What to Pack
When you pack for travel to Moscow in winter, think about what you may pack if you were going to go skiing. You’ll need accessories to cover your extremities, footwear that provides tread and insulates both the soles and the upper part of your foot and leg, and a jacket that breaks the wind and provides protection against the low temperatures of Russia in December, January, and February.
A coat that falls below the hip is recommended. Remember that you’ll be out in the weather more than you would be at home, where it may be convenient to go from house to car without being exposed to the elements for too long. When you travel, you’ll do more walking because you’ll likely be taking public transportation and seeing sights along the way.
Events
New Year’s Eve in Moscow is one of the biggest events of the year. Though some people head to Red Square to await the fireworks display, others opt for ringing in the holiday while attending private parties or events.
You may face the problem while certain service-oriented businesses, such as restaurants, may remain open, other businesses may close their doors or shorten their hours during the weeklong-plus period of vacation.
Maslenitsa is Russia’s farewell-to-winter festival, and it occurs in February or March. This pagan celebration is marked by games, contests, and Russian cultural traditions. It’s held in the Red Square area every year and draws crowds of Muscovites and visitors.
What to Do
Other Moscow winter activities include ice skating, enjoying snowman “parades” where thousands of snowmen crowd walkways and thoroughfares, and taking an icebreaker cruise.
Another recommended activity for the cold weather is a Moscow museum visit. You can easily spend hours in museums such as the Tretyakov Gallery, the State Armory Museum, or the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts.
All in all, just walking around the city, dripping in cafes to get a warm drink is an experience itself.
Visit Gorky Park after dark.
TWander through the beautifully illuminated woodland and gardens and watch the thousands of Muscovites skating on the vast areas of frozen pathways. Even better, hire some skates and join them. It stays open till late at night.
If the ice-skating in Gorky Park can’t keep you warm then head inside the Garage Museum. This museum is located inside the park in the former restaurant Seasons, which was posh and famous in the 1960s. Rem Koolhaas made an ambitious architectural project: to maintain the look of a 1960s building, but still become the most technologically advanced museum in the city.
The wall panels move freely and a large separate space is made especially for the installations and performances. Add to this five new exhibition halls, a media space and an entire educational centre, and you have yourself a cultural adventure not to miss.
No matter how cold it is, a visit to Moscow is not complete without a visit to the Red Square. The most beautiful and yet forbidding square in Moscow is a huge pedestrian space paved in stone right next to the Kremlin. The term ‘red’ doesn’t refer to the colour, as you perhaps would first guess – it refers to its beauty. ‘Red’ used to mean ‘beautiful’.
Over its long and troublesome history this place has been a market square and a place for coronations and decapitations. It has hosted a wide range of events – from military parades to rock concerts. A rink goes up every winter on the square where people can show off their skating skills.
There’s no better way to finish a day of sightseeing in a wintery Moscow than to go to a banya. A Russian banya is a hot steam that serves several purposes. People go to the banya to cure colds, remove toxins from the body, strengthen the immune system and gossip or talk business. The setting is grandiose and palatial with mosaics, marble columns and the Poseidon statue.
Locals come to Sanduny, the largest and most popular banya in Moscow, for a relaxing detox. They also go to do some nude celebrity spotting. Many Russian actors, singers and politicians come to this 200-year old institution regularly. Don’t leave without a bath besom session and a shot of vodka at the adjacent restaurant. This is a mandatory part of the banya program, if you want to go local.
There is a lot to do and to see if you want to try real Russian winter.
