ST PETERSBURG, RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Central

Nevskii Prospekt is a grand-scale thoroughfare cutting right through the heart of the city. The rough triangle (to the north of Nevskii) formed by the street's central stretch, the Fontanka canal and the Neva is crammed full of St Petersburg's main cultural attractions and a good number of its restaurants and places of entertainment. There's the Winter Palace and Palace Square, the Saviour on Spilled Blood Cathedral and Museum, the Russian Museum, the Mussorgsky Concert Hall and the nearby Philharmonia. On the south side of Nevskii Prospekt stands the impressive semi-circular and columned Kazan Cathedral and further along you will find the central department store Gostinyi Dvor which is not far from the plush Grand Hotel Europe.

This is the touristic, commercial and cultural heart of the city where visitors are guaranteed to spend a large chunk of their time. Nevskii itself is buzzing at all hours, but traffic (both human and vehicular) can be escaped by venturing to the peaceful Summer Gardens which are located at the north of the triangle.
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