There aren’t just soldiers marching in goose steps and cold Stalinist buildings in Moscow. It’s also not just secret agents hiding in dark alleys. After all, many spy books are set in Moscow. Moscow is one of the best capital cities in the world, and it has a lot of great places to visit, like St. Basil’s Cathedral, the Kremlin, and Red Square.
When you go to Moscow, you should try some of Russia’s traditional foods and drinks, like borscht and blini. Vodka is Russia’s most popular spirit. Not only can you dine like such a tsar, but you can rest like one, too. Some of the most desirable hotels in Moscow had rich, elegant furniture from the 19th century when Russia was an empire.
Hotel Baltschug Kempinski Moscow
The Hotel Baltschug Kempinski is right across the street from the Moskva River. From there, you can see the Kremlin and St. Basil’s Cathedral. Since it’s in the city center, major attractions like Red Square and the Tretyakov Gallery are just a short walk away. The hotel is in a building from 1898 that has been fixed up. The Kempinski has been there since 1992. The outside looks old-fashioned, but the inside is modern, with modern decor in all 227 rooms and suites.
Hotel The Ritz-Carlton Moscow
The time of the tsars is long gone, but at the Ritz-Carlton Moscow, you can still get a feel for that time. The rich fabrics and fine furniture in the hotel’s decor show what was best about Russia’s imperialist style in the 19th century. The staff gives you bread and salt at check-in, which is a traditional Russian greeting. One reviewer said that if you snore, you could wake up Lenin in his tomb, which is how close the hotel is to the Kremlin and Red Square. The view from the rooftop lounge is beautiful, and the drinks are good.
AZIMUT Hotel Olympic Moscow
The AZIMUT Hotel Olympic Moscow is far from the city center, but you can walk to the Olimpivsky Stadium in just five minutes. The Jewish Museum, a military museum, and a botanical garden are all within a mile of the hotel. Also, the metro station is just a short walk away, and the hotel has a free bus service downtown. The hotel doesn’t look like a typical Russian building. Instead, it is curved and has a lot of glass windows.
National Hotel Moscow
You’ll be transported to the late 19th and early 20th centuries when you stay at the National Hotel Moscow. The building was built in 1903 and had a traditional rich Russian style with an ornate motif. Inside, the furniture and fabrics are straight out of the 19th century. It looks and feels very classy. There are 202 rooms in the hotel, 55 of which are “historical” suites with Russian antiques. The hotel is an important part of history and has great views of the Kremlin and Red Square.
Hotel Hilton Moscow Leningradskaya
The Hotel Hilton Moscow Leningradskaya is pretty hard to miss. That’s because it’s so tall that it stands out from the other buildings. When it was built in 1954, the hotel was the best high-end hotel in Moscow. It was one of the Stalinist skyscrapers. The main light fixture inside was once the world’s longest. Since 2006, it has been a section of the Hilton chain. The hotel looks like a palace, which probably wasn’t the case when Stalin was in power.
Moscow Marriott Grand Hotel
The outside of the Moscow Marriott Grand Hotel lives up to its name, and the glass dome and fountain in the lobby keep the theme going. This is the place to rest if you come to Moscow to shop. The hotel is on Tverskaya Street, a great place to shop outside the front door. The neoclassical Yeliseev’s Food Hall is 10 minutes away on foot, but it takes 30 minutes to walk to Red Square and the Kremlin. The rooms aren’t very exciting but have the most modern amenities.
Hotel Metropol Moscow
The Hotel Metropol is one of Moscow’s most famous landmarks. From 1899 to 1907, when it was being built, well-known artists of the time helped decorate the steel and concrete dome. It was the primary hotel in Moscow to have phones and hot water. The Metropol seems to be the only hotel still standing that was built before the Russian Revolution of 1917. After the rebellion, it was used to house Soviet bureaucrats for a few years. In the 1930s, it became a hotel again. It is near the Bolshoi and is on Theater Square.