Open: daily except Mondays and last Wednesday of every month, from 11.00 am to 5.00 pm.
The Neva and the Bridges (by boat; duration – 1,5 hours)
Nevsky is crossed by three canals which are an integral part of St. Petersburg's beauty. There are a great number of rivers and canals in the city – it is a city "on water". That is why it is often referred to as "the Northern Venice" or "the Northern Amsterdam". There is no pleasure like taking a wonderful boat trip along the rivers and canals of the "bridge city".
Oh, the bridges! They will take your breath away. There are about 342 bridges in the city, and among the most beautiful ones are the Palace Bridge, the Trinity Bridge, the Foundry Bridge and the Bridge of Peter the Great across the Neva river, and the Anichkov Bridge across one of the canals – the Fontanka river. It is situated right in the Nevsky Prospect and is considered to be the most romantic place in St. Petersburg! The Anichkov Bridge is so famous and loved by all for its four beautiful sculptures of men and horses! They are so expressive and dynamic that you would think they are alive! And each of the sculptures is different!
Shipping season is from April 19 to September 30; bridges open from May to late October according to a special schedule.
Museums (in the city)
The Hermitage Museum (on foot, duration – 3 hours).
The Hermitage Museum is Russia’s best gallery of world art, one of the most prominent art museums in the world and definitely the main tourist attraction of St. Petersburg.
The museum was founded in 1764 when Catherine the Great purchased a collection of 255 paintings from the German city of Berlin. Today, the Hermitage boasts over 2.7 million exhibits and displays a diverse range of art and artifacts from all over the world and from throughout history (from Ancient Egypt to the early 20th century Europe).
The Hermitage’s collections include works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian, a unique collection of Rembrandt and Rubens, many French Impressionist works by Renoir, Cezanne, Manet, Monet and Pissarro, numerous canvasses by Van Gogh, Matisse, Gauguin and several sculptures by Rodin. The collection is both enormous and diverse and is an essential stop for all those interested in art and history.
The experts say that if you were to spend a minute looking at each exhibit on display in the Hermitage, you would need 11 years before you’d seen them all.
Open: Tuesday-Sunday from 10.30 am to 5.00 pm.
Russian Museum
The State Russian Museum is the world’s largest museum of Russian art. It is located in the very center of St Petersburg, just of the city’s central magisterial, Nevsky Prospect. The museum is housed in the former Mikhailovsky Palace, a stunning monument of Empire architecture.
The collection of the Russian Museum numbers some 400,000 works and covers the entire history of Russian fine art from the 10th century to the present day. It reflects virtually every form and genre of art in Russia, including a unique collection of Old Russian icons, works of painting, graphic art and sculpture, decorative and applied art, folk art and numismatics, as well as the world's finest collection of Russian avaunt-garde.
If you walk from the main building up to Nevsky Prospect and then turn to the right, you can see the plastic front of the oldest Stroganov Palace, named after its owners, the Stroganov family.
Then you can have a wonderful trip upon embankment of the Moika river. When you come to Mars Square, you can see to the left the Marble Palace, built in the late Neoclassicism style. And to the right you can see the romantic silhouette of St. Michael's (Engineers) Castle.
Open: Wednesday – Monday from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm.
Kazan Cathedral
The cathedral is named after the miracle-working icon of Our Lady of Kazan – the protectress of the Imperial House of Romanov – which was kept here. The cathedral was put up in 1811 by architect Andrey Voronikhin on Nevsky Prospect – the main street of the city.
It was conceived as a replica of St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome. It has the colonnade that is similar to that of Bernini. But there are certain differences between the two constructions and Kazan Cathedral has its own inimitable charm and brilliance. In 1811-1858, Kazan Cathedral was the main cathedral of the city. In front of it there are two monuments to the field marshals who defeated Napoleon in fearless battles – Kutuzov and Barklay de Tolly. Mikhail Kutuzov is buried inside the cathedral.
After 1932, when the cathedral was closed, the building housed the Museum of the history of Religion and Atheism. In 1991, services have been resumed. Now it is an acting Orthodox church.
Open: daily.
Kunstkammer
It is the oldest state museum in Russia. It was founded in 1704 as the library and collections of "monsters and rarities" gathered by Peter I.
In 1992, the Kunstkammer became an independent museum and research institute within the Department of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The museum has kept its original title – "Kunstkammer" (translating from German – "chambers of curiosities") – and has the name of Peter the Great given to it in 1903. Today its complete name is: Peter the Great's Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkammer) of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Open: Tuesday-Sunday from 11.00 am to 4.30 pm. (except last Tuesday of each month).
Cruiser Aurora
The cruiser Aurora was built in 1897-1900 by the "New Admiralty" in St. Petersburg and joined Russia's Baltic fleet in 1903. The ship is 126.8 meters (418 feet 5 inches) long, 16.8 meters (55 feet 5 inches) wide and weighs 7600 tons. With the speed of 20 knots (23.3 miles per hour) it can travel independently for up to 1440 nautical miles.
As the training ship of the Baltic fleet, on the night of October 25-26, 1917, the Aurora fired a blank shot at the Winter Palace (then the residence of the Provisional Government), giving the signal to the rebellious workers, soldiers and sailors to storm the palace. That moment changed Russia's history for over 70 years.
In 1952 the cruiser was turned into the Ship Museum, which became the branch of the Central Naval Museum. In 1992 Saint Andrew Naval Flag raised over the Cruiser Aurora.
The Aurora exposition features over 500 original documents, photographs, and ship objects concerning the cruiser's history and its participation in Russian history. For those who wish there are thematic excursions of the underwater cruiser part and machine-boiler sector.
Open: Tuesday-Thursday, Saturday-Sunday from 10.30 am to 4.00 pm.
Museums (in the countryside)
Peterhof, modern name is Petrodvorets (by bus, with a guide/interpreter; duration – 6 hours).
The Grand Palace of Peterhof stands on the hill. Two parks which surround it received the names Upper & Lower ones. The most famous part of this ensemble is Lower Park. With its 173 fountains it makes a strong competition to French Versailles.
On the territory of Lower Park you can find three monumental fountains, one of them comprising the famous Samson – "Samson, tearing apart the jaws of the lion". The whole composition of the fountain complex is devoted to the victory over Sweden. Samson symbolizes Russia defeating Sweden – the lion. The Great Cascade is decorated with gilded statues of ancient Greek and Roman gods and heroes, which all are allegories of different events of the Northern War.
