FIFTY thousand Chelsea and Manchester United fans will flood into Moscow this week for the Champions League final, but there are a million and one reasons to visit this impressive city that have nothing to do with football.
Moscow long ago shrugge
d off its icy Cold War reputation, and over the past decade has banished the gangsters who filled the post-communist vacuum. And since pulling back from the brink of economic disaster in the 1990s, it is now home to largest number of billionaires in the world.
Affordable cafés, hotels and shops are springing up, encouraging tourists to experience this city of contrasts. You'll find ancient architecture sitting beside Stalinist monoliths, and the new super-rich alongside poverty-stricken pensioners.
BEFORE YOU GO The first thing you'll need is a visa. Find out more at
www.visatorussia.com. And Moscow is pricey so make sure you have plenty of money (£1 is worth just under 50 roubles). Everything in the Russian capital comes with a past, so to avoid permanently burying your head in the guidebook while you're there, do a bit of advance reading (for a potted history try
www.moscow-taxi.com). And the cultural scene is constantly evolving – keep up with the latest at www.moscow-life.com.
PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILESFly from Heathrow to Domodedovo airport with British Airways (www.ba.com) from £260 return, or with Aeroflot (
www.aeroflot.com) to Sheremetyevo airport from £170 return.
GETTING AROUND Moscow's heaving traffic is part of its chaotic character, but it's probably best avoided unless you're an experienced rally driver. Try out the tram network or stick to the subway, where there's yet more stunning architecture to marvel at as you wait for your train. Get your bearings by visiting
http://engl.mosmetro.ru.
TOURIST TRAIL When it comes to landmarks, Moscow has more than its fair share – Red Square, the Kremlin and the Bolshoi Theatre to name the obvious few. Getting to grips with nine centuries of history may prove testing, so an organised tour is a good idea (try those offered at
www.city-discovery.com/moscow). For a different perspective, try a river cruise, from £6 (boats depart every 20 minutes from the port opposite Kievskaya metro station).
You're spoilt for choice when it comes to galleries and museums, but one of the most spectacular is the Old Tretyakov Gallery (
www.tretyakov.ru), home to over 130,000 works of art.
One architectural gem not to be missed is Gorky's House (Ulitsa Malaya Nikitskaya), for its breathtakingly elaborate staircase and incredible stained-glass roof.
GO NATIVE Absorb the historic ambience by settling down for a while in one of the city parks. Patriarch's Pond is a beautiful spot, a stone's throw from Red Square and accessed along Malaya Bronnaya Street, one of Moscow's prettiest. And you could always join the native Muscovites as they bathe at Sandunovskiye Baths. Be warned, though: the water hits both extremes of temperature, and you can expect to get whacked occasionally with birch branches.
WHAT TO BUY Take your pick of Soviet souvenirs, Cold War chess sets and amber jewellery at the weekend Izmaylovsky Park market, but be prepared to be propositioned by eager stall-holders. Cigar smokers will enjoy the Tobacco Gallery in the Aktior Gallery shopping centre, where you can open the boxes to check the quality is top-notch.
For fashion, head to one of the exclusive malls or boutiques for designer labels galore. Beware the hefty price tags, though – Russians in the know would rather get their gear from Discount Centre (
www.discountcenter.ru).
NIGHTLIFE Vodka is the beverage of choice to kick-start an evening, and there are 22 to choose from at the very reasonable, if unimaginatively named, Vodka Bar (
www.vodkabar.ru). For live jazz, head to Le Club, with its long bar and comfy sofas, where an 18-piece band plays every Monday night (
www.le-club.ru).
WHERE TO STAY Famed for years as the world's most expensive capital, a room in Moscow can still cost a king's ransom – but if you've got the cash, you could go all out with a suite at the Baltschug Kempinski Hotel (
www.kempinski-moscow.com) – at a cost of around £2,000 per night.
Thankfully, cheaper alternatives are opening up all over the city, from the basic Napoleon Hostel (
www.napoleonhostel.ru), offering dorms from £15 and beers for 50p during happy hour, to the boutique Golden Apple (www. goldenapple.ru), with doubles from £234 a night.
WHERE TO EAT From Lebanese to Italian, you could travel the world without leaving town, and there's a growing collection of eateries serving delicious Russian fare. Na Melnitse (
www.namelnitse.ru) features theatrical-themed dining-rooms arranged around a mill, complete with paddle wheel and flowing stream, while Ribny Bazar (
www.rbazar.ru) is a compact café serving suckling pig and Ukrainian wines. If it's location you're after, Bosco Cafe is hard to beat, slap-bang in Red Square with a terrace overlooking Lenin's tomb.
The full article contains 864 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
