Hotel National Moscow

No hotel in Moscow has a closer relationship with the Kremlin than the National. Opened in 1903 at the corner of Tverskaya and Mokhovaya streets, its eclectic façade faces the Alexander Garden and the crenellated walls beyond, and the corner suites—Lenin famously occupied one in 1918—frame a view of towers, domes and stars that no photograph quite prepares you for. Long managed under Western luxury flags and now operating independently, the hotel keeps its museum-like character: antiques and paintings collected over a century furnish the public rooms, and a grand staircase sweeps up beneath stained glass.

Rooms are classical in dress, with moulded ceilings, silks and period furniture; the Kremlin-view categories are the reason to book and worth the premium. Dining centres on a handsome rooftop-level restaurant with views over Manezhnaya Square, and the location is unbeatable for first-time visitors—Red Square, the Bolshoi and the Tretyakov Gallery are all within an easy walk, with the metro's most palatial stations underfoot. As across Russia, Western travellers face practical hurdles around payment and access, and service, while courteous, follows a more formal old-school register than the international brands once enforced.