Red Square

Moscow's Red Square may conjure up images of Soviet military parades and commemorations to leaders of the Communist Party, but it is also the site of some of Russia's cultural and historical treasures. Spend a whole day exploring its museums and attractions.

During the Soviet era the square hosted processions and parades on state occasions, when workers, soldiers, collective farmers and even cruise missiles would file past the Communist leadership. Nowadays it plays host to millions of tourists each year who flock to see its unique array of museums, cathedrals and monuments.

Entering through the gate at the northern end of the square, passing the statue of Second World War hero Marshal Zhukov on horseback, stop to visit the red-brick Russian Historical Museum or the lurid pink 17th-century Kazan Cathedral, built by Ivan the Terrible. The square itself is flanked to the right by Lenin's Mausoleum and the walls of the Kremlin, and to the left by Soviet Russia's premier department store GUM, while at its southern end stands the onion-domed St Basil's Cathedral.

Red Square may derive its name from an old Russian word meaning 'beautiful', but Russians also offer an alternative, less romantic explanation - the square used to be a marketplace until the 19th century, and butchers who came to sell their wares would leave its cobblestones smeared with blood.

Whatever the case, Red Square is an unmistakeable symbol of Russia's history and offers some great photo opportunities of some of Russia's most iconic tourist sites.