Red brick towers stand guard over the Moskva River while traffic streams along the embankment below. Step down into the Metro and the scene turns grand, with chandeliers, mosaics and bronze figures lining the platforms. Back on the surface, the lanes of Zamoskvorechye feel almost provincial, with small churches and old merchant houses a short walk from Red Square.
Beyond the first sights, Muscovites stroll around Patriarch's Ponds and spend long evenings in the steam rooms of Sanduny. Winters are long, cold and snowy, while summers turn warm and green. A Local Friend tells you when to reach the big squares early and when to linger by the ponds as the evening light fades.
