MoscowThe Kremlin, Bolshoi Theatre and the nation's finest restaurants

Red Square is the heart of Russia that everyone must see. Inside the Kremlin — the Armoury Chamber with tsarist regalia, the Diamond Fund with the Monomakh's Cap and eight cathedrals from the XIV–XVII centuries. Changing of the Guard at the Eternal Flame — daily at 12:00. Best to buy tickets online — queues at the ticket office can be hour-long even on weekdays.

The Bolshoi is one of the world's finest opera houses. The historic stage reopened after a 6-year restoration in 2011: gilding, velvet, crystal chandeliers — everything restored from XIX-century archive drawings. Repertoire — Swan Lake, Spartacus, Boris Godunov. Tickets for top performances sell out 2–3 months ahead; book early.

The world's largest collection of Russian art: 190,000 exhibits from Andrei Rublev's icons to Malevich's Black Square. The main gallery in Zamoskvorechye — XIX-century classics. The New Tretyakov on Krymsky Val — avant-garde, Soviet art, contemporary. Third Sundays of the month — free entry.

A park right by the Kremlin, built on the site of the demolished Hotel Rossiya. The Floating Bridge — a cantilevered bridge over the Moskva River with Kremlin views from both sides. Inside — an Ice Cave at −5°, florarium, media centre and the 1,500-seat Zaryadye Concert Hall. Park entry is free 24/7.

A Soviet Disneyland in Moscow's north-east corner. 49 monumental pavilions, the Friendship of Nations fountain, an atomic rocket in front of the Cosmos pavilion. Nearby — Shekhtman's Garage Museum and Ostankino Tower: observation deck at 337 m, the revolving Seventh Heaven restaurant and 60 km views on clear days.

23 skyscrapers rose from nothing on a bend of the Moskva River in 20 years — a financial Manhattan in the heart of Russia. The tallest — Federation Tower (374 m) and Mercury City (339 m). On the observation deck of OKO Tower, 85th floor, the entire city is visible: up to 60 km on clear days. At night the City glows across the entire horizon; best shots from Sparrow Hills opposite.

The Old Arbat — 1 km of pedestrian street with artists, musicians and souvenir shops. At the end — the Pigit apartment building at 10 Bolshaya Sadovaya: flat 50 — the 'bad apartment' from The Master and Margarita. Fifteen minutes away — Patriarshy Ponds, where Bulgakov's novel begins. In the evening all of bohemian Moscow gathers here.

Kolomenskoye — the former tsarist residence on a bluff above the Moskva River. The Church of the Ascension, 1532 — Russia's first tent-roof church, UNESCO-listed. In May the apple orchards blossom here. Nearby is Tsaritsyno — Catherine II's Gothic palace, which she never saw completed: construction lasted 25 years and stopped after her death. Both parks have free entry.

Route from Kievsky Station to Novospassky Monastery: 2 hours, 14 bridges, views of the Kremlin, Gorky Park, Zaryadye and Neskuchny Garden from the water. In the evening the lighting comes on — Kremlin, bridges, embankments glow gold. Alternative — walk along Krymskaya Embankment from Gorky Park to Zaryadye: 6 km without a single car, with water views.