Moscow/Central

For information on getting into Moscow, see Moscow#Get_in

For information on getting around Moscow, see Moscow#Get_around

The Kremlin

• The Kremlin

  address: Kreml
  This gigantic site should not be missed. The Diamond collection in the Armoury is worth a visit on its own. There are several stunning churches that warrant a visit. Choose one or two to go inside, then enjoy the rest from the gardens. If you get a chance, the ballet in the Conference Centre has some very cheap matinee performances (and you can change seats in the interval). Amateur photography and videotaping is prohibited indoors and free outdoors.- Part of UNESCO World Heritage List

• Amusement Palace

  address: Kreml
  Built in 1652, it was used as a theatre with performances staged to amuse the family of the czar and his court. Hence, it got the name the Amusement Palace. This building is a complex with two courtyards which are connected by an arched passageway. In 1806 it was rebuilt, disassembled the completion of the church and giving the façades of Neo Gothic style. After all, just the palace interiors shows the 1650s features. The monument presents mostly baroque style elements.

• Cathedral of the Annunciation

  address: Kreml
  This was a private chapel for the Muscovite tsars. The building has nine golden domes and a roof decorated with rich 'Russian headdress' ornamentation in an arched Gothic vault form. The Cathedral made in brick, with façades of white limestone. The entrances influenced by Italian Renaissance architecture. The bronze doors are decorated with gold foil. The interior of the cathedral consists of the central prayer area and several surrounding galleries, with the additions of side altars in the 16th century. The first gallery contains a famous Image of Edessa icon. The gallery is separated by a doorway from the main room, created in the 16th century by Italian architects using a striking azure blue colour with gilt floral ornaments. The door wings are decorated with figures of ancient poets and philosophers. The main vault of the cathedral has a large iconostasis (wall of icons and religious paintings), which includes icons of the 14th to 17th centuries.The fifth (lowest) row is pieced by a silver door, behind which is the old staircase to the Tsar’s personal chambers. Throughout the interior, fragments of murals, painted in 1508 and second half of the 16th, 17th and 19th centuries. These include various biblical themes, heroic figures among other Russian princes and grand dukes. The floor of the altar area, consisting of sheets of agate yellow-red jasper, which was brought from a cathedral in Rostov Velikiy in the 16th century. Behind the altar a large silver reliquary containing the remains are of about 50 saints from different places in the Middle East was discovered in 1894.

• Cathedral of the Archangel

  address: Kreml
  Built in 1333, until the relocation of the capital to St. Petersburg, it was the main necropolis of the Tsars of Russia. There are 54 burials in the cathedral, with 46 ornamented whitestone tombstones (1636–1637) and glazed cases made of bronze (1903). Its five domes representing Jesus Christ and the Four Evangelists. The Italian Renaissance exterior ornamentation made of white limestone.

• Church of the Deposition of the Robe

  phone: +7 495 695-3776
  address: Kreml
  Built in the traditional Early Russian style, in 1451. It has a four-level iconostasis, created by Nazary Istomin Savin in 1627. The church was built as the private chapel of the Patriarch of Moscow. Today, in the gallery of the church you can see a rare exhibition of Russian wooden sculpture of 15th-19th centuries.

• Church of the Twelve Apostles and the Patriarch’s Palace

  address: Kreml
  A minor cathedral. The church placement upon a high pediment, pierced by two large arches allowing passage from the Cathedral Square to the patriarch's courtyard. It was a stately residence in 1653. Now a museum of applied arts. There is a delightful 17th-century iconostasis.

• Diamond fund and Armoury

  phone: +7 495 695-3776
  address: Kreml
  Armoury is one of the oldest museums of Moscow, established in 1808 & home to the Russian Diamond Fund. It has unique collections of the Russian, Western European and Eastern applied arts from the 5th to the 20th centuries.

