Culture in Moscow

There are few cities worldwide that resonate with history and culture the way Moscow does. Whether you find yourself admiring St Basil's Cathedral and the ancient walls of the Kremlin in Red Square, staring up in awe at one of Stalin's seven ugly sisters, heading out to the Bolshoi for a night of magic and bedazzlement, or even hanging out at the Patriarch's ponds on the off-chance of running into the Devil... Wherever you go and whatever you do in this town, you are bound to feel an almost palpable aura of drama, intrigue, passion, politics and downright skullduggery pervading every breath of frosty air.

Peter the Great may not have had much time for this ancient capital, but despite moving Russia's HQ to a patchy bit of marshland (also known as St. Petersburg!), there was nothing he could do to stop Moscow reclaiming its rightful status as the country's premiere city, when Lenin and the Bolsheviks took power and relocated south. But whether she was the capital or not, Moscow has always been a thriving centre for the arts and virtually every Russian literary giant lived and worked here at some point in their careers. Tolstoy was born here, Pushkin enjoyed his most productive years here, Dostoyevsky's characters murdered and went mad here, and Mikhail Bulgakov wrote his masterpiece of Soviet satire here, under the threat of arrest (and worse) from Stalin's police.

Whether it is through its beauty or grotesqueness may be up for debate, but what can't be denied is that Moscow inspires - and has done for hundreds of years. Only the dedicated philistines amongst you will spurn the chance to indulge in some of the city's world-renowned culture, such as taking in an opera or ballet at the Bolshoi, catching a performance by the State Symphony Orchestra, watching a play at one of Moscow's many great theatres, or, during the day, meandering around the art museums and galleries, highlights of which include the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, the State Tretyakov Gallery and the Museum of Modern Art. If all that sounds a bit highbrow for you, then why not treat yourself to a real spectacle at the world-famous Nikulin and Moscow State Circuses!

Above: The only time 'Russian' and 'Orthodox' go together

Left: We are family...I've got all my sisters with me!

Below: Power to the people