Not to miss

Gorky Park

Stretching almost 3km (1.8mi) along the river, Gorky Park is full of that sometimes rare species - the happy Russian. Officially the 'Park of Culture', named after Maxim Gorky, it's the original Soviet park - part ornamental and educational, part funfair and amusement park, and a good place to escape the hubbub of the city.

In winter the ponds freeze and the paths are flooded to make a giant skating rink - you can rent skates if you take along some ID, such as a passport. But that's not all. Gorky Park has a small amusement park with two Western rollercoasters and almost a dozen other terror-inducing attractions.

Space buffs can shed a tear for the Buran, the Soviet space shuttle which never carried anyone into space. The park has a number of snack bars and, behind the amusement park, a 2000-seat German beer hall.

Lenin's Tomb

Whether for the creepiness value or an interest in mummification, the granite tomb of Lenin is a must-see, especially since (if some people get their way) the former leader may eventually end up beside his mum in St Petersburg. For now, the embalmed leader remains as he has been since 1924 (apart from a retreat to Siberia during WWII).

Vladimir Ilich (Lenin) died of a massive stroke on 22 January 1924 when he was 53 years old, was embalmed six months later, and has now become the world's most famous mummy.

From 1953 to 1961, Lenin shared his tomb with Stalin. In 1961 at the 22nd Party Congress, the esteemed and by then ancient Bolshevik, Madame Spiridonova, announced that Vladimir Ilich had appeared to her in a dream, insisting that he did not like spending eternity with his successor (so much for the atheistic, no after-life thing, Vlad). With that, Stalin was removed, and given a place of honour immediately behind the mausoleum.

Before joining the queue at the northwestern corner of Red Square, drop your camera at the left-luggage office inside the State History Museum, as you will not be allowed to take it with you. Then, after trouping past the oddly waxy figure, emerge from the mausoleum and inspect where Stalin, Brezhnev and other Communist heavy-hitters are buried along the Kremlin wall.

The Kremlin

The stronghold of Russian political power, the Kremlin occupies a roughly triangular plot of land covering little Borovitsky Hill on the north bank of the Moscow River, probably first settled in the 11th century. Today it's enclosed by high walls. Red Square lies outside the east wall.

The Kutafya Tower, which forms the main visitors' entrance, stands away from the Kremlin's west wall. Most visitors are surprised to see so many churches in what was, for decades, a den of militant atheism, but the Kremlin was once the centre of Russia's Church as well as its State. Start with Archangel Cathedral (the royal burial church), Assumption Cathedral (the burial church of religious leaders) and Annunciation Cathedral (icons, icons everywhere).

Ivan the Great Bell Tower is a famous Moscow landmark, visible from 30km (20mi) away, with the cracked Tsar Bell at its foot. The towers lining the Kremlin include the Tower of Secrets (the oldest) and the Gothic and Renaissance Saviour's Tower.