-
Patriarch’s Palace
Built for Patriarch Nikon mostly in the mid-17th century, the highlight of the Patriarch’s Palace is perhaps the ceremonial Cross Hall (Крестовая палата), where the tsar’s and ambassadorial feasts were held. From here you can access the five-domed Church of the Twelve Apostles (Цер
-
Zaikonospassky Monastery
This monastery was founded by Boris Godunov in 1600, although the church was built in 1660. The name means ‘Behind the Icon Stall’, a reference to the busy icon trade that once took place here. After being closed for more than 90 years, the monastery has recently reopened. The now-
-
Museum of Private Collections
Next door to the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum, this smaller museum shows off art collections donated by private individuals, many of whom amassed the works during the Soviet era. Exhibits are organised around the collections, each as a whole, with the details of collectors displayed al
-
Mamaev Kurgan
Known as Hill 102 during the Battle of Stalingrad, Mamaev Kurgan was the site of four months of fierce fighting and is now a memorial to all who died in this bloody-but-victorious fight. The complex’s centrepiece is an extraordinarily evocative 72m-high statue of Mother Russia wiel
-
Grand Cascade
Peterhofs uncontested centrepiece is the Grand Cascade, a symphony of over 140 fountains and canals partly engineered by Peter himself. To see the fountains you have to pay to enter the Lower Park and they only work from mid-May to early October (11am to 5pm Monday to Friday and 11
-
Anna Akhmatova Monument
This moving statue of St Petersburg’s most famous 20th-century poet was unveiled in 2006, across the river from the notorious Kresty holding prison, to mark the 40th anniversary of Akhmatova’s death. The location is no coincidence – Kresty Prison was where Akhmatova herself queued
-
Moscow Planetarium
The new planetarium shines bigger and brighter than before, expanding in area by more than three times and incorporating all kinds of high-tech gadgetry, interactive exhibits and educational programs. The centrepiece is the Large Star Hall (the biggest in Europe!), with its 25m sil
-
Icebreaker Krasin
The Krasin, built in 1917, has a history almost as volatile as the 20th century itself. The Arctic icebreaker was decommissioned in 1971, and can now be visited on a guided tour that leaves every hour on the hour from 11am to 5pm. Call ahead to book a tour in English or French. Spe
-
Pavlovsk Great Palace
The finest rooms in Pavlovsk’s Great Palace are on the middle floor of the central block. Cameron designed the round Italian Hall beneath the dome and the Grecian Hall to its west, though the lovely green fluted columns were added by his assistant Vincenzo Brenna. Flanking these ar
-
Rimsky
This early-19th-century wooden house was the composer’s childhood home until the age of 12. It became a museum in 1944, the centenary of Rimsky-Korsakov’s birth, and the rooms have been reconstructed to look as they would have done when his family was living there. The charming gui
-
Rinpoche Bagsha Datsan
Roosting high above the city’s far north, the inside of this new and unexpectedly modern Tibetan temple looks like a kind of Buddhist-themed bus terminal, though the 6m-high gilt Buddha is pretty impressive and if you catch the monks doing their thing with drums, cymbals and chanti
-
Anichkov Palace
Built between 1741 and 1750, with input from a slew of architects, including Rastrelli and Rossi, the Anichkov Palace is now officially known as the St Petersburg City Palace of Youth Creativity. Its the location for around 1300 hobby classes and after-school clubs for over 16,000
-
Tretyakovsky Proezd
The gated walkway of Tretyakovsky proezd (originally built in the 1870s) leads from Teatralny proezd into Kitay Gorod. Nearby, you can see where archaeologists uncovered the 16th-century fortified wall that used to surround Kitay Gorod, as well as the foundations of the 1493 Trinit
-
Nikolsky Cathedral
Surrounded on two sides by canals, this ice-blue cathedral is one of the most picture-perfect in the city, beloved by locals for its baroque spires and golden domes. It was one of the few churches that continued to work during the Soviet era, when organised religion was effectively
-
Museum of Oriental Art
This impressive museum on the Boulevard Ring holds three floors of exhibits spanning the Asian continent. Of particular interest is the 1st floor, dedicated mostly to the Caucasus, Central Asia and North Asia (meaning the Russian republics of Cukotka, Yakutiya and Priamurie). But t
-
Piskaryovskoe Cemetery
The main burial place for the victims of the Nazi blockade in WWII is a stark and poignant memorial to the tragedy. Some half a million people were laid to rest here between 1941 and 1943, during the siege.From metro station Ploshchad Muzhestva, take marshrutka 123 in the direction
-
Park Alexandria
Even on summer weekends, the rambling and overgrown Park Alexandria is peaceful and practically empty. Built for Tsar Nicholas I (and named for his tsarina), these grounds offer a sweet retreat from the crowds. Originally named for Alexander Nevsky, the Gothic chapel was completed
-
Museum of the Imperial Porcelain Factory
Run as an outpost of the Hermitage Museum, this superb museum has a stellar display of the various designs the factory has produced over the centuries and will appeal to anyone interested in this very Russian handicraft. Among the collection youll find everything from bespoke dinne
-
Marble Palace
This branch of the Russian Museum features temporary exhibitions of contemporary art and a permanent display of paintings from the Ludwig Museum in Cologne that includes works by Picasso, Warhol, Basquiat and Liechtenstein. The palace, designed by Antonio Rinaldi, gets its name fro
-
Museum of Railway Technology
Trainspotters should hasten to view the impressive collection of decommissioned locomotives and carriages at the Museum of Railway Technology. Some 75 nicely painted and buffed engines and carriages dating back to the late 19th century are on display, as well as a mobile interconti
Total
1113 -travel
FirstPage PreviousPage NextPage LastPage CurrentPage:
44/56 20-travel/Page GoTo Page:
