Dvortskaya Pl (Palace Square)Just arrived in St Petersburg for a six day break, and a walking tour of the "historic heart", as our guidebook described it, seemed the ideal way to spend the first afternoon. The area is defined by the Neva river to the north and the Fontanka to the south.
The starting point was the top end of the busy, long main boulevard, the Nevsky Prospekt. We turned off down an inconspicuous side street and were quickly greeted by this wonderful archway leading through to the Winter Palace (home of the Hermitage museum) and Dvortskaya Pl (Palace Square) with its statue of Alexander I.
From here we followed the bank of the Moyka River, the third of the city's rivers, and soon reached this pleasing bridge, with the massive but decayed 18th court stables building on the right bank.
At the next bridge there is a stunning sight on the opposite bank: the church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood (officially known as the Church of the Resurrection of Christ). This extraordinary structure, which was influenced by St Basil's in Moscow, was built between 1883 and 1907 on the site where Tsar Alexander II was fatally injured in an assassination attempt. After a long period of decline, restoration of the church started in 1970 and was completed 27 years later - thus taking longer than the original construction.
From here we continued along the banks of the Moyka passing the former military parade ground, Mars Field, now a rather drab park. On the opposite bank was the Mikhailovsky Palace which now houses the wonderful Russian Museum of the history for Russian painting.
At the next bridge we crossed and doubled back through Mikhailovsky Gardens to emerge at the side of church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood. The curved park wall was impressive.
We then walked round to the square at the front of the Mikhailovsky Palace, known as Arts Square because of the collection of cultural buildings which surround it. A handsome statue of Pushkin, dating only from 1958, dominates the square.
From here we walked the short distance to the Griboedov Canal which intersects the Moyka by church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood and followed it along to where it passes under Nevsky pr. Here we were entranced by the art nouveau Singer Building and noted that it now housed a bookstore and coffee shop.
Opposite is the extravagant neo-classical Kazan Cathedral which dates from 1801-11. The influence of St Peter's in Rome is apparent in the colonnaded wings. The space they enclose is a popular place to hang out.
Continuing a little further along the canal side we reached the lovely Bankovsky most (Bank bridge), with its four golden griffins. It is deservedly St Petersburg's most photographed bridge.
We now cut back towards Nevsky pr, skirting the side of the huge 18th century Gostiny Dvor, one of the world's first shopping precincts. The Nevsky pr side has a splendid arcade.
Walking further down Nevsky pr we passed the Armenian church ....
... and then another fabulous art nouveau construction not mentioned in the guide book.
The walk ended at the point at which Nevsky pr crosses the Fontanka river. The palaces on the far side of the river offered a pleasing vista.
All that remained was to walk straight back up Nevsky pr to the point where we could turn off to our hotel for a restorative glass of (very expensive) wine.
Rating: four stars.
A good introduction to some of the beautiful buildings of St Petersburg, but it is not the "Venice of the North" as has been claimed - there are not sufficient waterways and the roads are too busy. At one point Nevsky pr has four lanes of traffic in each direction.
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