City Rating: Moscow
Population: 11’900’000
Date of visit: August 2017
Attractions & sights: 4/5
Nightlife: 4/5
Safety: 4/5
Infrastructure: 4/5
Low budget factor: $$/5
Total: 👍👍👍👍/5
The city in a nutshell:
Gigantic, colorful, melancholic – the Russian capital is one of the most underrated European cities in my opinion. It’s a great city for sightseeing, history and nightlife. Due to its size you need a few days to see this spectacular city.
Where to stay:
Moscow is huge, so staying somewhere central (near Red Square) is highly recommended. Prices in that area can be expensive though, but it’s the best choice if you haven’t seen the city yet. Travellers on a budget might consider staying a bit outside. However, a metro station should be close to your accommodation.
The Good:
Sightseeing-fans will love Moscow. From Red Square to Kremlin to the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour – there are many fantastic attractions in this beautiful city. Even the metro stations are sensational. Theoretically, you could spend one full day to see the most beautiful stations of the city. If you want to have a really weird tourist experience, check out the Cold War Museum aka Bunker 47…
But not only the sightseeing spots are great, I was also fascinated by the city’s architecture. Of course, there are many ugly communist buildings, especially a bit outside of the centre. In the centre, the architectual style varies from old, beautiful buildings to highly modern ones. Many old buildings are painted in light and cold colors, which give the city a melancholic look.
Nightlife is another big plus of the city, as it is one of the best in the world. There are thousands of bars and nightclubs spread in the city. Bar Strelka offers one of the most scenic terraces. Moreover, some of the luxury hotel chains have great sky bars with a 360 degree view over Moscow (e.g. Mercedes Bar).
Needless to say that there are a lot of world-class restaurants in the city. Varenichnaya Nr1 is a good restaurant chain that I can recommend for lunch.
The Bad & The Ugly:
This city is probably not easy work for the budget traveler. Food and drinks are above European average (still lower than in Scandinavia/Switzerland), hotels and taxi aren’t cheap either. However, a day-pass for the efficient metro costs only $6. Uber is also a good and cheap alternative.
Metro day-passes are also an efficient way to move within the city. Traffic jam can be terrible, as there are way to many cars in the streets of Russia’s capital.
Another minus is that this city is a cold one, sometimes even in summer. Visiting Moscow from November to March might be an even worse idea.
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