Updated on April 14, 2025
Today I’m going to talk about the best places to stay in Moscow. And how to do this for foreigners during the sanctions in 2025, because now there are problems with payment, cards, etc. There is very little good content on this topic in English. I lived in Moscow for several years, and now I live in the city of Ryazan, 200 kilometers from Moscow, so I know Moscow locations and districts very well.
First of all, the content is aimed at the “mass user”, so on this page and on the site as a whole, we try to share a variety of flyhacks and options to save money on accommodation and vacations in the capital. There are many such opportunities, despite the myth that everything in Moscow is very expensive.
The best option for booking hotels in Moscow and Russia is the Trip.com service. On it you can pay by the usual means (VISA, Papal, Mastercard) In the past, many options were presented on Booking.com, but now the service does not work in the region.
Lifehack! To access the Russian hotel database on Trip.com, you need to select the Russian language. This can be difficult, but you can use an online translator. You can also make the process as easy as possible with the help of our article. To avoid searching for hotels in Moscow in Russian you can go to one of the recommended hotels in this article and book a specific option.
There are also many hotels in Moscow presented on Russian services Ostrovok and Yandex.Travel. To make a reservation there you need a local MIR card. But if you choose a hotel without prepayment, you can pay for the room in cash on the spot.
IMPORTANT: When searching, you must check the box “No card required for booking”
In other articles we will tell about the capital’s catering, cults and “entertainment”, well, and in this material – about where and how best to rent accommodation for a few days.
Where to Stay in Moscow in the Center
Moscow is a city that attracts tourists from all over the world. If you are planning a trip and looking for a place to stay in the center of the capital, you should consider several options. Both luxury hotels and budget hostels are concentrated in the center of Moscow (you can even take a “view” with a location in Moscow City, well, or just central).
To settle in the very center is probably worth it if you have a very decent budget. In the very center it’s a problem to find a usual store near the house like Dixie or Magnet, and the price level in establishments is overheated, and you either have to figure out/know what’s nearby in this location, or spend time exploring the area on maps and reviews.
If you count on any savings, but be close to the center literally in walking distance, a good choice will be the location of Novoslobodskaya and Mendeleevskaya, also not bad around Paveletskaya – both there and there will not be a problem to find democratic chain (and not only) establishments, food courts and large supermarkets like Perekrestok.
Which neighborhood is better?
Yes, it is clear that it is convenient in the center, close to the main attractions, and saves time. But if you want to save money, you might want to think twice.
10-15 minutes by subway and you’re in the center of Moscow! – sounds tempting, doesn’t it? Here you can start from the need for proximity to train stations and airports, and prices.
With good infrastructure and inexpensive rates, options in the south and south-east include Dubrovka, Proletarskaya, Tekstilshchiki, Tulskaya, Nagatinskaya. Options from the south-east are great because it is very convenient to get to three railway stations at once (Kursk, Kazan, Paveletsky).
In the northern direction – the option with Maryina Roscha looks nice, Savelovskaya and Rizhskaya are also tolerable options. In the south-west and west, on average, both more expensive and fewer options are available, but if you need to go there, you will find a suitable one there as well.
Of course, you should take into account individual criteria and the planned cultural program (for example, maybe it is important for you to have large shopping malls nearby for shopping).
How to rent a place to live cheaply
The best way to find cheap accommodation is to use Internet services. Trip.com and Ostrovok.ru (for hotels without prepayment) are relevant in 2025
Economy hotels in the center
Often, economy hotels in the center belong to mini-chains. They usually have a very cool location, but can be located in very unsightly buildings and in tricky nooks and crannies. The main trump card is walking distance to the subway and iconic places.
Hotels Away from the Center
The beauty of hotels away from the center is that they are full-fledged hotels with good infrastructure, both in the hotel itself and around it. They can be buildings for several thousand rooms. At the same time, the center is accessible both in terms of time and distance. Often such hotels are located near some points of attraction (for example, Izmailovsky Kremlin, VDNKh. Sokolniki Park, Moscow City)
Hostels
For those wishing to save money on accommodation in Moscow, nothing has been invented better than hostels yet. And by the way, hostels are not the same as hostels, some are modern, some are more like dormitories (and instead of cheerful carefree hipsters, your neighbors will be hard workers who have to work at 6am).
Standardly, hostels have common areas for eating, leisure activities, and spaces with sanitary facilities – this is the base. But each option can have individual features. There are in hostels and separate not common rooms (and standard as in conventional hotels) – and this can be a salvation for those who can not find a suitable room in hotels.
Where is the best place to rent a serviced apartment in Moscow?
When it comes to the question of where it is better to rent a serviced apartment in Moscow, many people are faced with a variety of offers and risks associated with the search for accommodation. Experience shows that the most reasonable solution is to use specialized platforms, such as Sutochno.ru (but you can use it only after you make a Russian MIR card). This platform offers a wide range of apartments, which allows you to quickly and conveniently find the best option.
Renting an apartment near uncluttered metro stations is not only a more economical but also a practical choice. Prices for housing in such areas can be much lower than in the very center of the capital, which will allow you to save a significant amount of money. And public transportation in Moscow is well established, and it will not be difficult to get to the most interesting places of the city.
When looking for options through offline ads, you can run into a lot of problems. Often such offers in such sources turn out to be fraudulent, and you risk at least losing money. In addition, many ads suggest long-term rentals, which does not always suit your needs. Therefore, it is better to avoid searching for accommodation through publicly available ads and use trusted platforms that offer safe and easy-to-use services.
Special attention should also be paid to safety issues. You should never trust advertisements that are posted on poles, bus stops or in unverified sources. This can lead to unpleasant consequences, such as encountering intermediaries or fraudsters. Choosing accommodation through reliable services provides a much greater degree of protection and assurance that you will get exactly what you paid for.
For example, as recommendations:
Which Hotel or Hotel to Choose
Large hotel complexes can be a good choice to stay for a few days. You are almost guaranteed to get a predictable level of conditions and service there. Such options will cost a moderate price.
In particular, you can consider any of the complexes in Izmailovo (Izmailovo Beta, Izmailovo Gamma), or Cosmos at VDNKh Cosmos. In both cases, though not the very center, but quite close, plus a well-developed infrastructure around (including entertainment), as well as walking distance to the metro.
Where to Stay in Moscow. Instructions for Different Scenarios
- Where is the best place to stay for a family with children. Most likely the choice for this case will depend on the planned cultural program.Many hotels, and even hostels have special family rooms for 3-4 people.
- Stay for a day. Again, everything depends on the cultural program, budget and purpose of the visit. If you plan to walk around the center, it is naturally worth finding suitable options in the center or as close as possible, sometimes places with proximity to train stations can be convenient. For example, Hilton Leningradskaya, Stars of Arbat, Safmar Tverskaya.
- Stay for 3 days. Here you can sacrifice a little time, but save money by choosing hotels not in the very center. For example, consider hotels near Proletarskaya (Oblaka, Holiday Tagansky ), Dubrovka (City Star), Maryina Roshcha/Rizhskaya (Sushchevsky Safmar, Raikin Plaza) or Tulskaya ( Danilovskaya , Starbort ).
- Pets Friendly” (with dog, cat). Not all hotels will allow you to stay with pets. But it is not a problem to find a hotel in Moscow where this is allowed. For example, Izmailovo Gamma, Holiday Tagansky , Cosmos.