Moscow is abuzz with activity. This is a city changing so fast that by the time you step out of the airport into your chauffeur-driven limousine, your guidebook will be out of date.

That’s why, to get the most out of Moscow, you need a well-connected guide who can open doors for you, and get you beyond the velvet rope into the most exclusive secret places.

Exeter International will design for you a personalised Moscow city break, such as this Iconic Itinerary we created for Conde Nast Traveller magazine. You will have your own private cultural concierge to show you how to circumvent the crowds and advise you on where to go, which bars and restaurants are currently favoured by the cognoscenti – and which you should avoid.

We will take you to the magnificent churches of the Kremlin and point out the buildings that influenced Le Corbusier. Our guides will show you the greatest historical treasures of the Tretyakov and the modern masterpieces in the State Pushkin Museum.

Nowhere is out of bounds on our city breaks. Moscow, of course, is home to the Bolshoi Ballet (the theatre is closed until October 2011, however performances continue on the new stage) where we can arrange tickets to a performance. Book a break next autumn and be one of the very first to see the restoration work first hand with a very special backstage tour. Take a glimpse into the Soviet era, with a tour of the stunning Metro system, Lenin’s tomb or the Cold War Bunker.

Allow yourself to be seduced by the opulent splendour of the Armoury Museum within the Kremlin, which houses a huge collection of Imperial Russian artwork, plus a glittering array of Faberge eggs with their jewel-encrusted mechanised interiors.

Finally, you can enjoy dinner at one of the city’s finest restaurants followed by cocktails at an exclusive late-night bar, brushing shoulders with beautiful models and power-brokers.

It may be tempting to see Russia as a city of crude contrasts - where the nouveau riche trample over centuries of history. But, as Matt Morley, Editor of the dual-language VeryVery Magazine, explains, Moscow has always had a taste for glitz.’Yes, the diamonds and the Faberge eggs are important,” he says, “but that kind of lavish luxury is part of Russian history - you need to put it in the context of hundreds of years.” And what could be more excessive than Catherine the Great’s Orlov Diamond, stashed away in the Diamond Vaults of the Kremlin?

Make history come alive with an Exeter International guide For more details, call 020 8956 2756 or email enquiries@exeterinternational.co.uk