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City Guide - St Petersburg - Sightseeing | ||
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Sightseeing From the Yelagin and Kamenyy Islands to the north, along the broad River Neva to the Palace Embankment and by winding waterways to the River Fontanka to the south, St Petersburg, like Venice, is a city of elegant palaces and elaborate churches on a network of waterways. On the Palace Embankment, the Hermitage, the statue of the Bronze Horseman and the Admiralty look out over the Neva to the Peter and Paul Fortress and the bridges to Vasilevsky Ostrov or Petrogradskaya. Behind the Bronze Horseman, the magnificent gold dome of St Isaac's Cathedral towers over the classical terraces around it. Close by, the Nevsky prospekt runs all the way from the Admiralty through Gostiny dvor to the River Fontanka. From Nevsky prospekt, the Church on Spilled Blood, the Russian Museum and the Kazan Cathedral are all with easy walking distance along the Griboedova Canal, where Dostoevsky set Crime and Punishment. Tourist Information There are no state-run tourist information centres in St Petersburg but one extremely helpful private one is: Ost-West Kontaktservice Mayakoskova ulitsa 7 Tel: (812) 279 7045. Fax: (812) 327 3417. Hotels will be able to provide information and guided tours. One decent option is the Service Desk at the Grande Hotel Europe, Mikhailovskaya ulitsa 1-7 (tel: (812) 312 0072, ext 6242; fax: (812) 329 6001). |