Why is Moscow worth a visit?

Why Moscow is worth a trip doesn’t really need to be explained at length. Like very few other cities, the Russian capital has influenced and helped write the history of Europe and the world. Accordingly, the list of world-famous sights of Moscow is long: The Kremlin, the Red Square with St. Basil’s Cathedral and Lenin’s Mausoleum, the Bolshoi Theater and Gorky Park are only the tip of the iceberg. The capital of the Russian giant empire must be seen (at least) once in a lifetime.

Here are our top 5 reasons to travel to Moscow:

1. Moscow wrote and still writes history. For centuries, the city has been the historical and political center of Russia and accordingly has many historical places and sights.

2. Moscow is a vibrant city. Hardly any other metropolis in the world has developed so dynamically in the last three decades as the Russian capital.

3. Moscow has an excellent museum landscape. The city’s art museums as well as its history and science museums are among the most interesting in Europe.

4. Moscow is a great shopping city. Especially for luxury shopaholics, but also for bargain hunters, the city offers lots of great shopping opportunities.

5. Moscow is an excellent party city. Russians know how to party – as evidenced by the city’s countless bars, clubs and discos.

For whom is Moscow worth a visit?

Sightseers: 

The Kremlin, Red Square, St. Basil’s Cathedral, the Bolshoi Theater, Lenin’s Mausoleum, Gorky Park, Novodevichy Convent – hardly any other city in the world has as many world-class sights as Moscow.

History buffs:

Moscow was founded in the 11th century and has been the capital of Russia since the 15th century (with one interruption). Accordingly, in the streets of Moscow, the eventful history of the city and Russia follows you at every turn.

Architecture buffs:

Moscow is a great mishmash of buildings from different eras. Burned down many times and destroyed by invaders, then rebuilt, partially demolished and rebuilt again by tsars and communists, the city is a unique hodgepodge of buildings of different styles.

Museum visitors:

Moscow is a great place for museum lovers. Both the science museums (such as the Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics and the Moscow Planetarium) and the art museums (such as the Pushkin Museum and the Tretyakov Gallery), as well as the history museums (such as the State Historical Museum and the Kremlin Armory) are among the best and most interesting in all of Europe.

Subway fans:

The Moscow Metro is unique. No other city in the world has such beautiful metro stations and such fast trains as the Russian capital.

Church lovers:

Moscow is the center of the Russian Orthodox Church. Accordingly, the number of places of worship in the city is large. The Kremlin alone has three cathedrals on its grounds: the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael, the Cathedral of the Dormition and the Cathedral of the Annunciation. Of course, the world-famous St. Basil’s Cathedral and the imposing Cathedral of Christ the Savior are also worth seeing.

Shopaholics: 

Moscow is a great place for shopping. Especially for people with bigger wallets who like to look for luxury items, the Russian capital is a true shopper’s paradise. And with the GUM, Moscow has one of the most famous department stores in the world.

Party people:

Moscow is a great city when it comes to partying. Russians are notorious party animals anyway. When it comes to bars, clubs and especially discos, you’re spoiled for choice in Moscow.

Best time to travel

Moscow has a distinctly continental climate. This means that the temperature differences between the summer and winter months are very high. In summer, daytime temperatures above 30 degrees are not uncommon in the Russian capital. And the Russian winter is notorious for its harshness anyway. Temperatures below -20 degrees are also quite possible in Moscow. Precipitation falls all year round in Moscow – in winter, of course, in the form of snow. The best time for a trip to Moscow are therefore the summer months. Due to its northern location, one can then enjoy long days. But also the winter months have their charm in Moscow with freezing cold and snow. However, a visit in late fall and spring is not recommended. Then the weather in Moscow can be very cold and wet and therefore uncomfortable.

Getting there

By car:

Is doable – but it’s over 2,000 kilometers from most places in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

By train:

See By car.

By plane:

Moscow has three major airports. The largest is Moscow Sheremetyevo. From here, the Russian national airline Aeroflot serves many destinations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The second largest Moscow airport is Domodedovo. It is served by Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian, among others. And finally, the third largest airport in Moscow is Vnukovo. From here, the airlines Pobeda and UTair fly to some destinations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

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Food and drink

While Moscow was still a culinary wasteland until the 1990s, the gastronomy scene in the Russian capital has long since reached top international level. In the meantime, the choice of dishes is by no means limited to traditional Russian dishes. From hip sushi restaurants to classy Italians, Moscow’s international cuisine can easily compete with any other European metropolis.

It is important to note that Russia is a multi-ethnic state, uniting more than 100 different peoples and ethnic groups. As the capital of Russia, Moscow has always been a center of attraction for people from all corners of the Russian giant empire. And on top of that, many citizens from the former Soviet republics also live in the metropolis of millions, who have, of course, brought their national dishes with them to the capital. Moscow’s local restaurant scene is correspondingly diverse – from Armenian to Georgian to Uzbek cuisine, everything can be found here.

If you like traditional Russian food, you must of course try the two national soups borscht (with beet and sour cream) and solyanka (with fish or meat). In addition, pelmeni (dumplings cooked in water or broth and usually filled with meat) and pirogi (dumplings made of yeast dough or puff pastry with various fillings, such as minced meat, potatoes or white cabbage) also belong on the table. And of course, caviar is a must for a real Russian meal. It is often eaten with blinis (pancakes).

The way food is served is also traditionally Russian: In contrast to many other European countries, in Russia the cooking pot, the soup bowl and the frying pan are placed on the table as a whole, and only then the servings are portioned out onto the individual plates.

In the constantly hectic Moscow, fast food restaurants are of course also very popular. On almost every corner you can find a branch of McDonalds, Burgerking, KFC or Subways. However, the typical Russian fast food chains are much more interesting during a visit to Moscow. The two largest are Teremok and Kroska Kartoshka. The menu at Teremok is essentially based on blinis (pancakes with a wide variety of fillings); there are also other typical Russian dishes. Kroshka Kartoshka (small potato), as the name suggests, is all about the potato. After bread, it is the national product of Russia and is consumed in every possible way.

As far as drinking is concerned, Russian drinking is legendary – at least when it comes to vodka. A small hint in the matter of drinks in general: The unit of measurement for liquids in Russia is grams. So if you want 0.1 liter of vodka, you order 100 grams. And another drinking tip: Russians almost always drink alcoholic beverages in conjunction with food (probably for good reason). Of course, drinking alcohol in Russia always includes a toast. What sounds a little strange to German ears is completely normal behavior for Russians.

In addition to the national drink, vodka, there are now many good beer breweries in Moscow and throughout Russia. So beer drinkers should definitely try the other or other local beer brand during a visit. For those who prefer less alcohol or none at all, Moscow serves typical Russian drinks such as medovucha (honey wine), kvass (made from bread) and mors (berry juice).

Sights