Petersburg classics

What can you expect?

The route begins at Palace Square - in the very "heart" of the Northern capital, where you will see the ceremonial St. Petersburg with its main attractions. You will see the Winter Palace, the Arch of the General Staff Building and the Alexander Column, the Admiralty and the dome of St. Isaac's Cathedral.

Your path lies along Millionnaya Street - one of the most fashionable in St. Petersburg, where famous noble families settled. Among them was Count Pyotr Sheremetev, whose mansion stood out for its luxury, for which he was nicknamed "the millionth house" (hence the name of the street).

On the left you will see the neoclassical building of the New Hermitage with the famous Atlanteans, on the right - the Naval Archives, built in the style of a Byzantine palazzo. Linger on the bridge over the Winter Canal: it offers a world-famous view of the Hermitage Bridge and the arch connecting the Hermitage with the Hermitage Theater.

Did you know that the 1st Winter Bridge was previously thrown over another canal, which no longer exists? But we'll come back to this ...

A walk along Millionnaya Street will introduce you to such famous buildings as the house of Prince Abamelek-Lazarev and the house of Ratkov-Rozhnov, the Marble Palace (a branch of the Russian Museum) and the Main Court Pharmacy, and, finally, the building of the former barracks of the Grenadier Regiment, along which you turn to Marsovo field.

... So: at the place of passage along the western border of the Field of Mars in the 18th century, the Red Canal flowed, connecting the Neva with the Moika. In 1768, a stone bridge was thrown across it, and when the canal was filled up in the 1770s, this bridge was moved to the Winter Canal.

On the Champ de Mars, lovers of contemporary art will be interested in the mArs art gallery, where exhibitions of St. Petersburg artists are held, and for those who are fond of the culture of the Silver Age, we advise you to pay attention to the Adamini house - a place of attraction for many famous artists, theatrical figures and writers of that era.

Here you can have a break: have a cup of coffee and ask the price for stylish things in the creative boutique Maker Design loft and dine at the Meyerhold restaurant, located on the site of the famous art cabaret "Halt of Comedians".

Take a walk along the Moika Embankment, past the Rossi Pavilion on the other side of the Mikhailovsky Garden. Cross the river across the 1st Sadovy Bridge, exit to the Mikhailovsky (Engineering) Castle and turn onto Zamkovaya Street, which runs along the Voskresensky Canal.

The canal was dug in 1800 during the construction of the castle, at the end of the 19th century it was filled up, and in 2003 it was partially restored. At the same time, they dug out of the ground and restored the Three-part bridge leading to the entrance to the castle.

The monument to Peter I, standing in front of the castle, was cast during Peter's lifetime, but it was erected only under Paul I. Hence the inscription - "Great-grandfather, great-grandson." They say that if you make a wish and touch the bas-relief depicting the Battle of Gangut, then it will come true (a place polished with thousands of touches, you will immediately recognize).

A small building with a turret stands out on the left. This is a training power plant of the Nikolaev Engineering Academy, which was located in the 19th century in the Engineering (Mikhailovsky) Castle.

The Mikhailovsky Castle also includes two identical buildings on both sides of Klenovaya Street - these are pavilions built specifically for the ladies of state and maids of honor of the Pavlovsky Dvor, and now there are exhibition grounds for the Russian Museum.

Turn onto Inzhenernaya Street, then onto Sadovaya, towards Nevsky Prospect. At the corner of Italianskaya Street, notice the long orange house with four colonnades: it has a very interesting story (read it in our mobile guide).

Opposite, at 11 Sadovaya Street, take a look at the Mikhail Shemyakin Center Museum, which often hosts interesting exhibitions of contemporary art.

Your journey will end next door in the O'Hooligans Irish pub. This is a fun and free place where you can sit with friends over a glass of beer and, if you wish, have a hearty snack.