• Dormition Cathedral

  address: Kreml
  The Cathedral is regarded as the mother church of Muscovite Russia. In its present form it was constructed between 1475–79 at the behest of the Moscow Grand Duke Ivan III by the Italian architect Aristotele Fioravanti. From 1547 to 1896 it was where the Coronation of the Russian monarch was held and it is the burial place for most of the Moscow Metropolitans and Patriarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church. A tremendous 6 pillared building with 5 apses and 5 domes. It made extensive use of limestone masonry on a high limestone base, and was laid out as a three nave church with a vaulted cross-dome. Inside, the church decoration is dominated by its fresco painting. The huge iconostasis dates from 1547, but its two highest tiers are later additions from 1626 and 1653.

Church of the Twelve Apostels in the Kremlin

address: Kremlin, Kremlevskaya naberezhnaya

1656. Russian Orthodox.

• Ivan the Great Bell Tower

  address: Kreml
  Total height of , built in 1508. It is made of brick. The tower itself consists of three octagonal drums, narrowing towards the top, and surmounted by a golden dome and 7-m-high cross. Each section has cut-out windows for the bells. Inside the tower,a 329-step spiral staircase leads to the highest observation deck. A top drum decorated with a dome and cross. On the third floor of the building is a small chapel founded in the 19th Century.

• Arsenal

  address: Kreml
  It was built in 1736, and has been rebuilt several times. It remains in military use to date and off-limits to tourists. It is home to the Kremlin Regiment, which forms the main security service for the Kremlin.

• Kremlin Senate

  address: Kreml
  It was constructed from 1776–1787 to house the Moscow branch of the Governing Senate, the highest judiciary and legislative office of Imperial Russia. Now, it houses the Russian presidential administration and is a highly secured and restricted area closed to the public. Only the southern corner façade, opposite the Tsar Cannon can be viewed.

• Kremlin Wall Necropolis

  address: on Red Square, near to Kreml
  First in November 1917, 240 pro-Bolshevik victims of the October Revolution were buried in mass graves on Red Square. It is centred on both sides of Lenin's Mausoleum.

• Moscow Kremlin WallaA defensive wall that surrounds the Moscow Kremlin, recognizable by the characteristic notches and its 20 towers, the oldest one, Tainitskaya dates to 1485 whilst the newest one-Tsarskaya to 1680. First part of the Wall made in 1156. With an outer perimeter of 2235 m, the Kremlin appears as a loose triangle, deviating from the geometric ideal on the southern side where instead of a straight line, it repeats the contours on the original hill on which the Kremlin rests. Some places ranges from no more than 5 m quadrupling to 19 m elsewhere. The thickness of the walls also varies from 3.5 to 6.5 m. The top of the walls, along their entire length, have outwardly-invisible battle platforms which also range from 2 to 4.5 m in width (in proportion to the thickness). A total of 1045 double-horned notched "teeth" crown the top of the walls, with a height ranging from 2 to 2.5 m and thickness from 65 to 75 cm.

• Grand Kremlin Palace

  address: Kreml
  Built from 1837 to 1849 in Moscow, Russia on the site of the estate of the Grand Princes. The palace is 125 m long, 47 m high, and has a total area of about 2.5 ha. It includes the earlier Terem Palace, nine churches from the 14th, 16th, and 17th centuries, the Holy Vestibule, and over 700 rooms. The buildings of the Palace form a rectangle with an inner courtyard. The building appears to be three stories, but is actually two. The upper floor has two sets of windows. The west building of the Palace held state reception halls and the imperial family's private chambers. Nowadays, the whole Grand Kremlin Palace’s Complex, besides the Armoury, houses the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation, though the current president does not reside there and only uses it for state ceremonies. May only be visited on guided tours conducted by approved tour companies, and slots on such tours are limited and sell out fast.

• Faceted ChamberIt is an official ceremonial hall in the residence of the President of the Russian Federation. Named after its distinctive stonework eastern façade with horizontal rows of sharp-edged stones, the Palace of Facets is all that is left of a larger royal palace made of white limestone. Although from the façade, it appears to be a three-story rectangular building from the outside, it is actually a one-story building with a semi-basement.

