MOSCVA - Moscow in November (advice please)

[MCFCinUSA]

okay boys & girls I know I've asked about this tentatively once before, but which of you buggers knows a bit about this place as it's fairly likely I'll be in town for three to five days sometime after the Derby in November?

- where should/shouldn't I stay? (will be with a friend from South America and we're just going to be dossing around on a short layover)

- what sort of things & places are there to eat? (and we're not talking about a dignitary's budget or anything crazy fancy, but what should we look out for/not miss by way of street food and interesting eateries)

- what is there to do/see? (what would you personally recommend, what would you avoid, how long

- what other advice do you have? (any dos and don'ts, warnings, recommendations etc)

(if someone was coming to Istanbul, a city I know a little bit about because I was based there for three-and-a-half years, I'd mention some of the local customs like scamming tourists for expensive 'night club' drinks; these are the kind of drinks that will set you back £600-1,000 for an hour or so, and put you in a scene from a James Bond movie with three or four heavies in a confined area, not the 'pricey' hotel bar kind, etc etc)

FYI - I dress like shit (it's my usual uniform) and don't look too touristy or worth bothering with, so I have little problem walking through rougher areas at night, civil disturbances & riot police; on the other hand my friend from South America has a little more style/panache, and walks around pointing his compact camera at everything in sight, LOL. Neither of us speaks Russian, although we won't be vocalising our opinions of Putin or Russian foreign policy in any language whilst in country, etc etc



************ and most importantly of all: if I'm in town on the 8th, where might I watch the QPR match? ************


Thank You!

 

[squirtyflower]

we stayed at the Moscow Home-Hostel which was about 40 euros for a double/twin room, it's near the metro stop Park Kultry

We ate and drank at a sports bar not too far away which was reasonably priced, about a ten minute walk, on the huge main road

you can also eat pretty cheaply at the top of the GUM store in Red Square

the metro's easy to navigate with this app Yandex.Metro

the only thing i took time to see was Red Square, St Basil's, the Kremlin, the Catholic Cathedral not far away on the river, and the tourist area east of Smolenskaya

 

[Bill]

all the above.

its a truly stunning city.

*jealous*

 

[FromPollockToSilva]

I haven't been, but my advice is: eat at Georgian restaurants. Georgian cuisine is fantastic and readily available in Moscow.

 

[Bill]

oh and go and see lenin.

 

[MCFCinUSA]

cheers guys...

and any further info is greatly appreciated*; Squirty, I shall look up those places, thanks

(*as would City stuffing ManUre on the morning of the 2nd, as I'll be leaving for the airport the second the game's over - you have to know your priorities!)

 

[cptaidan88]

I'd agree with Squirty and De Niro's recommendations. We stayed in a different part though near Kitay Gorod metro station. We stayed at a hostel called City Comfort Hotel and to be fair it was pretty good. About a 5-10 minute walk to Red Square depending on how much you are looking up and around at the surroundings.

http://www.booking.com/hotel/ru/city-comfort.en-gb.html

There is a University in Kitay Gorod and as such there was a dirt cheap bar opposite the hotel, which in hindsight I spent too much of my time inside.

Its an incredible City that I'd like to go back to, but probably not until they remove the need for the VISA because its too expensive.

Make sure you see the Red Square and all around it. I think you can go inside the Kremlin to see their armouries (think jewels and art rather than weapons) and you can go inside Lenin's mausoleum which is weird, but worth seeing even if its just to say you have.

Just make sure you do plenty of research before you go. That App squirty mentioned is helpful but remember all the signs on the metro are in Cyrillic, so its a case of knowing the English place you want to get to, changing the map to Russian and then playing snap on the platforms to decide which direction you need to go.

There is a tourist bus tour if your struggling, but most of the obvious tourist spots are within walking distance of each other.

 

[Bill]

it just has an air about the place. absolutly awesome. prepare an eye opener. will definitly go back with or without city.

 

[scall11]

Go in the Kremlin. The ticket office is in the gardens and a bit hard to find but it's worth it.

 

[MCFCinUSA]

thanks again for all the comments & suggestions... been toying with the idea of staying around 30 mins (by car/metro) from Red Square and getting more hotel for less & commuting in on the train and/or walking around.. will have five days/nights to dispense with.