Moscow on a Shoestring Budget

Our Local Expert Says:

The name of the restaurant comes from folksy Russian slang equivalent to something like “Oh fiddlesticks!” That’s the first clue as to what dining here is going to be like. Many Westerners find the backwoods peasant theme profoundly weird, but the food is cheap and filling.

Description:

Elki-Palki is a chain of Russian-style restaurants. It is one of the few places which offers predominantly Russian food and drinks on its menu, although Coca-Cola and beer are also available. The interior can differ from outlet to outlet, but it will always include a lot of woodwork and linen tablecloths. The waiters all wear national Russian costumes. Out of all the traditional Russian menu items available, the borshcht (beet soup), kvas(a non-alcoholic drink made from fermented yeast) and vodka can be considered obligatory. The famous telega (a buffet of salads and starters) will set you back. You will have a wide choice of fish dishes, salads and freshly baked pies with various fillings to choose from as well. It should perhaps be noted that sharing food is not approved of.

Description:

This is possibly the most famous central square in the world. It is a humbling sight both day and night; beautiful in winter— regally dramatic all the year round. Originally an expanse of nothing more than mud, and populated by a ragged collection of hawkers, beggars and outcasts, Red Square acquired its present grandness gradually. Nowadays, the square and its surrounds positively exude the drama of Russian past and present. The walls of the Kremlin loom on one side, their blood-red height belittling the pale GUM department store opposite. At the southern end of the square towers, is the onion-domed exuberance of St Basil's Cathedral.

Description:

Architect Alexei Shchusev (who built this imposing mausoleum on Red Square in 1930) modeled it on the ziggurat terraced temples of the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians. Inside, visitors file round the embalmed body of the leader of the Russian Revolution, Vladiamr I. Lenin. The material used for the exterior is mostly dark-red granite and grey and black labradorite. The colors are in perfect harmony with the red bricks of the Kremlin Wall that looms in the background. It measures 12 meters in height and 24 meters in length. Admission is free.

Description:

Mayor Luzhkov was once considered a pretender to the Russian Presidency. He certainly does not lack the sense of civic grandeur with which previous Russian rulers have been blessed. This vast cathedral, whose golden domes sit atop a pale majestic hulk of marble and granite, was built at Luzhkov's bidding for the princely sum of USD150 million. The original was erected in commemoration of Russia's defeat over Napoleon. And the current reconstruction was built for Moscow's 850th anniversary, and is a fitting symbol both of a reborn Russia and the dizzy pretensions to grandeur of modern Moscow. Admission is free.

Description:

The idea for this monument was conceived by Mayor Luzhkov and created with the help of city-sponsored artist Tsereteli. The monument has courted extensive controversy. For a start, Peter the Great's enthusiasm for his northern capital St. Petersburg was motivated at least in part by his hatred for Moscow. Putting aside historical politics though, others complain that the monument is just plain ugly. The monument itself is 165 feet high, featuring a strident Peter the Great standing atop a frigate in full sail and brandishing a golden scroll. It stands on the western tip of the elongated island formed between the Moskva river and the Vodootvodnyi canal.

Description:

Gorky Park (traditionally referred to as Park Kul'tury i Otdykha or Park of Culture and Recreation) stretches along 3 kilometers of the Moskva river to the southwest of the city center. The park became known to the Western public thanks to a blockbuster movie based on Martin Cruz Smith's best-selling book, 'Gorky Park,' and the Scorpions' famous song. Laid down in 1928, the original ornamental gardens are now accompanied by an entertainment zone, hosting everything from science lectures to rock concerts in its auditorium.

Description:

Most cities' public transit systems are necessary eyesores. Moscow's is a masterpiece. Central planning meant that Stalin was free to pour funds and artistic energy into creating the metro. Today it's the world's busiest subway system. However, it's showing some strain, as even trains that run every 90 seconds aren't enough to diffuse crowding. The system is still cleaner than most other big-city subways. Its oldest stations, dating from the 1930s and 1940s, are its grandest, particularly those on the Circle Line. The newer stations at the edges of town are corridors of bland but well-polished white tile. Even if you don't use the metro to get around, take a peek at one of the following stations: Ploshchad Revolutsii, with its bronze sculptures of Soviet swimmers, mothers, and sailors holding up the marble columns; Kievskaya (Circle Line stop), with its cheerful mosaics portraying Ukrainian-Russian friendship; Novokuznetskaya, with its cast-iron streetlights; and Novoslobodskaya, with its Art Nouveau stained glass.

