You've done a deal, corruption has not yet clouded your day and the Mother City suddenly offers life bespredel ('without limits', as the Muscovites say). What should you do in that spare hour before you have to crawl back to the airport in gridlocked traffic?  Britain's third-largest airline, BMI, recently began regular scheduled flights between London and Moscow and vowed to reduce fares on what has traditionally been an expensive, limited route, dominated by Aeroflot and British Airways. An agreement between BMI and Russian airline Transaero, means the two operators now offer four flights a day between London and Moscow. Return tickets start from about €300, including taxes, and passengers of both BMI and Transaero can take advantage of connecting flights on the other's network. Nigel Turner, BMI chief executive, was emphatic about undercutting his competitors, especially on business class fares. BMI's opening prices were €125 and €447 cheaper than BA's and Aeroflot's business class fares, respectively. BMI first expressed an interest in operating a route between the UK and Russia nine years ago, but was only able to offer a service after the signing of an air services agreement between the two countries last March. Turner added that BMI was seeking to add Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk and Ekaterinburg to its Russian routes, reflecting how rapidly Russia's regional economy is booming. FLIGHT TIMES (BMI SERVICE) Heathrow to Moscow Domodedovo Departs 9.30am, arrives 4.20pm Moscow Domodedovo to Heathrow Departs 5.10pm, arrives 6.05pm FLIGHT TIMES (TRANSAERO SERVICE) Moscow Domodedovo to Heathrow Departs 10.05am, arrives 11.15am Heathrow to Moscow Domodedovo Departs 12.25pm, arrives 7.30pm St Basil Cathedral EXPENSIVE MOSCOW  The world's most expensive city to live in is Moscow, claims a recent survey. The main reason is that a property boom in the Russian capital has driven rental costs for expatriates sky-high. The real-estate price hike also reflects Moscow's growing status as a financial hub for both Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States, the economic union embracing most of the former Soviet Union republics, says Anna Krotova, a Geneva-based senior researcher with Mercer, the international human resources consultancy, which ranked 144 cities in its worldwide cost of living survey. A third reason is high demand for property rental by multinational companies setting up operations in Moscow. Grocery bills are also costly in Moscow, and contribute to above-average eating-out prices. Meanwhile clothing is expensive and mostly imported. Mercer's survey considered the cost of more than 200 items, including transport, household goods and entertainment as well as housing, food and clothing. Other European cities ranking high were London (fifth), Geneva (seventh), Copenhagen (eighth), Zurich (ninth), Oslo (10th) and St Petersburg (12th). The surprise was Kiev, which moved from 54th in the previous year's survey to 21st, mainly thanks to the appreciation of the Ukrainian hryvna against the dollar. TEN THINGS TO DO IN MOSCOW IN AN HOUR  Enter Red Square through Resurrection Gate and savour the historically charged vastness of the space. The multicoloured domes of Saint Basil's cathedral are straight ahead; the granite lump of Lenin's Mausoleum to the right and beyond it, the Kremlin walls. To the left is the State Department Store, GUM.- You won't believe GUM's giant, beautiful galleried interior until you see it. Gosudarstvenny Universalny Magazin's only disappointment is the lack of Russian goods – an authentic Russian purchase here is Chanel No. 5 or a Swiss watch. The one exception is perhaps the fur garments.
- If you go straight for the Kremlin and get in, then focus on the five-domed Assumption Cathedral; the Ivan the Great Bell Tower (the tallest structure in Moscow until the 20th century) and the Fabergé egg collection in the Armoury.
- If time is still at hand then visit the Bosco café inside GUM. A favourite with lots of Russians and a good place to soak up the bizarre atmosphere of the New Russia.
- A quick walk across the square and into Alexandrovsky Gardens leads to the ticket office for the Kremlin – but if you're going to queue up and penetrate the 2.25 km perimeter wall you'll need longer than an hour. So for now just take in the eternal flame of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
- Take a taxi to the Sky Lounge (32a Leninsky Prospekt) on the top floor of the Academy of Sciences, offering amazing views of Moscow and ultra-expensive cocktails.
- Go to the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts (Volkhonka Ulitsa 12, open midday–6pm; closed Monday and Tuesday), which houses an incredible Impressionist and Post-Impressionist collection.
- Go from the Pushkin Museum across the road to the simply massive Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, which can seat 15,000 – its kitsch interior is memorably grandiose.
- Visit the famously ornate metro stations: especially Novoslobodskaya; Komsomolskaya; Belorusskaya; Kievskaya; Mayakovskaya and Kropotkinskaya.
- For modern art the hands-down winner is the New Tretyakov Gallery (open 10am–7pm, closed Mondays). It has a wonderful 20th-century Russian collection.
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