• Spasskaya or Saviour Tower

  address: Kreml
  It is the main tower with a through-passage on the eastern wall of the Moscow Kremlin. Built in 1491, it was the first one to be crowned with the hipped roof in 1625. Spasskaya Tower with its clock is also one of the most recognizable symbols of Moscow.

• Taynitsky Garden

  address: Kreml
  This is an urban park at the southern walls of the Moscow Kremlin. One highlight of this garden was an oak tree named Cosmos, planted by Yuri Gagarin on 14 Apr 1961, just two days after his return from his historic space flight.

• Terem Palace

  address: Kreml
  Its name is derived from the Greek word τερεμνον (i.e., "dwelling"). On the 16th century founded, completely rebuilt in 1635. The five stories building surrounded by numerous annexes and outbuildings, including the Boyar Platform, Golden Staircase, Golden Porch, and several turrets.

• Tsar Bell

  address: Kreml
  It is a 6.14 m tall, 6.6 m diameter bell. Made of bronze, the bell was broken during metal casting and has never been rung in. It is the largest bell in the world, weighing 201.9 tonnes, with a height of 6.14 m and diameter of 6.6 m, and thickness of up to 61 cm. The broken piece weighs 11.5 tonnes.

• Troitskaya Tower or Trinity Tower

  address: Kreml
  It is a tower with a through-passage in the centre of the northwestern wall of the Moscow Kremlin. Built in the 1490s. The Troitskaya Tower is the tallest tower of the Moscow Kremlin. Its current height on the side of the Alexander Garden together with the star is 80 m. Today, the gate of the tower is the main visitors' entrance into the Kremlin.

• Tsar Cannon

  address: Kreml
  It is a large, 5.94m long and weighs 39.31t cannon. Its bronze-cast barrel has an internal diameter of 890mm, and an external diameter of 1.2 m. It was cast in 1586 in Moscow, by the Russian master bronze caster Andrey Chokhov. The spherical cast-iron projectiles in front of the cannon - each of which weighs approximately 1 tonne, made in 1834.

• Tsarina's Golden Chamber

  address: Kreml
  It was the official reception room of the Russian tsarinas. The walls of the chamber are decorated with paintings on a golden background. Now part of President’s residence.

• Church of the Deposition of the Robe in the Kremlin

  address: Kremlin district, Kremlevskaya naberezhnaya
  1486, Russian Orthodox.

Kitay-Gorod

• Epiphany (Bogoyavlensky) Monastery

  phone: +7 495 298-3771
  address: Kitay-Gorod,Bogoyavlenskiy pereulok, 2
  It is the oldest male monastery in Moscow, founded 1290s. - The cathedral, bell tower, monk cells and abbot's chamber were the only buildings to survive.

• Iberian Gate and Chapel

  address: Kitay-Gorod, Proyezd Voskresenskiye Vorota, 1А
  Iberian Gate is the only existing gate of the Kitai-gorod. It connects the north-western end of Red Square with Manege Square and gives its name to nearby Voskresenskaya Square (Resurrection Square). - Rebuilt in 1680. Two hipped roofs with two-headed eagles were added, and the Icon of Christ's Resurrection was placed above the gate. The gate adjoins the ornate building of the Moscow City Hall to the east and the State Historical Museum to the west. Just in front of the chapel is a bronze plaque marking kilometre zero of the Russian highway system.

• Gostiny Dvor

  phone: +7 495 698 1202
  address: Kitay-gorod, Str. Ilyinka (ул. Ильинка), 4
  Formerly accommodating both shops and warehouses, it was constructed of brick in the 1590s and underwent significant modifications from 1638–41.

• Moscow Print Yard

  address: Kitay-gorod, Nikolskaya ulitsa, 15
  was the first publishing house in Russia. It was established in Kitai-gorod at the behest of Ivan the Terrible in 1553. The historic headquarters of the Print Yard now house the Russian State University for the Humanities.

