From the Red Square to the Bolshoi Theater, Moscow has much to offer travelers. Tourists booking flights to Moscow are headed right into Russia’s leading financial and cultural center. But don’t let this massive capital city scare you – there’s more heart and soul in Moscow than most people know.
First stop on the Moscow trip: the Kremlin. This walled city includes four palaces, four cathedrals, and serves as the official residence to the President of Russia. Next to the Kremlin is the Red Square, most famously used for parades and demonstrations. First time travelers on flights to Moscow will likely recognize the colorful domes on top of Saint Basil’s Cathedral, situated inside the Kremlin. If shopping is your bag, find a cheap flight to Moscow and save your money for Gorky Street (today known as Tverskaya Street) – the most expensive shopping street in Moscow. For the arts and entertainment aficionado, no trip to Moscow is complete without a stop at the Bolshoi or Maly theaters. Book flights to Moscow in the winter and get tickets to one of the most amazing spectacles on stage, the Moscow Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker.”
Thanks to a new government and a more modern lifestyle, Moscow is alive and it's welcoming visitors year round.
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Sweltering hot summers and bitter cold winters are typical for Moscow. November to April has lots of snow and rarely sees a temperature above 32 degrees (F). Winter temperatures below 0 are common and the teens are typical. December snow lasts until April, and there are about six hours of daylight. Spring thaws the city, bringing lots of mud, slush, and warmer air. Summers reach the upper 90s in July and August and are very humid. July and August also have thunderstorms and heavy rainfall. Fall is short and the snows begin again in October.
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Peak Season:
July and August are the peak tourist months in Moscow. Visitors overrun the city and Moscow flights, train tickets and accommodations can be difficult to come by.
Off Season:
Late spring and early fall are good times to visit Moscow. The weather is typically mild, although still unpredictable. Late May and late August tend to be warm and sunny.
Winter has the fewest tourists, and the snowscapes are breathtaking, as is the bitter cold. This is also the best time to find cheap flights to Moscow.
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Taxis are available from outside both terminals; passengers should avoid the renegade taxi drivers and go to the official taxi counter. Rates are fixed. There is an express bus services, which leaves from outside Sheremetyevo 1 and 2 for the nearby metro stations that connect to the city center. Minibuses are also available.
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Cheap and efficient, the Moscow metro (subway) is the easiest and most popular form of transportation. Plus, the metro stations themselves are attractions with their sculptures and artwork. Metro tickets are purchased at the stations, and single- and multiple-trip tickets are available.
Buses and trams cover the areas not serviced by the metro. Tickets can be purchased from the driver but they are cheaper at kiosks and some metro stations. Validate the ticket when you board the bus.
Minibus shuttles, called marshrutka, travel the bus routes and can be flagged down.
Taxis are easily hailed for short trips. Many private car owners act as taxis, so make sure to agree on a fare before boarding. For longer treks, such as to the airport, call a taxi company to arrange transport.
If you drive in Moscow, note that honking is forbidden except in the case of emergency, and all cars must have seatbelts, a first aid kit, fire extinguisher, and an emergency triangle or red light.
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- Cathedral Square is the center of the Kremlin. There are three cathedrals - Cathedral of the Dormition where all the tsars were crowned, Cathedral of the Annunciation and Cathedral of the Archangel Michael where the Muscovite monarchs from 13th-17th century are interred. The Tsar Bell and Tsar Cannon are on Ivan Square, while the Grand Kremlin Palace, residence of the 19th-century Russian emperors, is on Palace Square.
- Red Square dates from the 15th century, “red” being an archaic word for beautiful, nothing to do with Communism. St Basil's Cathedral with its colorful onion domes is here and at the northern corner of the square stands the Kazan Cathedral. This fancy red-and-white building is a replica. It was rebuilt in 1993 to replace the original, which Stalin had destroyed in 1936 to clear Red Square for military parades. The Cathedral of Christ the Savior is also a reconstruction. It was dynamited in 1931, but rebuilt in the 1990s.
- Mayakovskaya is one of the most lavish stations on the metro system, boasting marble and steel pillars and mosaics.
- Shop in GUM, the State Department Store, a gorgeous three-story arcade built in the 1890s, which lines the eastern side of Red Square. Most of the usual Western suspects are here among its 150 shops, but there are Russian shops too selling local delicacies. For souvenirs such as matroishka dolls, fur hats, khokhloma (lacquered wood) and old propaganda posters, visit the Arbat or the Izmailovsky Flea Market.
- The Seven Sisters, seven towers to rival the skyscrapers in the US, were built during Stalin’s reign. They have a “wedding cake” style, which concentrates the eye to a central tower.
- No visit to Moscow is complete without a trip to Lenin’s mausoleum.
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