Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The list of activities on offer could easily cover a Rosetta Stone, although on sunny days
thousands opt for complete inactivity either atop one of the giant cushions scattered around
the park or on the sundecks at the Olive Beach ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; sunbed per day R1000;
10am-11pm) located on the embankment by the pedestrian bridge.
Cyclists and rollerbladers create a bit of a traffic jam inside the park during weekends, but
they can enjoy a vehicle-free, 16km riverside ride to Vorobyovy Gory and back. There are
several bicycle- and skate-rental places around the park, with one conveniently located un-
der the pedestrian bridge.
Sport fans will find dedicated areas for beach volleyball, urban and extreme sports, table
tennis and even petanque - played by local Francophones and hipsters at Le Boule bar.
In summer, the park is totally engulfed in the dance craze - young people gather in their
hundreds to learn every conceivable type of dance, from acrobatic rock 'n' roll to salsa and
polka. The epicentre of this madness is located on the boardwalk under Novoandreyevsky
most ( GOOGLE MAP ) , but there are a few more dancing venues inside the park.
When the temperatures drop, Gorky Park becomes a winter wonderland. The ponds are
flooded, turning the park into the city's biggest ice-skating rink ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ;
495-237 1266; ul Krymsky val; morning/evening Tue-Thu R200/300, Fri-Sun 300/500; 10am-3pm &
5-11pm Tue-Sun; Park Kultury) . Tracks are created for cross-country skiers to circumnavigate
the park. Ice skates and cross-country skis are available to rent. Bring your passport.
Culture
After decades spent as a tacky and neglected fun fair, Gorky Park is once again a real Park
Kultury (or park of culture) as Muscovites normally call it. It is the venue for almost weekly
musical, theatre, art and culinary festivals.
Art objects pop up throughout the park as part of various exhibitions and festivals, but
Darya Zhukova's Garage Museum of Contemporary Art plays the flagship role. Unfortu-
nately little is preserved of the pre-war Soviet sculptures that adorned the park's alleys, but
you will find a bronze female swimmer about to jump into the Moscow river, if you walk
further into Neskuchny Garden.
In Neskuchny Garden the open-air Stas Namin Theatre (Green Theatre MAP
GOOGLE MAP ; stasnamintheatre.ru ; ul Krymsky Val 9 str 33) hosts concerts as well as its own
performances, mostly from the rock-opera genre. The new open-air Pioner cinema shows
films after dark, but almost all are entirely in Russian.
Bar Hopping
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