Hotels with Pool in Moscow

It’s worth getting a guided tour around the iconic Red Square because there’s just so much history and culture to take in. The twisted red-and-white towers and multicolored sweet-like domes of St Basil’s Cathedral vie for attention with golden spires and the imposing modern red granite of Lenin’s eerie Mausoleum. Shop and dine in luxury at the enormous glass-roofed GUM department store, its fabulous lacy light display ablaze at night.

Pedestrian-friendly, buzzing Arbat is one of Moscow’s most famous historic streets. A rippling bronze statue of Alexander Pushkin and his wife watch shoppers seeking treasures that include fine Russian woven handicrafts among cheaper souvenirs. There’s a variety of restaurants, bars, and cafes for all budgets, including ethnic Azerbaijani and Georgian food. During the winter students fill Arbat with huddled frozen crowds of snowmen whilst folk singers and acrobats perform.

Theater-filled northwest Tverskaya is the district for culture-seekers. A towering bronze Charlie Chaplin statue looms over the sculpture-packed entrance of the Moscow Museum of Modern Art. Classical music aficionados make sure to get a ticket to listen to the gorgeous swelling sound of the National Russian Orchestra at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall. In between, stroll pensively down leafy Tverskoi Boulevard, the wide street favored by 19th century Moscow intellectuals.

Belorusskaya is a fairly quiet neighborhood that provides an excellent base for visitors headed to the Kremlin and Red Square. At the end of the street is Petrovsky Park, a 50 acre social hub that sprawls around the fairytale-like castle of Petrovsky Palace – whose arches and layers resemble a red-and-white cake. Among trees iced with snow, find the striking hexahedral minaret-style Turkish Tower and two statues of astronaut Yuri Gagarin.

South of central Moscow, Paveletskaya is perched near the river’s edge. There are a few restaurants nearby, but this district is mainly an affordable stop-off, with excellent transport links to central attractions and a fast direct connection to Domodedovo Airport. After gazing at the imposing clock-like gold-and-black Paveletskaya Tower, visit the quirky Museum of the Moscow Railway which alongside Lenin’s funeral train, displays miniature models, documents, photographs, and old uniforms.