In this short walking tour, you will see how modern Petersburgers spend their day off. Where to go for a walk? What are you moving around the city on? Where do you shop? Vast green parks await us, a bewitching view of the vast Gulf of Finland. We will ride the metro and see the famous beauty of St. Petersburg metro stations, without which not a single trip of a resident of St. Petersburg is complete. And of course, how without shopping? The most popular shopping center in St. Petersburg – the Gallery and a typical grocery store will be the final stage of our educational trip.

Starting point: metro station Begovaya

Duration of the tour: approximately 4 hours

We will visit: 300th Anniversary Park, Yacht Bridge, Belfry Arch with Carillon, drive through St. Petersburg metro and public transport, Pyshechnaya (Donuts) on Bolshaya Konyushennaya street, Kazan Cathedral (inside), Gallery mall and many other locations

300th Anniversary Park

300th Anniversary Park

Point №1. 300th Anniversary Park and Lakhta Center

The first stop on our mini-journey is the favorite St. Petersburg park in the northwestern part of the city on the border of the Prinevskaya Lowland in the northern part of the Neva Bay – 300th Anniversary Park of St. Petersburg. The total area is 54 ha. Citizens love this rather vast and young green area for its modernity and proximity to the Gulf of Finland. Here, and a spacious beach, and shady alleys, and clean sea air. There are many flowers, apple trees that the city of Helsinki presented to the park, linden trees and much more grow. There is a pool and fountains.

The park constantly celebrates major dates associated with Russia and St. Petersburg. They celebrate Victory Day, Children’s Day, Shrovetide and other events beloved by the townspeople on a grand scale. For example, the most popular annual music event – the Vkontakte festival, takes place precisely on the territory of the 300th anniversary park.

Another attractive place is the Lakhta Center, one of the highest buildings in the country. It rises 462 meters above ground level. Every Petersburger has a photograph on the background of this building, and a luminous top is visible from all over the city. The construction of this public-business complex began in 2012. The project of the complex was developed in 2011 by the European agency RMJM. The concept reflected the main architectural symbols of the city: the spiers of the cathedrals and the boundless sky. The tower “spins” around its axis. The effect is created due to the fact that each new base of the floor rotates almost one degree relative to the axis of the tower. The peculiarity of the skyscraper is laminated thermo-reflective glass with a special matte coating of a gray-blue hue, which changes color depending on the light intensity. In the afternoon, with a cloudless sky and clear sun, the tower acquires a blue tint, in cloudy weather it becomes gray or bronze. The glazing is smooth, due to which a special optical effect is achieved – white clouds seem to rise along the wall of the structure.

30 minutes to rest in the park.

(An observation platform with telescopes for exploring the historical part of the Northern capital and the Gulf of Finland is equipped on the 360 ​​floor of the Lakhta Center tower. (Visit is possible for a fee))

Address: Primorski ave., 74, St. Petersburg.

Lakhta Center

Lakhta Center

Point №2. Walk on the Yacht Bridge

The yacht bridge is the longest and highest of the pedestrian bridges in St. Petersburg. Its length, according to the GBU Mostotrest, is 672 meters, and the width in different areas is slightly different: from 16.3 meters to 17.1 meters. The main purpose of the bridge is to provide on foot access to the Gazprom Arena football stadium and other sports facilities on Krestovsky Island.

The history of the Yacht Bridge is quite rich, despite the relatively short period of its existence. Initially, they started talking about its construction in 2012 – the bridge was necessary for the Confederations Cup 2017 and the World Cup 2018. It was planned to build it from Yacht Street to the northern part of Krestovsky Island, as large ships and tall yachts pass through the water in this area , the shipping issue came first. The bridge consists of 11 spans; steel, iron and concrete were used in the construction. The bridge supports also consist of reinforced concrete, the intermediate ones of which have a V-shaped upper shape, which is very harmoniously combined with the appearance of the WHSD motorway passing here.

On the bridge there is a sidewalk for pedestrians, a bicycle path and 2 lanes for the movement of special vehicles. Road coverings are asphalt concrete. The bike path and sidewalk are made of colored asphalt, they are separated from the roadway by fairly high parapets. The railing is made of galvanized metal. The bridge itself has an uneven shape with two turns. The general color scheme is gray and light shades, which looks very profitable in the gloomy climate of St. Petersburg.

