Scarf: As temperatures hover around freezing, wrapping yourself up babushka-style will ensure you stay warm. Bonus points for women— covering your head when entering active churches is a must, so you’ll always be prepared.
Troika and navigation app: Over 12 million people live in Moscow, and the city has 14 metro lines, which you can access using the city’s transport card, the Troika (in Russian, a troika is a sleigh pulled by three horses). Be ready to endlessly take your coat on and off as you move from the chilly outdoors to the stuffy metro heat. The Yandex Transport app will also help you on your quest to navigate this megapolis, bestowing some order upon your travels as you wonder more and more frequently whether you’ve taken a wrong turn. There is around a 50% chance you have.
Portable charger: You may be able to warm yourself in the cold, but your phone unfortunately does not possess this particular skill, and will probably protest the temperature by promptly dying. Carrying a portable charger allows you to resuscitate as needed.
Stamina!!!!!!!!!: Sculpt perfect legs as you make your way through the city. Whenever you stop to have a sit down and a bite to eat, complain vehemently and slump in your chair. Then get up and do it all over again.
A Snack (and water): Double capital letters have been used to underscore the importance of this last one— when your feet feel like they’re about to fall off, A Snack will pull you through. Whether it’s a creamy сырок or a buttery пирожок, don’t be afraid to indulge