All direct flights to Moscow from the UK & Ireland

Mark Says

The capital of Russia continues to hold a certain alluring mystique for travellers. That's partly due to its size (it's the largest city in Europe, which means there are always neighbourhoods that go unexplored), but mostly down to the cover - the Curtain, perhaps - of Soviet-era austerity and state-imposed secrecy the new Russia is trying its hardest to throw and, in some senses, buy off. As the plutocrats took over from the politicos, private ownership has come to replace Communist rhetoric; the logos of various Western brands have started popping up all over the horizon, and Moscow was named as the most expensive city in Europe in both 2006 and 2007. Lest all this seem too imposing for the traveller on a budget: Moscow remains negotiable on foot, or via the (relatively cheap) Moscow Metro, an attraction in itself for the murals and mosaics that, collectively, come to illustrate mid-20th century Communist art.
The Metro stations exemplify just how well-preserved the city's art and architecture have been. Moscow's museums appear to have adopted the London model (or vice versa): the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts has been compared to the British Museum for its staggering range of artefacts, while the Tretyakov Gallery, like the Tate, takes the form of two buildings (one exhibiting pre-20th century art, the other more contemporary work) on either side of the Moskva river. Traces of old Russia are much in evidence elsewhere, not least at the timeless Bolshoi Ballet (although renovation work is expected to continue until late 2009) and, perhaps most notably of all, around the central Red Square. Here you'll find the nine domes of St. Basil's Cathedral, Lenin's tomb, the Kremlin and its dazzling Armoury, the State Historical Museum, and - to bring matters back to capital and possessions for a moment - GUM, the city's biggest department store.