaya Street, the area within the Boulevard Ring.
• Moscow Central-East (Basmanny West, Kitai Gorod, Tagansky North raions) - North from the Moskva River, South from Pokrova Street, the area within the Boulevard Ring.
• Moscow Outskirts - The outskirts of the city include areas between Moscow's Garden Ring and the Moscow Ring Road (MKAD).
• Zelenograd and New Moscow - Consists of Zelenograd (Зеленоград) and New Moscow, consisting of Novomoskovsky (Новомосковский) & Troitsky (Троицкий) Administrative Okrugs, in the southwest.

Sights and Activities

• Red Square and the Kremlin - The Red Square separates the Kremlin, the former royal citadel, from the merchant quarter. The square holds Lenin's Tomb, everyday except Monday's and Friday's from 10:00am until 1:00pm. St. Basil's Cathedral, the famous onion-domed church sits to the south end of the square. To the east is the GUM department store, previously known for its long lines, it now features a number of high end stores. The Kremlin has long been the one of the most important seats of political power in Russia, and current houses the Russian president. The Kremlin is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Also there are place Historical museum, Alexander's Garden and many other famous building you can discover with a city guide.
• Moscow Metro - The Metro in Moscow is not just for transportation. It’s a huge underground bomb shelter, that was build in Stalin time also as a beautiful museum where you can enjoy the best samples of Soviet art and architecture. The most remarkable stations built in Stalin Empire style: Mayakovskaya, Kievskaya, Novoslobodskaya, Komsomolskaya and Revolution Square, then go deeper into the history exploring vintage trains in Moscow Metro museum.
• Novodevichiy Convent - Founded in 1524 by Vasiliy III (the father of Ivan the Terrible) in honor of the return of city Smolensk to Russia, the Novodevichiy Convent has become a shelter and sometimes a prison for many ladies of Russian royal and nobility ("boyar") families. It survived during the Napoleon army occupation in 1812 and was used as the Museum of Women’s Emancipation at Soviet times. Being one of the best preserved samples of medieval Russian architecture it was proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Also, close to the convent you can see the Novodevichye Cemetery, that is the most famous cemetery in Moscow.
• Izmailovo Flea Market and Kremlin - Izmailivo Flea Market (often called Vernissage) is a famous one-stop souvenir venue in Moscow. If you want to take a piece of Russia to your country, this place is the best to visit. You can find everything there - from matrioshka dolls to Soviet life-style propaganda posters, from samovars to bear skin rugs, from oil paintings to school and military uniforms at best prices than elsewhere in Moscow. There are some Faberge eggs too! Even if you buy nothing it is a fun place to watch and take photos. Izmailivo Kremlin is located nearby. It was built in the 21st century as a replica of the traditional Russian architecture, but has become a popular entertainment place not just among tourists, but among the Muscovites as well. There is a typical Russian wooden church, a bunch of cafes and workshops on its territory. If you like to know the history of Russian vodka, welcome to the Vodka Museum.
• ENEA (Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy, formerly VDNH) - Built in 1939, ENEA (former VDNH) was the Soviet Union's largest exhibition to display the country’s economy achievements. It was planned as a temporary venue, but due to its enormous success, it became permanent. Now the ENEA is an open-air museum and is still a very popular exhibition center, where you can see not only some of the best samples of Soviet architecture and science, but also some contemporary, history or entertaiment art too. Watching the Fountain of People’s Friendship, the Worker and the Collective Farm Woman monument, the Gagarin’s Spaceship “Vostok”, you can still feel the spirit of the bygone Empire. Close to the ENEA, there is a Cosmonautics Museum and one of the largest parks in Moscow called the Botanical Garden, where you can go boating or have a bike trip. Inside this park, you can see and admire the Japanese Garden and the Greenhouse, which the Muscovites like visiting in spring.
• The Cathedral of Christ the Savior - is a a memorial temple, that according to the Russian tradition, was build as a victory celebration in the Napoleonic war. During the revolution of 1917, the cathedral was at the very heart of Russia’s religious life, but finally it was demolished by the Bolsheviks in 1920. Some marble pieces were used then for metro design. Only in 1994, the government made a decision to rebuild this cathedral, and in 2000 the construction was finished.
• Peter the Great statue - In the years since it was unveiled, the opinions about the Peter the Great statue have been very mixed. It was voted as the ugliest statue in 2010, and listed amongst the ten ugliest buildings. The people of Moscow can add to that, that they don't want to pay tribute to the man that moved the capital of Russia from Moscow to St. Petersburg. It is located on the western confluence of the Moskva River and the Vodootvodny Canal in downtown Moscow. It was designed by the Zurab Tsereteli to commemorate 300 years of the Russian Navy, which Peter the Great established. It is reported that the local government in Moscow, offered the statue to be relocated to St. Petersburg, but the offer was rejected, and for this moment this (in)famous statue is still on display.
• Moscow State University’s main building - The complex consists of 30 major and 20 auxiliary buildings, an observatory, a botanical garden, a park, and a sports area. Its total surface area is about 167 hectares. The main building of Moscow State University, or ‘GZ’ (an abbreviation of glavnoye zdaniye,‘main building’, as it is called by students and teachers) facing the center of Moscow with its broad front. Its clear silhouette is visible from afar. The main building, topped by a spire with a star, reaches the height of 235.7 metres; the highest part of the building has 36 floors. So it is the greatest sister of seven indeed.
• Poklonnaya Hill - was, at 171.5 metres, one of the highest spots in Moscow. Its two summits used to be separated by the Setun River, until one of the summits was razed in 1987. Since 1936, the area has been part of Moscow and now contains the Victory Park with many tanks and other vehicles used in the Second World War on display. Historically, the hill had great strategic importance, as it commanded the best view of the Russian capital. Its name is derived from the Russian for "to bow down", as everyone approaching the capital from the west was expected to do homage here. In 1812, it was the spot where Napoleon in vain expected the keys to the Kremlin to be brought to him by Russians. Since the 1980s the hill also includes the monumental museum to the Soviet victory in the Great Patriotic War. The main building of the museum was constructed between 1983 and 1995. 'Hall of glory' holds reliefs of the 12 soviet Hero Cities, on its marmor walls are inscribed the names of several thousand Heroes of the Soviet Union, awarded during the war. 'Hall of remembrance' downstairs contains 'Books of remembrance' with the names of more than 26 million of the Soviet war dead.

