Holiday in Moscow

The two sides to Russia are beautifully exemplified in the stunning city of extremes and opposites. Ancient monasteries and buildings stand side-by-side with brand new ultra-contemporary tributes to architectural might. Perhaps more poignantly, "New Russian" multi-millionaires co-habit the same city as poverty-stricken homeless people.

Consumerism is now the order of the day in Russia and Moscow is certainly no exception. Moscovites prefer international brand names to individual no-name stores. However, the real flavour of this city lies in its oft-ignored nooks and crannies.

Moscow is the capital and largest city of Russia, with a metropolitan area ranking among the largest urban areas in the world. The city is the country's religious, economic, financial, educational and transportation centre. Located on the Moskva River in the Central Federal District, Moscow is also the largest city in Europe.

Traditions and culture

Moscow's cultural heritage is deeply rooted in a prolific artistic history. Moscow's world-famous museums and galleries have splendid collections and are some of the largest and most important in the world.

Frequent art exhibitions thrive today as they did during pre-Revolutionary times and are derived from diverse branches of the arts including painting, photography and sculpture.


The architecture on display in Moscow is simply breath-taking and gives an idea of the significance of art and design in Russia's culture.

Russian architecture was influenced predominantly by the Byzantine architecture until the fall of Constantinople, while Aristotle Fioravanti and other Italian architects were responsible for introducing Renaissance trends.

Russia is a large and culturally diverse country with dozens of ethnic groups, each with their own forms of folk music. After the fall of the USSR, western-style rock and pop music became the most popular musical forms in Russia, while interest in some native artists' music was reignited.

Recommended in Moscow

The Obraztsov puppet theatre at the very north part of the Garden Ring has performances during the winter in the evening. This is a must for children, who will enjoy the delightful simple stories.

The Nikulin circus on Tsvetnoi Bulvar also comes recommended. Children and adults alike will enjoy the performances that the circus' talented artistes put on show.

The Russian Winter Festival, celebrated between December 25th and January 5th, is an exciting and fun affair, with troika rides, folklore shows and games all available to tourists.

Weather in Moscow

Moscow's climate essentially consists of two seasons - winter and summer. July and August are the warmest months, with temperature highs around the mid-20s.

By the end of November most of Moscow is completely frozen. Snow usually arrives in December and stays until April. Spring arrives quickly though, to thaw away winter's ice.

Destination checklist for Moscow

As Russian is the official language, a holiday guide that includes useful phrases will come in handy.

The official currency is the Russian rouble and the international dialling code for Moscow is +7.

A value hotel for those on a shoestring budget shouldn't be too difficult to find. A room in a cheap hotel should cost on average between 800 and 1600 roubles.