Moscow, Russia

Moscow, Russia

Red Square, Moscow, Russia (cc)

Moscow Travel Guide

Introduction

Moscow, Moskva in Russian, has more billionaires than any other city in the world. Yep, more than even New York or London. And why is that? one might ask. Well, virtually all Russian billionaires – oligarchs, robber barons, businessmen – choose to live in the capital city. Moscow is also one of only two megacities in Europe (the other being Istanbul, Turkey), with more than 11 million people packed into its huge urban districts that fan out from the central Red Square along streets that connect with outer ring roads in an eye-popping display of size and dimension. But lest we get the wrong idea, the city is more than just a vast compilation of Soviet-era apartment blocks: there are in fact scores of architectural gems from centuries past, no dearth of iconic landmarks such as the Kremlin complex and St. Basil's Cathedral with its medley of colorful, whimsical domes, museums heaped with treasures from Tsarist Russia, performing arts venues as storied as any – think Bolshoi Theatre, for one – overpriced restaurants and tourist cafés, souvenir vendors and shopping malls in the mold of GUM, skyscrapers that light up the night skies, and public parks that lend relief to this otherwise seemingly endless city. Indeed, here is a city of massive proportions, a veritable megalopolis, that offers a whiff of monarchy, communism and capitalism in turns, and, often enough, all at once, like a double shot of Smirnoff vodka.

Location

How to Get There

Sightseeing

Neighborhoods

How to Get Around

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

Where to Party

Essential Information

Nearby Destinations

How to Get There

Sightseeing

Main Neighborhoods

Moscow does not have a downtown. It is divided into 12 okrugs or administrative divisions, which are further divided into raions or districts, and then into neighborhoods. Most of the interest lies in the Central Administrative Okrug in the heart of the city.