Vaslav Nijinsky, Rudolf Nureyev, Feodor Chaliapin, Marius Petipa and all the great ballet and opera stars performed in this theatre (1859) with its breathtakingly beautiful décor(mouldings, voluptuous velvet, and a stage curtain painted by Alexander ..

University Quay, connecting Stock Exchange Square and Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge, is a great place for a stroll, affording superb views of the Admiralty, the English Quay and St. Isaac’s Cathedral. It is lined with splendid 18C buildings boasting yell..

The Kunstkamera is housed in a fine blue and white building, built between 1718 and 1734 by Georg Mattarnovi, overlooking University Quay. In addition to the Academy of Sciences, the library and the observatory, it contained the famous “cabinet of cu..

The collection of “monsters and rarities” (deformed foetuses, Siamese twins, giants’ skeletons) that Peter the great brought back from Holland in 1717 are as disturbing as ever to visitors, even if they no longer give you a glass of vodka to get over..

This ostentatiously lavish home is on a par with its illustrious owner, Menshikov, a friend of the tsar, top army general and first governor of St. Petersburg, who received foreign ambassadors here. Among the thirty restored rooms, don’t miss the cer..

Located just next to Peter and Paul Fortress, the Petrogradskaya Quarter boasts a multitude of cafés, restaurants and shops. Kamennoostrovsky Avenue, which runs through the site, is a constant delight with its elegant squares, pretty gardens and impo..

This monastery, given the highest title in Orthodox monasticism of lavra , was a tribute by Peter the Great to Prince Alexander Nevsky, who defeated the Swedes on this spot in 1240. The magnificent ensemble, begun in 1710 but completed well after th..

The St. Lazarus and Tikhvin Cemeteries, a pantheon of Russian celebrities, are the repository for the great aristocratic families - and some famous men such as Mikhail Lomonosov and Carlo Rossi - and “master artists” (Dostoevsky, Tchaikovsky and Peti..

The construction of Holy Trinity Cathedral, entrusted by Catherine II to architect Ivan Starov in 1776, completes the Alexander Nevsky Lavra . The vast building boasts fine decorations including paintings from the St. Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts..

Empress Elizabeth Petrovna was never able to admire the monastery she commissioned Bartolomeo Rastrelli to build because she died before it was finished. And the architect couldn’t finish it because he was dismissed by Catherine II, who disliked him!..

The Cathedral of the Resurrection, in the heart of Smolny Monastery, proudly displays its Italian inspired Baroque exuberance tinged with Russian influences (gilded onion domes and a colourful façade). Bartolomeo Rastrelli was commissioned by Empress..

St. Isaac’s Square, decorated with an equestrian statue of Nicholas I in the centre, was designed by Piotr Klodt and completely remodelled by Auguste de Montferrand, the architect of the cathedral bearing the same name. Note the Miatlev House , at n..

Designed after plans by architect Auguste de Montferrand, St Isaac’s Cathedral and its spectacular dimensions were built between 1818 and 1858 by some 400 000 workers! Everything here is outsized. It is supported by 24 000 piles and contains 350 stat..

In 1763 the Senate was transferred to the “ Twelve Colleges ” on the other side of the river, in one of the buildings lining the square that took its name. With its wide opening onto the Neva it offers a superb view of Vasilievsky Island. It became f..

Vasilievsky Island is mainly known for the “Strelka”, its eastern tip affording a magnificent view of the palaces on the left bank and Peter and Paul Fortress. It attracts strollers and visitors from all over the world who come to admire the superb p..

In addition to the New Hermitage , recognisable by the 10 atlantes on its façade (1839-1852), Millionaire Street is lined with prestigious palaces built by the Petersburg aristocracy and the imperial family. Of particular note is the house of Count ..

Palace Quay owes its name to the tsars’ residence, the Winter Palace , whose north façade stretches along the Neva for nearly 250m. The succession of aristocratic palaces makes it undeniably the most beautiful quay in St Petersburg. Note Kantemir Pa..

Designed by Carlo Rossi and dominated by the statue of the poet Pushkin, Arts Square is as its name indicates a hymn to literature, painting and sculpture. It contains St. Petersburg’s most prestigious museums and theatres, including the Russian Muse..

As its name indicates, this street was laid out by architect Carlo Rossi, who was particularly prolific in 19C St Petersburg. This master of neo-Classicism left his stamp on the two colonnaded buildings standing across from each other in perfect symm..

Ostrovsky is one of 13 squares designed by the Neapolitan Carlo Rossi, the major architect in St Petersburg from 1818 to 1832. Lined by the Alexandra Theatre , it boasts a statue of Catherine II in its centre, endowed with the symbols of power (scep..