Must-see shopping in Moscow

  • Transylvania

    Moscow

    From the courtyard, look for the black metal door that leads down into this dungeon of a shop, which houses room after room of CDs, in every genre…

  • Yekaterina

    Moscow

    One of Russia’s oldest furriers, this place has been manufacturing shapky (fur hats) and shuby (fur coats) since 1912. While Yekaterina has always…

  • Exterior of GUM department store.

    GUM

    Moscow

    Behind its elaborate 240m-long facade on the northeastern side of Red Square, GUM is a bright, bustling shopping mall with hundreds of fancy stores and…

  • Yeliseev Grocery

    Moscow

    Peek in here for a glimpse of pre-revolutionary grandeur, as the store is set in the former mansion of the successful merchant Yeliseev. It now houses an…

  • Russkie Chasovye Traditsii

    Arbat & Khamovniki

    If you're in the market for a fancy timepiece, pop into the Arbat outlet of ‘Russian Watch Traditions’. On this touristy drag, these small shops carry…

  • Russian Embroidery & Lace

    Arbat & Khamovniki

    Considering the lack of flashy signs and kitsch, it would be easy to miss this plain storefront on the Arbat. But inside there are treasures galore, from…

  • Flakon

    Moscow

    Flakon is arguably the most visually attractive of all the redeveloped industrial areas around town, looking a bit like the far end of London's Portobello…

  • Khokhlovka Original

    Meshchansky & Basmanny

    This is about the most clandestine fashion store we've ever reviewed. To get in, enter a graffiti-covered courtyard, then look for a small gap between two…

  • Tryokhgornaya Manufaktura Factory Outlet

    Presnya

    Tryokhgornaya Manufaktura is one of the oldest textile factories in Russia, founded in 1799 on the banks of the Moscow River. The factory played a key…

  • Biblio-Globus

    Meshchansky & Basmanny

    Moscow’s favourite bookshop is huge, with lots of souvenir books devoted to language, art and history, and a good selection of maps and travel guides. A…

  • Odensya Dlya Schastya

    Meshchansky & Basmanny

    This sweet boutique – encouraging shoppers to ‘dress for happiness’ – carries unique clothing by a few distinctive designers, including Moscow native Oleg…

  • Valentin Yudashkin Boutique

    Presnya

    The best-known Russian fashion designer is Valentin Yudashkin, whose classy clothes are on display at the Louvre and the Met, as well as the State History…

  • Dom Knigi

    Arbat & Khamovniki

    Among the largest bookstores in Moscow, Dom Knigi has a selection of foreign-language books to rival any other shop in the city, not to mention travel…

  • Zaporozhets Heritage

    Moscow

    Zaporozhets makes clothes themed on popular Soviet cartoon films, such as Holidays in Prostokvashino, for hipsters born after the USSR collapsed who love…

  • Chocolate Salon

    Presnya

    This bustling store is the factory outlet for several local candy makers, including the most famous, Krasny Oktyabr (Red October). The display case is…

  • Naivno? Ochen!

    Meshchansky & Basmanny

    These folks do a great service selling souvenirs – cups, plates and T-shirts – themed on inspired and whimsical drawings produced by children with special…

  • Cosmotheka

    Meshchansky & Basmanny

    Here you'll find perfume brands that you won't come by in a duty-free shop. All fringe international and Russian perfume producers are welcome, while Dior…

  • Mir Kino

    Meshchansky & Basmanny

    This tiny shop that sells secondhand vinyl and CDs has a few shelves dedicated to Russian indie music from the 1980s to present. There is also a Korean…

  • Roomchik

    Moscow

    A showroom of a popular online shop, which focuses primarily on little-known Russian designer brands. Definitely a place to look for high-quality clothes…

  • Ponaroshku

    Presnya

    This tiny store is packed with books, games, plush animals and beautiful painted wooden toys. This is the place to find some souvenirs for the little…

  • Russian timepieces for sale at the weekend 'Vernisazh' arts and crafts market at Izmaylovsky Park in Moscow.

    Izmaylovsky Market

    Meshchansky & Basmanny

    Never mind the kitschy faux 'tsar's palace' it surrounds, this is the ultimate place to shop for matryoshka dolls, military uniforms, icons, Soviet badges…

  • Alena Akhmadullina Boutique

    Moscow

    Alena Akhmadullina’s romantic, flowing fashions have been wowing trendsetters since 2005, when the St Petersburg designer first showed her stuff in Paris…

  • Katya Dobryakova

    Presnya

    Katya makes dresses, blouses, sweatshirts and more with brightly coloured applications – all around a single theme. It was 'Tropical Dreams' when we…

  • Armiya Rossii

    Presnya

    In case you hadn't noticed the increasing militarisation of Russian society, here's an example: the Russian Army now has its own fashion line. There's…

  • Respublika

    Moscow

    It’s a bookstore, but it’s also a gift shop, a music shop and a cafe. This is the place to shop for a quirky gift for your friend who (you think) has…

  • Vassa & Co

    Arbat & Khamovniki

    Elena Vassa is a Russian designer but was trained in New York City. Her designs reflect a classical and classy sense of style. Catering to modern Moscow…

  • Exterior of TSUM with billboard.

    TsUM

    Moscow

    TsUM stands for Tsentralny Universalny Magazin (Central Department Store). Built in 1909 as the Scottish-owned Muir & Merrilees, it was the first…

  • Alyonka

    Zamoskvorechie

    Although the old Red October chocolate factory has long been converted into a hipster den, you can still sample the products of Russian chocolatiers at…

  • Russkaya Usadba

    Meshchansky & Basmanny

    One of Moscow's best antiques dealers, this gallery specialises in 19th-century furniture salvaged from the mansion houses of the nobility, most of which…

  • Moskva

    Moscow

    One of the oldest and biggest Moscow bookshops, opened in 1958, Moskva has a huge collection of books in many languages. There's a downstairs antiques…

  • Podarki vMeste s Vorovski

    Moscow

    This sweet little boutique houses a cooperative of four designer gift producers. The rather cramped space is filled with hundreds of useful and useless …

  • Dom Farfora

    Presnya

    The ‘house of china’ sells the world’s most famous brands of fine china, including Russia’s own Imperatorsky farforovy zavod (imperial china factory)…

  • Magazin Chai-Kofe

    Meshchansky & Basmanny

    In 1894 the old Perlov Tea House was redecorated in the style of a Chinese pagoda. Today this fantastical facade contains the Tea-Coffee Store – a simple…

  • Simachyov Boutique & Bar

    Moscow

    The wild child of Russian fashion, Denis Simachyov has become a household name in Moscow thanks to his popular nightclub and irreverent clothing. His…

  • Adress

    Presnya

    Specialising in 'unusual clothing', this sweet boutique carries a range of dresses, tops and accessories. The creative designers represent the whole…

  • Factory-Expedition

    Meshchansky & Basmanny

    For all your hunting expedition needs, head to this tiny shop below the restaurant of the same name. As well as guns, knives, camping equipment and…

  • Lnyanaya Lavka

    Moscow

    Russian fashion designers are doing wonderful things with linen, crafting this potentially drab material into modern, playful clothing. Styles are…

  • Dom Inostrannoy Knigi

    Moscow

    The House of Foreign Books is a small place with a wide selection of literature in foreign languages. Most books are in English, though there are smaller…

  • Tsvetnoy

    Moscow

    Of all shopping centres in central Moscow, this is the funkiest, with clothes and interior-design items from international and emerging Russian brands, a…