Saint Petersburg

St. Petersburg wouldn’t be complete without the Neva River and its numerous streams and canals. You can enjoy a pleasant boat ride, taking in the views and learning that Pushkin recited his poems in that building, or that Dostoyevsky studied in that castle. There are 68 rivers, creeks and canals in total, as well as 580 bridges, 20 of which are the city’s famous drawbridges.

The rivers separate the city into 3 main parts: the historical centre with its main artery, Nevsky Prospekt, the Petrogradskaya Side and Vasilievsky Island.

Nevsky Prospekt, together with all of the side streets that merge into it, is where most of the landmarks are concentrated. Tours of the city usually start on Dvortsovaya Square, home to the Alexander Column and the most important museum of the city and country alike, the Hermitage (the most visited museum in Russia). The list of gems goes on: the Admiralty, Kazan Cathedral, the gingerbread-house-like Church of the Saviour on Blood, the Alexandrinsky Theatre (the oldest drama theatre in Russia), the modest Mikhailovsky Palace with its park and Russian Museum, the Anichkov Bridge and countless unique palaces such as Vorontsovsky, Anichkov, Sheremetyevsky, and Belosselsky-Belozersky.

You can take a stroll along the embankment all the way to Saint Isaac's Cathedral and the Bronze Horseman or to the Field of Mars, or even cross the Palace Bridge to get to the Spit of Vasilievsky Island with its Rostral Columns. Right next to them are all the main sights in the area: the Kunstkammer, the Stock Exchange and Menshikov Palace. Going deeper into the island, you can find the largest private contemporary art museum in Russia, Erarta, where many exciting exhibitions and concerts take place.

On the Petrogradskaya Side, you will find the Peter and Paul Fortress, the Cabin of Peter the Great, the magnificent Botanical Garden, the Zoo and the Artillery Museum. St. Petersburg’s parks and gardens merit a special mention, as well. Besides the Botanical Garden, we recommend that you pay a visit to Alexandrovsky Garden, the Summer Garden with its stunning sculptures, Krestovsky Island with its Amusement Park and the parks on Yelagin and Kamenny islands.

Once you’ve seen all the sights the city has to offer, it’s time to switch your attention to the suburbs, which are equally famous and beautiful. This, of course, includes Peterhof with its fountains and lanes, Tsarskoe Selo with the lyceum where Pushkin studied, the Kronstadt Fortress, Pavlovsk, where the royal residence is located, Lomonosov with the Greater Menshikov Palace ensemble and Strelna and Gatchina with their parks and palaces.