Moscow Visitor Guide

Moscow may not be at the top of everyone’s wish-list but this, the largest and most populous city in Europe, offers excitement in lorry loads. Visiting Moscow is like stepping out of your travel comfort zone, because it’s such a potentially intimidating place for the first-time visitor. However, with careful planning, a trip to Moscow can turn out to be fuel for dinner party conversation for years.

Named after the river that runs through it, Moscow is medieval in origin, when the Kremlin was built to protect the tiny city within it. The Kremlin walls have been destroyed and rebuilt many times in its time, often by Mongols in the early years, but remained the basis for the emergence of the Grand Duchy of Moscow in the middle ages. Moscow was under constant attack, from the Swedish, the Poles, the Lithuanians and then various plagues which ravaged the city from 1570 to 1771.

Under Peter the Great, Moscow ceased to be the capital of Russia when he built St. Petersburg in 1773.

Moscow was burned by its own residents when Napoleon approached in 1812, but he and his Grande Armée were beaten back by the brutal Russian winter as were the Nazis in 1944.

Since 1989 the Moscow population has grown from 8.5 million to 11.5 million.

Conversion rate: At the time of writing the pound was worth 48 Russian Roubles and the US Dollar 31 Roubles.

Getting to Moscow
The cheapest way to reach Moscow is with BMI from London Heathrow, but occasionally British Airways has some cheap fares as does Aeroflot. Aeroflot is now one of the world’s most successful airlines with a large fleet of new planes so don’t let any tall stories of communist-era service put you off. It tends to be the first choice for most Russians which is why it may not work out as cheap as you would hope.

Many readers may want to join an organised escorted tour of Moscow which may incorporate a visit to St. Petersburg as well. Great Rail Journeys is worth trying, and so are Regent Holidays, Travelsphere, and On the Go Tours.

It is now possible to take a sleeper train all the way from Paris to Moscow. This recently re-instated service is called the Trans European Express, but is not cheap at over 600 Euro per person. It does offer some adventure though. To book it call the Deutsche Bahn UK call centre on 08718 80 80 66

Arriving in Moscow
If you are travelling from the UK are most likely to arrive at Moscow’s newer international airport, Domodedovo, which is now far better organised than the older, some would say outdated Sheremetyevo Airport. Passport checking is now much faster than it was although it’s possible to find yourself in a scrum to get to the front of the queue (Russian’s are not the most polite when it comes to queues, sadly).

Once out through customs you need to make the often longer-than-expected transfer into the city and to your hotel. A word of caution: never, ever, show up at any Moscow Airport and hail a cab, it is the one sure way of getting completely and utterly ripped off. Instead, you need to pre-book with a number of private hire companies who will arrange for a driver to greet you at the arrivals hall to take you directly to the hotel.  You can Google the term "Moscow transfer" and take your pick, or use the recommended supplier of your booking agent if you used one. We have found Intourist UK a reliable company over the years who can deliver reasonable prices but above all, reliable service. We have used them for obtaining a Russian Visa, making it a painless experience. Even if you live in London, a day queuing outside the Russian Consulate in Notting Hill Gate is a day wasted, and Intourist are right opposite, so take our advice, use an agency to get your visa, it's money well spent.  

Getting around Moscow
Another word of caution, Moscow is absolutely massive. In fact it’s so big that walking to all the sights is probably infeasible for all but the hardiest of travellers. Therefore what you must do is steel yourself to get tickets for the Moscow Metro and then use it. The 180 or so stations are all individually designed and many look more like ballrooms than Metro stations. The most beautiful are on the “circle line” in the centre of the city including Novoslobodskaya, Krasnopresnenskaya and Prospect Mira. Get more information from its official site. Any visit to Moscow without using the Metro is a visit wasted!