Where can you have breakfast at night or eat bear meat? Where can you find the most delicious pizza in town and try authentic Siberian cuisine? How can you see Medieval, Soviet, and modern Moscow all in one day, and what is there to do from sunset to sunrise? You can find the answers to these questions and much more in our detailed Moscow 2018 guide, which is designed for those who have some time to spare in the capital.
Day One
07:00 – 10:00: Take in the best view of the Kremlin from Zaryadye
The new Zaryadye Park is located by the Kremlin walls and is one of the most popular places among tourists these days. While it’s basically impossible to get inside without running into a crowd at most times of the day, your best bet is to arrive as early as possible and head for the “soaring” bridge. Here you’ll have the best view of the Kremlin that the city has to offer. It’s also a great place to start the day.
On your way there, you stop off on Red Square and admire St. Basil’s Cathedral.
Metro station: Okhotny Ryad, Teatralnaya and Kitai Gorod
10:00 – 11:00: Eat breakfast at Dr. Zhivago restaurant
This famous restaurant is located on the ground floor of the National Hotel and has windows facing the Kremlin. The menu includes modern takes on classic Russian recipes and a wide range of breakfasts, from wheat porridge with crayfish in cream sauce, to sobering sour cabbage schi or “morning soup.”
If you have time, try to come back in the evening. The restaurant has a vodka room with an impressive collection of vodkas (30 brands) and distilled beverages.
Metro station: Okhotny Ryad, Teatralnaya
11:00 – 14:00: Climb Ivan the Great Bell Tower
The decorations on the Kremlin’s Cathedral Square have not changed for around 400 years. Here you can get a taste of Medieval Moscow with the tomb of the patriarchs, the church where Russian tsars were crowned, and an 81 meter-tall bell tower.
You can climb the bell tower in the summer or during good weather. If the weather is not good, just take a walk on Cathedral Square and look inside the restored churches.
Metro station: Okhotny Ryad, Teatralnaya.
Tickets are available at the Alexander Garden ticket office 45 minutes before opening. You will have to buy the all-inclusive ticket to get inside the Kremlin, which is open every day except Thursday.
14:00 – 15:00: Enjoy the metro
Muscovites go about their everyday business in a metro that is a museum in itself – this is not even an exaggeration. We recommend not just hurrying from point A to point B but rather riding through the world’s most beautiful stations.
For example, try this route: Teatralnaya – Novoslobodskaya – Paveletskaya (get on the ring line) – Taganskaya (ring) – Komsomolskaya (ring) – Kievskaya (ring) – Park Kultury
15:00 – 17:00: Try ‘medovukha’ on Gorky Park’s waterfront
It’s time to relax. People spend time in Gorky Park all year round. There is a stretch packed with street food and we recommend trying medovukha, a Russian alcoholic mead beverage. Get a glass and go to the waterfront, which has a great view. You can also rent a longboard and roller skates under the Crimean Bridge.
Metro station: Park Kultury, Oktyabrskaya
17:00 – 20:00: See a Malevich and visit the Museum of Contemporary Art
If you walk under the Crimean Bridge you will come out next to the New Tretyakov Gallery, which has the most important collection of the Russian avant-garde and Soviet paintings. We recommend adding the interactive gallery guide to your ticket.
For those who are tired of Soviet art, Gorky Park also has The Garage, a contemporary art museum housing works from various international artists. Afterwards, grab a bite at the museum’s restaurant (it has really good food) on the ground floor, and maybe purchase a fancy souvenir from the museum shop.
Metro station: Park Kultury, Oktyabrskaya
20:00 – 22:00: Try a pumpkin and truffle pizza
Take a break from everything Russian. Italian expats opened a restaurant on Pokrovka that has the best pizza in town. Maestrello is a small place with yellow walls and an omnipresent hungry crowd. But their pizza is worth the wait. They cost no more than 550 rubles ($8.7) and have many toppings.
Metro station: Kitai-Gorod, Chistye Prudy
22:00 – 00:00: Find Moscow’s secret bars
You can either stay on Pokrovka and try out all the bars on the way to Kitai-Gorod metro station, or go to the places that don’t have signs – but do have extensive cocktail menus. Warning: Don’t go to these places and order a whiskey and cola or a gin tonic unless you want to be laughed out the door.
The Mandarin Combustible is a bar with a piano located in a nonexistent hotel near the pan-Asian Mandarin. Another secret watering hole hidden behind a noodle joint is Mendeleev Bar. If the entrance to the narrow noodle place is suspiciously crowded and there are two guards inside by a black curtain, this is the place you’re looking for. The bar looks like a crypt with DJs. And finally, go the clandestine Santo Spirito (located beneath Haggis Pub&Kitchen). This tiny bar has seven excellent auteur cocktails and is a perfect place to spend a long night.
Metro station: Kitai-Gorod or Lubyanka; Tverskaya or Kuznetsky Most
00:00 – 07:00: Party at a former candy factory
Take a taxi to the former Red October candy factory, which now houses Bessonitsa Club (Club Insomnia in Russian). The place plays electronic music and books musicians from around the world. Nearby is Gipsy Club, which has an empty pool, palm trees, and a musical repertoire ranging from Russian pop to Rihanna and Kanya West. Strelka Bar is for those who like outdoor parties. Greet the sunrise on their terrace, which offers a gorgeous view.
Metro station: Kropotkinskaya, Polyanka
07:00 – 08:00: Have breakfast
A great night must end with a great breakfast. Kukareku on Sadovaya-Kudrinskaya serves breakfast 24 hours a day. They have 27 different types of breakfasts that cost about $7 but have a 30 per cent discount if you order a dish from a country where it’s breakfast at that time. Or browse our list for other ideas.
Metro station: Barrikadnaya, Krasnopresnenskaya
Courtesy: Russia Beyond