Moscow
Moscow is the central focal point of New Russia and everything that it represents. It is a city where history unfolds around every corner, whether in the magnificent golden domed cathedrals and churches or the grand political building of the Kremlin and the building surrounding red square, where the former founder of the Soviet state lies embalmed, and the infamous domes of St Basils Cathedral. It is not until the last few years that Moscow has transformed itself into one of the most vibrant, dynamic and exciting cities in the world. Its restaurants are chic and serve some of the best food in Europe, there is a huge range of luxury hotels and it remains the perfect starting point for many trips within Russia. Furthermore, unlike St Petersburg, which concentrates on foreign art, Moscow is the centre for Russian art and artifacts and has a correspondingly greater variety of museums and galleries. Moscow is still developing its modernity but embracing every minute of it, the majority of Muscovites are keen to welcome the new global culture.
A visit to Moscow works perfectly combined with Russia’s other infamous but slightly less harsh city, St Petersburg. Trains between these two main Russian cities are readily available along with small boat cruises which follow the Volga River and take in a lot of the Russian historic scenery along the way.