WHAT TO SEE
GUM
GUM, in full Glavny Universalny Magazin (“Main Department Store in Russian”), formerly Gosudarstvenny Universalny Magazin (“State Department Store”), is the largest department store in Russia. Situated in the Red Square, it is a monument and mall known for its architectural mastery and makes for a must-see stop in Moscow. Along with the nest luxury brands, one can also find reasonably priced restaurants o ering Russian food, supermarkets, a pharmacy, souvenir shops and ATMs here. GUM o cially opened in 1893 and was the largest shopping mall in Europe at that time.
GORKY PARK
If you want to indulge in an experience as a true Muscovite, head to Gorky Park on one of the evenings. With uncanny similarities to Central Park in New York City, the park combines the beauty of nature with a highly centralised location. e park is divided into four parts: Muzeon (free open-air museum with more than 1,000 Soviet sculptures, Parterre (the main part of the park), Neskuchny Garden (lined with Russian monuments) and Sparrows Hill (known for the views from here).
Officially called Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure, the park is named a er the Soviet writer Maxim Gorky, the founder of the literary movement of socialist realism and nominated ve times for the Nobel Prize for Literature.
ARBAT STREET
Deemed as one of the most famous streets in Moscow, Arbat Street it lined with fashionable boutiques, street art and interesting restaurants. An almost-pedestrian only street, it also prides itself on Russian monuments, museums and theatres making it an extremely cultured experience of the city. Vakhtangov State Academic eater, a well-known theatre of the city, is situated here. Famed as a space for fantastic creativity, it also houses a museum on the history of the theatre itself. Also housed here on the street is the Reception House of the Government of the Russian Federation which combines various architectural styles that rarely seen in Moscow, such as “art nouveau” and eclecticism.
The street is also known for some exotic restaurants which are de nitive of the modern dining scene in Moscow. One of them is White Rabbit, a modern Russian-style restaurant located on the 16th oor of the Smolenskiy Shopping Mall, opposite the building of the Ministry of Foreign A airs. e restaurant’s menu includes Russian dishes that are blended with modern gastronomic trends. Located in the same mall is another sophisticated restaurant called Zodiac that’s admired for its Asian dining experience. If you’re looking for something more casual, Arbat Street is dotted with a number of Russian and American food chains such as Grabli and Mu Mu along with restaurants that serve Georgian, Azerbaijani, Uzbek, Armenian and Asian cuisines.
Arbat Street is also known for some exotic restaurants which are de nitive of the modern dining scene in Moscow.