frommer''s moscow & st. petersburg

$19.99 USA/$23.99 CAN/£14.99 UK Find travel news & deals, expert advice, and connect with fellow travelers at spine=.7180" With views of St. Basil's and the Kremlin, ice skaters glide across the katok (rink) on Red Square (see chapter 7). Detailed maps throughout • Exact prices, directions, opening hours, and other practical information • Candid reviews of hotels and restaurants, plus sights, shopping, and nightlife • Itineraries, walking tours, and trip-planning ideas • Insider tips from local expert authors 3rd Edition 3rd Edition Moscow & St. Petersburg Moscow & St. Petersburg Oktyabrskoe Pole Planernaya Skhodnenskaya Tushinskaya Shchukinskaya Polezhaevskaya Begovaya Ulitsa 1905 Goda Barrikadnaya Krasnopresnenskaya Pushkinskaya Chekhovskaya Tverskaya Kuznetsky Most Kitai-Gorod Taganskaya Proletarskaya Pionerskaya Filyovsky Park Bagrationovskaya Fili Kutuzovskaya Studencheskaya Kievskaya Smolenskaya Arbatskaya Aleksandrovsky Sad Smolenskaya Arbatskaya Ploshchad Revolutsy Kurskaya Shcholkovskaya Pervomayskaya Izmailovskaya Izmailovsky Park Semyonovskaya Elektrozavodskaya Baumanskaya Rechnoy Vozkal Vozny Stadion Voykovskaya Sokol Aeroport Dinamo Belorusskaya Mayakovskaya Teatralnaya Novokuznetskaya Dobryninskaya Avtozavodskaya Kolomenskaya Kashirskaya Krasnogvardeyskaya Altufievo Bibirevo Otradnoye Vladikino Petrovsko- Razumovskaya Timiryazevskaya Dmitrovskaya Savyolovskaya Mendeleyevskaya Novoslobodskaya Tsevetnoi bd. Borovitskaya Polyanka Serpukhovskaya Tulskaya Nagatinskaya Nagornaya Nakhimovsky Prospekt Sevastopolskaya Chertanovskaya Yuzhnaya Prazhskaya Varshavskaya Kakhovskaya Park Kultury Kropotkinskaya Okhotny Ryad Lubyanka Chistiye Prudy Krasniye Vorota Komsomolskaya Krasnoselskaya Sokolniki Preobrazhenskaya pl. Cherkizovskaya Ulitsa Podbelskovo Medvedkovo Babushkinskaya Sviblovo Botanichesky Sad VDNKh Alekseevskaya Rizhskaya Prospekt Mira Sukharevskaya Turgenevskaya Tretyakovskaya Oktyabrskaya Shabolovskaya Leninsky Prospekt Akademicheskaya Profsoyuznaya Novye Cheryomushky Kaluzhskaya Belaevo Konkovo Tyoply Stan Yasenevo Bitsevky Park Maryino BratislavskayaBratislavskaya Lublino Volzhskaya Pechatniki Kozhukhovskaya Dubrovka Krestyanskaya Zastava Ploshchad Ilicha Chkalovskaya Sretensky Bulvar Trubnaya Dostoevskaya Mariyna Roshcha Marksistskaya Aviamotornaya Shosse Entuziastov Perovo Novo Gireevo Ploshchad Suvorova Paveletskaya Biblioteka Im. Lenina ZyablikovoZyablikovo 1010 Oktyabrskoe Pole Planernaya Skhodnenskaya Tushinskaya Shchukinskaya Polezhaevskaya Begovaya Ulitsa 1905 Goda Barrikadnaya Krasnopresnenskaya Pushkinskaya Chekhovskaya Tverskaya Kuznetsky Most Kitai-Gorod Taganskaya Proletarskaya Volgogradsky Prospekt Tekstilshiki Kuzminki Ryazansky Prospekt Vykhino Mitino Volokolamskaya Myakinino Strogino Krylatskoye Molodyozhnaya Kuntsevskaya Pionerskaya Filyovsky Park Bagrationovskaya Fili Kutuzovskaya Studencheskaya Kievskaya Smolenskaya Arbatskaya Aleksandrovsky Sad Park Pobedy Slavyansky Bulvar Smolenskaya Arbatskaya Ploshchad Revolutsy Kurskaya Shcholkovskaya Pervomayskaya Izmailovskaya Izmailovsky Park Semyonovskaya Elektrozavodskaya Baumanskaya Rechnoy Vozkal Vozny Stadion Voykovskaya Sokol Aeroport Dinamo Belorusskaya Mayakovskaya Teatralnaya Novokuznetskaya Dobryninskaya Avtozavodskaya Kolomenskaya Kashirskaya Kantemirovskaya Tsarytsino Orekhovo Domodedovskaya Krasnogvardeyskaya Altufievo Bibirevo Otradnoye Vladikino Petrovsko- Razumovskaya Timiryazevskaya Dmitrovskaya Savyolovskaya Mendeleyevskaya Novoslobodskaya Tsevetnoi bd. Borovitskaya Polyanka Serpukhovskaya Tulskaya Nagatinskaya Nagornaya Nakhimovsky Prospekt Sevastopolskaya Chertanovskaya Yuzhnaya Prazhskaya Ulitsa Akademika Yangelya Annino Bulvar Dmitriya Donsk ogo Varshavskaya Kakhovskaya Yugo-Zapadnaya Prospekt Vernadskovo Universitet Vorobyovy Gory Sportivnaya Frunzenskaya Park Kultury Kropotkinskaya Okhotny Ryad Lubyanka Chistiye Prudy Krasniye Vorota Komsomolskaya Krasnoselskaya Sokolniki Preobrazhenskaya pl. Cherkizovskaya Ulitsa Podbelskovo Medvedkovo Babushkinskaya Sviblovo Botanichesky Sad VDNKh Alekseevskaya Rizhskaya Prospekt Mira Sukharevskaya Turgenevskaya Tretyakovskaya Oktyabrskaya Shabolovskaya Leninsky Prospekt Akademicheskaya Profsoyuznaya Novye Cheryomushky Kaluzhskaya Belaevo Konkovo Tyoply Stan Yasenevo Novoyasenevskaya (Bitsevky Park) Borisovo Shipilovskaja Zyablikovo Brateyevo Maryino Lublino