Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
St Isaac's Cathedral
Looming above Decembrists' Square,
St Isaac
'
s Cathedral
(Thurs-Tues 11am-7pm;
colonnade until 5pm or 11pm in summer; R250, student R150, colonnade R150;
cathed-
third largest in Europe. The opulent interior is equally impressive, decorated with fourteen
kinds of marble. Climb the 262 steps to the outside colonnade to appreciate the cathedral's
height (101.5m)andforanexpansive view ofthe city.DuringWhite Nights fromJune1to
August 20 the colonnade is open until 4.30am.
The Peter and Paul Fortress
AcrosstheNevafromtheWinterPalacestandsthe
PeterandPaulFortress
,builttosecure
Russia's hold on the Neva delta. The Fortress (daily 8.30am-8pm; free;
spbmuseum.ru
;
Gorkovskaya) shelters a cathedral as well as rotating exhibitions in the Engineers' and
Commandant'sHouse.Completedin1733,theDutch-stylePeterandPaulCathedral(Mon,
Thurs & Fri 10am-6pm, Tues 10am-5pm, Sat 10am-5.45pm, Sun 11am-6pm; R220, stu-
dent R100) remained the tallest structure in the city until the 1960s. Sited around the nave
are the tombs of
Romanov monarchs
from Peter the Great onwards, excluding Peter II,
Ivan VI and Nicholas II. The Nevskaya panorama walk (daily 10am-9pm; separate ticket
required R150, student R120), along the rooftops of the fortifications, gives an excellent
view of the Winter Palace.
Cruiser Aurora
AnchoredashortwalkalongtheNevafromthePeterandPaulFortressisthe
CruiserAur-
ora
(Tues-Thurs, Sat & Sun 10.30am-4pm; entry by advance ticket booking only 812
230 8440; R300, student R100;
aurora.org.ru
; Gorkovskaya), the famous battle ship that
fired the opening shot of the revolution of 1917.
Kunstkamera
Don't miss the
Kunstkamera
at Universitetskaya nab. 3, Vasilevsky Island (Tues-Sun
11am-6pm, closed last Tues of the month; R200;
kunstkamera.ru
;
Vasileostrovskaya),
Russia's oldest public museum, founded by Peter the Great in 1714 in order to promote
scientific research and educate the general public in the sphere of medical research. All
mannerofmorbiditemsareondisplay,frommalformedfetusestoinfants'hearts,carefully
preserved in vinegar or vodka.
Museum of Russian Political History
The
Museum of Russian Political History
at ul. Kuibysheva 2/4 (Fri-Wed 10am-6pm,
Wed until 8pm, closed last Mon of the month; R150;
polithistory.ru
;
Gorkovskaya) gives
aninsightintoSoviet-erapoliticalandsociallife,displayingchildren'stextbooksreworked
to demonize the
kulaks
(moneyed peasants), appalling photographic evidence of Stalin's
purges, and film footage recalling how Western culture enthralled Soviet youngsters in the
1960s and 1970s. Helpful attendants can provide English-language booklets.
