Moscow, Russia

 The Kremlin adn St Bsil's Cathedral

Executive summary by darmansjah

Why Go. Russia’s capital is experiencing a burst of creative energy. Former factories are now galleries, while wine and sushi bars bring variety to the dinning scene. Even history is being examined in new ways as museums broach subjects long ignored.

When To Go, winter is a good time to visit Moscow. The December Nights music festival take place, ice sculpture are carved on Red Square and orthodox Christmas is cleberated. Otherwise, visit between May and July when the snow has melted and temperatures hover around 22 degree celcius.

How To Go, Moscow has four airports, with three servicing international flights. Singapore Airlines (singaporeair.com) files direct from Changi International Airport to Domodedova International Airport.

SEE

BEST FOR HISTORY, Kremlin means citadel, and the first wall around Moscow was built in the 1150s. it later became the headquarters of the Russian Church, but the walls, towers and three cathedrals seen today were commissioned by Ivan the Great in 15^th century (00 7 495 202 3776; kreml.ru; Alexandrovsky Garden; 9.30am-4pm, Fri-Wed; US$10).

BEST FOR MUMMIES, Valdimir Lenin’s embalmed body lies in a mausoleum on Red Square, where a queue of pilgrims wait to see the waxy figure. The burial places of Stalin, Brezhnev and other heavy-hitters can be found along the Kremlin wall (00 7 495 623 5527; Red Square; 10am-1pm, closed Mon and Fri; free).

Best For Icons, nothing short of spectacular, the state Tiretyakov Gallery holds the world’s best collection of Russian icons, as well as a collection of other pre-revolutionary Russian art (00 7 495 951 1362; tretyakovgallery.ru; 10 Lavrushinsky Lane; 10am-5.30pm, Tue-Sun, US$8).

BEST FOR ARTS, The Art Muzeon Sculpture Park is home to a collection of Soviet stautes – Brezhnev, Stalin and Lenin – put out to pasture when they were taken down with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. They’ve been joined by modern art (00 7 499 238 3396; ul krymsky val 10; 9am-9pm; US$3).

 Moscow's Sanduny Baths have an almost aristocratic Roman feel

BEST FOR CULTURE, The oldest and most luxurious banya (public bath) in the city is the Sandury Baths. The Gothic Room has rich woodcarving and the shower room has a Roman feel to it(00 7 495 628 4633; sandury.ru; Neglinnaya ul 14; 8am-10pm; US$20).

EAT AND DRINK

The queue often runs out the door at Vokonsky Keyser, as loyal patrons wait their turn for the city’s best fresh-baked breads, pastries and pies. Try the fruit-filled croissant and olive bread. Pastry in tow, head next door for a coffee (00 7 495 699 4620; Bolshaya Sadovaya ul 2/46; lunch; pastries US$6-US$14).

Suliko is the city’s most authentic Georgian restaurant. The menu features Caucasian dishes, such as khachapuri (cheesy bread) topped with an egg. The interior evokes the countryside, with hanging vines (00 7 495 238 2888; ul Bolshaya Polyanka 42/2; mains US$8-US$19).

On the top floor of the Nautilus shopping centre sits the tiny Loft Café with its small terrace. Innovative, modern dishes fuse  the best of Russian cuisine with Western and Asian influences, like grilled salmon with spinach, pine huts and caviar (00 7 495 933 7712; Nikolskaya ul 25; luncah & dinner; mains from US$33).

Café Pushkin offers a blend of Russian and French cuisines, such as dumplings stuffed with salmon. The 19^th-century building has a richly decorated library and a rooftop café (00 7 495 739 0033; café-puskhin.ru; Tverskoy bul 26a; lunch & dinner; mains US$12-US$40).

The library room at Cafe Pushkin the tsarina of haute-russe dining

The chefs at Red Square 1 recreate dishes enjoyed in days of yore, complete with old-fashioned ingredients such as sturgeon and serpent grass(00 7 495 692 1196; redsquare.ru; state History Museum, Krasnaya pl 1; lunch & dinner; mains US$31-US$47).

SLEEP

Yellow Blue Bus is all about the love (Ya lyublyu Vas means ‘I love you’ in Russian). It’s a fun hostel-cum-hotel, though the informal atmosphere may be a bit lackadaisical for some. The spacious private rooms are in a separate flat nearby and are kitted out with purple furniture and oriental rugs (00 7 495 250 1364; 4-ya Tverskaya-Yamskaya ul 5, apt 8; from US$31).

The Danilovskaya Hotel is in the grounds of the 12^th-century monastery of the same name. the setting includes 18^th-century churches and well-maintained gardens. The five-storey hotel was built so that most of the rooms have a view of the grounds (00 7 495 0503; danilovsky.ru; 5 Bul Starodanilovsky per; from US$181).

Located two metro stops from Red Square, the Ozerkovskaya Hotel offers (relative) value for money. The 27 rooms are simply decorated, but parquet floors and queen-sized beds put it above the other standard post-Soviet accommodation (00 7 495 959 2327; cctr.ru; Ozerkovskaya nab 50; from US$230).

Assambleya Nikitskaya Hotel offers a superb location, reasonable prices (for Moscow) and Russian charm. While the rooms are newly renovated, it preserves an old –fashioned atmosphere, with heavy drapes and linens (00 7 495 933 5001; assambleya-hotels.ru; Bolshaya Nikitskaya ul 12; from US$260).

A calassical edifice fronts the street, but Golden apple’s interior is sleek. Rooms are minimalist in style – subdued whites and greys, designer furniture and lights. Heated bathroom floors and down-filled duvets add luxury (00 7 495 980 7000; goldenapple.ru; ul Malaya Dmitrovka 11; from US$335).

Getting Around

Central Moscow is best seen on foot. For the rest of the city, the Metro is good – stations are marked by a large ‘M’ sign. Buy a 10-ride ticket to avoid queues (US$9; mosmetro.ru) Official taxis have a chequerboard logo on the side (scty centre rides US$8).

Your Recommendations

Underground Art, The Moscow underground is not just a transport system, the stations are works of art and well worth visiting. My favorites is Ploshchad Revolyutsil, full of marble arches and 72 bronze sculptures. If you rub the nose of the bronze dog it’s supposed to bring you luck! Spend a morning orientating yourself by traveling around different stations. A tip from our guide was to count the number of stops rather than relying on trying to read the signs.

Park Life, the country mansion of Arkhangelskoe (13 miles outside Moscow) is a monument to the Russian culture of the 18^th and early 19^th centuries. Situated on a riverbank, it is a famous for the magnificent beauty of its garden and park, as well as its splendid collection of paintings, drawings, sculptures and pieces of applied art. It also hosts jazz and classical music concerts (arkhangelskoe.ru; admission US$5,70).

The Big Ascent, the forum users rate the Kolomenskoe Museum Reserve, a Unesco World Heritage Site set amid parkland on a bluff above the Moscow River. Among many historic buildings, the highlights is the quintessentially Russian vision that is the Ascension Church, built between 1530 and 1532. Reach it from the Kolomenskaya Metro (mgomz.com; grounds admission free, museum US$10)

Moscow City guide (US$19.99) offers good coverage of the capital. You can also download the Moscow chapter from the Russia guide at TravelerGuidance.Blogspot.Com (US$4.95). for an insight into Russian culture, dip into Robert Chandler’s Russian short Stories from Pushkin to Buida. For planning, visit the main tourism website Moscow-city.ru