Events and Festivals

International Women’s Day

Moscow’s International Women’s Day in March is a major event on the festival calendar, with women’s groups from all over the city parading, campaigning, and rallying to make the world a better and more equal place for the female race.

International Moscow Film Festival

Held in June and running through early July, the International Film Festival is a truly international event. Celebrities and famous directors arrive for the screenings of Russian documentaries, short films, and the latest Hollywood blockbusters.

The International fireworks festival ROSTEC

Visitors are able to enjoy unforgettable pyroshow by the best teams from Europe, Asia and Latin America, as well as the great entertainment daytime programme including music concerts, high-tech shows, sport activities, quests, lectures, artisan market, historical food court etc.

The International Military Music Festival “SPASSKAYA TOWER”

The International Military Music Festival “Spasskaya Tower”, the parade of the honor guards units of the heads of states and of the best military music bands of Russia and other countries takes place every year in summer on Red Square in Moscow. More than 140 groups from 40 countries have taken part in the Festival since it was created. Every year about 1500 musicians, military men and other artists perform at the “Spasskaya Tower”.

Moscow City Days

September sees Den’ Goroda (Moscow City Days), the celebration of the founding of Moscow. Free street concerts, festivities, and parties bring many thousands of Muscovites into the parks and boulevards, and the pubs and bars do a roaring trade. The program also includes fairs, music festivals, master classes, literary readings, performances and, of course, fireworks.

Moscow international festival Circle of Light

During the Circle of Light festival (in September) the beloved capital will once again take on the appearance of the amazing City of light. Prepare for unexpected transformations, pleasant surprises and amazing meetings that await you at all venues of the Festival.

Russian Winter Festival

Moscow’s Russian Winter festival kicks off mid-December with a plethora of cold weather events taking place at Izmailovo Park. Troika (sleigh) rides, folk music and dance, skating on the lake and frozen pathways, warming street food, and lots of vodka make this one of the year’s favorite celebrations. For many Moscovites it is also a perfect opportunity to skating on the city biggest rink in ENEA and visit as many performances and cafes as they can.

