St Petersburg
The biggest of the three northern islands, Krestovsky consists mostly of the vast Maritime Victory Park, dotted with sports fields; at the far western end…
Must-see attractions in St Petersburg
St Petersburg
This now legendary locale is a former apartment block – affectionately called by its street address despite the fact that the public entrance is actually…
Museum of the History of Political Police
St Petersburg
In the very same building that housed the tsarist and the Bolshevik secret police offices, this small museum recounts the history of this controversial…
St Petersburg
The former headquarters of the Singer sewing machine company, which opened a factory in the Russian capital in 1904, is one of St Petersburg’s most…
St Petersburg
This leafy park, laid out in 1845, wraps in an arc around the Kronwerk moat and Artillery Museum. It's too close to traffic to ensure a peaceful escape…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
St Petersburg
Immortalised by Dostoevsky, who lived all over the neighbourhood and set Crime and Punishment here, St Petersburg’s Haymarket was once the city’s filthy…
St Petersburg
The new epicentre of creativity on the Fontanka River is this mazelike complex of shops, bars, cafes, beauty salons, tattoo parlours, galleries and even a…
St Petersburg
This museum near Sennaya pl is a must for train-set fans and modellers. It houses a collection of scale locomotives and model railway bridges, often made…
St Petersburg
This excellent private museum tells the story of Russia’s national tipple in an interesting and fun way, from the first production of ‘bread wine’ to the…
St Petersburg
Named after Sergey Kuryokhin (1954–96), a legend of the Russian contemporary arts and music scene, this is the temporary home of the arts centre until its…
St Petersburg
This new high-tech entertainment complex houses two theatres, a gallery, a top-floor restaurant and two bars on the ground floor. It's set in a former…
City Electrical Transport Museum
St Petersburg
A must-see if you love retro trams and trolleybuses. A handsome brick shed houses around 20 of these vehicles, both originals and replicas, that used to…
