Visit Moscow and experience Russia's Soviet past

Glitzy and decadent, the Russian capital is famed for its exorbitant prices, extravagant nightlife and freezing winter temperatures. But there is a lot more than glamour and excess: it has fabulous art, a slew of Soviet-era gems, exotic cuisine from the Caucasus and Central Asia and simple pleasures rare in the West. Local correspondents help you get the most out of a stay in this vast city of almost 11 million. FRIDAY Noon: Head straight to Red Square, where Soviet dictator Josef Stalin gave speeches and shivering Russians ring in the New Year. Check out the mammoth Soviet department store GUM, now filled with Cartier and Gucci, the colourful St Basil's cathedral and the red-bricked Kremlin. Go see Vladimir Lenin, the founder of the Soviet Union, in his granite mausoleum bathed in a pool of red light. Round the back, find graves of Soviet leaders Stalin and Leonid Brezhnev, which often have fresh flowers. (Monday, Wednesday and Friday till 1.30pm.) 3pm: Stroll past the cream eight-columned 18th-century Bolshoi Theatre and over to cobbled and dainty Stoleshnikov Pereulok, Moscow's answer to Bond Street. 6pm: Have a delicious Georgian meal at Mama Nina, near the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, the tallest Orthodox church in the world. Or try Suliko, a genuine Georgian chain dotted across the city which has staples from the Caucasus country such as khinkali, or succulent meat dumplings, rolled aubergines with nuts and pomegranate and khachapuri, made of flaky pastry and home-made cheese served straight from the oven. 9pm: Hit the converted chocolate factory "Red October", perched on an island across from the Kremlin. The red-brick complex is packed with nightclubs and has cafés and photography galleries too. In summer, watch the sun come up over Moscow from the spacious balconies after a night of revelry. SATURDAY 8am: Try Correa's — an airy, high-ceilinged eatery which has healthy breakfasts and the freshest fruit salad you will find in the dead of winter. 9am: Get your fill of gold onion domes among the Kremlin's 500-year-old churches built for the tsars, which are a stone's throw from President Dmitry Medvedev's office. 11am: In winter, head to Gorky Park to ice skate (cheap rental on spot) among the birch trees on icy paths. Noon: Venture into the "Sculpture Park" opposite. Abandoned marble statues of Lenin, Stalin and Karl Marx sit solemnly on this large patch of greenery. 1pm: Next door sits the monolithic New Tretyakov Gallery. More than 65 rooms of modern Russian and European art line its Soviet-era walls, including several by avant-garde masters Wassily Kandinsky and Alexander Rodchenko. 2pm: Nearby, on October Square, find Moscow's largest-surviving statue of Lenin striking his famous pose. 3pm: Have a late lunch at the glamorous restaurant Uzbekistan. Pricey and styled as a Silk Road caravanserai, the Moscow elite dine here on some of the city's best Uzbek dishes, especially grilled meats and plov, an Uzbek staple of slow-cooked rice pilaf and tender lamb. 5pm: As evening approaches, wander towards the quiet oasis of Patriarch's Pond. Immortalised in Mikhail Bulgakov's novel Master and Margarita, the quiet quarter has boutique shops and small cafés. Ice skate on the pond, which stocked fish for the Russian Orthodox clergy in the 19th century. 7pm: Eat borscht, a traditional thick beetroot soup at Café Margarita, which overlooks the pond. No bigger than a living room and lined with books, it has live piano and fiddle music nightly and is also good for refreshments. 10pm: For a glimpse at some modern art and possibly a lecture, check out Art Strelka on the embankment. Strelka, set up by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, attracts a well-dressed bohemian crowd. For food, its restaurant has a Russian-European fusion while the downstairs bar blasts music till the early hours. SUNDAY 10am: Venture out southwest to Sparrow Hills (previously Lenin Hills) for an impressive vista of the capital. Perched up high is the foreboding Moscow State University — one of the "Seven Sisters", or the elaborate Gothic skyscrapers Stalin built. Noon: A must-see for art lovers is Garage (www.garageccc.com), Moscow's answer to London's Tate Modern. Set up by Dasha Zhukova, a friend of Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, the gallery became an instant hit with fashionistas. Housed in a 1920s' bus garage created by avant-garde architect Konstantin Melnikov, it caters to a global audience and has a tasty café. 3pm: Buy a metro ticket for a mere 26 roubles (Dh3) and round off the Moscow trip with the world's cheapest tour. Speed around this elegant beast that is fiercely efficient and still lit by chandeliers. Gawk at the Revolution Square station, where life-sized bronze Soviets point rifles, and admire the stained-glass chambers of Novoslobodskaya.