Moscow is one of the world's major capital cities, with entertainment and nightlife to match. The traditional offerings of classical music and drama have been joined in recent years by a vibrant and often extravagant array of nightclubs. The following short guide is a mere introduction into how Moscow can entertain you?

Classical Music: Opera, Ballet, Orchestral

Russia's great heritage of classical music is reflected in the quality of its orchestras and orchestral venues. The Bol'shoi Theatreis a world-renowned institution and the jewel in the crown of Moscow's cultural nightlife. The auditorium and performances are immaculate and in terms of grandeur, the Bol'shoi surpasses anything else in Russia. It is therefore a popular venue - especially among visiting tourists - and tickets may be difficult to snap up at short notice.

Other major venues include the Dvorets S"ezdov (Palace of Congresses), a Soviet-style building within the walls of the Kremlin which hosts performances of the great Russian ballets. Both the Stanislavskii and Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theatre and the Helikon Opera run a variety of Russian and foreign classics, with the latter being more innovative in approach.

For the city's best orchestral music, visit the Tchaikovskii Concert Hall and the Tchaikovskii Conservatory. The Rossiia Concert Hall hosts occasional classical performances.

Theatre

Modern Moscow may be an aggressively commercial and openly materialistic place, but theatre and the arts still play a special role in the city's life. The breadth and range of drama theatres more than rivals that of any other major capital. The following is but a handful of what is on offer.

The Moscow Art Theatre has always been among the city's most prominent theatres. There's now two branches, of which the original (Chekhov MKhAT) is reputed to be the best. The other takes Gorkii's name and is located on Tverskoi Bul'var.

The Tagankawas a politically controversial theatre during Soviet times, famous for its veiled satires.

For classic Russian drama, head to the Malyi Theatre, founded in 1824 and still playing predominantly 19th-century material. The same goes for the Sovremennik Theatre. Contemporary works are favoured by a few theatres, most notably the Maiakovskii and Lenkom theatres.

The Mossovet Theatre performs a fairly mixed bag of works, including foreign classics and Soviet standards, as do the Iugo-Zapad Theatre and the Pushkin Drama Theatre.

It's all a little pointless if you don't happen to know Russian of course, in which case you'd be better off trying less mentally demanding alternatives like the Obraztsov puppet theatre or the Moscow Clown Theatre.

Cinema

The smell of popcorn and Hollywood blockbusters can be found at the American House of Cinema, Moscow's most glitzy film house. Pod Kupolom and the Kinomir cinema both offer much the same in terms of films on offer.

If you're looking for Russian movies, the Illuzion and the Cinema Centreat Krasnaia Presnia are worth checking out: these also show western arthouse films.

The Pushkinskii Entertainment Centre has the biggest auditorium in town and concentrates predominantly on American blockbusters, but occasionally premieres major Russian movies.

Clubs

Moscow is home to one of the world's most hedonistic nightlife scenes which is as fiercely fashionable as anything in the West. Muscovite night life is anything but prudish - strip-shows and women of easy virtue are the norm. Door policy and brutally strict ?face control' means that many clubs are the exclusive domain of Moscow's ?beautiful people'. Such upmarket clubs include Angely, the Garage and Titanik - all of which you're best avoiding if you're not obscenely beautiful and/or obscenely and demonstrably wealthy.

Less exclusive options include the punky/grungy Butylka. Crossroads, 16 tonnes and Svalka are all good places to hear live music while the underground Luch has the trendiest selection of DJ's and Master offers two floors of techno. One very popular dance venue is Propaganda - a more relaxed alternative t? other dance clubs.

Tabula Rasa is a popular spot for ex-pats hosting regular live performances by Russian bands.

Last but not least among the straightforward nightclubs comes the infamous Hungry Duck's, notable for its "liberal" attitude t? sexual relations.

Champion and Metelitsa are both all-round entertainment centres featuring much much more than just a dancefloor.

Gay

The gay scene in Moscow is a pretty lively affair with more than a few clubs to choose from. Among the most popular options are Chance and Three Monkeys.

Jazz & Blues

The most popular options for straight jazz include the very chilled Le Club and the vibrant Jazz Art Club. B.B. King offers a combination of jazz, blues and Cajun cuisine. At Club Forte you'll hear many styles of music including jazz and at the Arbat Blues Club it may come as no surprise that you will be able to hear blues.