Your trips to Russia are going to be a whirlwind of sights and sounds, blurred by jet lag and anxiety. But chances are you'll have a few hours to do some sightseeing in Moscow. Jennefer posted a long list of her favorites at her blog "Three Sons And A Princess" last fall. But I'm going to narrow it to my five picks for the "must" sights to take in.

1. The Kremlin: The current and historic center of government in Russia, it sits pretty much at the center of Moscow. Ringed by impressively thick parapets, it contains several old churches such as the Assumption Cathedral, built in 1475, and my personal favorite, Archangelsky Cathedral. There are many confusing levels of entrance fees at the Kremlin, and the visitor's kiosk staff doesn't speak much English. There are also plenty of freelance tour guides hanging about, which I ignored. I paid the basic fee for foreigners and just wandered.

2. The Metro: Moscow has, without a doubt, the coolest subway system in the world. Choose a time that's not rush hour and explore. You will descend for what seems to be miles to some station platforms, and their sweeping vaults and chandeliers will make you think you're in a 1930s ballroom, not a subway. The signs are clear, and color-coded, but it helps to know the Cyrillic spelling of your destination station. You buy a magnetic fare card similar to the cards now used in cities like New York.

3. Red Square: The sheer size of the place is overwhelming. I haven't been to Beijing, but I can't think of another public space in any other city that is this large. Stand in the center and turn around slowly for a panoramic view of the Kremlin walls, the stately (and now very chic) GUM department store and St. Basil's Cathedral. Lenin's remains are in a mausoleum around the corner; the changing of the guard there is far smaller than the one at Buckingham Palace, but interesting.

4. The Tretyakov Gallery: My favorite art museum in Moscow. There are a lot of grand old portraits (including Tolstoy) in the old building, and some spectacular Kandinskys and Chagalls in the newer wing. There is also a lot of Soviet-era art, which offers an interesting reminder of a past that has all but disappeared from the Russian streetscape now.

5. GUM: A gem of Victorian architecture. When I visited Moscow in 1982, GUM, an acronym for the Russian words for State Universal Store, was a sad monument to the Soviet state's inability to recognize consumer needs, much less fill them. I can recall thinking how grand the space would be if some top-notch retailers took it over. They have now. And even if you can't afford Prada, Fendi and the like, you can still marvel at this light-filled space.