Moscow

Moscow is sometimes compared with a quilt because a great variety of architectural styles and eras are presented there – from medieval white-stone chambers and churches to high-tech skyscrapers.

Moscow and Saint Petersburg are both very popular destinations among tourists coming to Russia. Saint Petersburg is visited more often though, which is easy to explain: this city looks like European capitals, so European tourists find it easier to understand and acknowledge it. The fabulous Saint Petersburg is even called "The Northern Venice" or "The Russian Amsterdam" sometimes. One might fall in love with it from the first sight.

Moscow, however, is a different story. It's a must-see for those who want to understand Russia and to feel the country's soul and history. Making beautiful photos isn't enough – one has to stroll through bends of ancient lanes and explore the city to see its true beauty. Moscow is sometimes compared with a quilt because a great variety of architectural styles and eras are presented there – from medieval white-stone chambers and churches to high-tech skyscrapers.

The Moscow Kremlin is the heart of the city. The first wooden fortress was built on the same place in the middle of the XII century, and the architectural ensemble that we can see now was created mostly by Italian architects in the XV - XVI centuries. A unique feature of Moscow is that, having grown by tens of kilometers from its original core, it has preserved the medieval radial-ring system. It turns out that, taking into account the mini-rings around the Kremlin, there are about ten transport rings in Moscow! Even the famous Moscow metro repeats the same radial system of medieval Moscow.

It's obvious Moscow is famous for far more than just architecture. There are over 400 museums, 150 theatres and lots of parks and gardens – there are 27 just in the central part of the city. Park Zaradye is the newest of them. Opened in 2017 next to the Red Square, it has already become one of the main sights in Moscow and represents the whole Russia – one might find there both priceless historic objects and super-modern media centers, skate parks and philharmonic. By the way, various natural zones of Russia are recreated in the territory, from the Far North to the steppe regions.

Since recently the center of Moscow has always been festive and impressive because of colorful light decorations, which are carefully chosen depending on season or holiday. But the best time is winter, when Moscow literally shines and glows, drowning in the lights of festoons. Maybe that's why the American edition of The Wall Street Journal put Moscow into the top-5 interesting destinations for winter tourism in 2017.

One can sure find everything in Moscow. All kinds of restaurants with different cuisines, round-the-clock bars and discos, shops of fashionable world brands are waiting for visitors any time of the day. Of course, there are lots of large shopping centers in Moscow.

Moscow is far more than parties and festivities though. One might also find peace and solitude here. High stone walls of 15 monasteries protect visitors from hustle and bustle of the big city. What's more, there are lots of quiet and cozy streets and lanes where one can enjoy the true spirit of old Moscow. One can also go out of town - in the Moscow region there are more than a hundred estates and palaces of different times and styles. Many of them were the family nests of famous writers, poets and other cultural figures.

"Moscow is for every taste" might sound a bit cheesy, though it's difficult to find a more precise description for the capital of Russia, the beautiful city of Moscow.