Affordable nightly stays in Moscow

Moscow is a city with a very dense supply of accommodation, so the main question for guests isn't "which district" but "which ring" to stay in. The geometry of the capital is such that room rates and the distance to Red Square go up in step. To make the choice easier, we'll outline three zones.

Inside the Boulevard Ring. This historic core sits a twenty-minute walk from the Kremlin. Streets like Tverskaya, Nikolskaya, Bolshaya Nikitskaya and Pokrovka run through it. Almost all of Moscow's legendary grand hotels are lined up here — buildings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with stucco, lattice-gate lifts and views of the Bolshoi Theatre. Prices, of course, match.

• The Carlton, Moscow — sits on the corner of Manezhnaya, a few steps from the Alexander Garden, from 63,200 ₽ a night.
• Metropol — an Art Nouveau hotel from 1905, rising opposite the Bolshoi Theatre, from 42,000 ₽.
• Baltschug Kempinski Moscow — set across the bridge from Red Square, with Kremlin views from the windows, rooms from 22,000 ₽.

If you'd like to stay in the centre but skip the top-end rates, take a look at the center, cheap collection. It includes hotels inside the Boulevard and Garden Rings at more accessible prices.

The Garden Ring and Kalanchevka. This zone offers the same proximity to the centre but with lower prices and a calmer atmosphere. You can reach the Kremlin in one or two metro stops or in a 20-minute walk. At the same time, the tourist hum of Tverskaya doesn't reach your room. This zone fits travellers who want a balance between proximity to the sights, quiet and price. The area around the Three Stations is especially handy for those arriving by train who don't want to drag a suitcase across all of Moscow.

The Third Transport Ring and beyond. Hotels inside the TTK and in residential districts such as VDNKh, Leningradsky Prospekt and Dorogomilovo are usually chosen for other reasons: either a business trip to an office or an exhibition venue, or a tight budget. From almost any point on the outer ring you can reach the centre by metro in under half an hour.

When you're heading to Moscow for a week or longer, the standard hotel format with restaurant breakfasts starts to wear thin: you'd rather have dinner at home and not be tied to the hotel's schedule. Happily, the capital offers a great answer: apart-hotels and serviced apartments with a kitchen, a washing machine and monthly rates. Options like these can be found near Moscow City, on Kutuzovsky Prospekt and around Baumanskaya.

• Plaza Garden Moscow WTC — stands on Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment, across the bridge from the business towers, from 16,000 ₽.
• Diamond Apart-Hotel Moscow City — an apart-hotel format right inside a Moscow City skyscraper: the unit has a kitchen, and the windows open onto a panoramic view from on high, from 19,435 ₽.
• Mamaison All-Suites Spa Hotel Pokrovka — extended-stay apartments inside the Boulevard Ring, with a spa zone and a kitchen area, from 11,100 ₽.

For more options for week-long and month-long stays, see the apartments in the centre collection. It includes both serviced apart-hotels with housekeeping and ordinary daily-rental flats.

Moscow often acts as a transit point. For half of all travellers, the first priority is to find somewhere to sleep before an early flight or train. In situations like that, the priorities shift: closeness to the Kremlin takes a back seat, and what matters is getting to the terminal or platform in a couple of minutes.

• Sheraton Skypoint Luxe Sheremetyevo — the hotel sits right by Sheremetyevo and offers a free shuttle to the terminals. Rates start from 15,400 ₽. The ideal pick if your flight is at six in the morning.
• Delta Izmailovo — a large hotel cluster on the eastern side of Moscow. Prices start from 4,278 ₽. A good fit for travellers heading to Yaroslavsky or Kursky station who also want to stop by the Izmailovsky Kremlin.

If you're after something really budget-friendly, take a look at hostels near the Three Stations or in Zamoskvorechye. There you can find a bunk from a thousand roubles, within walking distance of metro stations on the Circle Line and the Big Circle Line. By big-city standards, this is a rare case where "cheap" and "close to the centre" come together in a single booking.