Historic center From the Peter and Paul Fortress to the Hermitage.
Route map Click on the landmark photos on the map or on the cards below — the map will fly to the selected spot.
About the route The most comprehensive route through the historic heart of St. Petersburg. You will pass beneath the picturesque bridges of the Fontanka and Moika rivers and the Winter Canal, and view the legendary cruiser *Aurora* and grand imperial residences. Along the way, you will encounter the city’s key landmarks: the Peter and Paul Fortress, the Summer Garden, St. Michael’s Castle, and the majestic Winter Palace.
Landmarks on the route 1 Peter and Paul Fortress The historical heart of St. Petersburg, founded by Peter the Great in 1703 on Hare Island. It features a stunning architectural ensemble anchored by the Peter and Paul Cathedral, whose 122.5-meter gilded spire stands as the city's ultimate symbol and landmark.
2 Kronverksky Strait A picturesque, crescent-shaped strait that separates Hare Island and the Peter and Paul Fortress from the Petrograd Side. Its calm waters mirror the fortress's granite walls, creating the quintessential secluded and romantic atmosphere of old St. Petersburg.
3 Monument to the Hare A charming, miniature sculpture of a hare perched on a wooden piling near the Ioannovsky Bridge. Dedicated to the legend of a tiny creature that escaped a flood by jumping into Peter the Great's boot, it serves as the unofficial mascot of Hare Island, bringing good luck to anyone who tosses a coin onto its perch.
4 Trinity Bridge One of the most beautiful and ornate drawbridges across the Neva River, designed by the French firm Batignolles. Its magnificent wrought-iron railings, Art Nouveau lampposts, and granite obelisks elegantly connect the city's historic center with the Petrograd Side.
5 Liteyny Bridge A monumental drawbridge across the Neva River, famous for its unique cast-iron railings featuring mermaids holding the coat of arms of St. Petersburg. An engineering marvel of the 19th century, it was the first bridge in the city to be permanently illuminated by electric light.
6 Sampsonievsky Bridge A sleek and minimalist drawbridge over the Bolshaya Nevka River, linking the Petrograd Side with the Vyborg Side. Its design beautifully balances monumental granite piers with light metallic spans, offering a scenic panoramic view of the Petrograd Embankment and the Cruiser Aurora.
7 Cruiser Aurora A legendary 1st-rank warship and the oldest surviving armored cruiser of the Russian Navy, permanently moored at the Petrograd Embankment. Now a floating museum, it preserves the memory of the Battle of Tsushima, World War I, and the historic blank shot fired in 1917 that became the ultimate symbol of the October Revolution.
8 House of Navy Personnel A monumental seven-story building on Petrovskaya Embankment, built just before WWII in the Stalinist Neoclassicism style. The facade is adorned with nautical bas-reliefs, and its roof is crowned by a famous sculptural group depicting a sailor and a shipbuilder flanking the historic boat of Peter the Great
9 Laundry Bridge One of the oldest stone bridges in St. Petersburg, spanning the source of the Fontanka River near the Summer Garden. Built in the 1760s, its austere granite arches blend harmoniously with the Neva embankments, standing as a masterpiece of Classicist bridge engineering.
10 Fontanka A famous and incredibly atmospheric river that flows through the heart of St. Petersburg from the Neva River to the Gulf of Finland. Its picturesque granite embankments are lined with lavish palaces of the nobility, historic tenements, and cozy squares, while the river itself has been immortalized in local folklore thanks to the legendary Chizhik-Pyzhik.
11 Summer Palace of Peter I One of the city's oldest surviving stone buildings, erected in the Summer Garden by Domenico Trezzini in 1714. This modest two-story palace in the Petrine Baroque style served as the summer residence of Peter the Great, and its facades are adorned with unique bas-reliefs celebrating Russian victories in the Great Northern War.
12 Summer Garden The city's oldest imperial park, founded by Peter the Great in 1704 as a lavish formal garden in the Dutch style. Today, it is a picturesque green labyrinth famous for its reconstructed historic fountains, elegant marble sculptures, centuries-old alleys, and the iconic wrought-iron railing facing the Neva River.