• Saint Basil's Cathedral

  address: Kitay-gorod, Red Square
  Built from 1555–61 on orders from Ivan the Terrible and commemorates the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan. The original building contained eight side churches arranged around the ninth, central church of Intercession; the tenth church was erected in 1588 over the grave of venerated local saint Vasily (Basil). Inside is a museum, with a very original and bold medieval architectural setting that should not be missed.

• Zaikonospassky monastery

  address: Kitay-gorod, Ulitsa Nikolskaya (ул. Никольская), 7/9
  It was founded in 1600. Today's architectural ensemble includes the Saviour Cathedral and several 17th-century chambers as well former school building which dates to 1822.

Other religious buildings

• Kazan Cathedral

  phone: +7 495 698-2726
  address: Nikolskaya ulitsa, 5/1
  A Russian Orthodox church. The current building is a reconstruction of the original church, which was destroyed at the direction of then General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, in 1936.

Museums

• English Manor Museum

  phone: +7 495 698-3952
  address: Ulitsa Varvarka (ул. Варварка), 4а
  Part of Museum of History of Moscow.

• Moscow Design Museum

  address: Manezhnaya Square (Манежная площадь), 1
  The museum located in an exhibition space in CEH “Manege”. The main goal is to promote Russian design, educate the public about visual culture and further international cooperation.

• State Historical Museum

  phone: +7 495 692-4019, +7 495 692-6817 (excursions), +7 495 692-3731 (excursions)
  address: Krasnaya ploshad (Красная пл.), 1/2
  Inside a red-brick palace with its silver roof, towering opposite St. Basil's Cathedral in Red Square. Its exhibitions range from relics of prehistoric tribes that lived on the territory of present-day Russia, through priceless artworks acquired by members of the Romanov dynasty. Notable items include a longboat excavated from the banks of the Volga River, gold artifacts of the Scythians, birch-bark scrolls of Novgorod, manuscripts going back to the sixth century, Russian folk ceramics, and wooden objects. The library boasts the manuscripts of the Chludov Psalter (860s), Svyatoslav's Miscellanies (1073), Mstislav Gospel (1117), Yuriev Gospel (1119), and Halych Gospel (1144). The total number of objects in the museum's collection comes to four millions. (If your time allowing spend here a half or a full day).

• State Historical Museum, Pokrovsky Cathedral, St. Basil's Cathedral

  phone: +7 495 698-3304 (excursions)
  address: Krasnaya ploshad (Красная пл.),

• State Historical Museum, The War of 1812

  phone: +7 495 692-4019, +7 495 692-3731 (Bureau of museum services), +7 495 692-6817, +7 495 698-2000, +7 495 692-4019 (Tourism management)
  address: Ploshchad Revolyutsii (Площадь Революции), 2/3

• State Historical Museum, Palace of Romanov Boyars

  phone: +7 495 698-3235
  address: Ul. Varvarka (ул.Варварка), 10
  Excursions such as 'Home life of kings and boyars', 'The first Romanovs', 'How Muscovites lived in ancient times', 'Winged words and phrases today', 'A tour in Moscow underground archaeological museum where you can see «in situ» oven bakery, c. 16th century.'

Monuments

• Red Square

  address: Kitai-gorod
  The heart of Moscow and the first destination for most visitors to the city. Surrounded by St. Basil's Cathedral, the State History Museum, Lenin's Mausoleum and one of the Kremlin's long brick walls. The cobbles that make up the square are black and not red; the name comes from another gloss of the Russian word "krasniy", meaning "beautiful". Part of the UNESCO World Heritage List

• Lenin Mausoleum

  address: Kreml
  Walk past the embalmed body of Vladimir Lenin (who actually did not want any monuments to be built for him, and wanted to be cremated) and join the debate if it is still him.

Monument to Alexander II

address: ulitsa Volkhonka (Волхонка), 13

Lay on a granite pedestal, which lists his services to Russia: the abolition of serfdom, the introduction of the system of local self-government, military and judicial reforms, the completion of many years of the Caucasian War. The monument envisages the full height figure of the Emperor — 5 meters high, standing on a 5 meter pedestal. The new monument is located in a slope, made use of it in such a way that, from one side, the emperor is elevated on a pedestal and, from the other side, it seems that the emperor is standing right on the ground, portraying a man who is just standing and looking into the distance, facing the cathedral.

