What is the best time to visit Moscow?

Are you planning to travel to Russia? Yes, but when do you visit Moscow? Here are our tips on the best time to visit Moscow!

The Russian capital, a tentacular city of 12.4 million inhabitants, located inside the land and at high latitude – 55° north – has a cold and continental climate. Winter is long, rigorous and cold and summers are hot, with high temperature variations. The soil is covered with snow 138 days a year, from mid-November to late March. In addition, Moscow is experiencing weather events – hurricanes, tornadoes and precipitation – sometimes very violent. Because of the climate and affluence, there are months more favorable than others to visit the Moscovite agglomeration.

So, what is the best time to visit Moscow, being safe from the weather and the wind, without it freezing to stone, or making it a heat torrid? Do you prefer to visit Moscow in high season or low season? Moscovite agglomeration can be expensive in high tourist times, but really worth the detour. Kremlin , Sainte-Basile Cathedral, Red Square, Danilov Monastery, Moskova River, 96 parks and 18 gardens of the city, etc.: There are many things to see and do in Moscow. Here is our guide to find out when to visit Moscow according to the seasons.

When to visit Moscow?

Weather

In the Russian capital, the average annual temperature is rather low, and is only 6.7°C. Yet this mask value of high thermal amplitudes between January and July. The days do not know any thaws from mid-November to mid-March, and the barometer can climb up to 35°C in July and August, with a maximum temperature average at 22°C (July) and 24.2°C (August). If your dates are flexible, you have to take into account the climate question to know when to visit Moscow. If you like the cold and the snow, see Moscow wearing a white coat will be emblematic of a trip to Russia: the accumulated snow can reach up to 80 centimetres for almost 140 days a year on average.

Conversely, you can visit the city under torrid heat, but summer is also the season of the year where rainfall is the most abundant. Note that spring and autumn are very brief. If you leave in January, the average temperatures will be around -10°C: you will have to be careful not to fall – and get hurt – by walking on the ice!

Budget

In addition to the weather, it is important to take into account the fluctuations that can be experienced in the prices of airline tickets. So what is the best time to book your flight to Moscow? If one would tend to believe that winter is similar to the high season for this type of destination, it is the summer that wins the highest prices. The reason is simple: time is more unfavourable in winter.

To go to Moscow and enjoy the flights at the best prices, prefer the months from February to May (the cheapest being February) and the period from September to November. During the summer, especially in August, the ticket price tends to take more than 100€!

Finally, to save on the price of your ticket, prefer to book on weekdays: Thursday being deemed to be statistically of the most economical (up to 18 euros less if you book from Paris), forget last minute reservations on Saturday or Sunday evening.

Visit Moscow in winter

So, going to Russia in winter can add charm if you like extreme negatives and harsh colds. Remember the crushing failure that was the Russian Campaign led by Emperor Napoleon I in 1812... Visiting Moscow in winter gives you a unique urban landscape that can only be found in Quebec. Parks, squares, roofs of buildings and churches covered with white powder, long nights plunging the city into the dark, shining with a thousand lights, provided that they dress well because the mercury can deflate up to -20°C/-25°C and at that level of cold, the nostrils freeze! The Russian winter begins on December 1 and lasts until the last day of February. During this season, a giant open-air ice rink is installed on Red Square.

To treat rums, eliminate toxins, strengthen the immune system, go for a tour in a banya in Moscow: These are hot water vapour baths, essential for a visit to Moscow. Winter is the best time to visit Moscow if you prefer to see few tourists, no queue in front of museums, more affordable prices than in summer. Be sure to take the thick clothing that is necessary!

Visit Moscow on average season?

On the other hand, it is May and September where it will still be good in the day (17-20°C), but it will be very fresh in the morning (6-8°C). The other best time to visit Moscow is spring because there are very few tourists, although it is cold until April. In spring, the Orthodox Easter is one of the must-have religious festivals. The beginning of the autumn is also a good time to visit Moscow because the city has discharged its hordes of tourists. Of course, the rates descend with temperatures but you will have more tranquility.

Remember to always take with you an umbrella – or an impermeable – because time is changing and the ends of days are fresh in spring and fall. Finally, spring is the season of thawing: the snow melts and nature is re-edited but it is also the risk of padding in a melted snow molasse. Plan good shoes accordingly!

Visit Moscow in summer

When to visit Moscow? Is Russia in T-shirt? The Russian summer starts on 1 June and ends on 31 August. From June to August, you will enjoy the cultural vibrating in the Russian capital, as well as its countless parks and green spaces. For in Moscow, the performing arts are everywhere: the Bolshoi Theatre – where one can come in winter –, the concert halls, the Symphony Orchestras, the Moscow Zoo, etc. On all the tourist guides you will find that the months of June, July and September are the most favorable months to explore the city. With longer days in the summer, you can also enjoy monuments, parks and attractions for a longer time.

Careful, it's hot, but the majority of hotels lack air conditioning. The other drawback to visit Moscow in the summer is that goods and services (accommodation, plane tickets, restaurants, etc.) suffer considerable inflation and mosquitoes, thirsty for blood, land in number.

When to visit Moscow: the must-see festivals

Moscow has the reputation of never sleeping, like New York. Here are the events of the year not to be missed, whether it does -30°C or +30°C.

New Year

The end of the year celebrations are very celebrated by the Moscovites. On December 31 is more celebrated since religion had no place in Russia throughout the Soviet era: the New Year makes shade at Christmas, even if it is celebrated. Christmas markets, decorations and illuminations, winter games, ice rinks: the end of the year in Moscow will certainly enchant for all ages.

1 and 9 May

On May 1st and May 9th – time lag – are like our May holidays: the Workers’ Day and the end of the Second World War, symbolizing the Allies’ victory over Nazi Germany. It must be remembered that Russia lost more than 60 million people between 1939 and 1945. May 9 is therefore a day of important commemoration in Russia, and so feasts are held on Red Square. On the other hand, many cultural events, concerts, festivals and festivals are held on the Red Square and in the city centre throughout the year.