Volzhskaya Pechatniki Kozhukhovskaya Dubrovka Krestyanskaya Zastava Ploshchad Ilicha Rimskaya Chkalovskaya Sretensky Bulvar Trubnaya Dostoevskaya Mariyna Roshcha Marksistskaya Aviamotornaya Shosse Entuziastov Perovo Novo Gireevo Ploshchad Suvorova Paveletskaya Biblioteka Im. Lenina 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 9 9 10 10 11 11 Under Construction Transfer station Sokolnicheskaya Zamoskvoretskaya Artbatsko– Pokrovskaya Filevskaya Koltsevaya Kaluzhko–Rizhskaya Tagansko– Krasnopresnenskaya 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kalininskaya Serpukhovsko– Timiryazevskaya Lyublinskaya Kakhovskaya 8 9 10 11 MOSCOW METRO 110˚ F 100˚ F 50˚ F 60˚ F 70˚ F 80˚ F 90˚ F 40˚ F 32˚ F 20˚ F 10˚ F 0˚ F -10˚ F -20˚ F To convert F to C: subtract 32 and multiply by 5 / 9 (0.555) To convert C to F: multiply by 1.8 and add 32 40˚ C 30˚ C 20˚ C 10˚ C -18˚ C 0˚ C -10˚ C -30˚ C 32˚ F = 0˚ C To convert U.S. gallons to liters Liters to U.S. gallons U.S. gallons to imperial gallons Imperial gallons to U.S. gallons Imperial gallons to liters Liters to imperial gallons multiply by 3.79 0.26 0.83 1.20 4.55 0.22 1 liter = 0.26 U.S. gallon 1 U.S. gallon = 3.8 liters To convert Ounces to grams Grams to ounces Pounds to kilograms Kilograms to pounds multiply by 28.35 0.035 0.45 2.20 1 gram = 0.04 ounce 1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds 1 ounce = 28 grams 1 pound = 0.4555 kilogram To convert inches to centimeters centimeters to inches feet to meters meters to feet yards to meters meters to yards miles to kilometers kilometers to miles multiply by 2.54 0.39 0.30 3.28 0.91 1.09 1.61 0.62 1 mile = 1.6 km 1 km = 0.62 mile 1 ft = 0.30 m 1 m = 3.3 ft spine=.7180" Moscow & St. Petersburg 3rd Edition by Angela Charlton Published by: WILEY PUBLISHING, INC. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 Copyright © 2010 Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmit- ted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Pub- lisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copy- right Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978/750-8400, fax 978/646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Per- missions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201/748-6011, fax 201/748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Wiley and the Wiley Publishing logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates. Frommer’s is a trademark or registered trade- mark of Arthur Frommer. Used under license. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. ISBN: 978-0-470-53763-3 Editor: Christina Summers, with Maureen Clarke Production Editor: Eric T. Schroeder Cartographer: Liz Puhl Photo Editor: Richard H. Fox Production by Wiley Indianapolis Composition Services Front cover photo: ©Sergey Bogomyako / Alamy Images The Church of the Resurrection in Saint Petersburg Back cover photo: ©Snappdragon / Alamy Images Ice skaters on Red Square in Moscow For information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877/762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317/572-3993 or fax 317/572-4002. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic formats. Manufactured in the United States of America 5 4 3 2 1 CONTENTS LIST OF MAPS viii 1 THE BEST OF MOSCOW & ST. PETERSBURG 7 1 Most Memorable Russian Experiences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 2 Best Luxury Hotels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 3 Best Affordable Accommodations. . .5 4 Best Dining Experiences. . . . . . . . . . . .6 5 Best Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 6 Best Architecture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 7 Best Museums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 8 Best Gifts to Bring Home . . . . . . . . . . .8 9 Best Oddball Attractions . . . . . . . . . . .9 2 MOSCOW & ST. PETERSBURG IN DEPTH 10 1 Russia Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 2 Looking Back At Russia. . . . . . . . . . . .11 Dateline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Rasputin: Mystic, Sinner, Healer, or Spy? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 The Great Russian Spying Tradition . . . 17 Chechnya. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Selected List of Russian Leaders. . . . . 20 3 Russian Art & Architecture. . . . . . . . .23 4 Etiquette & Customs . