Moscow is a students’ hub – dozens of Russia’s biggest and best universities are located here, among them Moscow State University, the Higher School of Economics, the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and, famously known for its large population of international students, the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia.
Student life in Moscow can be very entertaining, depending on where one chooses to live. According to various experts, six Moscow neighbourhoods stand above the rest as far as student living goes.
Dorogomilovo: European flavour
The Dorogomilovo neighbourhood in the west of Moscow is a Europe-themed area, thanks to Ploshchad Yevropy and the Yevropeisky shopping centre located there. Poklonnaya Hill, the Triumfalnaya Arch, the Panoramic Museum of the Borodino battle and the famous Borodino Bridge over the Moskva River are some of the sights definitely worth checking out in Dorogomilovo.
Dorogomilovo is one of Moscow’s most prestigious neighbourhoods, according to Anna Levitova, managing partner of Evans Property but it still has moderate accommodations to offer students. “There are different apartments to lease in the neighbourhood – for example, we have a 55 square metre, two-bedroom flat in our database for 54,000 roubles per month,” Levitova said.
Many students at the Higher School of Economics, Moscow State Mining University, and Moscow Stankin State Technological University call Dorogomilovo their home – these universities’s dorms are located here on the aptly named Ulitsa Studencheskaya.
According to Alexander Ziminsky, director of the elite proterty department at Penny Lane Realty, Dorogomilovo can work for people of any income. “It’s a green, well-maintained and picturesque area with an infrastructure for every taste and budget,” he said.
“Dorogomilovsky market ¬– the best and most famous in the capital, where Moscow’s best restaurants buy their food ¬– is also located there,” Ziminsky added.
There are plenty of entertainment options to choose from, including good restaurants and cinemas. The convenient transport system and the high number of local schools and kindergartens will satisfy the needs of people with families as well as younger folk. There are 103 children’s playgrounds and 37 sport grounds and stadiums, just to name a few of Dorogomilov’s advantages.
Southwest student life
Three neighbourhoods located in the southwestern part of Moscow – Lomonosovsky, Gagarinsky, Prospekt Vernandskogo and Obruchyovsky, comprise one of the most student-friendly areas of Russia’s capital.
The Russian University of Peoples’ Friendship and its dorms, the Russian State Medical University, the Pushkin Institute of Russian Language, the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and many more institutions of higher learning are located in Obruchyovsky neighbourhood, thus it’s making it very convenient for students to rent there.
One of the advantages of Obruchyovsky is that the rental prices are not inflated like in other similar areas.
“A one-bedroom apartment will usually cost 30,000 roubles per month in Obruchyovsky,” Vasily Mitko, general director of MIAN real estate agency, told The Moscow News.
Alexander Ziminsky of Penny Lane Realty said that Obruchyovsky’s green zones, its well-developed infrastructure and its close proximity to educational centres make it a fine neighbourhood.
Russian saying holds that students have a lot of fun between exams, hinting at their desire to go out as much as possible while they’re still young. Obruchyobsky is a good neighbourhood to fulfill that saying; it has dozens of cafés, restaurants and bars. For example, Porter House Pivnoy Dom on Ulitsa Arkhitekora Vlasova has good beer and good food, all for the price of 1000 – 1500 per meal, which is a good bargain for students.
Another good place in Obruchyovsky is the Talk of The Town restaurant on Leninsky Prospekt. The average bill is between 500 and 1000 roubles, and the restaurant offers Indian, European and Chinese cuisine as well as a good wine and beer menu.
Prospekt Vernandskogo, Gagarinsky and Lomonosovky neighbourhoods are all very similar to Obruchyovsky when it comes to infrastructure, environment and rent prices.
“Prospekt Vernandskogo is also a good place of residence for teachers, professors and other assorted intelligentsia,” said Anna Levitova, managing partner of Evans Property.
“A great plus of the area is that it’s environmentally clean – there are the Vorontsovsky and Troparyovsky parks, as well as the Park of 50th anniversary of the October Revolution.”
Sokol: time at the dacha
The Sokol neigbourhood in the north of Moscow is yet another student-friendly area – it combines the wonders of big city life with a clean, relaxed environment.
There are four big universities in this neighbourhood, the Moscow Aviation Institute, Moscow State University of Food Production, The Stroganov Art-Industrial Academy at Moscow State and the Moscow Financial-Industrial Academy.
According to Vasily Mitko of MIAN, rent in Sokol is fairly affordable – “A one-bedroom apartment usually goes for about 30,000 roubles per month,” he said.
“Buying property in Sokol tends to be done by people for whom a combination of urban infrastructure and favourable ecological conditions is a must,” Mitko said.
One of the landmarks of the Sokol neighbourhood is the Sokol Village, where townhouses and dachas can be rented by groups of people.
Sokol also has a good infrastructure, dozens of cafés, bars, restaurants and shops combined with a good transport system make Sokol the stand-out neighbourhood in the north of Moscow.
Bulochnaya No. 5, a bakery located on Ulitsa Novopeschannaya, is particularly popular with local students. Fakultet, a restaurant on Volokolamskoye Shosse, is yet another place frequented by the student crowd; there’s Japanese, European and Russian cuisine, free Wi-Fi and the average bill is just 500 roubles per person.
And as for staying fit after all that food, there are 22 gyms and 10 open-air athletic fields in Sokol, as well as the sports complex of the famous CSKA football club, which is located on Ulitsa Tretya Peschanaya.
Useful addresses
Yevropeisky shopping centre, Kiyevsky Vokzal Square 2
The Panoramic Museum of the Borodino Battle, Kutuzovsky Prospekt 38
Dorogomilovsky shopping centre and Dorogomilovsky market, Ulitsa Mozhaisky Val 10
Porter House Pivnoy Dom, Ulitsa Arkhitekora Vlasova 20
Talk of The Town restaurant, Leninsky Prospekt 113/1
CSKA sports complex, Leningradsky Prospekt 39
The University of Peoples’ Friendship of Russia, Ulitsa Miklukho-Maklaya 6
The Stroganov Art-Industrial Academy at Moscow State, Volokolamskoye Shosse 9
Moscow State University of Food Production, Volokolamskoye Shosse 11
Bulochnaya Number Five bakery, Ulitsa Novopeschannaya 2
Fakultet restaurant, Volokolamskoye Shosse 13
Source: The Moscow News
