Centrally located on Nevskiy Prospekt, Dom Knigi is a massive bookstore with an excellent section for travelers. In fact now there are two shops called Dom Knigi at Nevsky prospect: the first and the...

Russia's first boarding school for noble young ladies, the Smolny Institute was the headquarters of the first Soviet government in 1917. Today it is the seat of the City Government. It also houses Lenin Memorial Museum.

This highly unusual church and one of the oldest in the city combines Baroque and Classical styles, is crowned by five different-sized onion-shaped cupolas and contains a unique iconostasis that is considered a great 18th-century work of art.

Two pairs of mythological cast-iron griffons guard each end of this narrow footbridge, which incorporates some of the best artistic and architectural features of 19th-century bridges.

A vision in yellow, this majestic palace - now housing Russian cultural artifacts - once belonged to Alexander Menshikov, ruler of Russia for two years until accused of treason and exiled to Siberia.

Most notable for the four ornate towers adorning its center span, this medieval-style bridge is one of the three surviving 18th-century bridges crossing the Fontanka River.

The candelabras and obelisks that grace this low, gently arched bridge over the Neva River have become St. Petersburg landmarks.

Encompassing most of Yelagin Ostrov Island, this park includes an open-air theater, a beach and the Yelagin Palace, once occupied by Catherine the Great and now open to tourists.

The largest memorial park in St. Petersburg features the Monument to Revolutionary Fighters, a commemoration of the Red Army victims of the revolution and civil war.

The very first house in St. Petersburg is a small, wooden cabin that Peter the Great inhabited for five years, and is now filled with some of his original belongings.

Built in the 1960s to link an outlying area (Maly Okhti) with St. Petersburg, this innovatively constructed and modern style bridge is the city's longest.

This three-span bridge crossing the Neva River was the first of its kind in St. Petersburg, with unique features such as its fast-rising middle span, gigantic arched girders and two granite, Romanesque-style towers designed to resemble lighthouses.

Captivating, 150-year-old Eqyptian sphinxes adorn each corner of this Fontanka River bridge, the first metal bridge in Russia.

Known as the "priceless necklace of the Neva," this beautiful, 8-span bridge is noted for its ornate cast-iron railings decorated with sea horses.

This simply designed bridge crossing the Neva River is best known for the magnificent view it creates when its elevated platforms frame the gilded spire of the SS Peter & Paul Cathedral rising in the background.

This five-span steel arched bridge with decorative, nautical-themed railings is a major transportation artery in the city.

Famous for its elaborate decorations, this cast-iron bridge that crosses the Moika River is one of the most ornamental in the city, boasting a Doric-style facade and ornately designed railings, floor lamps and lanterns.

This high-style footbridge is most famous for the graceful floor lamps and enchanting lanterns at each end as well as for its unusual railings and decorative girder facades.

Plain and modern in style, this heavily traveled bridge contrasts sharply with the highly decorative styles of most of the city's bridges.

This massive 1930s bridge spans the Neva River and has a simple, Spartan design that employed numerous technical innovations.

Celebrated Russian polar expeditions and rescue missions are dramatically detailed and illustrated at this museum, which contains the original small plane that carried the Chelyuskin crew to safety in a 1934 rescue operation.

The palace is also known as the Fountain House and now is home to the Museum of Musical Life.

The beloved ruler, whose reign is called the "golden age" of Russia, is memorialized in this statue of Catherine with carvings of dignitaries at her feet.

Things change, but when I visited the Jimi Hendrix Blues Club a few years ago it seemed to be an authentic music hangout of the type the name indicates. It is a small, friendly club. I advise you not...

Many world-famous conductors and musicians have performed at this hall, one of the largest music centers in the world.

Architectural buffs will enjoy viewing this Baroque-style building, one of the city's oldest cathedrals and a striking vision in turquoise and white crowned by five gleaming cupolas.

Notable for an array of cannons on its grounds and for its two revered icons, the Savior Not Created by Human Hands (Tsar Peter's favorite) and the Holy Mother of God, this cathedral is one of the most frequently visited in the city.

A seated and pensive-looking statue of Dostoyevsky honors the famous Russian novelist in the city where he spent most of his adult life and wrote several of his greatest works.

The focal point of Victory Square is an impressive obelisk monument dedicated to the citizens and soldiers of Leningrad who, through tremendous hardship, successfully repelled the Nazis during the 900-day Siege of Leningrad in World War II.

The powerful columns in this monument to the Russian victory in the Russo-Turkish war of 1828 represent the grandeur and greatness of the Russian army.

This monument to Peter the Great depicts the Russian ruler as a young man building a ship, a skill that he learned in Holland and brought back with him to help build the Russian Navy.

This controversial monument to the unpopular Russian Tsar unflatteringly portrayed him as a corpulent bronze figure on a heavyweight horse.

Learn about the history of art education in Russia and view works by students and teachers from the famous Academy of Fine Arts, from which many of the most prominent Russian artists graduated.

This jewel of a museum, hidden inside the Artistic Industrial Academy, is worth a visit both for the magnificent building that houses it and for its treasure trove of glass, ceramics, furniture and other fine arts and antiques.

Russia's best railways museum uses intricately detailed models to trace the development of the country's railways from the first Russian steam locomotive to modern-day trains.

Now a floating museum, this historic ship helped rescue the Italian polar expedition led by Umberto Nobile, led Allied arms and supply convoys in World War II and later conducted polar research expeditions.

This newly restored museum - stock full of military memorabilia - is dedicated to one of Russia's most respected generals, who led troops to victory during the Crimean War.

Thirty-two different kinds of marble compose the facades and interior of this palace which now exhibits temporary art exhibitions as well as a permanent exhibit of the works of painters and sculptors who influenced the development of Russian art.