48 Hours in Moscow
Tatler Russia social editor Masha Limonova takes a whirlwind tour of the best of Moscow
With the Fifa World Cup rolling into Moscow next month, Tatler Russia social editor Masha Limonova takes Melissa Twigg on a whirlwind tour of the city’s top restaurants, opulent palaces and glitziest shops, not to mention the odd spa, opera house and secret bar where connoisseurs of the good life gather
DAY 1 8.30AM
Start the day in a suitably ornate atmosphere at Café Pushkin, the closest a 21st-century visitor can get to taking tea at the Winter Palace. With its 200-year-old harps, leather-bound books and golden grandfather clocks, the wood-panelled room is Tolstoy chic, right down to the drooping moustaches of the waiters who take your order for prostokvasha, a traditional probiotic milk drink, or caviar and blinis.
10AM
Take a pretty 15-minute taxi ride across the river to the biggest expanse of green space in the city, Gorky Park, which has been transformed from Soviet utilitarian to hipster chic in the past few years. Enter Make through the monumental triumphal arch supported by a forest of columns and wander around the tulip gardens and old-fashioned amusements parks within, or explore the trendy cafes and boutiques that line the park. If the weather is warm, rent a pedal boat and paddle around the lake.
11.30AM
Visit the Gorky Park Museum, which tells an upbeat tale of 20th-century Russia and the remarkable story of Betty Glan, the young woman from Kiev who turned Gorky Park into the cultural heart of Soviet Moscow. Most importantly, get up to the rooftop observation deck, below which Moscow is laid out like a carpet embroidered with the Moscow River, the Kremlin, Red Square and St Basil’s Cathedral.
12.30PM
All that walking is bound to have made you hungry, so stock up on snacks from the nearby Tsvetnoy Central Market, which has stalls selling freshly baked black bread, rich cheese and cherries from Georgia. Shopping here is a highfashion affair, as this is where the Tatler crowd buys groceries—hence the scrum at the caviar stall. Want a seated lunch? Try Gorynych restaurant, which serves the best borscht in the city.
2PM
Russian society figures don’t get much glitzier than gallerist Dasha Zhukova, the ex-wife of billionaire Roman Abramovich and best friend of American writer Derek Blasberg and model Karlie Kloss. She founded the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in what was one of the Soviet era’s most popular restaurants, which Rem Koolhaas redesigned for its new purpose. Today, its rooftop bar and summer parties have become one of the main staples of Moscow nightlife, not to mention its ground-breaking exhibitions. Don’t miss Juergen Teller’s show in June.
3.30PM
A mixture between a hamman and a sauna, a Russian banya is part warming one’s freezing toes in hot, scented water and part vaguely terrifying exfoliation scrub. Sanduny is a quick walk from Garage and is the most luxurious banya in the city, with 18th-century marble floors and ornate, arched golden ceilings. Ask your concierge to book you a private pool and sauna for two hours to relax like a tsar.
6PM
After a hotel pit stop, get to an early evening ballet or opera at the Bolshoi decked out in your finery. Home to an extravagant gold and scarlet interior and some of the world’s most talented
FOUR SEASONS
Sandwiched between the Kremlin and State Duma, the Four Seasons (right) boasts one of the best addresses in Moscow, with most of the city’s top sites within a stone’s throw. A mix of Stalin-era design and contemporary Western styling, it is unmistakeably Russian while also being wonderfully luxurious.
ARARAT PARK HYATT
The right concierge can get you helicopter rides in a city where helicopters are banned and tickets to shows that have been sold out for months—and the Park Hyatt, a central, stylish hotel, has two of the most efficient.
BALTSCHUG KEMPINSKI
Close to Red Square with wonderful river-facing views, this lavish hotel has notably good service and is home to the Baltschug Grill, a restaurant that serves caviar worth getting on a plane for.
THE RITZ-CARLTON
With a vast spa and private butlers, this hotel is ideal for guests who like to be pampered after an evening next door at the Bolshoi.