Gorky Park
Named after Maxim Gorky, this huge public park was made world-famous by the Martin Cruz Smith novel and film of the same name. Locals flock to the Moscow park to escape the crush of the city and enjoy the fairground rides dotted around the gardens. It's a popular spot for a riverside promenade and you can pause to admire the Buran, a Russian space shuttle that never left the ground. At the back of the adjacent Iskusstv Park is a collection of Soviet sculptures (admission charge) relocated here after the fall of the Iron Curtain. A new open-air movie theatre opened in 2012, with plans for an art centre funded by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich also in the pipeline.

Krymsky Val ulitsa
Moscow
Russia
Tel: (495) 514 1507.
Opening hours: Daily 1000-2000.
Admission Fee: No
Disabled Access: Yes


Khram Khrista Spansitelya (Christ the Saviour Cathedral)
Christ the Saviour Cathedral is a monument to the struggles of 20th-century Moscow. The original cathedral was constructed between 1883 and 1889 to commemorate Moscow's victory over Napoleon, but in 1930, Stalin ordered the church to be demolished, to make way for one of his vain-glorious skyscrapers. On discovery that the ground was too soft, the area was turned into a huge outdoor swimming pool instead. The decision to resurrect the cathedral was the brainchild of Moscow mayor Yuri Luzkhov, and the gleaming new cathedral, completed in 1997, was paid for by public donations from school children, babushkas, public officials and rich benefactors alike.

Ulitsa Volkhonka 15-17
Moscow
Russia
Tel: (495) 201 3847.
Web: www.xxc.ru/english
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1700.
Admission Fee: No
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO site: Yes


Krasnaya Ploshchad (Red Square)
Krasnaya Ploschad, usually referred to as Red Square, is bordered by some of Russia's best known monuments - the Kremlin, St Basil's Cathedral and the GUM department store. This enormous, 700m-long (2,300ft) public space was used for patriotic May Day parades back in the Soviet era, but nowadays serves as a major tourist attraction. The GUM (Gosudarstvenny Universalny Magazin) department store now functions as an extremely upmarket shopping mall – a metaphor for Russia's recent enthusiasm for capitalism. In contrast, the square's west side has Lenin's Mausoleum. In 1990, Red Square and the Kremlin were designated UNESCO World Heritage sites. The square is sometimes closed for state functions.

Krasnaya ploshchad
Moscow
Russia
Admission Fee: No
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO site: Yes


Kremlin
Nerve centre of the Russian state, the Kremlin (literally 'fortified town') is undoubtedly Moscow's most famous monument. Dominated by churches and palaces dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries, this walled fortress was actually founded way back in 1147. From 1276 to 1712, it was the seat of government for the grand princes and tsars; and from 1918 to the early 1990s, that of the Communist government. Undeniably iconic, the Kremlin is inexorably linked to the most monumental events in Russian history. This importance is reflected in its UNESCO World Heritage status - there's no better place to consider the fascinating complexities of Russian history.

Krasnaya ploshchad
Moscow
Russia
Tel: (495) 697 0349.
Web: www.kreml.ru/en
Opening hours: Fri-Wed 1000-1700.
Admission Fee: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO site: Yes


Mavzoley Lenina (Lenin's Mausoleum)
The Soviet Union's founder lies in state on the eastern side of the Kremlin in a red and black granite mausoleum facing Red Square. Lenin died in 1924 and his embalmed body was installed inside the mausoleum inside a crystal casket. Boris Yeltsin was keen to have this symbol of the Soviet Union removed, but for the time being, the Russian authorities seem committed to preserving his body for future generations. Visitors are expected to be respectful (no hats, cameras or hands in pockets) when paying a visit, and should check visiting times in advance as the mausoleum often closes without notice.

Krasnaya ploshchad
Moscow
Russia
Opening hours: Tues-Thurs and Sat-Sun 1000-1300.
Admission Fee: No
Disabled Access: Yes


Memorialny Muzey Kosmonavtiki (Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics)
This fascinating Moscow museum sits in the shadow of the 100m-high (328ft) titanium Space Obelisk that has wonderful frescoes depicting Soviet space exploration. Nearby, the colonnaded House of the People's of Russia, with a 35m (115ft) golden spire topped with a huge star, is a prime example of Moscow's classical Stalinist architecture and there is also a creaky Ferris wheel for the brave. The Fountain of the Friendship of Peoples forms the centrepiece for a plaza of nine pavilions that celebrate Soviet achievements in science. Outside the museum are two Tupolev passenger aircraft and a Vostok rocket of the same type that took Yuri Gagarin into space.

Prospekt Mira 111
Moscow
Russia
Tel: (495) 683 7968.
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 1000-1900.
Admission Fee: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes


Novodevichy Monastyr (Novodevichy Convent)
Founded in 1524 by Grand Prince Vassily III, Moscow's Novodevichy Convent contains the Sobor Smolensk Bogomateri (Cathedral of the Virgin of Smolensk), with its distinctive golden onion domes and tiered bell tower dating from 1690. The cathedral itself was built in 1525 and features 16th-century frescoes, as well as a magnificent late 17th-century iconostasis. The convent, now a UNESCO World Heritage site, was a place of exile for noblewomen in mourning or disfavour. The adjacent Novodevichy Cemetery is equally interesting and contains the graves of many distinguished Muscovites, including Nikita Krushchev, Nikolai Gogol, Sergei Prokofiev and Anton Chekhov.

Novodevichy proezd 1
Moscow
Russia
Tel: (495) 246 8526.
Opening hours: Wed-Mon 1000-1700 (closed first Monday of the month).
Admission Fee: No
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO site: Yes


Pokrovsky Sobor (St Basil's Cathedral)
Nothing says 'Moscow' quite like the candy-coloured onion domes of St Basil's Cathedral. This amazing piece of architectural confectionary is one of the most striking buildings on the planet, a surreal collection of arches and turrets, topped by a series of domes like Christmas baubles. The cathedral was built in the 1550s to commemorate Ivan the Terrible's victory over the Mongols at Kazan. The exterior alone may be highly impressive but venture inside to witness some of the finest icons and religious murals in Moscow. Inside each of the nine towers is a chapel, but no public services are held here.

Krasnaya ploshchad 4
Moscow
Russia
Tel: (495) 298 3304.
Web: www.saintbasil.ru
Opening hours: Wed-Mon 1100-1730.
Admission Fee: No
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO site: Yes