Immediately outside the Kremlin’s northeastern wall is the celebrated Red Square, the 400m-by-150m area of cobblestones that is at the very heart of Moscow. Commanding the square from the southern end is St Basil’s Cathedral. This panorama never fails to send the heart aflutter, especially at night.

　　Next to the cathedral, an elevated platform, known as the Place of Skulls, was used for reading out decrees and proclamations in the old ages and became the setting for Pussy Riot's anti-Putin video clip in 2011. Nearby, the Minin & Pozharsky Statue celebrates the heroes of the 1612 liberation war against the Poles.

　　The word krasnaya in the name means 'red' now, but in old Russian it meant 'beautiful' and Krasnaya pl lives up to this epithet. Furthermore, it evokes an incredible sense of import to stroll across the place where so much of Russian history has unfolded. Note that the square is often closed for various celebrations or their rehearsals, so allow some leeway in your schedule.