Time in Moscow

Moscow is a dichotomy of a grand old city steeped in history and culture, and a bustling, modern metropolis filled with flashy cars and flashier models.

When to Go
There’s not a whole lot of leeway here. It gets pretty darned cold and snowy from November to April (we’re talking deep into the negatives) and hot in July and August. If you do head to Moscow in the winter, well, that’s why vodka was invented!

Moscow Weather Forecast, Russia

Food and Drink

Kasha (porridge) is a traditional breakfast dish, made from milk and oats, buckwheat or semolina. Midday and evening meals may include borshch, the traditional beetroot soup served hot with sour cream, beef stroganov, bliny, or even ikra or krasnaya ikra (black and red caviar). There’s also chicken kiev which is often quite different from the Western version. Some other traditional Russian dishes are pirozhky (fried rolls with different fillings, usually meat), prostakvasha (unsweetened yogurt), pelmeni (meat dumplings), rossolnik (hot soup of pickled vegetables) and shchi (cabbage soup). Salads, salati, are served in great variety (cucumbers, tomatos, diced vegetables, cabbage, etc.) with almost every meal. Widely-available Russian desserts include morozhenoye (ice cream), ponchiki (warm sugared doughnuts) and vareniki (dumplings with fresh berries, cherries or jam).

Currency

The Russian currency is the “ruble” or “rouble.” One ruble is currently worth about 4 cents. Or, you can think of it as 1 US dollar equals 25 rubles.

For up-to-date currency conversions, visit www.xe.com/ucc

Tipping

For a post-Communist society, tipping certainly seems to have caught on in Moscow. 10-15% is appropriate for good service in restaurants (and almost mandatory for upscale ones), if a service fee isn’t already added.

Airport Information

There are actually four airports in Moscow—but the two largest are Sheremetyevo International Airport and Domodedovo International Airport. You’ll find more flights out of Sheremetyevo and it’s closer to the city center, but Domodedovo has a reputation for being easier to navigate with fewer crowds. However, Domodedovo is undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation that is expanding the terminal size to help it compete with Sheremetyevo.

Transportation

Moscow has an excellent Metro subway system that carries millions of Muscovites each day. Usage is heaviest on weekdays.

Information (in English) on the system at UrbanRail.net

Subway system overlaid on Google Map of Moscow

If you’re planning on using a taxi, always negotiate rates with the driver before you set out on your journey.

Resources:

Russian Embassy: www.russianembassy.org

U.S State Department (passport/visa information and travel advisories):
www.state.gov/p/eur/ci/rs