Welcome to Moscow

Moscow gets a touch cold during winter, so maybe that's not the time for a city break, but spring and autumn can be delightful if you don't get caught in an out-of-season storm. Summer is warm and occasionally humid.
Summer sits around the mid twenties, while winter plunges into negative C territory. (You'll want your beanie!)
Spring and Autumn range from low single figures to mid teen Celsius - which is actually a pleasant temperature if you intend walking around all day.

Cheap, expensive and everything in between.

The food in Moscow is a composite of the nationalities that made up the old Soviet Union. You'll love the Armenian food (much like Turkish with an emphasis on charcoal skewers and fish dishes), Azerbaijani (with its focus on soups, stews, dumplings, fish and kebabs), Georgian (spicier than typical Russian fare)and Japanese (of all things). The Russians love sushi apparently!

The nightlife highlights will depend on you - this is a city that caters for everyone!  Culturally there are dozens of museums and art galleries you simply must visit.  There are even a few Churches you must see to believe!

The budget options - your first stop is the beer bars called Kruzhka. The beer is cheap and good and the bar snack menu will keep you happy. Real budget food is best found on the street in the numerous stand-up stalls selling hot dogs, kebabs and the like. You'll find a brown coloured kiosk outside many of the city metro stations called Teremok and they do a nice line in Russian crepes with a variety of fillings.

Mid price options - the mid price options are surprisingly good. Darbar on Leninsky Prospect is good Indian food in a great location with an excellent view over the city. The Hard Rock cafe on Old Arbat St serves what it does the world over at a reasonable price. Lavash is on Tsvetnoi Bulvar and serves food from the Caucus region. Mi Piace is a chain of Italian restaurants if you're over the borscht.

Splurge - you can certainly spend the house in Moscow. Right in the heart of Moscow at Number 1 Red Square is Krasnaya ploschad dom 1, in the historic museum building. Pushkin is in a mansion and seeks to serve the finest Russian cuisine. Judge for yourself! Expedition serves northern cuisine that many people rate.

Moscow hid its treasure for most of the 20th century but perestroika has opened up this gem to a flood of visitors, money and opulence. Dark Moscow does exist, but open Moscow is an incredible cornucopia of the old, the new and the quirky. If your knowledge of Moscow comes from a spy novel, make sure you do the full circuit - from old KGB headquarters to Red Square and back.

Red Square - this magnificent square is more memorable for the buildings that line its boundaries. Still, it is the famous site of parades galore and executions too many to list. At its edge lie the walls of the Kremlin, the impressive St Basil's Cathedral, the GUM department store and the State Historical Museum. You'll also find Lenin's Tomb here as well.

St Basil's Cathedral - for sheer grandeur it's hard to go past St Basil's. Built by Ivan the Terrible in the 1550s, this stunning example of Tsarist power and money consists of nine separate chapels, each topped by a mighty dome in a different colour to the next. Easy to see why it's one of the most photographed Cathedrals in the world.

Old Arbat Street - this is Moscow's most famous street. You'll recognise it from countless movies. It's worth a look simply to see Muscovites at work and play. There are cafes and bars and jugglers and street performers. The pedestrian thoroughfare makes it a comfortable place to just sit and people-watch a while.

Don't miss - the GUM department store. It's a blast to see one of the most famous stores in the world. The dour exterior belies the glories within and it's worth a look see, if only to understand how far Russia has come since Soviet repression. The boutiques are tres expensive so grab an ice cream and just wander the place soaking up the vibe.