Place
Moscow
Russia's showcase capital of nearly 20 million — Red Square and the Kremlin, a chandeliered Stalin-era metro, banya culture, and immaculate streets.
Moscow
Capital of Russia and the biggest city in Europe — nearly 20 million people with the suburbs, about a fifth of the country’s population. Harry calls it a theatre: the clean, rich stage (rebuilt over and over since Stalin) on which Russia displays its wealth and power. Red Square, the Kremlin (Putin’s official residence, ringed by armed military), and St Basil’s Cathedral form the iconic core; the Stalin-era metro with its chandeliers and Soviet statuary is an attraction in itself, and VDNKh showcases golden Soviet monuments and pavilions of the former republics.
What Harry did
Stayed at the famous Soviet-era hotel beside the Kremlin (Michael Jackson and Muhammad Ali both did too), walked Red Square and St Basil’s, hunted in vain for a single Western brand in a grand shopping mall, toured the city with local friend Valeriya — novelty marriage-vending-machine included — ate at a traditional Russian diner, rode the metro to a banya for the hottest sauna of his life (steam master, birch-branch whipping, ice plunges, naked pub-like socialising), and finished at VDNKh among Lenin statues and dancing.
Practical facts
- Airport taxi: 2,200 rubles; expect lengthy immigration questioning for Western passport holders (Harry’s took nearly five hours).
- Foreign bank cards don’t work — bring cash to exchange; locals are almost fully cashless.
- GPS is unreliable across the city (jammed as a drone defence), which breaks taxi pickups and navigation; the Yandex apps replace Google services.
- Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube are blocked — use a VPN or a foreign roaming eSIM.
- Streets are spotless and petty crime is very low — Harry rates it safer than most European cities.
- The metro is world-class: cheap to experience and architecturally stunning at the older stations.
Harry’s tips
- Treat the metro as a sight, not just transport — the Stalin-era stations are galleries.
- Do a proper banya with the “procedure” (steam master, birch branches, cold plunge) — brutal but one of the best experiences in the city; wear the felt hat so you last longer.
- Carry cash at all times and don’t rely on live GPS — agree taxi pickup points in advance.
- Remember Moscow is the showcase, not the country — judge “the real Russia” outside it.
Source
Videos featuring Moscow
Video
I Ignored Western Media and Went to Russia 🇷🇺
Harry survives a five-hour FSB interrogation to explore Moscow — Red Square, the chandelier metro, a brutal banya, and dating culture with his Russian friend Valeriya.
Video
Entering the Side of Russia You Don't Ever See 🇷🇺
An 18-hour third-class train from Moscow to Volgograd, then a hitchhike across the steppe to Elista — with an hour of being ignored and sworn at that nearly proved the stereotype.