Quick Tips: Discovering Moscow’s Winter Wonderland

Quick Tips: Discovering Moscow’s Winter Wonderland
21 February 2017

Moscow’s winters are long. Really long. Five months out of the year temperatures rarely rise above freezing. So it’s no surprise Muscovites have a few tricks up their sleeves for having loads of fun through winters that seem to stretch on forever. We’ve compiled a list of the most fun ways to spend your winter in Moscow. Make sure you bundle up, because for most of this list we’re staying outdoors.

Ice Skating

Moscow is famous for its many diverse ice skating rinks. Some of our favorites include Gorky Park’s “Street-Art” ice rink, which meanders listlessly through the trails of Gorky Park, and is one of the more popular rinks with the locals, VDNKH ice rink (pictured above), which is famous for being the largest ice-rink in Europe, and finally the must-see BMW ice rink on the 86 floor of the Oko Tower in Moscow City. The latter of which is simply amazing. Check it out.

Sledding and Snow Tubing

Grab yourself a sled and pink cotton onesie, and head to any hill in Moscow, where you’re sure to find locals (children and adults alike) speeding down the slopes like penguins. Or, if you would rather take a more organized route, Sokolniki Park offers Moscow’s best snow-tubing for very reasonable prices. It’s great fun!

Cross-Country Skiing

Quite popular with locals is the cross-country skiing many of Moscow’s parks (Sokolniki Park, Bitsa Park, and Fili Park, to name a few) offer all winter. If you don’t have skis don’t worry, the parks rent out equipment cheap.

Snowboarding, Skiing, and other Alpine Sports

Moscow doesn’t have mountains, but it does have hills large enough for an afternoon of unforgettable skiing or snowboarding. The largest of these hills is Kant, located a short walk from Nagornaya metro station, and relatively cheap to enter (30 – 60 rubles per lift). The slope has more than ten ski-lifts and trails, equipment rental, a warm canteen, changing rooms, a skating rink, parking areas, and a large ski and snowboard shop for all your winter sports needs.

Bowling

Moscow’s legendary bowling alleys are a great alternative for those days that are just too cold to go outside. The city’s best alley is by far Bibabo bowling alley in Smolenskaya Square, right across the street from Smolenskaya metro station. The alley offers gourmet food and deserts, a billiards hall, and a one-of-a-kind bowling experience you won’t find anywhere else in the city. Give it a whirl, and have lots of fun this winter. Пока.

 

This post was brought to you by Andrew, currently studying Russian at Liden & Denz

Posted by Andrew

Andrew currently studies Russian at Liden & Denz. He lives in Vienna.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related posts
It’s the end of November and not surprisingly, it's getting cold out in Russia. So, it’s a good time to participate in some traditional Russian ...
Read more
Borodabar (Бородабар) is a beautiful underground bar, a few minutes away from Kazansky Sobor (Казанский Собор). Despite its little size, it is ...
Read more
When we think about Saint Petersburg's most interesting attractions, immediately Cathedrals, Hermitage, Russian Museum and Palaces come to our ...
Read more
Seize the moment and practice some Russian at the best St. Petersburg markets. Discover the best markets in the city and learn some vital ...
Read more