Today, the Yacht Bridge is a favorite place for quiet family walks and meetings with friends. It offers stunning views of the Gulf of Finland, as well as the passenger port located on Vasilyevsky Island, the stadium and much more.

When descending from the bridge, we see the Arch-belfry with a carillon. On the City Day, May 27 (2002), on the north side of Krestovsky Island, a grand opening ceremony of the arch-belfry with a carillon took place. The creators of the arch dedicated it to two events – the onset of the new millennium and the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg. Arch on Krestovsky is a huge 27-meter musical instrument made of monolithic concrete.

Yacht Bridge

Yacht Bridge

The Carillon on the Belfry Arch consists of 45 bells that once sounded throughout the park and the district. Half of them work on electronics. Carillon can perform almost any piece of music on program code, the recordings of which are stored on special equipment. Carillon consists of 23 automatic Dutch and 18 manual Russian bells. The Dutch bells are suspended on a gilded circle-crown, in the construction of which 16 vertical arcs are mounted.

The design is supported by 2 supports, rounded up and lined with corrugated stripes, made in Denmark. Inside the poles – 3 floors, a balcony and a narrow circular staircase. From 1 to 5 bells are located on each of the balconies. Five bells are located on the top floor.

Point №3 St. Petersburg Metro.

We leave for the metro station Novokrestovskaya, go to the station Nevsky Prospekt. St.Petersburg Metro is one of the most beautiful in the World and the most deepest.

Metro Station Admiralteyskaya

Metro Station Admiralteyskaya

Point №4 Pyshechnaya – Donuts cafe at Bolshaya Konyushennaya street

Leaving the subway, we rush to a cult place, beloved by the Petersburgers, magnificent, which now has already become one of the symbols of St. Petersburg along with drawbridges, front doors and curbs. Donuts are cooked according to an old proven recipe and served with powdered sugar and coffee with milk. They like to show this place to guests of the city and tell how they used to give exactly the same crumpets and the exact same coffee with milk, very sweet and hot.

Address: Bolshaya Konyushennaya St., 25

Legendary Donuts hub - Pyshecnnaya

Legendary Donuts cafe – Pyshecnnaya


Legendary Donuts hub with its legendary home cat

Legendary Donuts cafe with its legendary home cat

Along the way, we see the Book House, the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ on Blood and the Kazan Cathedral:

Point №4 Book House

Book House in St. Petersburg (Zinger House) is a famous bookstore on Nevsky Prospekt. The Book House is a kind of cultural center of the Northern capital and attracts many literature lovers. The building is an architectural monument of federal significance. Not all city architects welcomed the construction of the Singer building on this site. So, the academician of architecture Lev Ilyin believed that the appearance of a store opposite the Kazan Cathedral is unacceptable. At the same time, Emperor Nicholas II signed a decree on permission to build and in 1904 the building was erected.

The building was designed by the Russian architect Pavel Suzor. The height limit did not allow him to build a skyscraper, since in St. Petersburg it was possible to erect buildings no higher than the Winter Palace, whose height is 23.5 meters.

Pavel Suzor created a building of six floors, the seventh floor is an attic, on top of which an elegant light tower was built, thanks to which the building seemed high-rise, standing out among the surrounding buildings, but not overshadowing the Kazan Cathedral and the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood.

The walls of the building are faced with granite, at the level of the first and second floors the granite was red, and above it was gray. The walls of the patio were covered with multi-colored glazed bricks.

Book House in St. Petersburg (Zinger House)

Book House in St. Petersburg (Zinger House)

The facades are decorated with a decorative sculpture designed by sculptors Artemy Ober and Amandus Adamson. The building was created in the Art Nouveau style, characteristic of European art of the late XIX – early XX centuries. The rich decoration and huge windows, intricate ornaments and the intricate figure of the tower emphasize the peculiarity of this style. The facades are decorated with bronze sculptures of Valkyrie maidens on the rostra of ships. According to German-Scandinavian mythology, the Valkyrie virgins served the god Odin and it was they who decided who would be the winner in the ongoing battle.

