Romantic and fun all in one, ice skating outdoors is an opportunity not to be missed in the Russian winter. Given that it is a traditional national pastime, there are facilities dotted all over the city. The adventurous can skate around the clock for free at Chistye Prudy, where atmospheric yellow lights draped from trees on either side of the ice add the finishing touches to an already fairytale setting.

But romance has its inconveniences and dangers; there is nowhere to change or leave your belongings and, according to regular skaters, cracks that formed as the pond froze could break your leg if you were to get a blade caught in one.

Ironically, Gorky Park - the setting of Martin Cruz Smith's thriller - makes for comparatively safer skating, and even has an ice disco from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. every night, when the park's DJ organizes competitions for the best dancers. Otherwise, the park's frozen paths are open for normal skating from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. Be prepared to wait for up to an hour to rent skates on weekends. If you aren't up for the sometimes bumpy glide of Gorky Park, then the ice rink at Krylya Sovyetov has an ice disco from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The disco costs 100 rubles per hour, and so does skate rental.

If 3 a.m. seems a bit late to go skating, you could always head out of town to the new shopping complex Mega, where ice skating in the midst of palm trees and Western clothing stores makes for a bizarre cocktail of experiences.

At the time of writing, skating at Mega was free for a trial period, and in order to be sure of a complimentary ticket, visitors were told to pick one up at 10 a.m. Otherwise, the rink will operate "like a cinema" and tickets will be bought on site or over the phone. One-hour skating blocks run from 10:30 a.m. to 8:45 p.m., and there is also an ice ballet at 2 p.m. every day. Unfortunately, patrons can't use their own skates. Mega and Krylya Sovyetov are exceptions among Moscow's indoor rinks; most have extremely restricted public opening hours and many don't offer skate rentals, since they are generally used for training.

Indoor rinks:
UMKA

Public skating from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Sundays. Tickets cost 50 rubles for adults and 30 rubles for children. Kids' lessons are free. No rentals.


Maryino Ice Palace

Skating costs 50 rubles for adults and 30 rubles for children. Open for public skating Sundays from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.


Raduzhny

You can't buy one-off tickets here; you have to buy a subscription. Four rides cost 140 rubles and eight cost 280 rubles. Public skating is only from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.


Yuzhny Ice Palace

Open to the public Saturday and Sunday from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tickets cost 45 rubles for adults and 24 rubles for children. No rentals.


Rus Ice Palace

Public skating sometimes on public holidays and otherwise from 9:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets cost 50 rubles for adults and 30 rubles for children.


Outdoor locations:
Young Pioneers' Stadium

The coolest place to skate this winter, with music provided by Ministerstvo DJs. Entrance is 80 rubles, and skate rentals up to size 46 cost 100 rubles an hour. Plus, checking your things is free and there's a cafe with hot drinks and snacks nearby.


Hermitage Garden

A centrally located skating spot, the Hermitage was playing salsa when LifeStyle stopped by. The ice is pretty smooth despite the fact they seem to have just poured water over frozen ground, and in some spots has a slight incline! Sixty rubles for adults, 30 rubles for children to enter, 30 rubles for the cloakroom, 100 rubles for rentals - but these skates are quality.


Sokolniki Park

Open for public skating from 8 p.m. to midnight on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. At 200 rubles, entrance is a bit more expensive than other places, but you can skate for four hours, and a laser show on the rink and performances at the bar are included in the price. Skate rental costs 100 rubles per hour.


Gorky Park

Open every day for skating from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tickets cost 40 rubles for adults and 20 rubles for children, and you can skate for as long as you want. Rentals are 50 rubles per hour. These skates have a bad reputation with regular visitors.


Izmailovo Park

On weekends and holidays, the rink is open for public skating from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on weekdays it is open from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets cost 60 rubles per hour with skate rentals and 40 rubles per hour without.