Moscow
This old-style blues club hosts an open jam session on Wednesday night, acoustic blues on Sunday and live performances other nights. The restaurant is…
Must-see entertainment in Russia
Moscow
The Lenkom isn’t the most glamorous theatre, but it’s widely considered to have the strongest acting troupe in the country. The flashy productions and…
St Petersburg
This illustrious music school was the first public music school in Russia. The Bolshoy Zal (Big Hall) on the 3rd floor is an excellent place to see…
St Petersburg
During the summer months attend atmospheric outdoor screenings on the city's rooftops via the Roof Cinema, which hosts shows at Mod Club and the New Stage…
St Petersburg
Designed by Giacomo Quarenghi, this intimate neoclassical auditorium was once the private theatre of the imperial family, and stands on the site of the…
St Petersburg
One of the handful of cinemas in the city where you can see foreign films and some higher-brow Hollywood productions with subtitles, as well as arty…
St Petersburg
There are St Petersburg institutions and then there’s Fish Fabrique, the museum of local boho life that has been going for over two decades. Here, in the…
St Petersburg
Opened in 2007, this concert hall is a magnificent multifaceted creation. It manages to preserve the historic brick facade of the set and scenery…
St Petersburg
Opening in 1913 as the Piccadilly Picture House, this was the city’s most fashionable cinema in the early years of Russian film, and it has retained its…
St Petersburg
The New Stage at Alexandrinsky, which opened in 2013, is a strikingly modern building for the historic city center but one that keeps a low profile due to…
St Petersburg
Housed inside the outrageously ornate Yusupov Palace, this elaborate yet intimate venue was the home entertainment centre for one of the city’s foremost…
Moscow
The Bolshoi Theatre doesn’t have a monopoly on ballet in Moscow. Leading dancers also appear with the Kremlin Ballet, which performs in the State Kremlin…
St Petersburg
On the rooftop of an art cluster near the Botanical Gardens, Hi-Hat hosts nights of live music, DJs and open-air film screenings. The creative line-up and…
St Petersburg
Also called the Theatre of Europe, the Maly is St Petersburg’s most internationally celebrated theatre. Its director Lev Dodin is famed for his long…
St Petersburg
Founded by legendary jazz violinist and composer David Goloshchokin, this venue represents the more traditional side of jazz. Two resident bands perform…
St Petersburg
Under the artistic direction of world-famous conductor Yury Temirkanov, the Philharmonia represents the finest in orchestral music. The Bolshoy Zal is the…
St Petersburg
A shrine to Viktor Tsoy, the late Soviet-era rocker who worked as caretaker of this former boilerhouse bunker with band mates from Kino. Music lovers…
Moscow
Boasting one of Moscow’s most talented theatre producers, Konstantin Raikin, as well as a host of big-name directors, the Satirikon earned a reputation in…
Moscow Children’s Musical Theatre
Arbat & Khamovniki
Founded by theatre legend Natalya Sats in 1965, this was the country’s first children’s theatre. Sats, apparently, was the inspiration for Prokofiev’s…
St Petersburg
Housed in the sumptuous (and dare we say, rather bizarre) former home of Baron von Derviz, the St Petersburg Opera performs regular operas in its intimate…
St Petersburg
Occupying a grand former mansion, this cinema and working film studio specialises mainly in documentary films, including international ones, although they…
St Petersburg
The fun and friendly Red Fox Jazz Café is a subterranean space that showcases various jazz styles in the old-fashioned 1920s to '50s sense: big band,…
Presnya
Founded by English actor Jonathan Bex, the MET performs contemporary American and British plays for English-speaking audiences. The company's original…
St Petersburg
This latest incarnation of a gay club that has been going in various forms for over a decade is a great place for a campy, old-school experience, complete…
St Petersburg
Set up in 2000, this circus teaches performing skills to children with disabilities or from environments where they are at social risk. Unlike other…
Zamoskvorechie
This institute is the focal point of the development at the Red October chocolate factory. Aside from the course offerings and the popular bar, Strelka…
Stanislavsky & Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theatre
Moscow
This historic company was founded when two legends of the Moscow theatre scene – Konstantin Stanislavsky and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko – joined forces…
Kaliningrad
Planeta is not just a club, it's an entertainment complex with a ground-floor restaurant, and the upper floors given over, depending on the night, to DJ…
Kaliningrad Region
Svetlogorsk's organ-recital hall began life as a Prussian Catholic church. It fell into disrepair and was rebuilt for its current purpose in the mid-1990s…
Arbat & Khamovniki
If your dog got run over by a pick-up truck, you might find some comfort at the Rhythm Blues Cafe, with down-and-out live music every night, plus cold…
St Petersburg
This fantastic conversion of a Soviet-era cinema in a rather nondescript part of town is a great venue for medium-sized concerts and a good place to see…
Presnya
Named after famous Mt Helicon, home to the muses and inspiration for musicians, this opera company is unique in Moscow for its innovative, even…
Krasnoyarsk
This new and smarter-than-usual nightlife venue, located inside Grand Hall Siberia in Vzlyotka area (east of the centre), runs DJ and live-music events,…
Presnya
Downstairs, the brassy English pub-restaurant has an excellent house-brewed bitter. Upstairs, the club gets some of the best Russian bands that play in…
Arbat & Khamovniki
The retro decor and friendly service create a great vibe at this cool underground music club. There are live jazz performances on Thursday and Sunday, and…
Feel Yourself Russian Folkshow
St Petersburg
Terrible title, but not a bad show of traditional Russian folk dancing and music. The pricey two-hour performance features four different folk groups,…
St Petersburg
With an outstanding sound system and an eclectic line-up of live music and DJs, A2 is one of the best venues for contemporary sounds in the city. It…
St Petersburg
This cinema inside the Angleterre Hotel is one of the best places in the city to see movies in their original language, with subtitles rather than dubbing…
St Petersburg Theatre of Musical Comedy
St Petersburg
Dating back to 1929, this theatre, as its name implies, specialises in musical and comedic plays and performances. Over the White Nights tourist season…
Mineral Water Spas
The striking light blue and beautifully proportioned Lermontov Gallery, built in 1901 in cast iron with stained-glass windows, is now a concert hall. It’s…
