Red Square

Easily the most famous landmark in Russia, St. Basil’s Cathedral, sits at one end of Red Square. You will likely want the obligatory picture with the famous onion domes towering above your head. Shoot away, there is plenty of space for photographs. Hours: 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday to Monday, closed Tuesday. Call (095) 298-3304 for excursions.

The square is also home to Lenin’s mausoleum, where the communist leader’s body lays still today. There isn’t a fee to see Lenin, but the line forms at around 8:30 a.m. at the bottom of the hill between the large park and the State Historical Museum. You would be wise to see Lenin soon, talk is circulating that the former leader’s body will be buried soon. The experience is eerie to say the least. Hours: Tuesday-Thursday, Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., closed Monday and Friday. Call (095) 923-5527 for more information.

On the opposite end of St. Basil’s Cathedral is the State Historical Museum. It is home to everything from fossils to possessions of Russian czars. There is even a copy of the Declaration of Independence. Hours: Monday, Wednesday-Sunday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Closed the first Monday of every month.

Opposite the Kremlin wall is GUM, a three-story mall that puts most American shopping centers to shame. If you are shopping at GUM, have your wallet ready. The stores are posh. Designer clothing and accessories from across the globe are available. You can also simply walk around the fountains and marbled halls. Above you are glass domes that serve as fountains for a park on top of the mall. There is an internet café on the bottom level of the mall that is fairly priced.