Best Time to Visit Moscow

Summer and early autumn: the easy months

June, August and September score best, and it's easy to see why. June days reach about 21°C, with the most sun of the year. August is just as pleasant. September is cooler but still dry enough to walk around Gorky Park or along the Moskva River embankments without a coat.

July is the warmest month, but it's also the wettest, with rain on 17 days. Showers are usually short, so you can duck into a café or a Metro station. Those stations are worth seeing anyway. Komsomolskaya and Mayakovskaya look like palaces.

June also brings the "white nights" glow, with very late sunsets. It's not as famous as in St Petersburg, but evenings feel long and easy. Summer is the high season for foreign visitors, so expect queues at the Kremlin and Red Square. The Kremlin's cathedrals are closed on Thursdays, so plan around that.

Winter: cold, dark and cosy

From December to February, highs stay below freezing and the sun barely shows. You get around one to two and a half hours a day. Snow is common, and it's properly cold. Still, Moscow works well in winter. Museums are warm, and the Tretyakov Gallery and Pushkin Museum are quieter than in summer.

Late December is the exception. New Year is the biggest holiday in Russia, and Red Square and the GUM department store glow with lights and a skating rink. Russian Orthodox Christmas is on 7 January. Maslenitsa, a pancake week before Lent, usually lands in late February or March, with blini (thin pancakes) on every corner. If you like snowy streets and hot tea, this is your season.

Spring and October: the in-between months

March is still freezing, and April is muddy as the snow melts. Both rate low or fair, so they're better for bargains than for strolling. May is a real turning point. Parks turn green, and highs reach 17°C. Victory Day on 9 May brings a big parade and crowds around Red Square, and some central streets close.

October is grey and damp, with only about two hours of sun a day. If you're travelling with kids or hate cold, skip it. If you like moody autumn colours, early September in Kolomenskoye or Tsaritsyno park is a better pick.

My advice? Go in June or September for the best mix of weather and calm. Pick December if you want snow and lights.