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Russia : Moscow - April 2009

Country Code: Dial + for Russia

Easter is an important holiday in the Russian Orthodox calendar, so April is a great time to see the spiritual side of Moscow. On 19 April, Orthodox Easter, bells ring throughout the city. Following a mild winter, Muscovites are hoping for a warm spring. Micha Rinkus heads out to see the city burst into bloom

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).

THE KREMLIN

In the shadow of the imposing Kremlin lie some of the city’s best boutiques, restaurants and clubs.

Culture vultures – Grab your sweetheart for a stroll around the wellmanicured Alexander Gardens (Manezhnaya Ploshchad), but don’t pick the flowers!

Must eat – Sushi lovers queue down the street for dinner at Gin-no Takki (6 Tverskaya Ulitsa, ). Try it at lunchtime to avoid the crowds.

Must drink – Located on the 12th floor of the Ritz Carlton with views of the Kremlin and Red Square, 02 Lounge (3 Tverskaya Ulitsa) attracts a pretty rarefied clientele.

Dance the night away – The punkinspired interior of KichKok (21/1 Petrovka Ulitsa) matches its rebellious attitude. It’s one of the only nightclubs not exclusively playing house music.

PUSHKIN SQUARE

If you have friends to meet, tell them you’ll be under the statue in Pushkin Square, historically a popular rendezvous point.

Sleep soundly – Business travellers on a budget prefer the Sheraton Palace Hotel (19 1st Tverskaya Yamskaya Ulitsa, , starwoodhotels.com, rooms from €150/RUB 6,800) for its central location and richly coloured rooms.

Culture vultures – Get up close and personal with Soviet relics at the State Central Museum of Contemporary History of Russia (21 Tverskaya Ulitsa).

Must eat – Opulent Varvary (8a Strastnoi Bulvar, ) serves up creative renditions of Russian classics. Or load up on warm croissants and hot chocolate at Pushkin Confectioner’s Café (26/5 Tverskoi Bulvar, ).

Shop til you drop – Once highly censored by authorities, the 50-year-old bookstore Moskva (8 Tverskaya Ulitsa) stocks a wide selection of vintage Russian texts downstairs.

SPORTIVNAYA

The ‘sport’ in Sportivnaya is no accident: this south-western neighborhood is home to Luzhniki, the biggest stadium in Moscow.

Culture vultures – Easter bells will resound at Novodevichy Convent (Novodevichy Proyezd), a 16th-century monastery that once housed unmarried women, including royal relatives who fell out of favour.

Must eat – Named after a restaurant in Forte Dei Marma, Bistrot (12 Bolshoi Savvinsky Pereulok) is authentically Italian but arrestingly expensive.

Must drink – Not only can Elektrosvet (27 Pirogovskaya Ulitsa) lay claim to Moscow’s longest bar, it also doubles as an art space.

Dance the night away – Glutton for punishment? Try Soho Rooms (12/8 Savvinskaya Naberezhnaya), the reigning hotspot for New Russian party people, with face control so strict that Putin would have trouble getting in.

KITAI GOROD

This quaint historic district is now best known for its lively bar and nightclub scene – a safe bet for entertainment any day of the week.

Sleep soundly – Get pampered at the impressive MaMaison Pokrovka Suite Hotel (40/2 Pokrovka Ulitsa, , pokrovka-moscow.com, rooms from €320/RUB 14,700) one of Moscow’s first boutique establishments.

Must eat – Before a night out, hipsters gorge on pasta and salad at Solyanka (11 Solyanka Ulitsa, ), which turns into a nightclub at midnight. Hole-in-the-wall Teremok (4 Pokrovka Ulitsa, ) sells delicious blinis, Russian pancakes stuffed with cheese, jam or meat.

Must drink – With walls plastered in tacky Americana, Free Bar (23/25 Pokrovka) is a no-frills type of place to enjoy a cheap beer and a bacon salad.

Dance the night away – The mother of all Russian clubs, Propaganda (7 Bolshoi Zlatoustinsky Pereulok) dates back to the Yeltsin era and still offers the best Thursday night party in the city.

Compiled by Micha Rinkus