Monument to Minin and Pozharsky

address: Красная площадь, Mokhovaya ulitsa, 6/2

The statue commemorates Prince Dmitry Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin, who gathered an all-Russian volunteer army and expelled the forces of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from Moscow, thus putting an end to the Time of Troubles in 1612. Designer was Ivan Martos. There are reliefs on the pedestal of the monument: Frontside: high relief depicts patriotic citizens who donate their property for the benefit of the motherland. Left - Martos sculptor himself, who gives fatherland two sons. - Backside upper relief: depicts Prince Pozharsky, drove the Poles from Moscow.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

address: Kremlevskiy proyezd

This is a war memorial, dedicated to the Soviet soldiers killed during World War II. The dark red porphyry monument is decorated with a bronze sculpture of a laurel branch and a soldier's helmet laid upon a banner. In front of the monument, there is a five-pointed star in a square field of labradorite, which emanates the Eternal Flame from its center. The flame illuminates a bronze inscription "Имя твоё неизвестно, подвиг твой бессмертен" ("Your name is unknown, your deed is immortal"). The torch for the memorial's Eternal Flame was transported from Leningrad, where it had been lit from the Eternal Flame at the Field of Mars. To the left of the tomb is a granite wall with an inlay stating: "1941 - To Those Who Have Fallen For The Motherland - 1945".

Fountains

• Fountains of Manezhnaya Square

  address: Manezhnaya Square
  Among the 12 fountains there are: Geyser (Гейзер), Heroes of Fairy Tales (Герои сказок), Four Seasons (Четыре времени года), symbolized by bronze horses, the Curtain (Завеса), is just behind the former. The later two ones are nicknamed as "Washing Away of the Horses". The fountains were designed by the (in)famous sculptor and artist Zurab Tsereteli.

• Petrovskiy Fountain

  address: Theater Square, Театральная площадь
  Founded in 1835. Under the bowl of the fountain are hidden four puttos: for poetry, tragedy, comedy and music.

Parks, gardens

• Alexander Garden

  address: Kitay-gorod, Red Square
  Stroll in the park that comprises three separate gardens, stretching along all the length of the western Kremlin wall for 865 m between the buildings of the Moscow Manege and the Kremlin.

• Manezhnaya Square

  address: Manezhnaya
  A large pedestrian open space at the heart of Moscow bounded by the Hotel Moskva to the east, the State Historical Museum and the Alexander Garden to the south, the Moscow Manege to the west, and the 18th-century headquarters of the Moscow State University to the north. The centrepiece of the renovated square is a four-storey underground shopping mall and parking lot, capped with a rotating glass cupola, which forms a world clock of the northern hemisphere with major cities marked and a scheme of lights below each panel to show the progression of the hour. Another innovation is the feign river-bed of the Neglinnaya River, which has become a popular attraction for the Muscovites and tourists alike, especially on sultry days in summer. The river's course is imitated by a rivulet dotted with fountains and statues of Russian fairy-tale characters.

• Taynitsky Garden

  address: Kremlin South
  This park is named after the Taynitskaya Tower in the Kremlin Wall, and is part of the portion of the Kremlin which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One highlight of this garden is an oak tree named Cosmos, planted by Yuri Gagarin on 14 April 1961, just two days after his return from his historic space flight. Archaeological investigations at Taynitsky Garden in 2007 uncovered the foundations of ancient houses and artefacts from everyday medieval life. In 2013, a helipad was constructed for the use of President Vladimir Putin.

Sports

• Bosco rink

  address: Red Square
  glamorous and easy, although bit costly and not too favoured by advanced skaters.

Theatres

• Chamber Musical Theatre

  phone: +7 495 606-7008
  address: Ulitsa Nikolskaya (ул. Никольская) 17
  A Moscow theatre and opera house, founded in 1971. The theatre is also known as the "Pokrovsky Opera".

