MoscowTraveller.info

Moscow City Guide

admin — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:51:14 +0000

Moscow is one of the world’s great metropolises and a city of huge contrasts: Moscow has both a European and Asian feel as East meets West in the architecture of the Kremlin and Red Square, the communist past and the new ‘democracy’ present collide in extremes of prosperity and poverty, the nouveau riche gather on Tverskaya Street to shop and sip cocktails in state-of-the-art cafes, while the poor and downtrodden eke out an unhappy existence amid monumental Stalinist housing projects, all the while chaotic rush-hour traffic inches past peaceful onion-domed churches on Moscow’s historic side streets.

Moscow as a city dates back to the 12th century and became Russia’s capital in the 15th century under Ivan III. The city’s main historical sites include the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Moscow Kremlin, a fortress and seat of power in the center of Moscow, overlooking the Moskva River, the onion domes of Saint Basil’s Cathedral and Red Square. These three places are first on the list of most first-time visitors to Russia’s capital.

Other famous sites in the city include the golden domes of the huge Cathedral of Christ the Savior rebuilt in the 1990s, the peaceful 16th century Novodevichy Convent and Cemetery near the Luzhniki Sports Stadium and the monolithic, 1950s, Stalinist Moscow State University building in Vorobyovy Gory (the Sparrow Hills).

Moscow also has some of the world’s greatest museums, theaters and art galleries including: the Tretyakov Art Gallery, the Pushkin Fine Art Museum, the Mayakovsky Museum for both contemporary and historic Russian and European art. Other worthwhile museums and galleries include the gruesome KGB Museum and Dostoyevsky’s House.

GUM

admin — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 18:31:56 +0000

Taking up the entire East side of Red Square, and looking more like a palace than a shopping centre, the GUM building offers designer shopping like few before will have experienced. Built at the turn of the 19th Century the complex boasts an elegantly-decorated interior, comprising of three parallel arcades, centred around a fountain and roofed by a splendid glass ceiling - magnificent! Whole afternoons can easily be wasted browsing through flagship stores of the likes of Christian Dior, Hugo Boss and Puma. And with Bosco Bar and Cafe onsite you don’t have to go far for a decent drink either!

Replay

admin — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 18:30:44 +0000

The ultra-trendy Italian jeansware brand has recently made its second home in Moscow, following the big cheeses’ disappointment when they discovered that their first store had been set up in a mall (Atrium, near Kursky station if you’re interested)! Imagine the embarrassment of having your flagship stall tucked away in a humble shopping centre! This time around Replay have set up shop in a standalone boutique, giving the brand the kind of prestige it needs in order to sell Western-priced denim to the Muscovites. Expect plenty of faded patches and cool little details that you just don’t get on your 501s.

Novikh Russkikh Mir

admin — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 18:29:04 +0000

Novikh Russkikh Mir (in English ‘The World of New Russians’) is an amusing souvenir shop on the Arbat that also provides a valuable civic service. This little boutique pokes fun at the vulgarity of those wealthy entrepreneurs who, during the 90s, made and spent millions despite the fact that most of them could barely read. Most of the items on sale here are created using the same materials that are used in traditional Russian handicraft - the twist being that instead of finding delicate porcelain plates and saucers, you will find depictions of all the New Russians’ notorious talismen. Examples include the Gzhel credit card and mobile phone. Definitely worth a look if only for the cultural insight into these economic phenomena!

Energie

admin — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 18:27:29 +0000

Ultra-hip Italian fashion outfit, Energie arrived with a bang in Moscow, when they opened this superstore. There’s enough zip-ups, hipsters and funky belts to keep the coolest clubbers and gurus of contemporary fashion looking their best on the mean streets of Moscow. What’s more you will find their affiliated store Miss Sixty in the same building, so the girls needn’t feel left out. The store itself is something of an oeuvre d’art with its fluffy pink changing rooms and Mondrian prints on the door.

