City Walk: Nevsky Prospekt

City Walk: Nevsky Prospekt

To explore the inner city and St. Petersburg's most famous avenue, Nevsky prospekt,start at the relatively peaceful monastery of Alexander Nevsky Lavra,at the southeastern end of Nevsky prospekt. You can reach the monastery by taking the metro to the Ploshchad Alexandra Nevskovo station, which comes out at the foot of the gargantuan Moskva hotel. The entrance to the Lavra is across Ploshchad Alexandra Nevskovo (Alexander Nevsky Square) from the metro exit. After visiting the monastery, return to the square. The bridge to your right, also named for Alexander Nevsky, is the city's longest; it leads to some of St. Petersburg's main bedroom communities, where, these days, most of the city's residents live.

Take the metro one stop north to the Mayakovskaya station; at that stop, follow the signs for the adjacent Vosstaniya exit. It's at this point that the avenue's most interesting architecture begins, starting at Ploshchad Vosstaniya,or Insurrection Square. Head west, away from the monastery and the railway station, and after three blocks you'll reach the Fontanka River and one of the city's most beautiful bridges, the Anichkov most; over the river, on the opposite corner, stands the Anichkov Palace. Across from it is the city's largest bookstore, Dom Knigi. Farther along on Nevsky prospekt you'll come to Ploshchad Ostrovskovo, dominated by the city's oldest theater, the Alexander Pushkin Drama Theater. Before moving beyond the square, step around to the back of the theater, where ulitsa Zodchevo Rossi —a street whose every proportion has been carefully detailed—begins.

Back on Ploshchad Ostrovskovo, take note of the neoclassical building on the west side of the square. This is the Russian National Library,the nation's largest library after the Russian State Library in Moscow. You may want to cross Nevsky at this point to peek inside the Yeliseyevsky Food Emporium. As you pass Sadovaya ulitsa, taking up the entire block on the other side of the street is the huge Gostinny Dvor department store. Sadovaya ulitsa also leads to Sennoi Rynok, the city's cleanest and most efficient farmers' market. On the same side of Nevsky prospekt as Yeliseyevsky, between Nos. 40 and 42, is the blue-and-white Armenian Church. At the corner of Mikhailovskaya ulitsa is the Grand Hotel Europe. No. 34 is another recessed church, the Church of St. Catherine. Across the street, on the corner, at No. 33, stands the former city hall under the tsars, the City Duma. Cross the short Kazan Bridge over the Griboyedov Canal to reach one of the city's more resplendent works of religious architecture, the Kazan Cathedral. Cross the street and continue one block down Nevsky; you'll soon reach the Lutheran Church,yet another church on a recessed lot, at Nos. 22-24.

Return now to the other side of the street. Before you cross the little bridge spanning the Moika Canal, you'll be at a magnificent green palace overlooking the embankment. This is the Stroganov Palace. Ahead, the golden building of the Admiralty marks the end of Nevsky prospekt. To return to the metro, take Trolley 1, 5, 7, 10, or 22 one stop to Nevsky prospekt station; however, you might prefer to walk, as trolleys on Nevsky are notoriously overcrowded. But if you have time, head to Smolny,the great convent and cathedral on the left bank of the Neva; the Smolnyi Institut; and the Taurida Palace on Shpalernaya ulitsa. You can reach all of these sights from Nevsky prospekt by Trolley 5 or 7 (get off at Tulskaya ulitsa).

Timing

To really explore the sights on this tour you should devote a full day to it. Your best bet to avoid the crowds that pack the trolleys and the metro is to do this tour in the morning. However, if you take the metro or trolley instead of walking from one sight to the next, you'll save at least a couple of hours—hours that you can then devote to a little shopping. Most of the souvenir shops are on and around Nevsky prospekt.