Centre stage

This small deluxe hotel has only 23 guest rooms and little in the way of extra facilities. Apart from its cozy, welcoming atmosphere, the Akvarel's main selling point is its superb central location in a courtyard between two of Moscow's most fashionable central streets and under 400 m from the Bolshoi Theatre. For visitors who prefer a small, private hotel, the Akvarel is almost unique in Moscow for its combination of size and location. »»»

Supremely luxurious and superbly stylish, the Ararat Park Hyatt set the benchmark for modern luxury hotels in Moscow when it opened in 2001. Just around the corner from the Bolshoi Theatre on Ulitsa Neglinnaya, the Ararat Park Hyatt eschews the historic grandeur of other hotels in the neighborhood in favor of a refined contemporary aesthetic, with exacting standards of design and comfort. As well as the superbly appointed accommodations, the Ararat Park Hyatt offers a full range of 5-star business and leisure services, including SPA facilities and a fine range of in-house dining options. »»»

This building on Ulitsa Petrovskie Linii, a quiet side street about 400 m from the Bolshoi Theatre, has been a hotel since 1909. Unlike Moscow's other historic central hotel's, however, the Budapest has remained a fairly low-key property, with clean but dated interiors and services and amenities that don't pretend to more than international 3-star standards. While visitors may balk at paying the Budapest's rates for such basic accommodation, it is nonetheless among the cheapest options in this very expensive area. »»»

The most luxurious of Marriott's Moscow hotels, the Royal Aurora is a purpose-built property on Ulitsa Petrovka, one of Moscow's most famous historic streets, around 250 m from the Bolshoi Theatre. The hotel's architecture and interiors evoke pre-Revolution luxury, while services and amenities conform to Marriott's international five-star standards and include extensive MICE facilities, fitness centre with pool and Spa. »»»

The Metropol Hotel is located on the opposite side of Teatralnaya Ploshchad ("Theatre Square") from the main building of the Bolshoi Theatre, and like the Bolshoi it is a landmark of Moscow pre-Revolutionary luxury. In the Metropol's magnificent Art Nouveau halls, it's easy to imagine the generations of Moscow's beau monde, not to mention visiting foreign dignitaries and stars, that have dined and drunk there before and after performances at the Bolshoi. The rich history of the hotel is reflected in the Metropol's guest rooms, many of which still contain original antiques and artworks, while the hotel's restaurant remains one of Moscow's most exquisitely elegant dining halls. »»»

The Hotel National was opened in 1902, and comes second only to the Metropol Hotel in terms of histoic Moscow elegance and grandeur. Located opposite the Kremlin walls on the corner of Tverskaya Ulitsa, Moscow's main central thoroughfare, this beautiful hotel, now part of Starwood's Luxury Collection, is only five minutes' walk from the Bolshoi Theatre. »»»

Located around 400 m from the Bolshoi Theatre on Neglinnaya Ulitsa, the Peter I Hotel is a modern deluxe property opened in 2006 in a reconstructed 19th century mansion. Offering 133 rooms and suites, as well as a standard range of superior amenities for business and leisure, the Peter I Hotel is most recommended for its recently refitted VIP rooms, which provide genuinely luxurious, 5-star accommodation. »»»

One of Moscow's most luxurious hotels, with no expense spared on fitting the large and extremely well equipped guest rooms, as well as a range of stylish and indulgent facilities for business and leisure travelers, the Ritz-Carlton Moscow enjoys a superb location at the southern end of Tverskaya Ulitsa, a few steps from Red Square and the Kremlin walls, and less than ten minutes' walk from the Bolshoi Theatre. »»»

The Savoy Hotel is the smallest of Moscow's historic 5-star hotels, with only 67 guest rooms. Nonetheless, it has an excellent range of luxury facilities including 25m indoor pool and a beautiful fine-dining restaurant. The Savoy Hotel is located on Ulitsa Rozhdestvenka, and it is less than five minutes' walk from the hotel to the Bolshoi. The Savoy has a rich cultural history, being especially popular among the Moscow literati of the pre-Revolutionary period. In more recent host, it has played host to a variety of classical music stars including Luciano Pavarotti, Montserrat Caballé, and José Carreras. »»»