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 5 Russia in Popular Culture. . . . . . . . . .25 The Russian Silver Screen . . . . . . . . . . .28 6 Food & Drink. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 What Not to Eat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Vodka. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 7 Clothing Size Conversions. . . . . . . . .35 3 PLANNING YOUR TRIP TO MOSCOW & ST. PETERSBURG 38 1 When to Go. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Calendar of Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 The Biggest Party of the Year. . . . . . . . 40 Surfing the “Ru-net” Before You Go. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 2 Entry Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Clearing Customs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 3 Moscow: Getting There & Getting Around. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Stalin’s Seven Sisters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 The World Underground . . . . . . . . . . . .56 4 St. Petersburg: Getting There & Getting Around. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 Drawbridge Dilemma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 5 Money & Costs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 What Things Cost in Russia [Rubles] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 6 Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 iv CONTENTS MOSCOW & ST. PETERSBURG 7 Safety. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 8 Specialized Travel Resources . . . . . .70 9 Sustainable Tourism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 General Resources for Green Travel. . . 74 10 Escorted Tours & Special-Interest Trips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 Butter Week. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Frommers.com: The Complete Travel Resource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 11 Staying Connected. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78 12 Tips on Accommodations . . . . . . . . .79 4 SUGGESTED MOSCOW ITINERARIES 82 1 Neighborhoods in Brief . . . . . . . . . . .82 The Land Beyond the Moscow River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 The Boulevard Ring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 2 The Best of Moscow in 1 Day. . . . . .86 Babushkas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 3 The Best of Moscow in 2 Days. . . . .90 4 The Best of Moscow in 3 Days. . . . .93 5 WHERE TO STAY IN MOSCOW 96 Currency Confusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96 1 Around the Kremlin & Red Square . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97 Family-Friendly Hotels . . . . . . . . . . . . .100 2 Tverskaya & Environs . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Foreigner Tax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102 3 Petrovka & the Ukrainian Quarter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 4 The Arbat District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 5 South of the Moscow River. . . . . . 108 6 Beyond the Garden Ring . . . . . . . . 110 7 Near the Airport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 6 WHERE TO DINE IN MOSCOW 114 1 Restaurants by Cuisine . . . . . . . . . . 115 2 Around Red Square & the Kremlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 3 Tverskaya & Environs . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 Family-Friendly Restaurants. . . . . . . .125 4 Petrovka & the Ukrainian Quarter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 5 South of the Moscow River (Zamoskvarechye) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 6 The Arbat District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 7 Beyond the Garden Ring . . . . . . . . 131 7 EXPLORING MOSCOW 134 1 The Kremlin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Crown of Monomakh (Shapka Monomakha). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136 2 Around Red Square . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 3 Cathedrals, Monasteries & Convents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 Old Believers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144 4 Soviet Sights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Conquering the Cosmos . . . . . . . . . . .147 5 Major Museums. