After a flight time of 3 hours, I landed in Moscow DME around 10pm. The airport is big, away from the city and very ordinary. Took about an hour to get to the hotel near Red Square.
Moscow is very impressive, and huge
Moscow is huge city and it is important to choose the hotel location carefully. I chose a central area and within walking distance to many landmarks, and most importantly the Metro. In a way, Moscow too is similar to other mega cities like London, Paris, Rome or Berlin….5 days is inadequate to do justice to these historic cities.
Central Moscow is very impressive. Most buildings are not tall, but they are huge horizontally. Across Moscow, you can view architectural gems from the Russian empire. The Metropole hotel too is housed in one such building… the dining hall is to be seen to be believed. I guess I can too can now claim I have eaten the way Tsars used too!
Having read so much about Red Square, it seemed a bit surreal to actually set foot there. Located in the heart of the city, a visit to Moscow is incomplete without visiting Red Square. It is surrounded by the Kremlin wall, the over 450 years old St. Basil’s Cathedral-with its famous spires, Lenin Mausoleum and the State History Museum.
Smolensky Metro bridge, Moscow Hilton hotel building, Moscow Kremlin with St. Vladimir’s statue in the foreground, Moscow
Because of the May 9 parade preparations, Red Square remained closed for few days and entry to the Kremlin was not allowed. This was a bit unexpected-while I managed to visit Red Square on the morning of my departure, on way to the airport, there was no time to go inside the Kremlin.
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Hop on hop off bus with boating is a good option to see Moscow
For a tourist, I think the Hop on Hop off bus is the best way to see the key attractions…Red Square and Kremlin, the world famous Bolshoi Theatre, the old headquarters of KGB, the colorful Arabat street, Moscow State University and the view point in front, the Hilton hotel building, embankment of Moskva river, the numerous bridges on the river, Cathedral of Christ the savior, GUM department store, statue of Peter the Great and so on. Good to buy a 2 day ticket atleast, with the boat combo thrown in.
After exploring the area near Kiev Railway station, I boarded the boat at Kiev Pier. From the boat, one gets great views of the Luzhniki Stadium, Krymska Bridge, Statue of Peter the Great, Headquarters of the Communist Party(this is one huge building), Walls of Kremlin, the Hilton hotel and of course, the numerous bridges.
Commuting by Moscow metro is a must
One of the best ways to commute is the Moscow metro. Moscow is probably the only city in the world where metro stations are tourist attractions! Not all of them but many of them. So don’t miss commuting through 2 or 3 metro stations while in Moscow.