Moscow

The emblematic Red Square–named for the colour of its monuments, not in reference to communism–is the nerve centre of Moscow. From the Kremlin and the State Historical Museum to Saint Basil's Cathedral and Lenin’s tomb, this concentration of Russian spirit is a testament to a turbulent history marked by boyars, tsars and Soviets.

The enormous Tsar Cannon towers over visitors in one of the Kremlin's inner courtyards. A symbol of the immensity of Russian power, it is the largest bombard by calibre ever built. A popular tourist attraction, its military prowess remains unproven: cast in 1586 for the defence of the Kremlin, the 39-tonne, 5.34 metre-long “Tsar Pushka” was never actually used.

The GUM shopping mall on the Red Square houses 2.5 km of shops and boutiques. Built in the late nineteenth century, the “Main Universal Store” (abbreviated as GUM) was for many years the biggest shopping complex in the world. With some 200 luxury boutiques, its impressive 70,000 m² glass hall is a shopper's dream.

The cultural vibrancy of Europe’s largest capital–with its Bolshoi Theatre, Tretyakov Gallery and Pushkin Museum–reflects an age-old love affair with the arts, which can be seen even in Moscow’s famous subway. It is easy to see why the gloriously painted stations are called “underground palaces.” A star in the country of tsars, Komsomolskaya station is not to be missed.

Curious minds drawn to unusual sites will not be disappointed when they push open the armoured door of Bunker-42, tucked away in the Tagansky district, behind the façade of an ordinary-looking house.  This former atomic shelter–an underground maze of 7000 m² of passageways and tunnels–is now a museum complex dedicated to the Cold War, of which it is a striking vestige.