This 130-year-old grande dame, which has hosted cultural luminaries from Johann Strauss to Sting, has always been the best place in town to rub shoulders with the elite. And since 2005, while staying open for business it embarked on a Herculean revamp that will be completed next year. The chicest scene is found at the Art Nouveau Lobby Bar. And with the return of its original imperial interior, the Caviar Bar is again a destination for intimate dining, where one can sample myriad varieties of the delicacy for which it was named. The Grand is part of the Orient-Express Hotel group. From $650 to $5,050. At 1/7 Mikhailovskaya Ulitsa; grand hoteleurope.com.
Grand Hotel Europe