• International House of Music

  phone: +7 495 730-1011
  address: Kosmodamianskaya Embankment (Космодамианская набережная), 52
  Opened on 28 Sep 2003 with the debut of a new orchestra, the National Philharmonic of Russia. The centre cost USD200 million to construct. It is part of a business and hotel complex called Riverside Towers, intended by the City to be its equivalent of the "Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The centre has a circular concert hall similar to the Philharmonie in Berlin. Seating is laid out on two principal levels, and arranged in various tiers that almost surround the stage. The hall is on the third storey, with promenade areas below. The auditorium seats 1,735, and is composed largely of Siberian larch wood, a blonde wood considered among the best for acoustics, with a light, airy look. The centre also houses a 575-seat chamber hall, a 532-seat theatre and three concert venues. It also has a sound studio, a rehearsal hall, an audio-video complex, an exhibition hall, a hall of light, music rooms, the Allegro restaurant, the Bluthner music room, a summer patio called the Music Terrace and another concert hall that seats 120. The modernistic, cylindrical glass and steel centre is topped by an enormous, 9.5-metre-tall, 2-tonne, treble clef covered in gold leaf that rotates like a weathercock.

• Moscow Chamber Musical Theatre

  phone: +7 495 606-7008
  address: China City, Ul. Nikolskaya ( ул. Никольская), 17
  This is a Moscow theatre and opera house. Founded in 1971

• Tretyakov Drive

  address: Kitay-gorod
  It is a short street with boutiques and shops with many luxury goods and known as one of the most expensive shopping areas in the world. The mediaeval-looking archway onto Theatre Drive was designed in 1871.

Shops

• Moscow GUM Department Store

  phone: +7 495 788-4343
  address: Red Square
  In 1819 Catherine II of Russia commissioned Giacomo Quarenghi, a Neoclassical architect from Italy, to design a huge trade centre along the east side of Red Square. The existing structure was built to replace the previous trading rows that had been designed by Joseph Bove after the 1812 Fire of Moscow. Contained more than 1200 shops – once filled with Soviet-era goods of mediocre quality, it is now a mall with international labels and hyper-expensive boutiques. Even if you don't buy anything, it's highly recommended you go inside and look at the architecture. With the façade extending for 242 m along the eastern side of Red Square, the Upper Trading Rows were built between 1890s. The trapezoidal building features an interesting combination of elements of Russian medieval architecture and a steel framework and glass roof, a similar style to the great 19th-century railway stations of London. - The glass-​roofed design made the building unique at the time of construction. The roof, the diameter of which is 14 m, looks light, but it is a firm construction made of more than 50,000 metal pods 743 t, capable of supporting snowfall accumulation. Illumination is provided by huge arched skylights of iron and glass, each weighing some 740 t and containing in excess of 20,000 panes of glass. The facade is divided into several horizontal tiers, lined with red Finnish granite, Tarusa marble, and limestone. Each arcade is on three levels, linked by walkways of reinforced concrete.

Malls

• Atrium shopping mall

  phone: +7 495 970-1555
  address: ulitsa Zemlyanoy Val, 33
  has a lot of very nice stores that sell anything from cosmetics to world-known clothing brands & there are plenty of Russian fast-food chains, like Kroshka - Kartoshka with their delicious potato dishes, Pelmeshkina and Cheburekos that serve Russian pelmeni, and Rostik's, which is basically a Russian version of McDonalds, although not a very successful one.

Markets

• Dorogomilovsky Market

  phone: +7 499 249-5553
  address: Mozhayski Val. (улица Можайский Вал), 10
  Even if not buying anything just to see what for sale also a good time spending. There are tables full with fresh produce from green to fish.

Budget

For information on fast-food chains operating in Moscow, including street food, American-style fast food, and canteen-style cafeterias, see Moscow#Eat

Mid-range

• Korchma Taras Bulba – Petrovka 30/7 near metro Pushkinskaya/Chekhovskaya. Pyatnickaya St. 14 near metro Novokuznetsckaya. Ukrainian chain restaurant with an interior decorated like a Ukrainian house. Dinner costs US$25 for two people.
• Lavash – Cuisine from the Caucus region. Large menu with pictures, good choice of Russian beer and vodka at reasonable prices. Looks more expensive than it is. It is 100 m south of the Nikulin circus on Tsvetnoi Bulvar (Цветной бульвар). Come out of Tsvetnoi Bulvar, turn right, walk 2 minutes.