Weather

Moscow has a continental climate with warm summers and cold winters. Summers from June to August see average highs of 21-23 °C with nights around 12-14 °C. Temperatures can hit 35 °C or more though and in 2010 the city had the warmest summer by far with a month of temperatures well above 30 °C and an all time high of 38 °C. Winters are much colder, with temperatures during the day well below zero from December to February and nights around -10 °C on average though temperatures have been know to drop below -30 °C during some occasions. Average annual precipitation is around 700 mm with summers being the wettest time of year and late winter/early spring the driest time. Snow is possible from October to April though tends to concentrate from December to March. Even so, spring, summer and autumn stay the best seasons to visit Moscow.

Getting there

Red Square at night

© GregW

By plane

There are 3 airports near Moscow:

• Moscow Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO)
• Moscow Domodedovo International Airport (DME)
• Vnukovo (VKO)

International
Among the three airports, there are numerous flights, mainly to destinations in Europe and Asia including Amsterdam, Bangkok, Beijing, Berlin, Cairo, Delhi, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, Istanbul, London-Heathrow, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Rome, Shanghai, Tokyo, Toronto, Warsaw, Washington-Dulles and Zürich.

Domestic
Aeroflot flies to and from Adler/Sochi, Anapa , Astrakhan, Barnaul, Irkutsk, Kaliningrad, Kemerovo, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Magadan, Mineralnye Vody, Nizhnevartovsk, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Perm, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Samara, St. Petersburg, Surgut, Tyumen, Ufa, Vladivostok, Volgograd, Yekaterinburg and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Other major airlines in the country are Rossiya Airlines, Transaero and S7 Airlines.

By Aeroexpress
Aeroexpress provides rail services between the capital and all of the major Moscow airports (Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Sheremetyevo). Aeroexpress is a good way to get from any airport to the city centre in about 30 minutes and escape traffic jam. The price of a standard class one-way ticket on Aeroexpress website, mobile application and Pay@Gate service at turnstiles - is 340 roubles, in ticket offices and ticket machines - 400 roubles. The Aeroexpress trains run:

1. From the Belorussky Rail Terminal to Sheremetyevo International Airport/From Sheremetyevo International Airport to the Belorussky Rail Terminal;
2. From the Paveletsky Rail Terminal to Moscow Domodedovo Airport/From Moscow Domodedovo Airport to the Paveletsky Rail Terminal;
3. From Kievsky Rail Terminal to Vnukovo International Airport/From Vnukovo International Airport to the Kievsky Rail Terminal.

By train

Moscow is the starting point (or ending point for travellers heading west) for the Trans-Siberian Railway, with destinations like Vladivostok and Beijing.

Moscow - Finland
Between Helsinki and Moscow, there are direct daily overnight trains with 'The Tolstoi', taking roughly 13 hours to cover the routes. Trains are fast and comfortable.

Moscow - China
There are two routes between Moscow and Beijing: the Trans-Mongolian and the Trans-Manchurian routes, both of which are southern branches of the better-known Trans-Siberian Railway. The first goes via Ulan Bator, cutting across Mongolia and then into China. It leaves Moscow every Tuesday night, taking about 6 days to reach Beijing. The second cuts into northern China at Manzhouli and continues to via Harbin. It leaves Moscow on Friday night and takes about 6 days as well to cover the distance to Beijing. For more information look at the article: Trans-Siberian Railway or check the Timetable directly for exact schedules.

Moscow - Kazakhstan
There is train every second day between Moscow and Almaty in Kazakhstan, leaving Moscow at 10:30pm and arriving on day 5 early in the morning in Almaty. From Almaty, trains leave at around 7:30am, arriving on the 4th day at around 10:30am. Check this site for schedule details.

Moscow - Kyrgyzstan
Two trains a week link the capitals of Russia and Kyrgyzstan. From Moscow, trains leave on Thursdays and Sundays at 11:15pm, arriving in Bishkek on Mondays and Thursdays respectively at 2:30am. Trains leave Bishkek around 10:00am on Mondays and Thursdays, arriving in Moscow on Thursdays and Sundays just after 3 in the afternoon.

