Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
garden of medicinal plants that gave the island its name. The gardens date to 1714,
when they were founded by Peter the Great himself. The botanical gardens contain 26
greenhouses on a 22-hectare site. It is a lovely place to stroll and a fascinating place to
visit - and not just for botanists. At the turn of the 20th century, these were the
second-biggest botanical gardens in the world, behind London's Kew Gardens.
However, 90% of the plants died during WWII, which makes the present collection
all the more impressive (you will recognise the 'veterans' by their war medals).
A highlight is the tsaritsa nochi
(Selenicereus pteranthus),
a flowering cactus that
blossoms only one night a year, usually in mid-June. On this night, the gardens stay
open until morning for visitors to gawk at the marvel and sip champagne.
The entrance is on the corner of Aptekarsky per and nab reki Karpovki.
PARK
ARK
ALEXANDROVSKY PARK
( Gorkovskaya; )
As you make your way from the metro to the fortress on Zay-
achy Island, you will undoubtedly pass through this bustling park. Don't come here
looking for peace and quiet - it is too close to traffic and perpetually thronged with
people - but if you have kids in tow, there are a few entertainment options worth con-
sidering.
www.planetary-spb.ru
in Russian; Alexandrovsky Park 4; adult/child R250/140;
noon-6pm; Gorkovskaya)
has 50-minute shows on the hour throughout the day, as
Park 1; adult/child R350/100; summer 10am-8pm daily, winter 10am-5pm Tue-Sun; )
is
full of rather bored-looking animals and happy kids, but is overall very worth visiting
for its range of species, including a large number of polar bears.
MMUSSEUUM
ARTILLERY MUSEUM
androvsky Park 7; adult/student courtyard R50/20, museum R300/150; 11am-6pm Wed-Sun;
Gorkovskaya; )
The Artillery Museum is housed in the fort's original arsenal,
across the moat from the Peter and Paul Fortress. It chronicles Russia's military his-
