Layover in Moscow: getting to know the city in less than 10 hours

Once upon a time I booked a flight to Thailand with a layover in Moscow.. At the time, it seemed like a good idea because then I could also Moscow, a city I had always wanted to visit. But as the day of the trip was approaching I noticed some flaws with my plan:

I did not speak Russian
2)I would have to stay up all night and during the day until my next flight (19:00)
3)I'd have to carry my cabin bag with me throughout the city
No wifi... and did I mention the ''no Russian part''?!
I was not sure I'd be able to leave the airport (visa stuff)

But I took a glass of the adventurous spirit (a.k.a. wine) and I landed in Moscow at around 4am. I passed through the passport control half asleep and just like that I was officially in Russia!

After waiting a few hours (trying to take a nap) in the airport until a more decent hour, I bought my train ticket to Moscow and boarded the red express! From then I had to make my way to the metro station I had written down the name, but of course, I got lost! I ended up finding a different station, from a different line and then I got even more lost. But by accident I ended up at the brown line (that basically goes in a circle around the center of Moscow) so I decided that I would just step out on every stop to find the right line and to look around (I had read before that the metro stations of Moscow are beautiful and they even have tours there, so it was already kind of a touristic activity).

My quick pictures cannot make any justice to how beautiful these stations actually are. A lot of gold and arts, one different from the other!

After I found my way again and managed to step out in the right place, I made my way to the famous Kremlin and Red Square. (tip: right in front of the entrance of the Kremlin, there is an underground mall. There you can find a different types of food and snacks. Usually at these places they have pictures of the food and price to make it easier if you don't speak the language).

I had to take a few moments to stop and appreciate what was around me: those beautiful red buildings I had seen in history books and google pictures or on movies, were just around me. The red is one of those places that we worth seeing and I'd love to go back there one day. But time was ticking and whilst I dragged myself and my bad through the streets of Moscow to find my next stop, it started poring down (just my luck).

So for the next 2.5 hours, I joined a free walking tour in Moscow. With my bag. With lots of rain. Like a LOT. However, it did not matter at the time because I would not be returning to Moscow any time soon, so I had to enjoy all the opportunities I had then. The tour was a very convenient way to learn the most I could about the city in the quickest way possible. Unfortunately, because of my time situation, I could not visit places like the Bolshoi Theater and enjoy the ballet (I'm not really into that but it is probably a one of a kind experience so I hope I can watch it one day).

Doing this kind of tour is something that really helps when you just arrive in a city because the guides usually give a lot of good tips (specially tips that will help your pocket) like how/when to get tickets to the ballet to get the best deals for the price; where to find souvenirs; good price x quality restaurants you should stop by and etc.

I did however have time to stop at the GUM (department store kind of mall) just at the red square and get some pastries in a restaurant (Stolovaya N57) that was very handy because the selection of food was displayed there so I could pick what I wanted and put it on my tray. Really helped with the language issue! Everything tasted really good and the price was very reasonable, specially for a city that is known as very expensive.

Just before I left, I saw these ice cream kiosks that had a lot of people waiting. There was one closed and when they brought the ice creams in, dozens of people went straight around it and start asking for their flavor. I am not sure what I kind of ice cream it was, but it was a Russian one, that apparently is not only popular with Russians but with foreigners as well! They are just a small cone with 1 ball and cost 50 rubles, so even though it was cold and raining, I decided to try one! I asked for the blueberry flavored one and it was the best ice cream I've ever had. I mean, I have been to Italy, where they are so famous for their gelato, but this one in Moscow was just amazing! Super creamy and tasty! No one should miss out on this when in Moscow!

(Image taken from google, merely for illustration)

After the tour was over and I had eaten my ice cream, it was time find a metro station again and go back to the airport. Of course, my experience in the metro was not that smooth, but luckily a nice Russian lady helped me out by pointing at the screen of her phone to the metro system app and showing me where I had to go.

When I got back to the airport, I still had a few hours to wait until my flight so I ended up thinking of everything that happened: I had just been in Moscow, enjoyed Moscow as much as I could (you know, sleep deprived and wet from the rain) and made my way back. I learned about the city and I saw more in a few hours that a lot of people get to see and it was totally worth it! So worth it that Moscow is back on my ''travel list''!

Have you ever been to Moscow? Did you enjoy the city? Would you like to visit it one day? Let me know and ask me anything you want :)