Whether you are studying Russian in St. Petersburg, Riga, Irkutsk, in Moscow itself or you are just travelling, a visit to the capital of Russia is compulsory! I want to present you a few things that you really should do when (not if) you decide to come to Moscow.
1. Historic Center
Of course, the historic center is a must-see, so obvious I shouldn’t even explain myself further. The Kremlin, the Red Square, the Bolshoi Theater, St. Basil’s Cathedral, Tverskaya Ulitza… I visited it for New Year’s Eve, and the thousand lights and decorations for that week’s celebrations were as beautiful and grandiose as they could ever be, but even without them, the city center is just plain majestic. Small advice: if you have to squeeze things in order to see everything, just keep in mind the different attractions’ closing days and hours!
2. Museums
Moscow, like St. Petersburg, has plenty of museums from which you can choose, but the feathers in its cap are without a doubt the Puskin State Museum of Fine Arts and the State Tretjakov Gallery. If you are looking for something more interactive, right in the city center you can find the Soviet Arcade Games Museum. Pay the entrance, receive the tokens, and have fun!
3. Bigger Moscow, following the cardinals
If you are willing to spend a little time on public transports, I can advise trips to the VDNKh, an exhibition center up North, a bit like a Soviet Expo. West, we have the Novodevichy Convent, UNESCO World Heritage, or another World Heritage, the Kolomenskoe Complex, South. East there is the Izmailovsky Market, the perfect place to find souvenirs!
4. Eating
The Moscow highlights concerning the eating scene is mouth-watering. If you are looking for an impressive-view kind of thing, the White Rabbit should be your pick. The antique-style interiors price obviously goes to the Café Pushkin, whose Library Hall is just amazing to eat in. If you’ve never tried Georgian food, now it’s the time, as Moscow has some of the best Georgian restaurants (some of which belong to the Ginza Project company, whose website you might want to check for an idea about where to eat). My personal favorite, however, has been Lavka Lavka. Biological food, mostly produced in Russia, cooked in superb ways. Don’t miss it!
5. Pubs & Clubs
The Red October factory hosts some really cool places to hang out at, which culminates in the rooftop bar, so busy when it’s not freezing outside. If you’re looking for something more energetic, try the Jagger nightclub, or, not far from it, the Krysha Mira. Remember that most of the clubs require a face control (speaking English instead of Russian helps you improve your overall vote to their eyes). If what you look for is a hookah bar (Кальян бар) the VLounge is what you are looking for.
(6. Bonus)
If you are spending more than 3/4 days, you might consider visiting a city from the Golden Ring, as the old, small cities around Moscow are called. If you have to choose among them, Suzdal should be your pick, even though they are all beautiful!
Here are the Moscow Highlights in a few words, according to me. If you have some questions/feedbacks/anything else, just comment below!