For an even closer view of the metro, with models and an avalanche of statistics, visit the tiny Metro Museum atop the Sportivnaya station (tel. 495/622-7309; free admission; open to individuals Thurs 9am-4pm; open for groups only Mon-Wed and Fri 9am-4pm). The friendly director is a former metro driver who has a lifetime of stories to share (though in Russian only). Most stations are quite deep, and all have head-spinningly long escalators; some of the stations were even built as bomb shelters during World War II.

Description:

Izmailovo Park is one of the city's oldest parks and covers an area of 332 hectares. It was founded under the reign of Peter the Great and since then has accumulated numerous ponds and attractions. It also hosts the Izmailovo market, one of the best places to pick up souvenirs. Kruglyi pond has a boat station where you can rent a catamaran or a boat for 30-50RUR. During weekends and holidays performers from the Moscow State Circus supply some light-hearted entertainment. Entry is free.

Description:

This small balustraded promenade sits on an inverted horseshoe line at which the northeastern wing of Teplostanskaia Vozvyshennost' (the Teplyi Stan Plateau) starts plummeting to the right bank of the River Moscow. This promenade offers a panoramic view of Moscow. From here you can see the Novodevichii Convent, the golden domes of the Kremlin, the Andreevskii Monastery, both Moscow's telecom towers, Shabolovka and Ostankino, and clear skies permitting, up to four of the Seven Sisters skyscrapers that dominate central Moscow's skyline.

Description:

At 240 meters, carrying a golden star-tipped spire on the top and displaying giant Communist-style statues on terraces and portals, this is the highest and easily the most impressive of the Seven Sisters. The main tower houses university offices. The smaller towers and the wings are blocks of hostels (6,000 rooms) and splendid professional flats (184). The two lowest storeys of the main tower are marble and bronze. A doorway from the University's Museum of Earth Sciences on the 24th floor leads to an open-air observation terrace with a panoramic view to the northeast.

Description:

Live music, comparatively cheap food and drinks, and a mixed crowd of Russians and ex-pats are the strengths of this bar and nightclub, which focuses on all kinds of Russian music. It's just a few steps from the metro station and not far from numerous other venues. Of the two small rooms, only one has a stage, and it can get very stuffy during concerts, especially if people are dancing.

Description:

Largely referred to by its soviet-era acronym of V-D-N-Kh, this sprawling exhibition site was once host to a complex of exhibitions showing off the economic and technological fruits of the Soviet world. Nowadays the 68 pavilions are full of pretty ramshackle stores with all sorts of household goods. The centre boasts some 40,000 square meters of outdoor space and nearly 130,000 square meters of indoor exhibition space. It hosts some 350 exhibitions each year and 40 to 50 of them are international. The annual visitor influx is close to 10 million. Admission is free.

Description:

The Ostankino TV tower has been looming over northern Moscow since 1967. At 540 meters, it is the world's second tallest free-standing structure after Toronto's CN tower. It consists of a hollow cone of reinforced concrete kept in position by strained wide-diameter steel ropes anchored in a giant foundation slab. It supports the transmitting antennae of nearly 40 radio and television channels.

Description:

This 360-hectare garden was founded in 1945 for scientific and educational purposes, and its collection includes a whole host of wild flowers, grasses and plants, plus a proud 200-year old oak tree. You can also visit the beautifully landscaped Japanese rock garden. The Dendrarium has more than 4000 species of trees and bushes from all over the world.

Description:

This 390-hectare estate served as a country residence for the Russian Tsars from Ivan III to Peter I. The most famous building on the estate is the early 16th-century Church of the Ascension. At 62 meters, this brick and limestone structure with a tent-shaped roof is one of the tallest church buildings in Moscow. The main constituent museums are the Front Gate, Sytnyi Dvor (the Muscovite royal household, art tiles and tiled ovens) and the House of Peter I (a log cabin).

Description:

You could visit here just to read the concert listings or flyers on the wall. More fun is to come on a night featuring Finnish percussionists or other music you might not find at home. Open daily 24 hours.