• The Old Tower

  phone: +7 495 698-4008
  address: Teatralnaja ploščad 5/1 (Театральная площадь, д. 5, стр. 1)
  Russian cuisine with some unusual dishes such as bear and elk, in a medieval setting. Has a huge beer menu which, however, seems not to be always available.

• Oprichnik

  address: Pyatnitsky pereulok (Пятницкий переулок), 2
  (987-10-05). Ancient dishes of Russian cuisine including game.

• Starlite Diner

  address: Bolotnaya Sq., 16/5
  A small chain of American-style diners, where you can still try Russian borsch or pelmeni. Popular among Moscow expats as almost first places run by foreigners; among Moscow middle-class crowd for quality food and fast service. Other units: - M.Universitet, Vernadskogo Ave., 6 (TC "Kapitoliy"), +7 495 783-4037; - M. Mayakovskaya, Bolshaya Sad, 16 (Aquarium Park), +7 495 650-0246; - Strastnoy, bul. 8a, +7 495 989-4461; - M.Oktyabrskaya, Korovy Val, 9a,+7 495 959-8919;

Splurge

• Darbar Indian restaurant

  phone: +7 495 930-2925, +7 495 930-2365
  address: Leninsky Prospect, 38
  It is a bit aside from the city-center, but has a very good location with a panoramic view over the city. The cuisine is authentic; arguably it's the best Indian restaurant in Moscow. Staff speak English. Also a great place to watch the salute away from the crowds.

• Mi Piace Italian restaurant

  phone: +7 495 250-0893
  address: Chayanova, 22
  A chain of Italian restaurants. Relatively expensive but quite popular among locals and expatriates working in Moscow. Addresses are: 13/9 B. Ordynka (951-52-50, 953-96-65); 20 Sadovaya-Samotechnaya (694-0001); 16/16 Pokrovka (623-4411); 7, 1st Tverskaya Yamskaya (970-1129)

Bars, clubs

• Gogol Bar

  address: Stoleshnikov pereulok (Столешников переулок).
  – This bar is on the posh street, houses deluxe brand shops such as Chanel, Burberry, and Cartier. The entrance to the bar is between Vivienne Westwood and the Lancel boutique. The interior, menu and drinks are quite simple. Musical performances every weekend. During the winter, the small yard is used as a skating rink. There are also Gogol' Bars on Arbat and Maroseika St.

• Krizis Zhanra

  address: Pokrowski Bulvar and Ulica Pokrowka (улица Покровка) cnr
  Mediocre Italian-themed Russian cuisine. They play alternative music and on weekends the restaurant is turned into a small rock club (at about 23:00 the tables are taken out). The place is popular with students with money but who are not elitny.

• Propaganda

  phone: +7 495 624-5732
  address: Bol. Zlatoustinsky, 8
  A great alternative bar with lots of cheap drinks. With great music, a hip and funky crowd, as well as a relatively relaxed door control. Propaganda is a great place to dance all night and have fun. Also very good value-for-money place to eat.

Beer and wine

• Bobby Dazzler Pub

  phone: +7 495 6080383
  address: Kostyanskiy pereulok 7/13
  Pub in British style. Wide choice of UK beers. The cuisine menu is large as in a restaurant. Beers and food are reasonable priced.

Cafes

• Coffeemania chainThe most expensive coffee chain in Moscow. The cafe has great breakfasts and is excellent for people watching in the morning and pre-concert coffee in the evening as well.

• Coffee Bean

  address: Petrovka 18/3
  Petrovka is most coffee-conscious place in the Coffee Bean chain (also Pokrovka, Pyatnitskaya, Leningradsky). Some of the Coffee Bean stores also provide free internet (eg. Pokrovka).