Moscow - Uzbekistan
There are three trains a week between Moscow and Tashkent (Uzbekistan). Trains leave Moscow on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 11:15pm, arriving 3 days later at 7:15pm in Tashkent. In the opposite direction, trains depart from Tashkent at around 7:00pm on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, arriving in Moscow 3 days later at just after 3 in the afternoon.

Moscow - North Korea
There is one train a week between Moscow (Yaroslavski station) and Pyongyang, usually leaving on Friday from Moscow, and Saturday from Pyongyang. It takes a week to complete the entire journey.

Moscow - Poland
The trains go to Warsaw through Minsk - details are available on the website of the Polish State Railways.

By Car

Many entry points to Moscow over the Ring Road and into the city feature rotating roadblocks, where teams of traffic police may stop a vehicle, especially if it is not featuring Moscow plates. You may be stopped and questioned but you'll be allowed to proceed if you have all the proper documents.

By Bus

Eurolines provides international buses to places like Riga and even all the way to London, a multiple-day trip!

By boat

Although there are no official passenger services to/from Moscow, there are still river cruises which visit Moscow, mainly in summer. There are 2 river terminals in Moscow. The North Station, in Khimki neighborhood, provides berths for cruise ships to St Petersburg, as well as Astrakhan, Rostov-on-Don and other cities along the Volga. The South Station is not used commercially anymore.

Getting around

By car

Much of Moscow's geography is defined by the numerous 'Ring Roads' that circle the city at various distances from the centre. With the Red Square and the Kremlin forming the very centre, the innermost ring road is the Boulevard Ring (Bulvarnoye Koltso), built in the 1820s where the 16th century walls used to be. It runs from the Christ the Savior Cathedral in southwest central Moscow, to the mouth of the Yauza in southeast central Moscow. The next ring road, the Garden Ring (Sadovoe Koltso), derives its name from the fact that landowners near the road in Tsarist times were obligated to maintain gardens to make the road attractive. In Soviet times, the road was widened, and curently you will find no gardens there. The recently constructed Third Ring is not much use for tourists but is a heavily used motorway which absorbs a bit of Moscow's traffic. Finally, the outer edge of Moscow is largely defined by the Moscow Ring Road, a motorway which is over 100 kilometres long and encircles the entire city. Finally, a Fourth Ring is due to be built between the Third Ring and the Moscow Ring Road in the next years, much needed to relief a bit of the growing pressure on Moscow's existing other (ring)roads.

Using a car in Moscow by the way can be very time consuming and stressful. The street system was never designed to accommodate even a fraction of the exploding population of vehicles and the traffic jams never seem to clear until the night. Most roadways are in a constant state of disastrous disrepair. You will have to compete for the right-of-way with seasoned drivers in dented "Ladas" who know the tangle of the streets inside out and will not think twice before cutting you off at the first opportunity.

Sometimes, all traffic on major thoroughfares may be blocked by police to allow government officials to blow through unimpeded, sirens blaring.

There is very little parking. Parking illegally can lead to a hefty fine of RUB2500 and your car being towed. If you are driving to Moscow, park as soon as you can at a safe place such as your hotel and use public transit.

By public transport

Lenin mural in Moscow subway

© GregW

Check the All in one Moscow Search Engine for public transportation.

Metro

Moscow has an elaborate and wide spread subway system. There are 12 lines and 172 stations covering a total length of 278 kilometres. The Moscow Metro uses magnetic cards (contact cards) for tickets with a fixed number of journeys (up to 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 60 and 70 journeys for 30 days from the day of the first journey). 60 roubles (approximately US$2) will get you a ticket valid for 5 trips of any distance. The Moscow Metro is open from about 5:30am until 1:00am. During peak hours, trains run roughly every 90 seconds on most lines. At other times during the day, they run about every two to three and a half minutes, and every six to ten minutes late at night. Most station names are only printed in Cyrillic, so travellers are recommended to learn how to pronounce the letters of the cyrillic alphabet to make travelling the metro easier.

Bus and Tram

Every large street in the city is served by at least one bus route. Numbers with an added 'k' or red sign are shorter routes than their regular counterparts (for example bus 164 has a longer itinerary than 164k). Numbers with an added 'H' indicate night services, few other routes also operate during the night. Buses never seem to follow their schedules, mostly due to traffic jams and delays, but they are frequent until the late evening.

