Things to Do in Russia in January

The Moscow Kremlin in January is a different animal than in summer. The crowds that clog the Sobornaya Ploshchad (Cathedral Square) from May through September thin to a fraction, and the snow muffles the usual city noise enough that you can hear the bells of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower rolling across the grounds. The Armoury Chamber, which houses everything from Faberge eggs to coronation regalia, requires no advance queue in January. Step outside afterward and Red Square stretches before you under floodlights, the red brick walls glowing against fresh snow, the GUM building strung with thousands of lights, and the air sharp enough to taste like metal on your tongue. Walking tours in this cold demand layered clothing and frequent stops to warm up in the GUM galleries or the underground shopping complex at Manezhnaya Square. The visual payoff is extraordinary. Morning departures catch the brief sunrise light painting the domes gold. Evening tours get the full illumination spectacle.

January is when the banya earns its reputation. The ritual is elemental: you sit in a steam room where birch or oak venik (bundles of dried branches) are used to beat circulation into your skin, the sharp herbal smell of wet birch filling the humid air, then you plunge into ice-cold water or, in the more traditional establishments, roll in snow in an enclosed courtyard. The temperature swing between the parilka (steam room) and the January air outside can span 100°C (180°F). Moscow's historic bathhouses in the Kitay-Gorod district and St. Petersburg's public banyas on the Petrograd Side both see their heaviest local use in deep winter, and sitting in the common rest area between rounds, drinking black tea from a samovar while wrapped in a linen sheet, is one of those experiences that earns the word memorable. Most public banyas have separate male and female sections. First-timers should expect full nudity as the norm.

The State Hermitage holds over three million items across six buildings along the Neva River embankment. January is the single best month to visit. Summer lines stretch two hours along Palace Square. They vanish in winter. Rooms empty completely. You hear security guards' footsteps echo through Pavilion Hall. The Winter Palace interiors are the real draw. The Jordan Staircase cascades in white marble and gilt. Pale winter light pours through massive windows. The Malachite Room features columns and fireplaces faced in swirling green Ural malachite. It looks almost liquid under chandeliers. The third floor of the General Staff Building holds Matisse and Picasso. Summer visitors miss this entirely. In January, you linger. Old waxed floors smell like history. Heated galleries feel dry and warm. The -10°C (14°F) chill stays outside. Three hours pass like one.

Murmansk sits above the Arctic Circle. It endures polar night through most of January. The sun does not rise for roughly the first two weeks. This sounds grim. It is not. Near-continuous darkness turns every hour into a potential aurora window. The Northern Lights over the Kola Peninsula in January are not faint greenish smudges. Away from city light pollution, they fill the sky. Curtains of green and violet ripple like fabric in wind. They cast shadows on the snow. The cold hits -20°C (-4°F) regularly. Wind off the Barents Sea cuts deep. Wear expedition-grade clothing. The magnetic latitude, low light pollution, and statistical frequency make this one of the most reliable aurora locations on Earth in January.

Lake Baikal is the deepest lake on Earth at 1,642 m (5,387 ft). Freezing begins in late December. By mid-to-late January, ice thickens enough for walking. The most dramatic formations peak in February and March. Late January offers something else. The crack and boom of ice still forming sounds like distant thunder. It rolls across the lake surface. Your teeth will edge. The air at -25°C (-13°F) burns your nostrils. Clarity is otherworldly. You see the lake bottom through dark blue glass. Listvyanka village sits 70 km (43 miles) from Irkutsk. It is the main access point. The fish market sells omul, a Baikal-endemic whitefish. Vendors smoke it over alder wood. The oily flesh pulls apart in flakes. It tastes like clean cold water made solid.

January is Russia's performing arts season. The Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow and the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg both run full schedules. The Bolshoi's main stage reopened in 2011. Six tiers of red velvet and gold leaf rise to a painted ceiling. Acoustics are precise. A whisper reaches the upper balconies. January programming favors Russian classics. Swan Lake appears regularly. The Nutcracker runs into early January. Eugene Onegin fills the schedule. The Mariinsky's blue-and-gold auditorium feels more intimate. Valery Gergiev's orchestra has weight and darkness. Recordings cannot capture this. Intermission is ritual. Champagne flows in the foyer. Russian conversation echoes off marble. Women wear furs. Men wear dark suits. Ballet may not be your thing. Seeing it where Tchaikovsky premiered his work changes everything.