13 Monument to Chizhik-Pyzhik The smallest and one of the most beloved public monuments in St. Petersburg—a bronze bird standing just 11 centimeters tall on the Fontanka River embankment. This charming sculpture is perched near the water at the 1st Inzhenerny Bridge, where visitors eagerly try to toss a coin onto its tiny stone ledge to make a wish come true.
14 Mikhailovsky Castle A unique imperial palace-fortress surrounded by water, erected at the turn of the 19th century by order of Emperor Paul I, who was consumed by a fear of conspiracies. Painted in an unusual pinkish-orange hue, this monumental Romantic Classicist castle became the site of both the triumph and tragedy of the emperor, who lived there for only 40 days before his fatal assassination.
15 Great St. Petersburg State Circus Russia's first permanent stone circus, opened on the Fontanka River embankment in 1877 by the Italian performer Gaetano Ciniselli. A masterpiece of Eclectic architecture, the majestic building features a pioneering dome designed without internal support pillars and remains the premier heart of circus arts in St. Petersburg to this day.
16 Belinsky Bridge One of the oldest stone bridges across the Fontanka River, located right next to the Ciniselli Circus. Built in the 1780s, it was originally a movable bascule bridge with stone towers, but later lost its towers to become an elegant three-span crossing that perfectly complements the classic St. Petersburg cityscape.
17 The Taming of the Horses sculpture Four world-famous bronze sculptural groups by Peter Clodt, adorning the corners of the Anichkov Bridge on Nevsky Prospekt. This dynamic and deeply symbolic series visually portrays the four stages of man’s struggle with wild nature—advancing from a horse’s fierce resistance to its ultimate submission.
18 Anichkov Bridge One of the most famous and recognizable bridges in St. Petersburg, spanning the Fontanka River at its intersection with Nevsky Prospekt. The bridge gained worldwide acclaim for Peter Clodt's legendary "Horse Tamer" sculptures, and its granite plinths still carefully preserve the scars from German shell fragments left during the WWII Siege.
19 1st Engineer Bridge An elegant historic bridge spanning the source of the Moika River near the St. Michael's Castle, built in the 1820s. Its magnificent cast-iron railings are decorated with shields featuring the head of Medusa and swords, while the famous tiny monument to Chizhik-Pyzhik hides right at the base of its granite piers.
20 Moika River A picturesque and winding river that gracefully loops through the heart of St. Petersburg from the Fontanka to the Bolshaya Neva. Its historic embankments are a literal stone chronicle of the city, lined with magnificent estates, Palace Square, the Yusupov Palace, the famous Stroganov Palace, and Alexander Pushkin's last apartment museum.
21 1st Sadovy Bridge A stunning historic bridge spanning the Moika River, connecting the Spassky and 1st Admiralteysky islands right next to the St. Michael's Garden. Its magnificent cast-iron arches are adorned with elegant ornamental overlays of crossed shields and axes, while its ornate lampposts are topped with gilded double-headed eagles, and the intricate railings mirror the design of the famous Summer Garden fence.
22 Bust of K.I. Rossi An elegant monument to the great architect Carlo Rossi, placed inside the historic waterside pavilion he designed on the Moika River embankment in the Mikhailovsky Garden. The sculpture is a precise bronze replica of the famous 1835 marble portrait by Nikolai Pimenov, serving as a tribute to the master who shaped the grand Empire style cityscape of St. Petersburg.
23 2nd Sadovy Bridge An elegant arched bridge spanning the Moika River, located at the entrance to the Mikhailovsky Garden near the Savior on the Spilled Blood. Erected at the turn of the 20th century, it is renowned for its splendid artistic ironwork, featuring intricate railings adorned with theatrical masks and shields, which perfectly frame one of the city's best photo viewpoints of the iconic cathedral.
24 Adamini House A superb monument of late Russian Classicism and Empire style, erected in 1827 by architect Domenico Adamini at the corner of the Field of Mars and the Moika River embankment. This legendary three-story building, adorned with monumental porticos and an elegant frieze of griffins, has for centuries harbored masters of Russian culture—ranging from Alexander Pushkin, who visited inventor Pavel Schilling here, to Silver Age icons who frequented the famous "Comedians' Rest" cabaret located in its basement.