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 6 Parks & Gardens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 7 Aristocratic Estates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 8 Literary Moscow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 v CONTENTS MOSCOW & ST. PETERSBURG 9 Especially for Kids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154 10 Organized Tours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 11 Outdoor Pursuits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Banya Bliss. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157 12 Spectator Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 Walking Tour: Historic Moscow . . . .160 8 SHOPPING IN MOSCOW 164 1 The Shopping Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 Russian Orthodox Icons. . . . . . . . . . . .165 2 Great Shopping Areas. . . . . . . . . . . 165 3 The Shopping Centers . . . . . . . . . . 168 4 Shopping A to Z . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 Couture a la Russe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173 Gorbushka Electronics Market . . . . .175 9 MOSCOW AFTER DARK 177 1 The Performing Arts. . . . . . . . . . . . . 178 2 The Club & Music Scene . . . . . . . . 184 3 The Bar Scene. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188 4 The Gay & Lesbian Nightlife Scene. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188 5 More Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . 189 10 SIDE TRIPS FROM MOSCOW 192 1 Sergiev Posad. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193 2 Suzdal & Vladimir. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 3 Arkhangelskoye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199 4 Peredelkino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201 Day Excursions for Everyone . . . . . . .203 11 SUGGESTED ST. PETERSBURG ITINERARIES 204 1 The Neighborhoods in Brief . . . . . 204 New Holland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205 Vasilevsky Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208 2 The Best of St. Petersburg in 1 Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 3 The Best of St. Petersburg in 2 Days . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 4 The Best of St. Petersburg in 3 Days . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 12 WHERE TO STAY IN ST. PETERSBURG 217 A City of Mini Hotels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .217 1 Around the Hermitage . . . . . . . . . . 218 Family-Friendly Hotels . . . . . . . . . . . . .219 2 Upper Nevsky Prospekt . . . . . . . . . 222 Landing the Best Room . . . . . . . . . . . .224 3 Lower Nevsky to Smolny Cathedral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225 4 South of Nevsky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227 5 Vasilevsky Island & the Petrograd Side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229 6 Near the Airport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 vi CONTENTS MOSCOW & ST. PETERSBURG 13 WHERE TO DINE IN ST. PETERSBURG 232 1 Restaurants by Cuisine . . . . . . . . . . 232 Best of the Buffets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .233 2 Around Palace Square & the Hermitage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234 3 Upper Nevsky Prospekt . . . . . . . . . 235 4 Square of the Arts up to Summer Gardens . . . . . . . . . . . . 239 Family-Friendly Restaurants. . . . . . . .240 5 Lower Nevsky Prospekt up to Smolny Cathedral . . . . . . . . . . . . 241 6 South of Nevsky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242 7 Vasilevsky Island & the Petrograd Side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244 14 EXPLORING ST. PETERSBURG 247 1 Hermitage & Environs . . . . . . . . . . . 247 The Siege of Leningrad. . . . . . . . . . . . .250 2 Around Palace Square. . . . . . . . . . . 251 Peter & Paul Fortress (Petropavlovskaya Krepost) . . . . . . . .252 3 Cathedrals, Monasteries & More. . . 253 4 Major Museums. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256 5 Parks & Gardens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259 6 Monuments, Memorials & Squares. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259 Island Pursuits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260 7 Literary St. Petersburg. . . . . . . . . . . 