Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Historic Heart ( CLICK HERE )
The heart of the city is the area between the Neva River and the Fontanka River. It is
cut in two by Nevsky pr, the city's vast main avenue, and separated from Sennaya and
Kolomna by Gorokhovaya ul. The most famous sights are packed together extraordin-
arily tightly here, including the Hermitage, Kazan Cathedral and the Church on the
Spilled Blood. It's a fast-paced, crowded part of the city and is its commercial as well
as its tourist heart. A majority of the city's best hotels and good restaurants can be
found here, and whether you stay here or not, it's where you'll inevitably spend much
of your time in St Petersburg.
Smolny & Vosstaniya ( CLICK HERE )
This agglomeration of four districts (Smolny, Liteyny, Vosstaniya and Vladimirskaya)
is also part of the city centre. The Smolny peninsula is a well-heeled residential dis-
trict dominated by the Smolny Cathedral, while next-door Liteyny is centred on
Liteyny pr, a commercial street between the Smolny and the Fontanka River. South of
Nevsky pr are Vosstaniya and Vladimirskaya. Vosstaniya is the focus of St Peters-
burg's nascent underground scene, while Vladimirskaya, named after the stunning
Vladimirsky Cathedral, is a mercantile district full of shopping, markets and a clutch
of quirky museums.
Sennaya & Kolomna ( CLICK HERE )
These two areas adjoin the Historic Heart and are almost as historic themselves, even
though they're quite different from one another. Sennaya is centred on Sennaya Pl
(the Haymarket), a traditionally poor area immortalised in Dostoevsky's Crime and
Punishment and one that has somehow retained its seedy and down-at-heel air despite
a big attempt to redevelop it. Kolomna is the largest of seven islands and a quiet,
rather out-of-the-way place, although one steeped in history and great beauty. It con-
tains the world-famous Mariinsky Theatre and more canals and rivers than any other
part of the city.
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