St Petersburg
Tucked in a recess between Bolshaya and Malaya Konyushennaya uls is this lovely church, in the Romantic-Gothic style, built for St Petersburg’s thriving…
Must-see attractions in Russia
St Petersburg
This stunning 1895 neo-Byzantine church was built by architect Vasily Kosyakov on the site of a former monastery. It was closed during the Soviet period,…
Moscow
At the northwestern corner of Red Square, Resurrection Gate provides a great vantage point for your first glimpse of the square. With its twin red towers…
St Petersburg State Museum of Theatre & Music
St Petersburg
This museum is a treasure-trove of items relating to the Russian theatre including model sets, posters and costumes. You'll have to buy separate tickets…
St Petersburg
This beautiful working mosque (built 1910–14) was modelled on Samarkand’s Gur-e Amir Mausoleum. Its fluted azure dome and minarets are stunning and…
St Petersburg
Alexander Pushkin, Russia’s national poet, had his last home here on one of the prettiest curves of the Moyka River. He only lived here four months, and…
Museum of the History of Religion
St Petersburg
Back in the day, this was called the Museum of Atheism; it had a very strong anti-religious bent and was housed in the Kazan Cathedral. Now the name has…
St Petersburg
Housed in the fort’s original arsenal, across the moat from the Peter & Paul Fortress, this fire-powered museum chronicles Russia’s military history, with…
St Petersburg
For an idealised view of what parts of St Petersburg looked like back in the early 18th century, this interactive model village is a small revelation. The…
State Museum of Urban Sculpture
St Petersburg
Despite the name, this two-storey gallery typically has more than just sculpture on display at its changing exhibitions. You may find paintings, video art…
Northern European Russia
Souvenir stalls line the short road that leads, via short-cut steps, up to Valaam’s main attraction. The monastery is radiant in gleaming white and sky…
St Petersburg
West of Sennaya pl along Sadovaya ul you’ll find the charming Yusupov Gardens, a pleasant park with a big lake in the middle. The flower-filled grounds…
St Petersburg
Laid out from 1872 to 1874, these pleasant gardens, named after Alexander II, wrap around the Admiralty and are mentioned in Pushkin's famous verse novel…
Moscow
The soaring 100m titanium obelisk outside VDNKh is a monument ‘To the Conquerors of Space’, built in 1964 to commemorate the launch of Sputnik. In its…
Western European Russia
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, illustrious artists and musicians, including Stravinsky, Chaliapin, Vrubel and Serov, visited Flyonovo, the…
St Petersburg
In the midst of the university grounds is a whimsical collection of sculptures from different artists including monuments to figures as disparate as Ho…
Moscow
The Upper St Peter Monastery was founded in the 1380s as part of an early defensive ring around Moscow. The main, onion-domed Virgin of Bogolyubovo Church…
St Petersburg
One of the biggest and best of its kind in the world, the Museum of Zoology was founded in 1832 and has some amazing exhibits, including a vast blue whale…
Moscow
The original building of Moscow’s main mosque dates back to 1904, but it was demolished in 2011 and rebuilt from scratch. Unlike many religious…
Moscow
The first public park in Moscow, Alexander Garden sits along the Kremlin’s western wall. Colourful flower beds and impressive Kremlin views make it a…
St Petersburg
Named after the Roman god of war and once the scene of 19th-century military parades, the grassy Mars Field is a popular spot for strollers, even though…
St Petersburg
Administered by the Russian Museum, these 8.7-hectare gardens are lovely and offer an impressive perspective of Mikhailovsky Castle. They are famous for…
Moscow
A statue of the founder of Moscow, Yury Dolgoruky, presides over this prominent square near the bottom of Tverskaya ul. So does Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, as…
Manege Central Exhibition Hall
St Petersburg
Formerly the Horse Guards’ Riding School, this large white neoclassical building was constructed between 1804 and 1807 from a design by Giacomo Quarenghi…
St Petersburg
The two Rostral Columns, archetypal St Petersburg landmarks, are studded with ships’ prows and four seated sculptures representing four of Russia’s great…
St Petersburg
The last great church to have been built in St Petersburg before the revolution, this neo-Byzantine beauty dates from 1907 and creates one of the most…
St Petersburg
The Yelagin Palace was built for his mother by Tsar Alexander I, who had architect Carlo Rossi landscape the entire island while he was at it. The palace,…
St Petersburg
Also known as the House of Matyushin, this small museum occupies a charming grey-painted wooden cottage dating from the mid-19th century that was once the…
St Petersburg
The Style Moderne gem Leuchtenberg House is so called because it once belonged to the Duke of Leuchtenberg, great-grandson of Tsar Nicholas I. Cross the…
St Petersburg
This fascinating museum charts the history of the St Petersburg region from medieval times to 1918. What starts as a fairly standard-issue plod through…
St Petersburg
In the centre of Palace Sq, this 47.5m column, topped by a statue of an angel holding a cross, was designed in 1834 by Montferrand. Named after Alexander…
St Petersburg
The two great wings of the General Staff Building are joined by a triumphal arch over Bolshaya Morskaya ul, topped by the Chariot of Glory by sculptors…
Moscow
From the Kutafya Tower, walk up the ramp and pass through the Kremlin walls beneath the 1495 Trinity Gate Tower. At 80m it's the tallest of the fortress…
St Petersburg
This enormous statue of Catherine the Great (1873) stands amid the chess, backgammon and mah-jong players who crowd the benches in Ostrovsky Sq. At the…
St Petersburg
Inside the Peter & Paul Fortress, a separate ticket gives you access to both a walkway that goes along the walls and leads to the Naryshkin Bastion. The…
St Petersburg
Named after its engineer Mikhail Anichkov and featuring rearing horses and attendants at all four corners, the striking ornamentation of this bridge over…
Western European Russia
Making a circuit of the restored city walls, long sections of which boast fine towers reminiscent of the Moscow Kremlin, is a pleasant way to pass a warm…
Rosenshtein Apartment Building
St Petersburg
Petrogradsky Island is packed with architectural treasures, including this building, which plays with medieval themes in its stuccoed walls, lancet…
Western European Russia
Founded in 1473, this monastery sits in a ravine full of hermits’ grottoes. With all the high ground outside, it’s an improbable stronghold, but several…
Moscow
This grandiose complex was founded in 1656 near the picturesque Istra River (renamed the ‘Jordan’ by Patriarch Nikon). Unlike other Moscow monasteries,…
