Places to find a Moscow flat to rent

So as an expat, where do want to live? It depends on your tastes, needs, and pocketbook. It's impossible to describe all of Moscow's neighborhoods, but there are a number of well-known areas to find a Moscow flat to rent.

Moscow Center Usually this is defined as the area inside of the Garden Ring road. However even in this area there are quite a few different neighborhoods.

The most elite areas to find a Moscow flat to rent are:

Patriarchy Prudi, or Patriarch's Pond, near Metro Mayakovskaya, is one of the more expensive neighborhoods. Featuring older buildings (late 19th, early 20th centuries), the area is centered on a pond in a small park, and is an island of calm in the heart of Moscow.

Kropotkinskaya / Ostozhenka is a quiet, residential area of central Moscow located between Novy Arbat and the Moskva river. This area contains a lot of embassies and consulates; the winding streets and turn-of-the-century buildings make it a pleasant area to walk in. Ostozhenka is also referred to as the “Golden mile” – due to the large number of elite town houses built there within the last 6 years (prices per m2 for sale can reach $15,000-$20,000).

Christie Prudi, or Clean Pond, is located along the Boulevard Ring at Metro Turgenevskaya and Christie Prudi. This area has a number of foreign embassies and arte nouveau buildings. Tends to be more expensive.

The most popular places to find a Moscow flat to rent are:

Tverskoy, or Tverskaya Street, is the social and shopping heart of Moscow. It runs from the Kremlin northwest through Pushkin Square, Mayakovskaya Square and finishes at Belorussky Square. Tverskaya has a wide selection of shops, boutiques, cafes, bars and restaurants. Due to its popularity there is a definite price premium.

Novy Arbat, or the New Arbat: Constructed in the 1960s, the Novy Arbat is defined by a row of modern high-rise buildings along both sides of the street, known as the zheleznaya chelost (iron jaw). One side of the street is strictly commercial, but the other side offers apartments with exceptional views of the city - especially from the upper floors. The apartments however tend to be on the small side. Prices tend to be moderate.

Stari Arbat (Old Arbat), located nearby, features both old, art nouveau buildings, as well as some recent developments. The Stari Arbat pedestrian mall is at once an attraction, with its shops and restaurants, and at once a source of noise. The Stari Arbat is a bit pricier.

Additional places to find a Moscow flat to rent are:

Zamoskvarechia has often in the past been overlooked by expatriates who look for more fun “north” of the river. Actually Zamoskvarechia is very central (inside the Garden Ring), and with the growth of Paveletsky Square as a main business district is now becoming more popular with foreigners. The area is famous for its galleries, old churches and canals.

Bolshaya/Malaya Gruzinskaya. These streets begin near the Belorussky Vokzhal (Belorussky train and metro station) and run almost parallel to one another, exiting onto Krasnopresnenskaya Ulitsa, near the Barrikadnaya and Krasnopresnenskaya metro stations, the Moscow Zoo and the US Embassy. Bolshaya Gruzinskaya, in particular features Tischinskaya Ploschad, a large square dominated by one of the early works of the infamous sculptor Zurab Tseritelli.

Those were the most popular places to find a Moscow flat to rent, but if you're looking for inexpensive digs, get out your Metro map, and start looking for apartments near stations outside of the ring line, especially toward the end of the radial lines. That doesn't mean you have to give up on living closer to the center - but you'll have to look pretty hard.