There are several tram routes, although trams are not common in the city centre. A map and a schedule of the tram routes are available online.

By foot

Do not even think. Leave it for Moscovites.

By bike

Velobike operates a bike sharing network that has over 2,700 bicycles available at over 300 bike stations throughout city. To use it, you first have to register the web site or via the mobile app. Membership rates are RUB150 per day or RUB500 for a month. Usage fees, which are in addition to membership fees, vary, but the first 30 minutes are free. This is intentional to encourage people to use the system for short place-to-place trips; however, after riding for 30 minutes, you can dock your bike into a station, wait 2 minutes, and then take the bike out again to restart the timer. The service is only operational in the spring and summer months, but extending the operational season is currently being contemplated.

Eat

Restaurants and cafes promising "European and Caucasus cuisine" generally cater to tourists and are usually bad; seek a restaurant that specializes in a single region instead (Georgian ("Hachapuri" - hacha.ru), Russian ("Varenichnaya №1"), Italian ("Il Forno"), French (Pushkin), etc.).

Many small restaurants offer lunch specials costing RUB300-600. These deals are valid from 12:00 to 16:00 mostly and include a cup of soup or an starter, a small portion of the main dish of the day, bread and a non-alcoholic beverage.

Authentic ethnic food from countries of the nearby Caucasus (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia) is common in Moscow. Japanese food, including sushi, rolls, tempura, and steakhouses are very popular in Moscow, but not all of them are safe and tasty. At least try Yakitoriya, you can find a -50% discount on Biglion for this nice sushi-bar. Other Asian cuisines including Vietnamese, Thai, and Chinese are becoming increasing more common in such places like Danilovsky market, where you can find anything you ever want.

• Carré Blanc (Metro: Novoslobodskaya), Selezniovskaya ul. 19/2, ☎ +7 495 258-44-03. French restaurant with an attached and much cheaper bar/cafe which also serves good food. Good wine list. French/English/Russian spoken.
• Chemodan (Suitcase), Gogol Boulevard 25/1 (Metro: Arbatskaya, Kropotkinskaya), ☎ +7 (495) 695 3819. Specifically a Siberian restaurant, with a menu featuring the freshest river-fish from Siberia's vast rivers and lakes, game dishes from the riches of the taiga forests, pickles and preserves featuring mushrooms and berries. Good food, good service. Mains: RUB700-1,500.
• Expedition, Pevcheskiy Lane 6, ☎ +7 495 775-60-75. Northern cuisine, specializing in seafood. Mains: From RUB1,000.
• Nedalniy Vostok (Not far East) (Недальний Восток), Tverskoy Blvd 15. Stylish Japanese atmosphere.
• Cafe Pushkin (Кафе Пушкинъ), Tverskoy Blvd 26А (Metro: Tverskaya, Pushkinskaya). Has a cafe and restaurant (cafe is cheaper). A fake 19th century mansion (built in 1999) that pretends to be a tourist attraction, not just a place to eat. The legend goes that so many foreigners were asking for the restaurant with this name that they finally opened one. With a stretch of imagination the food might pass for what it purports to be, the aristocratic Russian cuisine from the Czarist times. Still, it's probably the only place in Moscow to try true Russian cuisine, as it's cooked at home (at least, it's quite difficult to find another of the same quality).
• Riviera, 4 Bolshaya Dorogomilovskaya Ul. (Metro: Kievskaya), ☎ +7 499 243-09-77. French restaurant with live music from a harp. Great ambiance but the service can be slow.
• Roberto, Rozhdestvensky blvd, 20 bldg. 1 (Metro: Chistiye Prudy / Tsvetnoy Blvd). Genuine Italian restaurant frequented by Italians. Risotto: RUB400+; salads: RUB350+; pasta: RUB350+; soups: RUB300+; Mains: RUB450+.
• Vogue Cafe, ul. Kuznetskiy Most (Kuznetskiy Bridge), 7/9 (across the street from TSUM on Kyznetski Most Street building 7/9). The restaurant is a great little find but do not be fooled by the word cafe. It is quite trendy inside and can be busy in the evening. Overall, the food is absolutely delicious. Fish dishes range between RUB800-1300; Wine: RUB4,000+ per bottle.
• White Rabbit, 3, Smolenskaya Square (Metro: Smolenskaya), ☎ +7 495 66 33 999. Astonishing interiors in fusion style. Combining an old fireplace with fretted designer furniture and an active bar in the middle of the hall with a 360 degree panorama view of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ukraina hotel. You get an outstanding view on the Garden Ring, the New Arbat and the river Moscow through the windows.

