Being the second-largest city in Europe with beautiful architecture and gingerbread buildings, Moscow was definitely on my list when I decided to visit Russia.
During my 3 week stay in Russia, I had about 3 days to spend in Moscow. I shortlisted a few places to see and not to rush as it is a big city and there are too many things to do. For the first-timers like me, 2-3 days should be enough to see some important attractions.
Places to see around Red Square
Red square
Red Square by itself is a great place to visit. The ornated buildings with decorations everywhere looked so colourful and the benches on the way to sit and watch the people go by were very interesting. Red Square is surrounded by some of Moscow’s popular attractions. The moment you enter the Red Square area, you can see the beautiful adornments everywhere and the whole place is so lively with many cafes, stores and souvenir shops.
Kremlin
Kremlin, the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation and Lenin’s mausoleum
Saint Basil’s Cathedral
The beautiful multicoloured onion-domed St. Basil’s Cathedral was built by the Russian ruler, Ivan the Terrible to celebrate his victory over the Tatars in Kazan. It is said that Ivan the Terrible made the designer of this beautiful creation lose his eyesight so that he cannot make anything more beautiful than this masterpiece. When I heard this story, I could relate this to our famed Taj Mahal built by Shah Jahan for his beloved Mumtaz who had also done something similar to the workers of the Taj. It is believed that Shah Jahan had cut off the hands of all those workers who were involved in building the Taj Mahal. Wonder what kind of reward is that :(.
This beautiful architecture looks amazing from any angle you see.
GUM Shopping mall
This mall is on the left side of St.Basil’s Cathedral. The building looks very impressive with all the decorations. All the stores of luxury brands from Europe and other countries are spread across the mall. I believe the glass dome is conceived to let the natural light in.
The fountain inside the building looks beautiful and if you are lucky, you will find a place to click a selfie since it seems to be crowded all the time by tourists clicking photographs. It was nice to watch some ice cream vendors on the cycles instead of having a fixed stall. You can enjoy ice cream for just 100 rubles.
Where to eat vegetarian food
There are plenty of places for vegetarians to eat in Moscow city. My top 2 favourite places during my 3-day stay here are:
Avocado cafe
Avocado Cafe is located just about 10 minutes from Red Square. They have a vast menu from different countries. The service is excellent. What I loved the most is their cafe setting. It is casual and relaxed. I went there a few times during my stay in Moscow. Wraps and their salad( Spinach with Avocado was delicious) was too good. An average meal of say a wrap and fresh juice would cost around 650 rubles.Highly recommended for Vegans.
Fresh
As the name says, Fresh serves some of the best fresh juices in town. It is on Bolshaya Dmitrovka Street. The street has many more cafes nearby. This place is great for vegans/vegetarians and also for those interested in a detox program. They have a few onion and garlic free options too making it good for people following the Yogic diet and Jain diet. A meal can cost an average of 1000 rubles per person.
Dixy supermarket is good to buy fruit, snacks and other groceries.
Where to stay
It is best to stay in the centre of the city especially if it is going to be your first time in Moscow. I did not have to use the metro or other public transportation as all the main sights were within walkable distance from the hotel. Moscow, in general, is very expensive if you need a decent accommodation. From my experience, I felt I made the right decision by choosing an accommodation close to Red square. Something that is about a 10-15 minute walk from the Red Square would be perfect.
Accommodation
View from the hotel
I stayed in 2 different hotels during my stay and would recommend the National Hotel which is just across the street from Red Square. I really liked their service and my overall experience was great. You can get a good rate especially if you are a Mariott member or if you book well in advance. I didn’t have any problem with the directions. Google Maps worked great in all the cities that I visited in Russia. Use booking.com to check for the price and then compare it with their rate on the hotel websites and book whichever is cheaper of course, I rely on reviews from tripadvisor.com to a large extent.
Getting to the city from Domodedovo airport: The average fare by taxi would be about 1800-2000 roubles to the city centre. Using the Aero Express is a good and cheaper option only if you have light luggage.
Some of the travellers that I met here advised me not to use the taxis outside the airport since they can ultimately overcharge you once you reach your destination. Use the Yandex app( you can know the rate in advance, I have used it personally a couple of times). You need to have a local number to use the app. Uber is another option as suggested by some tourists. To get a local Sim, read the Russia travel guide
If I plan another trip to Moscow in the future, I would add a few more days to my itinerary to explore other interesting places in this beautiful European city. Read my post 75 hours in Trans-Siberian train as a solo female traveller to know about my next destination in Russia.
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