4 Best Shopping in Moscow, Russia

Founded in the 18th century by the order of Queen Elizaveta, daughter of Peter the Great, this firm (also known as Lomonosov) sold porcelain to the Russian royal families before the revolution. Dining tableware and collectible sculptures come in styles that include a classic cobalt fishnet design as well as prints inspired by Malevich, Kandinsky, and other members of the Russian avant-garde.

This large covered hall is next to the outdoor Veshchevoy Rynok (literally, "Market of Things," which is certainly an apt name). Inside are rows of vendors hawking homemade cheese and milk products, honey, flowers, and produce of all kinds. Against one wall are sellers of pickled goods, an understandably popular form of conservation in this land of long winters; you may want to sample some of their cabbage and carrot slaws, salted cucumbers, or spiced eggplant or garlic. Many Moscow chefs buy ingredients here.

This huge, well-laid-out mall has a European theme that expresses itself in the form of a conspicuously vulgar sculpture of a euro sign in the front of a department store. You'll find branches of Britain's Marks & Spencer and Topshop as well as Spain's Bershka and Zara here. Affordable Russian brands So French by Sultanna Frantsuzova and Kira Plastinina both have stores here.

Many Russian celebrities prefer Yudashkin's clothes to those of Western designers. Look for extravagant evening dresses, jeans embellished with Swarowski crystals, and golden accessories, all tailored to attract the eye of Russia's rich and fabulous.