---
type: Place
title: Moscow
description: Russia's showcase capital of nearly 20 million — Red Square and the Kremlin, a chandeliered Stalin-era metro, banya culture, and immaculate streets.
tags: [moscow, russia, city, soviet-history]
coordinates: {lat: 55.6256, lng: 37.6064}
timestamp: 2026-07-12T12:00:00Z
---

# Moscow

Capital of [Russia](/countries/russia.md) 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](/people/valeriya.md) — 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

- [I Ignored Western Media and Went to Russia 🇷🇺](/videos/IEMZb82wD0k.md) —
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEMZb82wD0k