This is the Day Trips from Moscow chapter from Lonely Planet’s Moscow guide-book.

Want to escape the city? This chapter includes the very best excursions from Moscow and they can each be completed in a day. Must-sees include Sergiev Posad and Abramtsevo.

• home to the Trinity Monastery of St Sergius, Sergiev Posad’s easy distance from Moscow and historic atmosphere ensure it’s the most visited destination in the Golden Ring
• an artists colony and country estate, Abramtsevo was a font of artistic inspiration during the 19th-century renaissance of traditional Russian painting, sculpture, architecture and arts
• the 12th-century capital of medieval Rus was formative in establishing a distinctively Rus-sian architectural style. Ancient Vladimir still shows off several remarkable structures that date back to its heyday
• dating to the 11th century, Suzdal was a medieval capital and a spiritual centre. The village is still ringed with monasteries and peppered with merchant churches, making for an idyl-lic fairy-tale setting
• the site of turning-point battles in the Napoleonic War of 1812 as well as the Great Patriotic War (WWII), Borodino battlefield is also an idyllic destination far from the crowds, traffic and smog

Coverage includes: Sergiev Posad, Abramtsevo, Vladimir, Suzdal, Boro-dino.

This is the Arbat & Khamovniki chapter from Lonely Planet’s Moscow guide-book.

These two adjacent districts are an art-lover’s dream. The Arbat district is packed with world-class art museums and smaller artist-dedicated galleries, plus the elaborate Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. In Khamovniki, the Unesco-recognised Novodevichy Convent and Cemetery is a worthwhile half-day destination.

• peruse the collections of Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts’s three branches, especially the in-credible array of Impressionist and post-Impressionist art in the 19th and 20th Century Art Gallery
• maps
• soak up five centuries of artistry and history at Novodevichy Convent and pay respects to Russian cultural greats at the adjacent cemetery
• transport
• eat the Soviet-throwback way (dumplings at Cold War–era prices) at Varenichnaya No 1, after strolling and shopping on ul Arbat
• restaurants & bars

Coverage includes: Sights, Eating, Drinking & Nightlife, Entertainment, Shopping, Sports & Activities.

This is the Meshchansky & Basmanny chapter from Lonely Planet’s Moscow guidebook.

Covering a large swathe of central Moscow, Meshchansky is markedly laid-back compared with its neighbouring districts. Beyond the Garden Ring, Basmanny is an area of 19th-century red-brick factories, now taken over by innovative postmodern galleries, cool cafes and digital startups.

• contemplate Moscow’s hot contemporary art scene at one of the gentrified old factories, such as Winzavod
• maps
• descend 60m underground to explore the Cold War communications centre at Bun-ker-42
• transport
• stock up on junk souvenirs and Soviet paraphernalia at Izmaylovsky Market
• restaurants & bars

Coverage includes: Sights, Eating, Drinking & Nightlife, Entertainment, Shopping, Sports & Activities.

This chapter contains the Welcome to Moscow, Moscow’s Top 10, What’s New, Need to Know, First Time Moscow Top Itineraries, If You Like..., Month By Month, With Kids, For Free, Vi-sas, Guided Tours & Activities, Travelling to St Petersburg, Museums & Galleries, Tour of the Metro, Eating, Drinking & Nightlife, Entertainment, and Shopping chapters from Lonely Planet’s Moscow guidebook.

Your journey to Moscow starts here. You’ll find the tools to plan your adventure: where to go and when, how much to budget, plus in-depth info on visas.and tours

• tailor-made itineraries, arranged by region, themes and events
• list of highlights and best experiences
• everything you need to know about exploring Moscow with kids
• user-friendly country overview ensures you won’t miss a thing

Coverage includes: Welcome to Moscow, Moscow’s Top 10, What’s New, Need to Know, First Time Moscow Top Itineraries, If You Like: Architecture, Contemporary History, Soviet History, Charming Churches, Iconography, Parks & Gardens, Russian Literature, Month By Month, With Kids, For Free, Visas, Guided Tours & Activities, Travelling to St Petersburg, Mu-seums & Galleries, Tour of the Metro, Eating, Drinking & Nightlife, Entertainment, and Shop-ping.

This is the Kremlin & Kitay Gorod chapter from Lonely Planet’s Moscow guide-book.