Burberry

admin — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 18:25:28 +0000

It’s official, you don’t have to come from Essex to be a Chav - Burberry has arrived in Russia! The upmarket fashion chain from London achieved both noteriety and riches when its brand became a must-have for Britains underclasses (no Dagenham boy-racer would ever consider cruising the streets in his Ford Escort without first donning his Burberry cap). But despite this dubious association, Burberry’s reputation as a serious fashion label has remained firmly intact, and you can be sure that the Russian well-to-do will be falling over each other to get their hands on a coveted Burberry check.

Kitezh-Grad

admin — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 18:18:43 +0000

Two halls of the restaurant are paradise for a Russophile. At least “3 happinesses” are guaranteed for him. The first one is the interior designed in Russian cheap popular prints style. Wood and thematic things are everywhere. The second one is staff in national suites. And the third one is the menu. From noon till 5 p.m. - an original lunch, reminding of smorgasbord (along with two tens of cold collations and a couple of garnishes, there are first courses - meat and fish - on the table). You can also taste medallions on ringlets of marrows with sauce of mushrooms, roasted in nuts pork, beef with white mushrooms, chicken with stuffing of pork and cranberries. Before leaving the “Kitezh-Grad”, you can step on an ancient coin - they say that it’’s a pledge of material well-being. Banquets and fourchettes can be organized in the restaurant. A free parking lot is available.

Cuisine: european, russian Additional service: “take away” service, banquet service, parking Directions: 10 min. on foot from the metro station. Face control: yes Comments to prices: Dinner for two, excluding alcohol - from $60. Credit Cards: American Express, Maestro, Master Card, Union, Visa Working hours: Daily from noon till midnight.

Bavarius

admin — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 18:14:52 +0000

Bavarius looks as if it has been transported straight from Munich’s Oktoberfest. Oompah music plays in the background, dirndl-clad waitresses carry fistfulls of liter-size beer mugs, and the smell of sauerkraut lingers in the air. Whether you fancy a snack of knockwurst (a mild pork sausage) or just want to sample German and Czech beers, this is the place. Instead of sitting indoors, head through the arch to the left of the main entrance to reach the quiet courtyard that holds the biggest beer garden in Moscow. Food is served in both areas, but credit cards are accepted as payment only in the restaurant.

Address: 2/30 Sadovaya-Triumfalnaya, Moscow
Phone: 495/299-4211
Credit Cards: MC, V
Metro: Mayakovskaya

Bochka

admin — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 18:09:56 +0000

One of Moscow’s numerous round-the-clock restaurants, Bochka, opposite the Mezhdunarodnaya hotel, is a dependable place for good Russian food, even if the prices are somewhat high. It attracts its fair share of New Russians, businesspeople, and the after-rave set. If you’re brave turn up on Friday, when a giant spit is assembled for the roasting of wild game, including bulls and goats. If that doesn’t appeal, the salads are all well worth a try, although the kholodets, a portion of meat served wobbling in its own jelly, may inspire doubt.

Address: 2 ul. 1905 Goda, Moscow
Phone: 495/252-3041
Credit Cards: AE, DC, MC, V
Metro: Ulitsa 1905 Goda

Sem’ Pyatnits

admin — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 18:06:53 +0000

SEVEN FRIDAYS - that’s how it’s translated into English, which comes from a Russian saying - seven Fridays in a week, i.e. spending each day as if it’s already or still Friday. One of the best restaurants which specialises on a Russian cuisine. It is located in a former “dokhodnyi dom” which is the 1st prototype a of a hotel in Russia. The interior is styled as a chain of furnished rooms, where all the furniture is originally antique.

The food is fantastic, very good cooking, typical Russian dishes. The restaurant prepares its own kvas and morse.

Theme: Local

Price: US$31-40

Comparison: more expensive than average

Address: Vorontsovskaya str., 6

Phone: 912 1218

Directions: Metro stops - Marksistskaya or Taganskaya