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Russia : Moscow - May 2008

Country Code: Dial + for Russia

May is a great time to visit Moscow. The late spring sun starts to warm up the city, the restaurants finally open their terraces and, until the 9th, you can catch the Annual Easter Festival (www.easterfestival.ru), which showcases the country’s legendary ballet, opera and classical music. Sonya Rinkus soaks up a bit of culture

Getting around

Domodedovo International Airport

Bus: Coaches from Domodedovo station leave every 15 minutes and take 35 minutes to reach the city centre. Tickets cost €1,15/RUB 40.
Train: Trains leave from Domededovo to Paveletskaya train station every 40 minutes, with the journey taking 40 minutes. Tickets cost €5/RUB 180.
Taxi: A journey to the city centre should cost about €43/RUB 1600. The trip takes around an hour.
Tourist information: The main tourist office is at 4 Ulitsa Ilyinka (tel. , www.moscow-city.ru).

RED SQUARE

520 years young, Red Square remains the most famous and awe-inspiring of Moscow’s tourist attractions.

Sleep soundly – The turn-of-the-century Metropol has a real sense of history about it.

Must eat – With the most impressive address in the city, 1 Red Square (1 Krasnaya Ploshchad, tel. ) has set about resurrecting favourite recipes of the tsars. Experience Russian beer culture at the lively Kruzhka (15 N[0131]kolskaya Ulitsa, tel. ).

Dance the night away – Moscow is about as far as you can get from Cuba, but Che (10/2 Nikolskaya Ulitsa) is all tequila shots and live Latin music.

Shop til you drop – Bosco Sport (3 Krasnaya Ploshchad), in the glitzy GUM department store, is the place to pick up official Sochi 2014 Olympic wear.

PUSHKIN SQUARE

Moscow’s central square is crowded with young people meeting friends under the statue of Alexander Pushkin.

Culture vultures – The renovated Stanislavsky and NemirovichDanchenko Theatre (17/1 Bol. Dmitrovka) will host several performances during the Easter Festival, such as Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera The Maid of Pskov on 7 May.

Must eat – A new Russian take on the beer and sausage restaurant, Dymov No. 1 (6 Mal. Dmitrovka Ulitsa, tel. ) has hip minimalist decor and a DJ most nights. For a romantic dinner after the theatre, check out the sexy, blue-lit Mulatto Thomas (17/1 Bol. Dmitrovka, tel. ).

Must drink – Vino i Syr (6 Malyi Palashevsky Pereulok) means ‘wine and cheese’ and it’s not kidding: they are the only things on the menu. Flashy Picasso Bar (12 Tverskaya Ul[0131]tsa) offers a wider choice of drinks – plus go-go dancers.

Dance the night away – Unfortunately no one over 25 can really appreciate hiphop club Zhara (8a Strastnoi Bulvar), which attracts a moneyed crowd of very young Russians.

KUZNETSKY MOST

For centuries Kuznetsky Most has been Moscow’s high-end shopping district, home to designer boutiques and chic cafés.

Sleep soundly – The intimate Savoy Hotel upholds Kuznetsky Most’s standards of luxury – and price.

Culture vultures – A sombre tribute to a dark chapter in Russia’s history, the Gulag Museum (16 Petrovka Ulitsa, tel.) stands out in this opulent neighbourhood.

Must eat – Unwind after a hard day’s shopping with a cup of hot chocolate from Guylian Café (8 Neglinnaya Ulitsa, tel. ). Named after the fashion magazine, Vogue Café (7/9 Kuznetsky Most, tel. ) is known for its model clientele and simple, yet very expensive, food.

Must drink – Just Another Bar (18 Neglinnaya Ulitsa) is perhaps the understatement of the century – just getting through the door of this super-chic establishment is a feat!

POKROVKA ULITSA

Connecting the Boulevard Ring to the Garden Ring, Pokrovka Ulitsa is packed with restaurants and boutiques.

Sleep soundly – The MaMaison Suite Hotel (40/2 Pokrovka Ulitsa, tel. , www.pokrovka-moscow. rooms from €610/RUB 22,570) is a 2007 entry to the city’s burgeoning boutique hotel scene.

Must eat – Recline on pillows at Khodzha Nasreddin in Khiva (10 Pokrovka Ulitsa, tel. ), which serves mouth-watering Uzbek shashlyki (shish kebabs) and plov (pilaf).

Dance the night away – The Café Formerly Known as Krizis Zhanra (16/1 Pokrovka Ulitsa) forgoes the capital’s habitually strict door policy.

Shop til you drop – Load up with rare Russian and Central Asian wines at Aromatny Mir (29 Pokrovka Ulitsa).

Compiled by Sonya Rinkus