Matryoshka Dolls
The matryoska, of very ancient origin, consists of wooden dolls, that fit one inside the other, always reproducing the same subject but in ever-smaller version. They are generally painted to represent girls in traditional costumes and the decoration is extremely precise, with even the tiniest details perfectly rendered.

Lacquer Boxes
Russian lacquer boxes are famous for their beauty and fairytale themes, where the fantasy of an artist not limited by any boundaries vividly displays itself in each piece of art. In most shops you can find the production of two competing schools of lacquer miniature: Palekh and Mstera - two old Russian villages, where these crafts come from.

Dymkovo Toys
The name of these toys originated from Dymkovo, a settlement in Kirov (formerly Vyatka) Region. Some historians connect production on these clay whistles with local spring festival “svistoplyaska” (“whistle and dance”). It clearly has pagan roots and is devoted to the Sun. Animal whistles retain archaic features, but other statuettes might represent maidens in ball-dresses, damsels with umbrellas, soldiers, couples etc.   

Khokhloma and Gzel
Traditional hadcrafts of Khokhloma - wooden carved tableware painted in typical gold, red and black ornaments, and Gzel – small ceramic tableware and miniature statues resembling on similar crafts from Delft, have been known for many centuries and have many secrets which the craftsmen passed from generation to generation. All tableware is suitable for everyday use in the kitchen or could be a nice touch in your house decoration.

Enamel
Rostov the Great, the ancient Russian town in the Yaroslavl Region, apart from its history is also famous for its enamel miniature crafts. The base of the enamel painting is a thin copper or silver plaque covered with a layer of enamel on both sides. While being painted, the plaque is heated several times in the kiln. The colors of paints change in the process of heating (same as on painted porcelain). The craft of enamel has been developing since the 16^th century and until now the church utensils, tableware, cutlery, boxes and accessories (necklaces, rings, bracelets).

The best places to shop for souvenirs are the pedestrian Old Arbat street with dozens of antique and souvenir shops, Vernisazh market in Ismailovo and the crafts market on the river bank near the Central House of Artists. If you decide for a day tour to Sergiev Posad and its famous Trinity Monestery of St. Sergius, the crafts market on a square in front of the monastery is another good place to shop and the prices there could be a bit lower.