Moscow, Russia (Point of interest)

The Moscow Metro comprises 12 lines criss-crossing the Russian capital. While underground travel in other cities is often direct and simple in style, using the Moscow Metro is a truly educational experience. Start at Metro Station Ploshchad Revolyu... Continue reading →

Housed in Moscow's Andronikov Monastery, the Andrei Rublev Museum of Early Russian Art was established in 1960 to mark the 600th anniversary of the artist's birth. The collection includes 15th-century icons from the school of Rublev, later icons an... Continue reading →

Home to the famed Bolshoi Ballet Company, Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre stages world-class opera and ballet in ornate surroundings. Dominating the city centre's Teatralnaya Square, the magnificent 2000-seat auditorium is adorned with a massive eight-col... Continue reading →

The inspiring Cathedral of Christ the Saviour - Russia's largest - was originally built to give thanks for the delivery of Moscow from Napoleon in 1812. The shining golden cupola stands 105 metres high, overlooking the River Moscow. Under Soviet r... Continue reading →

Opened in 2007, gallery.photographer.ru has quickly become one of Moscow's hottest locations for fans of contemporary photography. The gallery showcases pieces from many of Russia's up-and-coming photographic artists, hosts temporary exhibitions an... Continue reading →

Cherished as a natural haven at the edge of Moscow since at least the 13th century, Kolomenskoe is packed full of superb historical buildings. The oldest is the 16th-century Church of the Ascension (recognised by UNESCO in 1994). Many wooden build... Continue reading →

Lenin's Mausoleum, on Red Square, houses its famous corpse within a 1930s Constructivist masterpiece. Visitors include fewer die-hard Bolsheviks than tourists these days, but the whole place is a good reminder of how things used to be around here. ... Continue reading →

Moscow's Mayakovsky Museum opened in January 1974, creating a new way of paying tribute to an artist's legacy. Both anarchic and accessible, the building is worth visiting even if you have never heard of the great man's works. Numerous corridors, ... Continue reading →

Moscow's Museum of Contemporary Russian History is housed in what was - between 1831 and 1917 - the Moscow English Club. It now displays a huge collection depicting life in Soviet and post-Soviet Russia. Opened in 1917 to mark the Bolshevik Revolu... Continue reading →

Novodevichy Cemetery contains many famous graves including those of Khrushchev, Yeltsin, Chekhov and Prokofiev. Once used to confine miscreant noble wives, including Peter the Great's first, Evdokia, the adjacent Novodevichy Convent is a classic en... Continue reading →

Moscow's Red Square may conjure up images of Soviet military parades and commemorations to leaders of the Communist Party, but it is also the site of some of Russia's cultural and historical treasures. Spend a whole day exploring its museums and at... Continue reading →

Gaudy and garish, the multicoloured cupolas of St Basil's Cathedral rising out of Red Square have been one of Moscow's most striking and enduring symbols for five centuries. It was built 1555-60 to mark Russia's capture of the Kazan Khanate. The C... Continue reading →

Built as a monument to the last days of Stalin (who died in 1953), these seven high-rise Stalinist Gothic buildings still stand proud. Start a tour of them at the imposing Mikhail Lomonosov Moscow State University. Constructed by special decree of... Continue reading →

Red Square's Museums of the Moscow Kremlin's attractions include Ivan the Terrible's throne and the Tsars' tombs in the Cathedral of the Archangel. Morning tickets for the Armoury's Fabergé eggs and other treasures sell fast - afternoons are a bet... Continue reading →

Moscow's Tretyakov Gallery holds the most important collection of Russian painting in the world, with more than 130,000 works of art from the 10th century to the present day. Don't miss Levitan's landscapes and the works of Vrubel and Kustodiev. F... Continue reading →