Winter Palace
Winter Palace It’s hard not to be overawed by the sheer size of St Petersburg’s resplendent Winter Palace, with its colonnaded façade stretching over 200 meters along the Neva River waterfront. A mind-boggling masterpiece of baroque design, the palace was the brainchild of architect Bartolomeo Ras
Tverskaya Street
Tverskaya Street Tverskaya Street is Moscow’s version of Main Street, running uphill from near the north end of Red Square out toward St Petersburg. The street existed as early as the 12th century and connected Moscow with the cities of Tver and Novgorod. It was the center of Moscow’s social life
Tretyakov Gallery
Tretyakov Gallery The Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow is known as the finest collection of Russian art in the world and is a must-see for any visitor to the city. Its history dates back to 1856, when a Moscow merchant, Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov, began collecting pieces from Russian artists with the
Suzdal
Suzdal Suzdal is one of the highlights of the so-called Golden Ring around Moscow and makes for a long but viable day trip. The Suzdal Kremlin was founded in the 11th century and today includes the Nativity of the Virgin Cathedral, a 13th-century cathedral notable for its blue and gold domes. &nbs
State Russian Museum
State Russian Museum Art enthusiasts visiting St. Petersburg will already have the State Russian Museum at the top of their itinerary and the prestigious gallery doesn’t disappoint, with an incredible 400,000 exhibits dating back as early as the 10th century. This is the world’s largest and finest
Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Academic Music Theatre
Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Academic Music Theatre Created in 1941, the Stanislavski and Nemirovich-Danchenko Academic Music Theatre may not be as well-known as the famous Bolshoi Theatre, but it has been staging world class opera and ballet performances for nearly a century. The theatre
Senate Square (Ploschad Dekabristov)
Senate Square (Ploschad Dekabristov) Originally named the Decembrists’ Square, after the December 1825 uprising, Senate Square (Ploschad Dekabristov) is one of St. Petersburg’s most famous public squares, encircled by some of the city’s top attractions. Linked to the central hub of Palace Square
Russian State Library
Russian State Library Founded in 1862, the Russian State Library features more than 43 million items in more than 240 languages, including 17.5 million books. The collection includes maps, sheet music, newspapers and audio recordings, as well as at least one copy of every book published in the cou
Revolution Square (Ploshchad Revolyutsii)
Revolution Square (Ploshchad Revolyutsii) The vast, open spaces of Revolution Square lie just north of Moscow’s fabled Red Square in the Tverskoy District and the two are connected by the twin spires of the Resurrection Gate, which was first built in 1535 and restored in 1945 after the end of Worl
Red October Complex (Krasniy Oktyabr)
Red October Complex (Krasniy Oktyabr) Once a chocolate factory producing some of Russia’s most popular chocolate, the Red October Complex was the first industrial site in Moscow to be converted into artistic space. Located on Bolotny Island in the Moscow River, the complex itself dates back to the
Pushkin House Museum
Pushkin House Museum The Pushkin House Museum in Moscow was once the home of the poet Alexander Pushkin and his wife Natalya Goncharova. Pushkin was one of the greatest Russian poets of the 1800s and is considered to be the founder of modern Russian literature. His most famous play, Boris Go
Novodevichy Convent and Cemetery
Novodevichy Convent and Cemetery Novodevichy Convent & Cemetery comprise one of Moscow’s most beautiful attractions. Also known as the New Maiden’s Convent, the convent may be best known as the place where Peter the Great imprisoned his half-sister Sofia after deposing her and taking over as t
Neva River
Neva River Long upheld as the lifeline of the city, the Neva River runs straight through the heart of St Petersburg, with its many tributaries and canal ways crisscrossing the city center. For visitors to St. Petersburg, following the path of the Neva River makes a popular route for walking tours
Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center
Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center Located about an hour north of Moscow in Star City, the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center offers a glimpse into the Soviet space program that was once off-limits to outsiders. Named after Yuri Gagarin, the first man to fly in space, the training facility sit
Diamond Fund (Almazny Fond)
Diamond Fund (Almazny Fond) A highlight of a visit to the Kremlin, the Diamond Fund shows off the most ostentatious of the Russian imperial jewels. Originally housed in a small room in the Winter Palace in St Petersburg, the collection of jewels begun by Peter the Great grew quickly, especially af
Constantine Palace
Constantine Palace Located in the seaside town of Strelna, the Constantine Palace today forms part of the National Congress Palace complex of St. Petersburg. Strelna was originally chosen by Peter the Great to be the site of his summer residence in 1714, but the palace stood unfinished until the e
Christ the Savior Cathedral
Christ the Savior Cathedral The Christ the Savior Cathedral was originally commissioned by Tsar Alexander I after Russia’s defeat of Napoleon, but work did not begin on it until 1839. Designed by a famed St Petersburg architect, it was modeled on the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.The cathedral was even
Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan (Kazansky Sobor)
Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan (Kazansky Sobor) Completed in 1811 and standing at an impressive 203 feet tall (62 meters), St Petersburgs Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan exhibits Russian classical architecture, having replaced a wooden church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. The cathedral took 1
Alexander Nevsky Lavra Monastery
Alexander Nevsky Lavra Monastery Founded by Peter the Great in 1710 to commemorate the Russian military leader who stopped the advance of the Germans and Swedes in the 13th century, the Alexander Nevsky Monastery (Александро-Невская лавра) is not just a tribute and final resting place to one of Ru
Valaam Monastery
Valaam Monastery With its striking powder-blue domes and looming cathedral spires, set against a backdrop of dense woodlands and glassy blue waters, the Valaam Monastery makes a suitably arresting centerpiece to Valaam Island. Marooned on Lake Ladoga’s largest island, reaching the historic monaste
