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Russia : Moscow - November 2008

Country Code: Dial + for Russia

November doesn’t show Moscow at its best. Warm weather is a distant memory and the city hasn’t yet become a snowy winter wonderland. But when rain forces you indoors, what better way to spend the day than shopping at all the best boutiques? Just make sure you move outside for public celebrations of Unity Day on 4 November, says Micha Rinkus

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

Russia’s most iconic sight is Red Square, bordered by the multicoloured, onion-domed Saint Basil’s Cathedral and the majestic Kremlin.

Sleep soundly – Rest your head at the historic Metropol, a masterpiece of art nouveau architecture.

Culture vultures – Pay a visit to the father of communism at the Lenin Mausoleum (Krasnaya Ploshschad). The former October Revolution Day (7 November) is now celebrated on 4 November as Unity Day, with celebrations in Red Square and rallies around the city.

Must eat – Bosco Cafe (3 Krasnaya Ploshchad, inside GUM, ) is the perfect place to peoplewatch on Red Square.

Shop til you drop – Fashioned after a vintage Soviet grocery store, Gastronom No. 1 (3 Red Square) sells the gamut of food products, from quaint condensed milk tins to top-of-the-line caviar.

ARBAT

Once the haunt of artists and writers (notably Alexander Pushkin), the Arbat neighbourhood is now populated by souvenir vendors and gaudy casinos.

Culture vultures – Literary buffs will enjoy the Pushkin House Museum (53 Arbat Ulitsa), a beautiful 18th-century mansion where the poet briefly lived.

Must eat – Cosy up at Les Z’amis de Jean-Jacques (12 Nikitsky Bulvar, ), a charming French café beloved for its brunches. If money is no object, test-drive Nabi (4 Afanasievsky Pereulok, ), an excellent but expensive Asian fusion restaurant.

Must drink – Hemingway’s favourite Cuban bar was the inspiration for the Moscow outpost of cigar bar Floridita (36 Arbat Ulitsa) which serves fantastic rum cocktails and plenty of Latin spirit.

Shop til you drop – Rising Russian fashion designer Sunie Li (15 Novy Arbat Ulitsa) has an eponymous line of reasonably priced workwear for women.

PATRIARCH’S PONDS

A green oasis in a concrete jungle, Patriarch’s Ponds is one the most picturesque and arty neighborhoods in Moscow.

Culture vultures – Author Mikhail Bulgakov wrote The Master and Margarita, an early Soviet tale of the devil’s appearance in Moscow, when he was living by Patriarch’s Ponds. Fans still make the pilgrimage to his apartment, now converted into a museum (10 Bolshaya Sadovaya Ulitsa).

Must eat – Cosy Café Margarita (28 Malaya Bronnaya Ulitsa) is one of the city’s best-kept secrets. On a rainy day, try hot bread and pastries at Volkonsky (2/46 Bolshaya Sadovaya Ulitsa, ), a popular French bakery.

Dance the night away – Head to multi-level nightclub B2 (8 Bolshaya Sadovaya Ulitsa).

Shop til you drop – Shop for art books and magazines around the clock at alternative bookstore Respublika (10 1st Tverskaya-Yamskaya Ulitsa).

KUZNETSKY MOST

Moscow’s fashion district Kuznetsky Most has enough boutiques to sustain a long day of shopping, and many cafés at which to relax afterwards.

Sleep soundly – The five-star Ararat Park Hyatt has an amazing top-floor atrium.

Must eat – Refuel on cheap eats at friendly cafeteria Moo-Moo (5/7 Rozhdestvenka Ulitsa, ). Managed by the Belgian chocolate brand, Guylian Cafe (8/1 Neglinnaya Ulitsa, ) gets packed out with weary shoppers sipping hot chocolate.

Must drink – Just Another Bar (8/10 Neglinnaya Ulitsa) is quite the misnomer. This posh bar has sky-high prices and brutal face control.

Dance the night away – Salsa and hip hop nights make Karma Bar (3/12 Pushchechnaya Ulitsa) an enduring favourite with visitors

Compiled by Micha Rinkus