Address: Nevsky Prospect 28

Point №5 Savior on Spilled Blood. Savior on Blood, aka the Cathedral of the Resurrection, is included in the 25 most popular attractions in the world according to TripAdvisor and in the rating of the most beautiful temples on the planet according to the British newspaper The Telegraph. This memorial church was erected on the spot where Tsar Liberator Alexander II was killed in 1881. The construction of the church in the Neo-Russian style, reminiscent of the St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow, was completed in 1908. The exterior of the temple is eclectic: it combines mosaic, gilding, brick, enamel, granite. Inside the monument, marvelous mosaics are decorated, the area of ​​which is more than 7 thousand square meters – this is comparable with the area of ​​200 one-room apartments.

In Soviet times, they wanted to dismantle the temple more than once, but the decision was postponed, with the approach of the war it was not before. Fate kept this monument, even the war did not touch him. After 20 years, it was discovered that a high-explosive shell hit the dome: the unexploded ordnance was managed to be pulled out and defused.

For a long time the temple stood in the woods and in 1997, after a long restoration, it finally opened to the public. Now the restored temple works like a museum, it is a branch of the museum-monument “St. Isaac’s Cathedral.” Services are held once or twice a week, the schedule is available on the museum’s official website

Address: 2b Griboedov Canal Embankment

Point №6 Kazan Cathedral. In 1710, a chapel was built on Nevsky Prospekt next to the wooden building of the hospital, and later – the wooden church of Our Lady of Kazan. The new stone church, by decree of Empress Anna Ioannovna, was laid in September 1733, was built according to the design of M. Zemtsov and was called Rodestvensky. A significant decoration of the church was a multi-tiered bell tower 58 meters high.

On July 2, the Kazan icon of the Mother of God was moved here from Trinity Cathedral. And the Christmas Church began to be called Kazan by the name of this icon. Later, the church received the status of the Cathedral, which became the main temple in the Northern capital.

By the end of the 18th century, the building was dilapidated and it was decided to build a new temple. Paul I wanted the new temple to look like St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and in 1799 a competition was announced for its design.

Count A.S. Stroganov, whose residence was near the temple, proposed a project by a young architect A.N. Voronikhin, his former serf. The project of Andrei Nikiforovich Voronikhin was approved. In the presence of Alexander I, a new temple is being laid. Count Stroganov became responsible for the construction, which was completed by 1811. And the author of the project, A.N. Voronikhin was awarded the Order of Anna of the second degree and a life-long pension.

Only Russian masters participated in the construction of the temple. The team of masons was led by Samson Sukhanov. Most builders were serfs, who gave all their earnings to the owners. First they lived in dugouts outside the city, and then in the barracks on Konyushennaya Square. For the decoration of the temple, domestic materials were used: Olonets marble, Vyborg and Serdobol granite, Riga limestone. In the outer wall cladding is the Pudozh stone, which was brought from Gatchina.

Address: Nevsky Prospect 25.

Kazan Cathedral

Kazan Cathedral


using public transport – Trolleybus, we are moving to the next point

Point №7. Gallery mall, Perekrestok store

Shopping and entertainment center “Gallery” is located in the heart of St. Petersburg, at the intersection of the main avenues of the city – Nevsky and Ligovsky, near the Moscow railway station, 50 meters from Ploshchad Vosstaniya metro station. The concept of the Gallery opens up unlimited possibilities for fashionable shopping and active pastime for buyers. About 300 stores of world-famous brands, 10 cinema halls are located on five floors of the shopping center.

Perekrestok (Crossroad) is a store of one of the most widespread supermarket chains in St. Petersburg and Russia. “Crossroads” turns a familiar trip into a store into an exciting gastronomic journey. A proponent of a healthy diet or a connoisseur of gourmet food? Here everyone will find something to their liking!

The supermarket focuses on the “fresh food” categories – local sweets and bakery,  local liquors, juicy fruits and vegetables, freshly squeezed juices,  a wide range of chilled fish and seafood, dairy products and cheeses. Cozy modern design, pleasant unobtrusive music and staff who will never refuse to help – in the supermarket all the conditions for comfortable shopping are created.

Address: Ligovsky pr., 30a

Perekrestok food store (bakery section)

Perekrestok food store (bakery section)

Authors: Krasnoperets Maria, Podolskaya Daria, Tkachenko Dmitry

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