If you have only one day in Moscow, you will probably spend it here. With more time, you might explore the churches and museums and view the trappings of power, or wander the medi-eval streets of Kitay Gorod.

• wander around the grounds and explore 500 years of artistic mastery, political power and spiritual devotion at the Kremlin; and gawk at the royal treasures in the Armoury
• maps
• pay your respects to Vladimir Ilych and other communist leaders at Lenin’s Tomb
• transport
• marvel at the multicoloured, multidomed spectacle that is St Basil’s Cathedral, the icon of Russia
• restaurants & bars

Coverage includes: Sights, Eating, Drinking & Nightlife, Entertainment, Shopping.

This is the Tverskoy chapter from Lonely Planet’s Moscow guidebook.

Start your exploration at the majestic Teatralnaya pl, home to the world-famous Bolshoi Thea-tre. This glittering jewel of a theatre is a sight to behold. Tverskaya ul, Moscow’s main thorough-fare, is ideal for people-watching from sidewalk cafes.

• spend an evening at one of the world’s grandest opera and ballet venues, the Bolshoi Theatre
• maps
• eat, drink, dance and otherwise frolick at Hermitage Gardens, one of the liveliest places in Moscow, where art, food or musical festivals take place almost weekly
• transport
• learn about daily life for Jews in Russia from the partition of Poland to the late USSR times at the ultramodern Jewish Museum & Centre of Tolerance
• restaurants & bars

Coverage includes: Sights, Eating, Drinking & Nightlife, Entertainment, Shopping, Sports & Activities.

This is the Presnya chapter from Lonely Planet’s Moscow guidebook.

Presnya encompasses some of the capital’s oldest neighbourhoods as well as its newest developments. Start by exploring the lovely residential areas of Inner Presnya, chock-full of evoc-ative architecture, historic parks and fantastic drinking and dining spots.

• retrace the footsteps and flight patterns of the characters of the Russian literary classic The Master and Margarita, following up with a visit to Mikhail Bulgakov’s home
• maps
• dine in haute-russe style and experiencing the cuisine of the tsars in a lovely 19th-century building at Cafe Pushkin
• transport
• hit the trendy Time-Out Rooftop Bar for top-shelf cocktails and top-notch city views
• restaurants & bars

Coverage includes: Sights, Eating, Drinking & Nightlife, Entertainment, Shopping, Sports & Activities.

This chapter contains the Moscow Today, History, Performing Arts, Art & Architecture, Litera-ture & Cinema, Transport and Directory A–Z chapters from Lonely Planet’s Moscow guidebook.

All the info you need on everything from history, performing arts and architecture to flights, public transport, climate, money, the internet... you name it. Get tips for women travellers, gay and lesbian travellers, travellers with disabilities, and travellers with kids. And get the most out of your conversations with a handy language guide and glossary.

• a rundown on symphony orchestras and bohemian bands that grace Moscow’s stages
• info on the architecture of Moscow’s icons and onion domes, sculptures and skyscrap-ers
• full coverage of the city’s rich literature and cinema
• details on Moscow’s 900-year history, from medieval magic to imperial grandeur, from communist austerity to contemporary affluence

Coverage includes: Moscow Today, History, Performing Arts, Art & Archi-tecture, Literature & Cinema, Transport and Directory A–Z.

This is the Zamoskvorechie chapter from Lonely Planet’s Moscow guidebook.

The core of Zamoskvorechie is squeezed between ul Pyatnitskaya and ul Bolshaya Polyan-ka, with the district’s gem, Tretyakov Gallery, in the very middle. A pedestrian bridge across the canal leads to Bolotny Island, home to the fledgling hipster cluster of Red October.

• stroll, cycle, rollerblade, dance, drink, play pétanque – be as active or as lazy as you wish in the wonderfully gentrified and iconic Gorky Park
• maps
• admire the Tretyakov Gallery’s superb collection of Russian icons, the cutting social com-mentary of the Peredvizhniki (Wanderers) and the prerevolutionary decadence of the Symbolists
• transport
• watch the day and short summer night go by at the city’s best open-terrace bar, Bar Strelka
• restaurants & bars

Coverage includes: Neighbourhood Top Five, Local Life, Getting There & Away, Sights, Eating, Drinking & Nightlife, Entertainment, Shopping, Sports & Activities.