GUM is the largest and most iconic department store in Russia, situated on Red Square. A symbol of Russian capitalism throughout the ages, it is not just a shop but a landmark that has been intertwined with the upheavals of Russian history.
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Over the centuries, the Griboedov Canal has evolved from a swampy stream into one of St Petersburg’s most romantic walking routes, lined with cultural and historical landmarks and bounded by quiet streets where you can escape the hustle and bustle of the city.
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Weaving through the historical heart of St Petersburg, the River Moika was the home of St Petersburg’s elite for many centuries. It is lined by architectural marvels and interesting landmarks, making its granite embankments the perfect place for a summer stroll.
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On a stroll along Nevsky Prospekt, it is impossible to miss Gostiny Dvor – a vast Classical building which occupies an entire block. Gostiny Dvor was the oldest and largest retail complex in St Petersburg, was one of the world’s first shopping arcades, and remains the largest department store in the city today.
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Moskovsky Victory Park is intrinsically linked to the darkest moment in St Petersburg’s history, the Siege of Leningrad. Yet despite its tragic past, the park blooms with new life and is a hugely popular place for entertainment and relaxation among St Petersburg’s residents, as well as an important site commemorating the victims and survivors of the Siege.
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Stalin’s repression against his own people happened on an unimaginably vast scale, and the GULAG system lay at its heart. Over four decades, twenty million convicts passed through this notorious system of forced labor camps. This tragic period in Soviet history and the stories of the inmates are told in Moscow’s State Museum of GULAG History, founded in 2001 by a survivor of the camps.
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The Botanical Gardens of Peter the Great in St Petersburg are both a scientific institution and a place of beauty. Once the center of botanical research in the Russian Empire, today the gardens boast the largest greenhouse complex in the country, an arboretum with over 900 species of plants and trees, and a 19th-century Botanical Museum.
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The Mikhailovsky Theater, situated in the very heart of St Petersburg’s historical center, is one of the most renowned theaters in Russia. You can enjoy classic opera and ballet performances as well as some unique contemporary works while relaxing in its opulent imperial interiors, which rival those of the Mariinsky and Bolshoi theaters.
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Winzavod is yet another shining example of Russian industrial heritage melding with present day art and culture. One of the largest contemporary art centers in the country and an epicentre of creative life in Moscow.
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On an island looking out onto the expanse of the Gulf of Finland lies Primorsky Victory Park, founded in honour of the Soviet triumph in the Second World War. Whether you want to explore its rich woodland by foot, bicycle or skis, relax or play volleyball on the sandy beach, or admire the scenery from a row boat, a visit to Primorsky Park provides the perfect peaceful interlude to your city break.
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The area south of St Petersburg where Gatchina Palace and Park is located is much older than the city itself. At the turn of the 15th century, it was a small village named Hotchino, inhabited by people from Novgorod, which was later occupied by Livonia and Sweden during a series of 17th century wars. Gatchina eventually became a Russian settlement again during the Great Northern War against Sweden (during which Peter the Great also acquired the territory on which he would found St Petersburg).
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Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, known in English as Leo Tolstoy, is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His novels dealing with the ambiguities and nuances of life have become household names of Russian literature.
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Mikhail Bulgakov was one of Soviet Russia’s most high-profile playwrights, novelists, and short-story writers, known for his piercing satire of life in the USSR. The Mikhail Bulgakov State Museum is located
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The State Polytechnic Museum in Moscow is one of the oldest and best science and technology museums in the world. It reflects milestones of science and engineering advances in Russia and represent man’s thirst for knowledge and progress.
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The State Museum of A.S. Pushkin is a scientific, cultural and educational centre and one of the largest literary museums in Russia, dedicated to Russia’s favourite poet, Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin.
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In five, neon-blue words and two ingenious brackets, the Coney-Island-esque sign shining over Labor Square says it all. Firstly, New Holland re-ally is an island. In a city compromising of 42 islands that may not seem significant, but it is unique in being the only man-made one. And, like most of St Petersburg’s impressive sights, its existence is thanks to the revolutionary vision of one man— Peter the Great.
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