As the frost rolls into Moscow and temperatures drop far below zero, the thought of emerging from underneath your covers into the bone-chilling cold sends you right back to bed. But that’s why ice skating exists — the ultimate muscle-stimulating, blood-pumping remedy for winter lethargy. Strap on your ice skates and zoom through the cold winter air at one of these rinks.
GUM – Red Square
Vladimir Lenin is the only Muscovite who’s been granted the luxury of sleeping through the winter. Glide along the GUM ice rink just meters away from his resting place. The thought of spending decades in that mausoleum coupled with the invigorating view of the St. Basil’s Cathedral and the Kremlin towers will keep your feet moving.
Open: Nov. 30, daily 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Tickets: 300 – 600 rubles
Rentals: 150 rubles
3 Red Square. Metro Teatralnaya. +7 (495) 788 4343 gum.ru/rink
Patriarch's Pond
Quaint Patriarch’s Pond is primarily known as the former neighborhood of Russia’s favorite satirist Mikhail Bulgakov and the first location featured in his masterpiece, “Master and Margarita.” It also boasts a wonderful skating rink equipped with temperature adjusting technology that makes it immune to weather changes. The illuminated nightlights add to the enchanting spectacle of Bulgakov’s surreal Moscow. Just don’t talk to any strangers!
Open: Tues. to Fri. 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Sat. and Sun. noon to 10 p.m.
Tickets: Free
Rentals: 150 rubles for children, 250 rubles for adults
7 Patriarshy Pereulok. Metro Mayakovskaya. ezhikezhik.ru/places/katok-na-patriarshih
VDNKH
The sheer size of VDNKh and its grand pavilions epitomize the breadth of Soviet ambition. So does its ice rink — the largest in the country. You’re sure to work up an appetite after skimming over 20,000 square meters of ice, so drop by the food court conveniently adapted for your ice skates.
Open: Dec. 1, Tues. to Thurs., 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Fri., Sat., Sun. 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Tickets: 300 – 600 rubles
Rentals: 150 rubles
119 Prospekt Mira. Metro VDNKh. +7 (495) 544 34 00 vdnh.ru/en
Artplay
Throw on your slickest skates and head over to Moscow’s first rooftop ice rink at the Artplay Center. Sitting atop a five-story building, this incredibly hip, 1,000-square-meter rink offers panoramic views of Moscow’s historic center and Moscow City. For the upcoming holiday season the Artplay rooftop is preparing a rich selection of themed parties, film screenings and ice shows. There’s an ice-sculpting platform and a cafe where you can warm your hands afterwards.
Open: daily noon to midnight
Tickets: 200 rubles
Rentals: 200 rubles
19 Nizhaya Syromyatnicheskaya. Metro Sretensky Bulvar.+7 (495) 917 4767. artplay.ru
Sokolniki Park
Take a rest from Moscow’s urban sprawl and head to the wooded park Sokolniki for its tree-lined, 5,400 square meter ice rink. But it’s not all sylvan surroundings. A large multimedia screen and illuminated pylons flash dazzling light shows, and there is an Italian trattoria for apres-skate pasta. If you like to dance on ice, look for one of their skating discos.
Open: daily 10 a.m. to midnight
Adult tickets: 300 rubles on weekdays, 400 rubles on Fri., Sat. and Sun
Rentals: free
5-y Luchevoi Prosek.Metro Sokolniki. +7 (499) 393 9222park.sokolniki.com
Ded Moroz Manor
Unless you’re eager to reconnect with your inner child, this ice rink in the estate of Russia’s Santa Claus is for the younger set, who can skate with their favorite fairy tale characters. Take a tour of the Snow Maiden’s theater or learn how to write a persuasive letter to Ded Moroz.
Open: Wed. to Fri. 10 am to 6 pm, Sat. and Sun. noon to 6 pm.
Tickets: 300 rubles adult, 100 rubles children’s
Rentals: 200 rubles
168 Volgogradsky Prospekt. Metro Kuzminki. +7 (915) 009 1252 dedmorozmos.ru/to-parents/ice-magic
