RED SQUARE

It is difficult to think of Red Square without automatically recalling the awesome Soviet military hardware that once trundled over the cobbles during the annual May Day parade. But this magnificent square, which is regarded as the heart not just of Moscow but also of Russia, predates communism, and its original Russian name, Krasny, translates as both “red” and “beautiful.” Either translation is apt. One side of the square is hedged by the formidable red stone walls of the Kremlin, while on the other stands the famed G.U.M. department store, one of the city’s premier shopping venues, with its massive glass-roofed arcades. The southern end of the square is dominated by the iconic onion-domed St. Basil’s Cathedral (admission $3, Wednesday-Sunday), which is once again an active place of worship following the end of communism. Entry is free to Lenin’s Mausoleum, where the embalmed body of the first Soviet premier lies in state, more than 80 years after his death.

THE KREMLIN

Many of Moscow’s must-sees lie within the walls of the Kremlin (www.moscowkremlin.ru/ns/english), which is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. An $8.50 ticket gives you access to all of the main buildings; a photo permit costs an additional $3.50. Highlights include the State Armory, the golddomed Cathedral of the Assumption and the Great Kremlin Palace, which still bears the letters “CCCP” (the Cyrillic equivalent of “USSR”) on its facade. Access to the State Diamond Fund, where a glittering array of valuable gems is displayed, is limited to guided group tours, which can be arranged through the national tourist company, Intourist (www.intouristusa.com).

THE ARBAT

Arbat Street — or, simply, the Arbat — revels in its Bohemian reputation. For more than a century it has attracted artists, musicians and writers. Here you’ll find museums dedicated to Tolstoy, Pushkin and Andrei Bely, whose greatest novel, ironically, is an eponymous portrait of Moscow’s bitter rival, St. Petersburg. In recent years, the Arbat has developed a thriving cafe culture, making it a wonderful place to sit and watch the city go by.

THE METRO

There’s a Russian joke: “In Moscow you can eat your dinner off a Metro station platform. In New York, somebody already has.” Muscovites are justly proud of their Metro system. Many of the ornate stations were designed as “people’s palaces” and are tourist attractions in their own right. Among the best are Kievskaya, Park Kultury, Mayakovskaya, Belorusskaya and Komsomolskaya. The Circle Line is best for sightseeing. A ticket valid for five separate journeys costs about $2.

THE STATE TRETYAKOV GALLERY
Located a short walk from the Tretyakovskaya Metro station, this is one of the world’s finest art galleries (www.tretyakovgallery.ru/english). Admission costs $7.50. Ninety-minute guided tours can be booked in advance, or you can buy a guidebook ($10) that will help you negotiate the maze of rooms, where you’ll see famous works by artists such as Kandinsky and Chagall. Contemporary and Soviet-era art is housed in the New Tretyakov Gallery, a couple of blocks to the southwest of the main gallery.