Novodevichy Convent sits in a bend of the Moskva River, and its walls and towers look like a pared-down version of the Kremlin, which is exactly the point. Grand Prince Vasily III founded it in 1524, to commemorate the capture of Smolensk from the Lithuanians, and it became one of the richest convents in the country, a place where women of noble families took the veil and where tsarevnas were confined. Peter the Great sent his half-sister Sophia here after she tried to seize power, and the memory lingers in the quiet courtyards. The ensemble of white walls, red-brick towers, golden domes, and a tall baroque bell tower is among the best preserved in Moscow, and was added to the UNESCO list in 2004.
Next to the convent is a cemetery that is almost a national pantheon. After the 1930s, it became a place where the country's cultural and political figures were buried, and the list is remarkable. The writers Chekhov, Gogol and Bulgakov rest here, along with the composers Prokofiev and Shostakovich, the film-maker Eisenstein, Nikita Khrushchev, with a famous black and white monument, and Boris Yeltsin. The stones range from plain slabs to sculpted portraits, and the leafy paths are quiet. A small fee is normally charged, and it is worth buying a map of the graves.
The area has the calm of a quiet corner of a huge city, with a pond where the swans of Tchaikovsky's ballet are said to have been inspired, beside the walls. A short distance away, the Luzhniki stadium and the Sparrow Hills viewpoint offer a look across the river toward the city centre. The Moscow University tower rises behind.
As a ride, this is a city one: heavy traffic, trams, multi-lane junctions, and strict lanes, with many speed cameras. The embankment roads are fast and straightforward, but the side streets can be tight, and parking close to the convent is limited. The best time is early morning on a weekend, when the streets are empty. In winter, snow and salt make the surface treacherous, and in summer, afternoon thunderstorms can drench you.
Fuel and food are plentiful, as in the rest of the capital, and there are cafés beside the park. Hours for the convent vary, and it is closed one day a week, so check before you go. Stand in the courtyard for a moment, and listen for the bells. They carry far across the river.