Time flies so fast that it's the second week of December already! And this week, we're going back to Russia to talk about the capital city after finding out what we could get in other cities like St. Petersburg and Yakutsk.
And today, we have De Wet and Jin from Museum of Wander to talk about Russia's capital city and how you can spend your ruble wisely in Moscow.
A Few Options to Spend Your Ruble While Traveling on a Budget in Moscow
Moscow, the capital city of Russia, constantly gets a bad rep for being one of the most expensive cities on earth. But fear not – there are many things to do in Moscow that will not bankrupt you.
For the average visitor to Moscow, it's good to know that the city is actually quite affordable and offers fantastic value for money.
“So what will $10 get me in Moscow?” I hear you ask. You'll get just over 700 Ruble (RUB) if you exchange your US Dollars. So, let me tell you how I would spend my hard-earned 10 bucks in this fantastic city.
Did you know?
Moscow has the largest number of billionaires in the world. As Forbes stated, there are at least 84 billionaires in the capital city of Russia.
Visiting the Kremlin
If you want to blow it all in one go, I'd head straight to the Kremlin. The Kremlin is the cultural, political, and religious heart of Russia and must not be missed when you're in Moscow.
Here you can see the famous attractions such as the Tsar bell en cannon, numerous cathedrals and enjoy the feeling that you are INSIDE the Russian kremlin, which is also the residence of Vladimir Putin.
This will set you back RUB 700, so when you're done with the Kremlin, you'll have some change left to toss to a street busker.
Kremlin, Moscow.
Travel Around the City on the Metro
Want your 10 bucks to last longer? Then head to the nearest metro station and buy a single journey ticket (about $1). You can travel on the metro for as long as you like, as long as you don't exit at a metro station.
The Moscow metro is spectacular, and after seeing a few stations you'll get to understand why they are called the Palaces of the People. Don't miss Arbatskaya, Komsomolskaya, Kievskaya or Ploschad Revolutsii stations.
Don't Miss the Red Squre
The famous Red Square is free to walk around, and here you can see St Basil's cathedral, the Kremlin wall and towers, the GUM Department store and Lenin's Mausoleum.
Join the thousands of Russians and line up to see the embalmed body of Lenin (free entrance) before crossing the Red Square to the GUM department store.
The GUM ain't no place to shop on a budget. But go up to the third floor and find the famous Stolovaya 57 canteen. This canteen-style restaurant is something straight out of the Soviet era and the food is yummy too.
Whether you're in the mood for borscht, Olivier salad or Russian dumplings, you'll be happy to hear that you can get a very decent meal at Stolovaya for about $5-7 USD.
With your change, get a famous GUM ice-cream (about $1) on the ground floor before going out onto the Red Square again.
Contributor: De Wet and Jin from Museum of Wander
De Wet and Jin are a married, multi-national, multi-culture and multi-lingual couple who love to see and experience as much of the world as possible. They get excited about places with strange names, good food, wine, adventures and kicking back.
