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MOSCOW

1. Warning.
Moscow is a very complicated city for tourism – and a possible visit should be carefully planned.
1.1 Time: try to avoid different festive and anniversary dates when the entire centre is subject to closing for traffic and Red square and the Kremlin area can be closed for visitors. Non-recommended days: May 09, June 12, June 22, first weekend in September
1.2 Regarding very heavy traffic and complicated parking in weekdays – try to use weekend possibilities (if you have got choice)
1.3 Moscow is the city of politics and business – rather than of tourism. Try to avoid big political summits and Internationals exhibitions when there can be just no booking possibilities in hotels.

2. Accommodations
One special local peculiarity: almost full absence of  3-4* hotels in the city centre.
 There are hotels of several international chains. Not all of them provide the best communication with the main tourist attractions but due to special reasons your choice may be in their favour.
Hyatt – Ararat Park – a very downtown position, among its recent clients – Japanese prime minister Koidzumi and Madonna. This is a place for high-tech lovers.
Sheraton – not the most convenient accommodation venue.
Kempinski Balchug – across the river from the Kremlin and Red square.
Marriott: 4 properties with the Marriott Royal Aurora being the most convenient (a stone’s throw from the Bolshoy theatre)
Park Inn: 3 hotels with the Lesnaya being the most convenient
Le Meridien National – across the road from Red square and the Kremlin
Marco Polo Presnya – located in the prestigious ambassadorial district

No chain connection:
Metropole – a 5* historical 100-year old hotel located between the Bolshoy theatre and Red square
Golden Ring – a 5* modern hotel next to Arbat street, the most reasonably priced in this category
Arbat – a 3*+ hotel in an unassuming Soviet-era building in a very pleasant region, next to pedestrian street of the same name which is very popular with tourists
East-West – a 3* hotel in Tverskoy boulevard

3. Places to visit
3.1. Place #1 – – definitely Red square. Please remember that due to its proximity to the president’s residence – the Kremlin – it can be closed to public any minute without explanation why and for how long. It used to be closed also when there is access to the Lenin’s Tomb – 10-13 on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday; but the recently lifted ban can be resumed. The Tomb’s availability to public is subject to specification. Please remember - no cameras inside the Tomb (they should be left before passing through security frame at a special check room near the Kremlin entrance). St.Basil’s cathedral – not obligatory to visit inside, enough to look around.
3.2. The Kremlin – there you can visit Dormition (Uspensky) cathedral – place of crowning of all the Russian tsars, Archangel Michael (Arkhangelsky) cathedral – burial vault of Moscow grand dukes and Russian tsars till 1700, Annunciation (Blagoveschensky) cathedral – a home church of Moscow tsars; the Armoury Chamber museum – with the actual armour comprising only about 5% of collection; the rest - state regalia, thrones, ceremonial robes and carriages, ambassadorial gifts and church plate witnessing the splendour of the Russian court. For those to whom it is not enough – in the same building there is an independent extension – the Diamond Fund – with more items from old time and modern diamonds from Yakutia.
3.3 Moscow underground – a peculiar production of 1930-50ies with some of the underground vestibules looking like palaces and cathedrals being decorated with bronze statues and chandeliers, mosaics, stained glass,  marbles (kitschy looking for me – but very popular with tourists being unrivaled in the world – like Egyptian pyramids)
3.4 Tretyakov gallery – 2 big museums devoted to the Russian fine arts (12th century – 1913 – and 20th century separately)
3.5. Pushkin fine arts museum – a vast collection of plaster copies of famous sculptures and originals of old artists moved from the Hermitage including 6 Rembrandts
3.6. Private collections’ museum – Impressionists and Postimpressionists from 2 private collections of Moscow merchants Schukin and Morozov
3.7. Novodevichiy convent – which served also a fortress, a prison, a retreat, connected with Boris Godunov and Peter the Great
3.8. Novodevichiye cemetery – the Russian/Soviet pantheon with tombs of Chekhov, Levitan, Gogol, Bulgakov, Shalyapin, Eisenstein, Hruschov, Nadezhda Allilueva – Stalin’s wife, Molotov, Kaganovich, Shostakovich, Oistrakh, Raisa Gorbachova, Rostropovich and Yeltsin.
3.9. Leo Tolstoy estate where he lived in Moscow – carefully preserved since late 19th century (one of 3 Tolstoy museums in the city)
3.10 Gorky’ mansion – a present from Stalin to the proletarian writer, originally – and Art-nouveau mansion of a wealthy Moscow merchant Ryabushinsky. Only because of this the interior has been saved intact – unlike other an Art-nouveau mansions which were considered decadent and alien to the victorious proletariat. These interiors are actually the reason of visiting the place – irrespective of Gorky who might be absolutely unknown to you.
3.11 “Seven sisters” – 7 skyscrapers built in early 1950ies in a peculiar Stalin’s empire style
3.12. Victory memorial – to be seen from outside. Example of the Stalinist style crawling back into our life nowadays.
3.13. Places of Jewish interest:
3.13.1. Big Moscow synagogue – built in late 19th century which witnessed a non-organized demonstration of Soviet Jews who came to meet the first Israeli ambassador – Golda Meir
3.13.2. Chassidic synagogue in Bronnaya street with a nearby monument to Sholom Aleikhem and memorial plaque to a great Yiddish-speaking actor Solomon Michoels on the wall of the former Jewish Chamber theatre (closed in 1948 shortly after the assassination of Michoels).
3.13.3. Museum of the Holocaust and the memorial synagogue built in Victory memorial territory.

4. Entertainments
Traditional:
4.1. Bolshoy theatre performs in its new stage – next door to the historical building which is being renovated and is subject to opening in autumn 2009. Usual season is from September till June.
4.2. Great hall of the Conservatoire – main philharmonic venue.
4.3. Tchaikovsky concert hall
4.4. International House of Music – a brand new concert venue with 3 stages
4.5. Novaya Opera house – a new convenient building
4.6. Gelikon Opera company – known for its ultra-modern approach and non-traditional repertoire.
Non-traditional
We offer also visits to places not having special tourist orientation – to give some authentic atmosphere with jazz and modern songs’ presentation not having any connection with pop, rock, disco and other dancing directions. Their repertoire is not regular and is subject to specification – and we do not like to divulge them: a commercial secret! They are to be discussed in every case separately.

• Dear Andrej, Upon our safe return home, we would like to thank you most heartily for our extremely interesting visit to St. Petersburg. Your expert guidance and personal care made our visit an experience we shall always remember...

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