262 8 Especially for Kids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264 9 Organized Tours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264 10 Outdoor Pursuits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265 Extreme Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .266 11 Spectator Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266 Walking Tour: St. Petersburg Highlights. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .267 15 SHOPPING IN ST. PETERSBURG 271 1 The Shopping Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . 271 Box That Up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .274 2 Great Shopping Areas. . . . . . . . . . . 274 3 Shopping Centers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275 4 Shopping A to Z . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276 16 ST. PETERSBURG AFTER DARK 281 Where to Go During White Nights . . .281 1 The Performing Arts. . . . . . . . . . . . . 282 2 The Club & Music Scene . . . . . . . . 287 3 The Bar Scene. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290 4 The Gay & Lesbian Nightlife Scene. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291 5 More Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . 291 17 SIDE TRIPS FROM ST. PETERSBURG 293 1 Peterhof (Petrodvorets). . . . . . . . . . 293 2 Tsarskoye Tselo (Pushkin). . . . . . . . 296 The Amber Room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .298 3 Pavlovsk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298 4 Kronshtadt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300 5 Vyborg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301 vii CONTENTS MOSCOW & ST. PETERSBURG 18 FAST FACTS & TOLLFREE NUMBERS 304 1 Fast Facts: Moscow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304 2 Fast Facts: St. Petersburg . . . . . . . . 308 3 Toll-Free Numbers & Websites. . . 310 19 USEFUL RUSSIAN TERMS & PHRASES 314 1 Alphabet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314 2 Basic Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315 3 Russian Dining Savvy. . . . . . . . . . . . 318 INDEX 323 General Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323 Accommodations—Moscow and environs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336 Accommodations—St. Petersburg and environs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336 Restaurants—Moscow and environs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337 Restaurants—St. Petersburg and environs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337 LIST OF MAPS Russia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Moscow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Moscow Metro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 St. Petersburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 St. Petersburg Metro . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Moscow Neighborhoods . . . . . . . . . . 84 Moscow in 1 Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Moscow in 2 Days . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Moscow in 3 Days . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Where to Stay in Moscow . . . . . . . . . 98 Where to Dine in Moscow . . . . . . . .118 The Kremlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137 Exploring Moscow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140 Walking Tour: Historic Moscow . . .161 Moscow Shopping . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166 Moscow After Dark . . . . . . . . . . . . . .180 Side Trips from Moscow . . . . . . . . .195 St. Petersburg Neighborhoods . . .206 St. Petersburg in 1 Day . . . . . . . . . .211 St. Petersburg in 2 Days . . . . . . . . .213 St. Petersburg in 3 Days . . . . . . . . .216 Where to Stay in St. Petersburg . . .220 Where to Dine in St. Petersburg . . .236 Exploring St. Petersburg . . . . . . . . .248 Exploring St. Peter and Paul Fortress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .253 Walking Tour: St. Petersburg Highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .269 St. Petersburg Shopping . . . . . . . . .272 St. Petersburg After Dark . . . . . . . .284 Side Trips from St. Petersburg . . . .295 [...]