Historic Heart - St Petersburg - page 83

Gawp at the view of the Church on the Spilled Blood ( CLICK HERE ) from
Kanal Griboyedov, and then be awestruck by the mosaics inside.
See perhaps the world's best collection of Russian art at the fantastic Russian
Museum ( CLICK HERE ).
Take a cruise ( CLICK HERE ) on the rivers and canals of the Historic Heart, the
best way to see this watery city!
Enter the embrace of the architectural mishmash that is the Kazan Cathedral (
CLICK HERE ) and see atmospheric Orthodox ritual in full swing inside.
Explore: Historic Heart
Home to most of St Petersburg's top sights, the Historic Heart is where most people
will spend most of their time in the city. The area is packed full of palaces, churches,
museums, canals and parks, and there's almost no limit to the amount of things to see
and do here.
A good place to start is impressive Palace Sq, where you'll see the Hermitage in all
its glory along with the amazing panorama of the General Staff Building and the great
Neva River: an unforgettable St Petersburg first impression. From there, cherry-pick
your way through the rest of the neighbourhood over a couple of days or so.
Nevsky pr, the city's main avenue, dominates every itinerary of course, and you'll
find yourself back on its crowded pavements throughout your visit, whether you like
it or not. Do try to spend some time off the main drag though, as this fascinating dis-
trict deserves to be fully explored.
Local Life
» Parks On a sunny day the vast Mars Field ( CLICK HERE ) is a great place for a
picnic and some sunbathing, especially while the ever-popular nearby Summer
Garden remains under restoration. Another alternative is the lovely Mikhailovsky
Gardens ( CLICK HERE ), behind the Russian Museum.