A day on my own in Moscow - WWYD?

[StickyProblem]

I am in Moscow for work next week, have about a day and a half there. Presenting first thing in the morning, will probably hang around the event where I'm presenting but most of it will be in Russian so I don't really think there'll be much I can learn. Then I'm flying back the following evening.

I spoke to a colleague who used to live there and he said "get someone to take you round because no-one speaks English" !!! I was a bit at that, surely in 2011 armed with zdrasfuite and prjalsta and a phrase book I could manage to get myself round some tourist stuff?

Would be grateful for advice from anyone who's been. I travel quite a lot on my own for work, don't usually take any spare time, but Moscow is so far (and so different!) that I have decided to go and do something. Lived in London for 18 years so hopefully the big-cityness of it won't put me off.

Thanks!!

Oh you lucky, lucky thing

Sorry, I am desperate to go back to Moscow at the moment.

You will be fine doing main touristy stuff on your own. NObody will speak English but they will scowl and shout and point at you enough that you know what you should be doing

Take the Metro, get off at a few stations and back on the next train to admire them. Get off at Teatralnaya which is a lovely station then head out of the station, take a look at the Bolshoi and walk towards Red Square and the Kremlin. After that head back on the metro to Arbatskaya station for a stroll downt he Arbat. This is a good place for lunch as it is so touristy, you can be sure of being understood here and finding something to eat! There is a good chain, can't remember what it is called but it looks like a cow , seriously it is decorated in black and white patches like a cow, they do decent Russian fare but it is sort of fast food ish and canteen type service which makes it a nice and easy place to go.

In the afternoon then head to a gallery such as Tretakov or Pushkin fine arts. You can easily spend a few hours in either of the Tretakovs. There are 2, an older one and a C20th one.

After that I'm guessing you'll need to find some dinner then head to the airport. Plenty of places to eat, Yolki Polki is a good chain, I think there is a good one near Pushkinskaya which does one of those all you can eat types where you fill your bown with the raw ingredients and they cook it in front of you. Of course for either meal you can find somewhere that isn't a chain, I'm just pointing out places that are easy to eat as a tourist.

Have fun!

Hi Indith
Thanks so, so much for this!
Chains are perfect, it will be exciting enough, don't want to get stressed in pursuit of a totally authentic experience!
The trip planning has been a nightmare, presentation is scary, visas are awful, I was starting to dread it. Really looking forward to it now! Thanks so much.

While you're around red square, take a look around St Basil's - if you like that sort of thing. It is an extremely odd building (in a nice way).

It will still be quite cold in Moscow next week so be prepared, especially if it rains!

Indith has given good tips, Red Square - the Kremlin - metro (if you have time, have a look at Mayakovskaya, Novoslobodskaya and Kievskaya stations, just stunning!)

Realistically you will only have half a day so I probably wouldn't bother with the Tretiakov gallery or the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts (but you might want to pop into the Pushkin Museum just to see the impressionists).

For meals, Yolki-Palki is indeed good (and ubiquitous). Order "telega" (a cart) for buffet with pickles, mushrooms, herring, various salads etc. I think it is the best way to try new food - if you don't like something you just have another go at the buffet and choose a different dish. You will probably arrive the night before and Pushkin is a great place for dinner. I am also very partial to coffee shops in Moscow - they serve most amazing thick chocolate in small cups (think Hotel Chocolat), mmm...

This year, the Russian and the "Western" Easters coincide so you might to go to a Russian church, not to stay for the service but just have a look and feel, there will be lots of special services (Easter is more important than Christmas for the Russian Orthodox Christians).

Hope you enjoy it!

Mmm yes Umnitsa the hot chocolate, nothing quite like a hot chocolate from chocoladnitsa while waiting for the metro to open in the morning after a night out :)

There used to be a gret coffee place on Tverskaya that did lovely hot chocolate and fantastic fruit tartlets. Yum.

thanks Chaotica and love the name!
thanks Umnitsa - love the idea of chocolate and a church service, great ideas. Thanks for the weather hint - got that very wrong last time I travelled!

I might have an afternoon, evening and a morning, depending on how long I stay at the event after presenting and if anyone else is around to hang out with (although even if they are, I might ditch them to do something interesting rather than sitting around talking about work in a hotel lobby!).

Thanks ever so much for the suggestions - very much appreciated!!

While you are all on...I thought of taking some small London or UK souvenirs over for the people who booked me for the presentation and helped me with hotel bookings etc. Perhaps Harrods teabags? Fortnums mini cakes? Union Jack teddy bears?

What do you think? Do Russians like that stuff or is it a bit cheesy? Or offensive even? I thought of some Kate and Wills stuff but then thought bearing in mind Russian history it might be totally wrong (I have a French friend who is offended by royalty!) Grateful for any input.

StickyProblem, it is very thoughtful of you to consider bringing small gifts. Like anywhere in the world, I think your contacts will be grateful for such tokens of appreciation.

I don't think the Fortnum brand is known in Moscow so people might not appreciate the luxurious provenance (I'm sure they'd enjoy the quality products anyway); Harrods is probably better known but I would not take it for granted.

I wouldn't bother with teddy bears or royalty memorabilia (but I generally don't like very souvenir-y things).

I think a tin of tea is always a good gift. If you want to make a more special present, a Wedgwood mug could be a good idea (there are a few Wedgwood shops in Moscow so the brand is known, recognisably English - and premium). If you know that your acquaintances have children, a nice little outfit for a child would be much appreciated (children's clothes are quite expensive).

Bon voyage - and good luck with the presentation!

Thanks very much Umnitsa, much appreciated.
I love tacky souvenirs from around the world but I don't know these people very well so it is probably better to be careful! I will probably go with the tea but the Wedgwood is also worth investigating.
Thanks again. I will let you know how it goes

You are welcome, glad it was useful.

One more thought - if you have any expatriate colleagues there, you might want to bring some glossy magazines (not as a gift but just a nice gesture). There are Vogue, Marie Claire etc in Russian, and English-language mags are available in specialised kiosks but the selection is limited and rather expensive. So things like Vanity Fair or House and Gardens would generally be appreciated, but of course it depends on how well you know these colleagues. I used to grab something in the BA lounge and bring it to the office.

Hope you have fun, let us know how it goes!