Things to Do in Russia in December
December weather, activities, events & insider tips
December Weather in Russia
Is December Right for You?
Advantages
- December is deep off-season everywhere except Moscow and St Petersburg, so you’ll have the Hermitage’s peacock clock room nearly to yourself on weekdays and pay shoulder-season rates at hotels that cost triple in May
- Winter daylight is short (sunrise 09:30, sunset 15:30 in Moscow) which sounds grim until you realise that the gold domes of the Kremlin stay illuminated all day and the city’s neon works in your favour - perfect for long night photography walks along the Moskva River without crowds
- Russian winter comfort food hits peak form: steaming bowls of solyanka at Café Pushkin, pelmeni the size of golf balls at Stolle cafés, and the smell of fresh pryaniki drifting out of bakeries every time a door opens
- Trans-Siberian Railway berths that are normally booked solid in summer suddenly open up; December trains have the birch forests frosted silver outside your window and fierce samovars clanking in every carriage
Considerations
- Daylight is scarce: expect only 6-7 hours of usable light, so you need to plan photography, sightseeing and any outdoor walking around a 09:30-15:30 window or you’re hiking in the dark
- Temperature swings are wild - Moscow can lurch from -5 °C (23 °F) to +3 °C (37 °F) in 24 hours, turning slush into black ice and making every pavement a skating rink until the municipal crews salt it (usually by 10 AM)
- Some regional museums cut winter hours by 30-50 % and a handful of dacha-set restaurants outside the big cities simply shut their doors for the month, so double-check opening times if you’re venturing beyond the capitals
Best Activities in December
Moscow Metro architectural tours
December’s low tourist numbers mean you can stand in Mayakovskaya station for five solid minutes without a single person walking through your shot. The marble columns, bronze sculptures and Soviet mosaics look dramatic under winter lighting, and you’ll ride the system like a local rather than a tourist attraction. Temperature underground stays a steady 20 °C (68 °F) regardless of the blizzard above.
St Petersburg canals by heated boat
The canals don’t freeze until January, so December boats still run with the added bonus of electric heaters on board. You’ll glide past the Winter Palace framed by weak winter sun and see locals skating on temporary rinks along the embankments. Snow on the bridges makes the city look like a sepia photograph.
Trans-Siberian winter segments
December trains are half-empty, conductors ply you with tea, and every station platform smells of coal smoke and fresh bread sold by babushkas through the windows. The 4-hour stretch from Moscow to Vladimir gives you a taste without committing to the full week-long odyssey.
Banya (Russian sauna) experiences
December is prime banya season: Moscow’s Sanduny and St Petersburg’s Yamskie are institutional - marble steam rooms, oak venik branches slapping skin, and post-banya kvass served in metal cups. The contrast of -3 °C (27 °F) air and 90 °C (194 °F) steam is the most Russian experience you’ll have.
Winter food market walks
December markets lean into pickled everything - giant jars of tomatoes, mushrooms and garlic scapes line rows of stalls at Danilovsky Market in Moscow. Vendors hand out samples of smoked omul from Lake Baikal and the air smells of dill and woodsmoke. It’s warm inside and the lunch rush hits 1 PM sharp.
St Petersburg theater season
Mariinsky and Mikhailovsky theatres are in full swing - December is when prima ballerinas dance Swan Lake to sold-out houses and you can still snag standing-room tickets for the price of a metro ride. The theatres themselves, dripping with gilt and velvet, feel like time capsules from 1890.
December Events & Festivals
Moscow Christmas Market at Red Square
The fair fills the entire square with wooden chalets selling carved toys, hot honey mead and blini. The GUM department store façade becomes a giant light show at 6 PM and 9 PM, and the smell of grilled sausages drifts across the cobblestones. Ice-skating rink is open until 11 PM.