Arbat Shopping (Self Guided), Moscow

Spend many happy hours browsing the eclectic mix of stores in the Arbat. The area bills itself as Moscow's premier shopping district and it encompasses one of the capital’s most famous tourist destinations, Arbat Street. Whether you have a hankering for a tacky souvenir or are in the market for unique antiques and expensive Russian handcrafts, this is where you need to be.

A particular joy of walking along the street, most of which is pedestrianized is to visit the craft shops. Their shelves are filled with such traditional wares as Russian dolls, hand-embroidered table linens, shawls and boxes with images of Russian fairytales. You can also purchase many of these items from street vendors, but wherever you shop for these items, prices can sometimes be high. When you start to feel hungry, stop by one of the many fast food chains such as McDonalds and Starbucks.

On Novy Arbat Street, which is situated to the west of the Kremlin, the shopping is more upscale with a clutch of high-end shops and shopping malls. The long avenue also has a stellar reputation for its many good restaurants. There is also a lot of literary history tied into Arbat Street as prominent Russian writers such as Pushkin, Tolstoy and Chekhov lived here at one time.