Today Moscow may be better known for its capitalist excesses but it remains one of the richest capital cities in the world for art and architecture. Founded in the 12th century, it teems with great churches, cathedrals and palaces – from the Kremlin and Red Square to the beautiful walled monasteries that lie outside the city. The list of writers and composers who have lived here is extraordinary: Pushkin, Gogol, Checkhov, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich to name a few. The Bolshoi theatre is in a class of its own. It is a city that has constantly reinvented itself and there is layer upon layer of contrasting periods and influences – Orthodox, Tsarist, Soviet and Capitalist. There are wonderful museums and galleries and the contemporary art scene is one to watch.