25 Triple Bridge A unique architectural masterpiece and a one-of-a-kind bridge ensemble connecting three islands: Spassky, Kazansky, and 1st Admiralteysky. Designed by Carlo Rossi and Wilhelm von Tretter, this Classicist landmark consists of the Malo-Konyushenny Bridge over the Moika River, the Teatralny Bridge over the Griboyedov Canal, and a connecting False Bridge-dam.
26 Tenement house A famous landmark of Northern Art Nouveau architecture, erected in 1912 to the design of Fyodor Lidval. Spanning between Rubinstein Street and the Fontanka Embankment, this massive tenement building is pierced by a grand suite of monumental Renaissance-style arches, forming majestic internal street-like courtyards that create a deeply atmospheric, cinematic environment.
27 Consulate General of France The official diplomatic mission of the French Republic in St. Petersburg, situated in the city's historic heart at 12 Nevsky Prospect. This elegant classical building serves as a key cultural and diplomatic bridge, sharing its premises with the French Institute to foster joint artistic and educational initiatives.
28 Bolshoy Konyushenny Bridge One of the oldest and most beautiful stone bridges across the Moika River, located in line with Konyushennaya Square. Built in 1828 under the guidance of engineers E.A. Adam and Wilhelm von Tretter, this single-span arched bridge is famous for its magnificent cast-iron railings adorned with gilded details, palmettes, and gorgon masks, perfectly complementing the grand architectural ensemble of the former Imperial Stables.
29 Mansion of Court Physician I.G. Freygang An elegant historic building on the Moika River embankment, reconstructed in the 1790s by the great architect Luigi Rusca for the court physician Johann-Gottlieb Freygang. Initially a masterpiece of strict Classicism, the mansion was expanded in the late 19th century, gaining a distinctive Eclectic facade adorned with graceful stucco decorations.
30 2nd Winter Bridge An elegant single-span bridge crossing the Winter Canal along the Moika River embankment. Built in the 1940s using reinforced concrete faced with granite, it seamlessly mirrors the historic design of the nearby 1st Winter Bridge, preserving the strict classical charm of the Hermitage quarter.
31 Winter Canal One of the shortest and most incredibly picturesque canals in St. Petersburg, linking the Neva and Moika rivers right alongside the Winter Palace. The hallmark of this romantic spot is the majestic archway soaring over the water to connect the Grand Hermitage with the Hermitage Theatre, an evocative vista that famously inspired Tchaikovsky’s tragic scene in his opera "The Queen of Spades."
32 1st Winter Bridge The oldest stone bridge spanning the Winter Canal, erected in the 1780s along the line of the Neva's Palace Embankment. Its minimalist arched span, faced with massive granite blocks, forms a seamless, harmonious ensemble with the walls of the State Hermitage and stands as one of the most recognizable and romantic photography spots in St. Petersburg.
33 Winter Palace of Peter I A unique "hidden" architectural and memorial monument from the early 18th century, partially preserved directly underneath the Hermitage Theatre building. These surviving rooms once formed the private winter residence of Peter the Great, where he lived, worked, and passed away in 1725; today, the museum showcases his personal belongings and the famous lifesize "Wax Effigy" of the Emperor.
34 Hermitage Theatre One of the oldest theaters in Russia, erected at the end of the 18th century by order of Catherine the Great on the site of Peter the Great's former Winter Palace. Architect Giacomo Quarenghi created an exquisite, intimate Classicist venue featuring a semicircular auditorium designed in the spirit of an ancient amphitheater, beautifully adorned with faux-marble columns and statues of the muses.
35 Hermitage Bridge The oldest stone bridge spanning the Winter Canal, built in the 1760s along the line of the Palace Embankment. The bridge's massive granite arch forms a seamless ensemble with the buildings of the State Hermitage. It offers the most famous, classic view of the archway leading to the Hermitage Theatre, standing as one of the ultimate symbols of St. Petersburg.
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