We caught the night train from St Petersburg to Moscow, our last train trip on the great train journey across Russia. We arrived in Moscow at the main station at about 8:30am and did our usual struggle with public transport and packs, following dodgy instructions from the host. This time it involved a metro and then a bus ride. We got yelled at by the bus police for not having a bus ticket — they spent 10 minutes shouting at us even though they knew we had no Russian. Eventually they gave us a ticket (and I think a small fine).

We arrived at our apartment in an old Soviet building, much further out of central Moscow than we had been led to believe. It was on the 5th floor with over 100 stairs — not ideal after a night train and a dressing down from the bus police. The apartment itself was very weird. We had gone from the lovely artistic apartment in St Petersburg to the complete opposite. Mirrors covered every square inch of the bathroom (even the ceiling), plus mirrors in the hall, lounge, and bedrooms. All we could think was that the owner really liked to look at themselves. Bazaar! There were also beds or sofa beds shoved in every corner.

It took 40 minutes to get to Red Square. We spent a great deal of our time in Moscow riding the metro. We only had 3 full days in Moscow and I have to say I’m pleased we decided to spend more time in St Petersburg. It rained the entire time we were in Moscow, so we spent many hours slogging through the rain to and from the metro and around the main sights.

We visited Red Square, which really is jaw-dropping. St Basil’s Cathedral is at one end — the iconic colourful cathedral built by Ivan the Terrible in 1555. At the other end is the State History Museum. Sitting up against the Kremlin wall is Lenin’s Tomb (we gave the long queue a miss). Along the western side are the walls of the Kremlin.

The Kremlin is set on over 60 acres and dates back to the 12th century. We explored Cathedral Square and saw several stunning cathedrals, including the Assumption Cathedral (where Tsars were crowned), the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael (with tombs of many Russian rulers), and the Ivan the Great Bell Tower. We also saw the Tsar’s Cannon and the Tsar Bell (the largest bell in the world, which has never been rung). The Armoury holds incredible treasures including Fabergé eggs.

On the eastern side of Red Square is GUM, the famous department store originally commissioned by Catherine the Great. It’s now home to every upmarket label imaginable and was full of Chinese tour groups when we visited.

We also did a self-guided tour of the Moscow Metro. Each station is a work of art with different themes and incredible architecture — we spent a happy few hours hopping on and off to admire them and stay out of the rain.

Our last day was spent in a shopping centre stocking up on shorts and other items for the hot climates ahead in Central Asia and Turkey.