Lonely Planet Moscow , livre ebook

Moscow

Contents

Plan Your Trip

Welcome to Moscow
Moscow's Top 10
What's New
Need to Know
First Time Moscow
Getting Around
Top Itineraries
If You Like...
Month By Month
With Kids
For Free
Visas
Guided Tours & Activities
Travelling to St Petersburg
Museums & Galleries
Tour of the Metro
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping

Explore

Neighbourhoods at a Glance
Kremlin & Kitay Gorod
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Tverskoy
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Sports & Activities
Presnya
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Sports & Activities
Arbat & Khamovniki
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Sports & Activities
Zamoskvorechie
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Sports & Activities
Meshchansky & Basmanny
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Sports & Activities
Day Trips from Moscow
Abramtsevo
Vladimir
Suzdal
Borodino
Sleeping

Understand

Understand Moscow
Moscow Today
History
Performing Arts
Art & Architecture
Literature & Cinema

Survive

Transport
Arriving in Moscow
Getting Around Moscow
Directory AZ
Customs Regulations
Discount Cards
Electricity
Embassies & Consulates
Emergency
LGBTIQ Travel
Health
Internet Access
Legal Matters
Medical Services
Opening Hours
Post
Public Holidays
Safe Travel
Telephone
Time
Toilets
Tourist Information
Travellers with Disabilities
Women Travellers
Language
Moscow Maps
Kremlin & Kitay Gorod
Tverskoy
Arbat
Presnya
Khamovniki
Zamoskvorechie
Meshchansky & Basmanny

Table of Contents

Behind the Scenes
Our Writers
Welcome to Moscow

During any season, at any hour of the day, Moscow thrills visitors with its artistry, history and majesty.

Kremlin & Red Square
The very founding site of the city (and arguably, the country), the Kremlin and Red Square are still at the heart of Moscow – historically, geographically and spiritually. Feel the weight of this significance as you wander within the walls of the ancient fortress, marvel at the mind-boggling magnificence of St Basil's Cathedral and pay your respects to the revered leader of a now-defunct state. Moscow will move you. It will tantalise your senses, soothe your spirit and boggle your mind – and it all starts right here at the Kremlin and Red Square.

Communist History
The remains of the Soviet state are scattered all around the city. Monuments remember fallen heroes and victorious battles, while museums attempt to analyse and synthesise the past. See Lenin and Stalin – off their pedestals – at the whimsical Art Muzeon. Step into the socialist-realist fantasy at VDNKh. Descend into the depths of the Soviet system at Bunker-42 Cold War Museum. Ride the museum-like metro and remember the millions who suffered at the Gulag History Museum. Nowadays, retro clubs and cafes give their guests a taste of the Soviet experience. You can even try your hand at Soviet-era arcade games.

Performing Arts
What is more thrilling than watching a ballerina defy gravity, leaping across the stage at the glittering Bolshoi Theatre? Or feeling the force of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, just a few blocks away from where it premiered more than a century ago? Or oohing and aahing as circus performers soar under the big tent? The classical performing arts in Moscow are still among the best in the world. Nowadays, even the most traditional theatres are experimenting with innovative arrangements, reviving lost favourites and hosting world premieres. Whether you appreciate the classics or prefer the contemporary, the capital's performing arts will impress.

Orthodoxy & Architecture
At nearly every turn in Moscow, you'll see golden domes peeking out over the rooftops and hear church bells peeling through the streets, which are dotted with some 600 churches – many of which are glittering after recent renovations. There are colourful hidden gems, historic fortresses and gargantuan cathedrals. The exteriors are adorned with stone carvings and glittering domes; interiors are packed with ancient icons, swirling incense and faithful worshippers. For more than a millennium, Orthodoxy has helped to define the Russian nation, a significance that is palpable in these atmospheric spiritual places.

