Top choice in St Petersburg
Sharing the top floor of a renovated historic building with a budget hotel, this is one of the best branches of the Friends chain. There are no dorms here and all the rooms have attached bathrooms, but the same cosy, quirky decorative charm is in place – complete with cuddly toys and flowery print curtains and linens.
There's also a good common room and kitchen for self-catering. It's not far from Gostiny Dvor but is actually closer to the more common people's market Apraksin Dvor.
0.95 MILES
The Hermitage fully lives up to its sterling reputation. You can be absorbed by its treasures for days and still come out wanting more. The enormous…
15.06 MILES
The Grand Palace is an imposing building, although with just 30-something rooms, it is not nearly as large as your typical tsarist palace. From the start…
0.72 MILES
The east wing of this magnificent building, wrapping around the south of Dvortsovaya pl and designed by Carlo Rossi in the 1820s, marries restored…
15.26 MILES
One of the greatest attractions outside of St Petersburg is the jaw-dropping collection of gilded fountains, statue-lined lanes and picturesque canals…
1.18 MILES
This spectacular palace on the Moyka River has some of the best 19th-century interiors in the city, in addition to a fascinating and gruesome history. The…
14.99 MILES
The centrepiece of Tsarskoe Selo, created under Empresses Elizabeth and Catherine the Great between 1744 and 1796, is the vast baroque Catherine Palace,…
1.28 MILES
The Mariinsky Theatre has played a pivotal role in Russian ballet ever since it was built in 1859 and remains one of Russia's most loved and respected…
15.1 MILES
Around the Catherine Palace extends the lovely Catherine Park. The main entrance is on Sadovaya ul, next to the Palace Chapel. The park extends around the…
0.06 MILES
Opposite Gostiny Dvor, this palace (1749–57) is another noble town house by Rastrelli. From 1810 it was the most elite military school in the empire and…
0.16 MILES
Named after the great scientist Mikhail Lomonosov, this small square forms the southwestern end of the Carlo Rossi–designed ensemble and is the best spot…
3. Vaganova School of Choreography
0.16 MILES
The Mariinsky Ballet’s training school, where Pavlova, Nijinsky, Nureyev and others learned their art. It's not open to the public.
4. St Petersburg State Museum of Theatre & Music
0.18 MILES
This museum is a treasure-trove of items relating to the Russian theatre including model sets, posters and costumes. You'll have to buy separate tickets…
0.21 MILES
Marked by four domed, stone pavilions at each of its corners, this attractive draw bridge is one of the last examples in the city of what used to be a far…
0.25 MILES
This charming footbridge is suspended by cables emerging from the mouths of golden-winged griffins. The name comes from the Assignment Bank (now a further…
0.28 MILES
Created by Carlo Rossi in the 1820s and 1830s, this square is named for Alexander Ostrovsky (1823–86), a celebrated 19th-century playwright. An enormous…
0.28 MILES
Russia's oldest and biggest public library was founded in 1795. It has some 31 million items, nearly a sixth of which are in foreign languages. Its main…