Drink

As for bars, you can visit the Aviator or City Space Bar & Lounge with beautiful view and cocktails. Other popular bars are Gipsy and Oblaka.

Moscow has several café chains with great coffee including Coffeemania and Starbucks, if you are looking for something better, then Double - B should be visited. Moscow also has a good selection of tea saloons. High-quality infusion teas such as Newby, are widely available in cafes, both in packets and loose.

Asking to add boiling water to the tea you ordered earlier is a practice that some cafes don't welcome, but normally it's acceptable.

Gay Places

Despite the rumors that Russia is dangerous for gay community, let's be honest - there is Moscow and there is Russia. But even so, Moscow is not so safety, as Berlin for example is. Be carefull with people you choose to meet and places to visit. The best way - even have a local companion, for example a private guide, which will indicate you most popular places.

Most popular gay clubs in Moscow stay Central Station and Propaganda (on Sundays), bar - MONO. Also recommended to visit is Gipsy club.

Sleep

• Baltschug Kempinski, ul. Balchug, 1, ☎ +7 495 230 5500, fax: +7 495 230 5502, e-mail: [email protected]. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Hotel is located facing the Red Square and St.Basil's Cathedral. It features spacious rooms, good service and a buffet-breakfast. Rooms RUB16000-24000, Suites RUB26000-91000.
• Golden Apple Hotel, 11 Malaya Dmitrovka (M: Pushkinskaya), ☎ +7 495 980 7000. 92 individually decorated rooms and suites. Cable&satellite TV channels, and WiFi. Sauna and jacuzzi, laundry, dry-cleaning and valet services, and 24 hours room service. from at RUB 5,500.
• Golden Ring, Smolenskaya ulitsa, 5 (short walk to Arbat Street and the Foreign Ministry building). Disappointing service for a 5 star hotel, although the amenities and breakfast served daily are commendable. Views from the rooms are fantastic, and the hotel is located near all the main tourist sites. Free Wi-Fi access. edit
• Le Royal Meridien National, 15/1, bld. 1 ul. Mokhovaya (M: Okhotnyy Ryad), ☎ +7 495 258 7000, fax: +7 495 258 7100, e-mail: [email protected]. Traditional Art Nouveau-style hotel located in city centre next to the Red Square. Rooms are spacious, clean and comfortable, with plasma TV's, minibars and more. Internet use is extremely pricey though at 16 rubles a minute.
• Mamaison All-Suites Spa Hotel Pokrovka, Pokrovka st 40, bld 2 (M:Kitay-Gorod 600m), ☎ +7 495 229 5757, fax: +7 495 229 5775, e-mail: [email protected]. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. In downtown, designed in Art-Deco. Spa by Algotherm. Restaurant "Numbers".
• Hotel Metropol (Метропо́ль), Teatralny proezd (Театральный проезд), 1/4 (M: Teatralnaya), ☎ +7 495 796-2746, e-mail: [email protected]. A historical luxury hotel in the center of Moscow, built in 1899-1907 in Art Nouveau style. - In 1918, the hotel was nationalized by Bolshevik administration, renamed Second House of Soviets and housed living quarters and offices of growing Soviet bureaucracy. - Today, Metropol has 365 rooms, and each is different in shape or decoration. RUB12000-17000.
• Hotel National (гости́ница «Националь»), Mokhovaya Street, 15/1 (M: Okhotnyy Ryad), ☎ +7 495 258 7000, fax: +7 495 258 7100. A five-star hotel, opened in 1903. In March 1918, the hotel became the home of the first Soviet government. Lenin made his home in room 107 at the Hotel National with his wife for seven days.- The building continued to be used by the Soviet government afterwards as a hostel for official party delegates, and was renamed First House of Soviets in 1919. In 1931 the building was given a complete renovation to house foreign visitors. It was redecorated with museum-quality furniture and antiques from the palaces of the Tsars and Russian nobility, including Tsarskoye Selo and the Anichkov Palace. The pieces remain in the hotel's collection to this day. The huge mosaic on the hotel's upper corner was replaced with a 120-square meter socialist realist artwork focusing on the industrial might of the Soviet economy. - It has 202 bedrooms and 56 suites. Rooms RUB10-15 thousand, suites RUB17-58 thousand.
• The Ritz-Carlton, Tverskaya ulitsa 3/5 (M: Okhotnyy Ryad 300m). One of the world's most expensive cities, be prepared to pay at the Ritz Carlton. Although completed in 2007, the 19th century styling looks authentic with an old world style, look and feel. astonishingly high.