St Basil’s Cathedral, Red Square | alex alekseev/shutterstock ©


Why I Love Moscow
By Mara Vorhees, Writer
Moscow lives and breathes Russian history, from the ancient Kremlin on the city's founding site to the ubiquitous legacy of the Soviet period. Yet the history is not staid: on every visit I witness it unfolding in the here and now. The metro expands in every direction. Old factories and power plants are converted into art centres and nightlife hubs. Bans on imported food inspire an innovative locavore movement. The biggest hotel in the world gives way to a 'wild urbanism' park. Moscow is unstoppable – and it never ceases to inspire me in some unexpected way.
Moscow's Top 10

Kremlin
1 This ancient fortress is the founding site of Moscow and the ultimate symbol of political power in Russia. Within its ancient walls you can admire the artistry of Russia’s greatest icon painters, shed a tear for Russia’s great and tragic rulers, peer down the barrel of the gargantuan Tsar Cannon and gawk at the treasure trove that fuelled a revolution. On your way out, admire the bouquets left by newlyweds and scrutinise the perfect synchronicity of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
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anton krotov/shutterstock ©

Moscow's Top 10

Red Square
2 Stepping onto Red Square never ceases to inspire, with the tall towers and imposing walls of the Kremlin, the playful jumble of patterns and colours adorning St Basil’s Cathedral, the majestic red bricks of the State History Museum and the elaborate edifice of GUM, all encircling a vast stretch of cobblestones. Individually they are impressive, but all together, the ensemble is electrifying. Red Square should be among your first stops in Moscow. Return at night to see the square empty of crowds and the buildings awash in lights.
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pedrosala/shutterstock ©

Moscow's Top 10

Ballet at the Bolshoi
3 An evening at the Bolshoi Theatre is the ultimate 'special occasion' in the capital. Ever since its opening in 1856, the neoclassical theatre has offered a magical setting for a spectacle, whether ballet or opera. The main stage still sparkles brightly, with the theatre space draped in rich red velour and glittering with gilded mouldings, but it has also been updated with the latest technologies. The historic theatre is the premier place to see the Bolshoi Ballet – one of the leading ballet companies in the country (and the world).
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sergey petrov/shutterstock ©

Moscow's Top 10

Gorky Park
4 Back in the day, Gorky Park was famous as a setting for a spy novel, but nowadays it is Moscow's hippest, most happening hotspot. From morning (when runners ply the riverside path) to night (when dancers move to sultry music), the hipsters have taken over. In fact, the whole length of the Krymskaya nab – from Red October to Vorobyovy Gory – has been redesigned into a chain of sparkling fountains, sport courts, outdoor art exhibits and summer cafes. From May to September, there's no better place to be.
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dimbar76/shutterstock ©

Moscow's Top 10

Factories Turned Art Centres
5 Nothing exemplifies postindustrial cool like the art complexes and design centres that have proliferated in the capital's former factories and warehouses. The place that started the trend is Winzavod, a former wine-bottling factory that now houses cutting-edge art galleries. Since that initial success, many other factories have followed suit. Flakon was a crystal production plant, but now it's a centre for design and architecture. A former bread factory, Khlebozavod 9 bustles with boutiques and trendy cafes. And the list goes on. This is contemporary, creative Moscow at its best.
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pavel l photo and video/shutterstock ©

Moscow's Top 10

Moscow Metro
6 The Moscow metro is at once a history lesson and an art museum (not to mention a pretty efficient form of transportation). Construction started in the 1930s and it continues today. The design of the stations and the direction of the expansion tell a story about Moscow in the 20th and 21st centuries. Even more intriguing is the amazing artwork and architectural design that characterises the stations, many of which are constructed from granite and marble, and are adorned with mosaics, bas-reliefs and other detailing.
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mgfoto/shutterstock ©

Moscow's Top 10

Tretyakov Gallery
7 The memorable Russian-Revival building on Lavrushinsky per is Moscow’s largest art museum and the world's premier collection of Russian art, covering the span of Russian art history from ancient icons to avant-garde. (Indeed, the Tretyakov’s second building on Krymsky val continues further into the 20th century with supremetism, constructivism and, of course, socialist realism.) The Tretyakov is famed for its impressive collection of wonderful realist paintings by the Peredvizhniki, but the museum also contains show-stopping examples of Russian Revival and art nouveau works.
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volkova nathalia/shutterstock ©

Moscow's Top 10

Banya at Sanduny Baths
8 What better way to cope with big-city stress than to have it steamed, sweated, washed and beaten out of you? The banya is a uniquely Russian experience that will leave you feeling clean, refreshed and relaxed. In winter, the tension of constant cold is released by the hot, steamy bath, while a beating with birch branches helps to improve circulation. But even in warmer temperatures, the Russian bathhouse experience is refreshing and reinvigorating. Sanduny i