DAY 2

12:00 If it’s warm weather, take your hangover to Gorky Park (ul Krymsky val Park Kultury; entrance £1.60). With a festive vibe and a funfair, it makes a welcome change from the city streets.

Walk by the Moscow River or jump on the ferris wheel. If you’re visiting in winter – go to Gorky Park anyway. It turns into a winter wonderland where you can go cross-country skiing or ice-skating for £2-4 per hour.

14:00  Suitably refreshed, head to nearby Pyatnitskaya Ulitsa, a busy thoroughfare and marketplace. There are loads of restaurants to choose from, but we recommend Yadrena Matrena (Pyatnitskaya Ulitsa 18C1) for a cheap lunch.

This classic Russian hut – with stuffed animals adorning the walls – serves up traditional pancakes with vodka shots for about £4. Go on, try some hair of the dog.

15:00  Now sweat the badness out at a traditional Russian bathhouse. Sandunovskiye Baths (two hours from £11) is Moscow’s most famous.

Tradition dictates that you hot up in the dry sauna, follow that with a stint in the steam room, and finish the circuit by getting beaten with a bundle of twigs. Then repeat until your two hours are up. Good luck!

17:00  Undo the good work with a visit to the Vodka History Museum. Learn about the demon drink’s journey through time and its role in Russian society.

A tour with a complimentary shot is £2, and there’s the option to stay on for vodka tastings.

19:00 Check out the quirky Shinok for dinner. It’s decked out like a Ukrainian peasant’s home, and if you see a few farm animals wandering by, it’s not down to the vodka – there’s a yard in the centre of the restaurant that is home to turkeys, a cow and a sheep. Ukrainian fare (borsch, stuffed cabbage) is dished up for about £16.

21:00 If you’re up for a big one, party with the nouveau riche at The Most, co-owned by Roman Abramovich.

Fancy something more cultural? The Bolshoi Theatre is a stunning venue offering world-famous ballet and theatre. Tickets from as little as a fiver.

Return flights from London Heathrow to Moscow, via Geneva, start around £182 with Swiss  

Photos:  TNT; Getty