... Mira; & 495/280-5111) offers grilled lamb and garlicky eggplant Waiters are decked out as mountain warriors White Sun of the Desert (Moscow; Beloye Solntse Pustyni; 29/14 Neglinnaya St.; & 495/209- T H E B E S T O F M O S CO W & S T P E T E R S B U R G 8 B E S T G I F T S TO B R I N G H O M E 1 buildings, two are hotels, and one is Moscow State University See p 53 • Kolomenskoye Museum Reserve (Moscow) :... on Nevsky (St Petersburg; & 812/703-3680; www.hon.ru): A local company has renovated sections of buildings around town, including some with views of St Petersburg s greatest monuments A range of room sizes and services is available, with the best deals those a bit beyond the tourist-beaten path See p 223 1 B E S T A F F O R D A B L E ACCO M M O D AT I O N S • Baltschug Kempinski (Moscow; & 800/426-3135;... street Now Russia’s capitalist multimillionaires make it their home away from home See p 97 • Ritz-Carlton (Moscow; & 495/2258888; www.ritzcarltonmoscow.ru): This eye-catching new addition to Moscow s top-end hotel scene has outdone its predecessors Its Classicist style 5 T H E B E S T O F M O S CO W & S T P E T E R S B U R G • Sampling Wild Mushrooms: Mushroom-picking in the countryside is a national pastime,... O F M O S CO W & S T P E T E R S B U R G 6 BEST DINING EXPERIENCES 1 • Galina’s Flat (Moscow; & 495/9216038; galinas.flat@mtu-net.ru): As the name suggests, guests here are staying in Galina’s apartment, renovated rooms in a historic quarter of the capital, with basic services and a friendly environment allowing a more intimate peek at Russian life See p 105 • Kristoff (St Petersburg; & 812/5716643):... high-tech glass architecture are the perfect symbols for the wealth of today’s Moscow See p 100 • Grand Hotel Europe (St Petersburg; & 812/329-6000; www.grandhotel europe.com): This baroque confection in central St Petersburg charmed Tchaikovsky and Bill Clinton, among other dignitaries The winter garden stays lush even during St Petersburg s dimmest months The harpist and the plush furniture of the mezzanine... listings for Moscow s Le Royal Meridien National or Metropol hotels (chapter 5) or St Petersburg s Grand Hotel Europe (chapter 12) Kirov; St Petersburg) : Locals bemoan falling standards and rising prices at Russia’s premier ballet and opera houses, but the performers remain top class Even seats on the fourth-level balcony offer views of the opulent 18thcentury interior The Bolshoi Theater in Moscow is... travel photos, read blogs from guidebook editors and fellow travelers, and much more The Best of Moscow & St Petersburg Russia breathes superlatives: the world’s biggest country; its largest supplier of natural gas and second-largest oil producer; home of the planet’s longest railroads, busiest subway system (Moscow s), and one of its deepest, biggest, and oldest lakes (Baikal, in Siberia) It even boasts... Pushkin (Moscow; 26a Tverskoi Bulvar; & 495/2295590) as you spear a bite of suckling pig or sip fine tea from a silver samovar It opened in 2000, but the three-story restaurant’s careful design and popularity make it seem like an imperial-era landmark See p 121 • Best Comfort Food: One of the most reliable, reasonable Russian menus in Moscow is at the basement restaurant/ bar Uncle Vanya (Moscow; 16... Vanil (Moscow; 1 Ostozhenka; & 495/2023341) The menu is relentlessly fresh; a recent option was a soup of duck livers and oysters The soaring ceilings and massive chandeliers seem built to the scale of the staggering Christ the Savior Cathedral across the street See p 130 • Best Fresh Fish: The spare stone arches of St Petersburg s Restoran (St Petersburg; 2 Tamozhenny Pereulok; & 812/ 327-8979) evoke another... Sandunovsky Baths in Moscow are a special treat, with Greek sculptures and marble baths Watch expert banya-goers beat themselves with birch branches, plunge into icy pools, exfoliate with coffee grounds, and sip beer while waiting for the next steam Sandunovsky Baths (Sandunovskiye Banyi) are at 14 Neglinnaya, Moscow (& 495/625-4631) See p 157 Watching the Drawbridges Open Along the Neva River (St Petersburg) : . . . . . 301 vii CONTENTS MOSCOW & ST. PETERSBURG 18 FAST FACTS & TOLLFREE NUMBERS 304 1 Fast Facts: Moscow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304 2 Fast Facts: St. Petersburg . . . . . . ACCOMMODATIONS 6 THE BEST OF MOSCOW & ST. PETERSBURG 1 BEST DINING EXPERIENCES • Galina’s Flat (Moscow; & 495/921- 6038; galinas.flat@mtu-net.ru): As the name suggests, guests here are staying in. .213 St. Petersburg in 3 Days . . . . . . . . .216 Where to Stay in St. Petersburg . . .220 Where to Dine in St. Petersburg . . .236 Exploring St. Petersburg . . . . . . . . .248 Exploring St.