The good, bad and ugly sides to being a tourist in Moscow
Rich in history and home to some of the kookiest architecture around, Russia’s capital has been voted the World’s Worst Travel Destination by TripAdvisor users, who cite its unhelpful people, awful hotels and poor value for money
The Good
For rail romantics, there’s only one way to get to Moscow. From Beijing, Trans-Siberian trains clickety-clack past the Great Wall, camels in the Gobi Desert and the peaceful blues of Lake Baikal on the 8,000km journey to the Russian capital. Flying used to be almost as, ahem, adventurous, but Aeroflot has upped its game in recent years, with standards of service and safety much improved.
On arrival at Sheremetyevo Airport, jump into a taxi and you’ll be standing toe to toe with the Kremlin in no time. Synonymous with cold war mystery and intrigue, the ancient fortress is the official residence of the president of the Russian Federation and has been the nerve centre of power for more than 500 years. Within its walls is the Byzantine Assumption Cathedral, where tsars were crowned and heads of the Orthodox Church are buried.
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In nearby Red Square, father of the Russian revolution Vladimir Lenin lies embalmed in a marble mausoleum. It was here that the Soviet military once paraded its weaponry to impress leaders and intimidate the West. Centuries earlier, the broad plaza served as an open-air market and a gathering place for festivals, religious processions and the occasional execution.
Moscow’s most popular tourist attraction is floodlit at night and takes on a fairy-tale quality, especially when the cobblestones are dusted with snow and St Basil’s Cathedral is at its edible-looking best. The onion domes and eye-catching brickwork seem so familiar that many tourists confuse the church with the Kremlin and hang around outside hoping to glimpse Vladimir Putin.
As much an art gallery as a public transport system, the Moscow Metro is a chandelier-dripping underground museum filled with bronze columns and sculptures, communist murals and stained-glass windows. Up to nine million Muscovites use the network every day – which is more than travel on the London and New York systems combined. To appreciate the socialist art deco styling and mosaics depicting joyous workers, keep to stations within the circle line, such as Teatralnaya, gateway to the theatre district.