• Volkonsky

  address: Maroseika 4/2
  For a late night nibble or a quick morning pick me up, Volkonsky is one of the better places in Moscow that doubles as a bakery/coffee shop. Great ambiance and a neighborhood feel.

• Starbucks Cafe

  address: Mega-Khimki and Mega-Belaya Dacha; Moscow City; Sheremetyevo-3; Metropolis (M. Voykovskaya); Aeroport Gallery (M. Aeroport)
  Starbucks has finally broken the wall into hard ground Russia. Promises to open another 10-20 stores.

Budget

Mid-range

Splurge

• Baltschug Kempinski

  phone: +7 495 230 5500
  address: ul. Balchug, 1
  Hotel is located facing the Red Square and St.Basil's Cathedral. It features spacious rooms, good service and a buffet-breakfast.

• Golden Apple Hotel

  phone: +7 495 980 7000
  address: 11 Malaya Dmitrovka
  92 individually decorated rooms and suites. Cable&satellite TV channels, and Wi-Fi. Sauna and jacuzzi, laundry, dry-cleaning and valet services, and 24 hours room service.

• Golden Ring

  address: Smolenskaya ulitsa, 5
  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.

• Le Royal Meridien National

  phone: +7 495 258 7000
  address: 15/1, bld. 1 ul. Mokhovaya
  Traditional Art Nouveau-style hotel located in city centre next to the Red Square. Rooms are spacious, clean and comfortable, with plasma TVs, minibars and more. Internet use is extremely pricey though at a minute.

• Mamaison All-Suites Spa Hotel Pokrovka

  phone: +7 495 229 5757
  address: Pokrovka st 40, bld 2
  In downtown, designed in Art-Deco. Spa by Algotherm. Restaurant "Numbers".

• Hotel Metropol

  phone: +7 495 796-2746
  address: Teatralny proezd (Театральный проезд), 1/4
  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.

• Hotel National

  phone: +7 495 258 7000
  address: Mokhovaya Street, 15/1
  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.T Thebuilding 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-m² socialist realist artwork focusing on the industrial might of the Soviet economy. It has 202 bedrooms and 56 suites.

• The Ritz-Carlton

  address: Tverskaya ulitsa 3/5
  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.

Libraries

• Russian State Library

  phone: +7 8 800 100-5790
  address: Arbat district,
  Over 275 km of shelves with more than 43 million items. Subdepartments: - Vozdvizhenka, 3/5 (M: Arbatskaya, Aleksandrovsky Sad, Borovitskaya, Biblioteka Imeni Lenina), Vozdvizhenka str., 3/5, str. 1 (Dom Pashkova)- (M: Arbatskaya, Aleksandrovsky Sad, Borovitskaya, Biblioteka Imeni Lenina) - Vozdvizhenka str., 1. (M: Arbatskaya, Aleksandrovsky Sad, Borovitskaya, Biblioteka Imeni Lenina) - Mokhovaya, 6-8. (M: Arbatskaya, Aleksandrovsky Sad, Borovitskaya, Biblioteka Imeni Lenina) - Khimky, Bibliotechnaya str., 15. (M: Rechnoy Vokzal + bus 344 or 368 to ’Bibliotechnaya Ulitsa’ bus stop; by train: from Leningradskiy Central Station to Levoberezhnaya)

Mobile phones

• Megafon SalonOther units

• Mobile TeleSystems (or MTS) salon

• Beeline salon

  address: Ul. Tverskaya (ул. Тверская-Ямская) 1-я, 2
  Ul. Krasnoproletarskaya(ул. Краснопролетарская), 4; Rozhdestvenka (ул. Рождественка), 6/9/20 M: Kuzhnetskiy Most; Manezhnaya (пл. Манежная), 1, стр. 2 M:Teatralnaya; Ul. Arbat (ул. Арбат), 12, M:Arbatskaya; Manezhnaya, Pereulok Klimentovskiy (пер. Климентовский), 12, M:Tretyakovskaya