The Dolomites
Get the Alta Badia Circuit →
Destination — Moscow, Russia
The hiking season is ending, the summer crowds have left, and the light turns the kind of amber that makes photographers do embarrassing things. The valley restaurants come into their own — serious Alpine-Italian cuisine, not the tourist approximations of August.
Alta Badia is the valley we know best. The hotels here — particularly in and around Corvara and La Villa — are among the most interesting in northern Italy: family-run, architecturally considered, and without the pretension of a ski resort trying to be something it isn't.
The region
The Dolomites in September is one of Europe's great travel experiences. Most people still don't know this.
QUICK REFERENCE
BEST SEASON
Late Sep–Nov (post-hike, pre-ski) and Jan–Feb for skiing.
Base valley
Alta Badia (Corvara / La Villa). More considered than Cortina.
Top hotels
La Perla and Stua di Michil, Alta Badia. Adler Lodge, Alpe di Siusi.
Don't miss
Herb onsen in Selva. St. Hubertus at Rosa Alpina for dinner.
Duration
4–6 nights minimum for the valley to make sense.
Valley 01
Alta Badia
Corvara and La Villa are small enough to feel personal, large enough to have everything you need. The valley is Ladin-speaking — a small, distinct culture that shapes the food, the architecture, and the atmosphere in ways that make it feel unlike anywhere else in northern Italy.
St. Hubertus at Rosa Alpina and La Stüa de Michil — these are serious rooms serving serious food, in a setting that is casually extraordinary. Neither requires a tasting menu or a dress code.
Where we base clients
THE METRO
THE BOLSHOI
HOTELS
THE DINING SCENE
BEST PAIRED WITH
What we know from being there
Not a commuter tip — a genuine cultural experience. Komsomolskaya station is the most theatrical: yellow vaulted ceilings, mosaic panels, chandeliers. Budget forty-five minutes and a day pass. The stations that matter are on the Circle Line.
Book before you arrive, not after. The main stage sells out weeks ahead for anything significant. The New Stage is an alternative if the main stage is unavailable — the productions are serious and the building still commands respect.
Moscow has a small number of genuinely excellent hotels and a large number that trade on location alone. The properties we recommend are those with both a strong interior aesthetic and a position that allows walking — because Moscow's centre is best navigated on foot in a way most visitors don't realise until they are there.
Largely undiscovered by international visitors. Russian cuisine — done properly, not ceremonially — is excellent winter food. The specific restaurants we use are shared after enquiry; the list changes and the best ones do not advertise.
St Petersburg for four nights before or after Moscow. The two cities are a study in contrast — Moscow imperial and physical, St Petersburg European and refined. Together they form one of the great cultural city pairs in the world
THE METRO
THE BOLSHOI
HOTELS
THE DINING SCENE
BEST PAIRED WITH
What we know from being there
Not a commuter tip — a genuine cultural experience. Komsomolskaya station is the most theatrical: yellow vaulted ceilings, mosaic panels, chandeliers. Budget forty-five minutes and a day pass. The stations that matter are on the Circle Line.
Book before you arrive, not after. The main stage sells out weeks ahead for anything significant. The New Stage is an alternative if the main stage is unavailable — the productions are serious and the building still commands respect.
Moscow has a small number of genuinely excellent hotels and a large number that trade on location alone. The properties we recommend are those with both a strong interior aesthetic and a position that allows walking — because Moscow's centre is best navigated on foot in a way most visitors don't realise until they are there.
Largely undiscovered by international visitors. Russian cuisine — done properly, not ceremonially — is excellent winter food. The specific restaurants we use are shared after enquiry; the list changes and the best ones do not advertise.
St Petersburg for four nights before or after Moscow. The two cities are a study in contrast — Moscow imperial and physical, St Petersburg European and refined. Together they form one of the great cultural city pairs in the world
Russia is a destination where the specific contacts matter more than anywhere else we work. The right hotel, the right restaurant reservation, the right guide — these are not details that can be googled. They come from having been there and from the relationships built over repeated visits.
AFTER INQUIRY
What the consultation adds
We respond within 48 hours.
Not ready for a full consultation?
Start with our curated Moscow guide — a concise editorial brief covering where to stay, how to structure the city, what matters in winter, and the places worth prioritising.