Moscow Kremlin

Formidable fortress and the centre of Russian political power
Word to the wise: Some exhibits such as the Kremlin armory and the bell tower require a separate time-specific entrance ticket, which can only be bought at the ticket office outside the Kremlin gates.

Part museum and part government office, the area inside the Kremlin’s six metre thick walls is deceptively large. Visitors are allowed to visit the so-called ‘Cathedral Square’ in the Kremlin’s centre, while the President’s official residences are obviously out of bounds.
Three gorgeous medieval cathedrals, two smaller churches and the Patriarch’s palace surround the square, which is dominated by the 266-ft high Ivan the Great’s Bell Tower.

Other notable sites include the huge ‘Tsar’s canon’ and the giant ‘Tsar’s Bell’, which weighs a whopping 223 tons. During Napoleon’s occupation of the Kremlin in 1812, the French attempted to loot many of the Kremlin's bells and chandeliers but eventually failed, as they proved too heavy.

For a considerable extra sum it is possible to visit the Kremlin Armory where the Russian crown jewels are kept, as well as the 190 carat Orlov diamond, ten Faberge eggs and various other treasures.