Work

You will need a work visa which is not an easy process. The visa needs to be arranged well in advance of travelling. It is possible to work in Moscow, you just need to find a good company to support you.

Learn

Moscow remains the educational center of Russia and the former USSR. There are 222 institutes of higher education, including 60 state universities & 90 colleges. Some of these offer a wide-spectrum of programs, but most are centered around a specific field. This is a hold-over from the days of the USSR, when Sovietwide there were only a handful of wide-spectrum "universities" and a large number of narrow-specialization "institutes" (mostly in Moscow & St.Petersburg). Moscow offers some of the best business/management, science, & arts schools in the world. Moscow is also a popular destination for foreign students to learn Russian.

• Lomonosov Moscow State University

Keep connected

Internet

Russia is a huge country, and excess to the internet varies a lot. The main cities and tourist places have (free) wifi excess at lots of places, like restaurants and cafes (McDonald's is always a safe bet). Internet cafes are present in larger places as well. Rural areas and especially if you venture into remote and/or mountainous areas have little excess at all. Most travellers will find connections though when using their phone or tablet.

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

The emergency number is 112. The country code for Russia is 7. Russian phone numbers have an area code with three, four or five digits (according to their province), followed by an individual number with, respectively, 7, 6 or 5 digits, always yielding 10 digits in total. The three digit code 800 is used for toll-free calls. Mobile phones always have three-digit "area" codes and seven-digit numbers. Calls within any one area code may omit the area code (except in Moscow). Inter-area code calls within Russia: 8 (wait for tone) full Russian number including area code. The international access code for dialling out from Russia is the sequence of 8 (wait for secondary tone and then) 10. International calls to Russia, as always, replace the plus sign (+) in the international phone format with the local international access code for the country you're calling from, followed by Russia's country code of 7 followed by the individual Russian phone number including area code.

You will require a SIM-unlocked GSM 900 / 1800 compatible international cell phone when buying a Russian SIM card. If you do not have your own international cell phone, it's best to buy a cheap cell phone with some value on the card. Foreigners can purchase a local SIM card by showing your passport. BeeLine is considered to be the best in terms of reliability and connections quality. However Megafon's services can be a bit cheaper.

Post

Russian Post is the national postal service of Russia. It's English version is currently under construction, but mainly involves the track&trace system. The domestic post is reasonably reliable, and sending international mail is fairly reliable but slow, taking at least a few weeks to European countries, longer to the USA or Australia for example. The delivery of mail sent from abroad to Russia is highly unreliable, and people or companies tend to use foreign addresses, from where a private carrier sends it to Russia. Alternatives like poste restante are non-existent with Russian Post. Most cities and large towns in Russia have a Central Post Office (Glavpochtamt), which also sells stamps and envelopes, and usually has fax services and Internet availability, though the latter mostly not in smaller places. Also, many hotels have postal services, including mail boxes. Post offices tend to keep long hours, usually from 8:00am or 9:00am until 8:00pm or 9:00pm Monday to Friday, and closing earlier during weekends. The main central post offices in the biggest cities keep even longer hours. For sending parcels, you can also try services by DHL Russia and FedEx Russia. For all mail you can use the regular alphabet, though maybe include the country's name in Cyrillic. For sending post to Russia (or trying to receive it) note that addresses should be in reverse order: Russia, postal code, city, street address, name.

External Links

• Official Governmental Website
• Moscow Tourism Website