Tourist Attractions & Monuments Russia

Located on Mamai Hill, about 3 km north of the city centre, it is a collection of memorials to the Battle of Stalingrad. The most impressive is Rodina Mat zovyot: the famous gigantic concrete statue of the call of "Mother Russia", 85 m high and brandishing a sword. The place is impressive for its calm and proportions, it invites introspection and reflection on the Soviet memory of the war.

The main museum in Stalingrad is naturally dedicated to the battle of the same name. It's modern and very, very well designed. You will see objects, photos and models, and maps explaining the capture and liberation of the city. Don't miss, on the first floor, the giant painting representing a panorama of the city at the time of the fights. Right next to the museum you can see the old grain mill, in a state of ruin, which has been preserved as a testimony to the battle.

Created before the end of World War II, this unique museum opens just three months after the end of the blockade of Leningrad. It was closed in 1949 by the Stalinist authorities who wanted to hide the consequences of the terrible blockade. The museum's staff were imprisoned, the director was executed, and many objects were destroyed. The museum reopened in 1989. It is an important testimony to the almost 900-day siege during which the Wehrmacht (with the help of the Finnish army and Spanish volunteers) starved and pounded the city night and day in order to bring it down, in vain. A siege that claimed more than 1,000,000 victims and remains unknown in Western Europe. The museum includes a large exhibition hall, with an area devoted to wartime posters. There is also an exhibition on artistic life during the blockade. Despite the terrible lack of resources, especially during the winter of 1941-1942, many concert halls and theatres continued to function. The focus of the exhibition is a reproduction of an apartment from the time of the Leningrad blockade, with caulked windows, smoke-blackened walls, and furniture reduced to the bare minimum as most of the furniture was burned for heating. After the restoration in 2018, the museum inaugurated a new space dedicated to the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940. In the course of the work, old ceramics from the Crafts Museum, located there before the Revolution, were found.

Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra, Russia's third most important holy place, concludes the Nevsky perspective as sumptuously as the Winter Palace inaugurates it. The monastery complex, which consists of several churches behind a pink plastered enclosure wall enhanced by a rich decoration of white pilasters, statues and colonnades, still looks good, despite the ravages of time. In 1710, Peter the Great ordered the construction of a monastery dedicated to the great Russian prince Alexander Nevsky, who defeated the Swedes in 1240, on the supposed site of his victory. The hero takes his name from the great river of St. Petersburg, on the banks of which he accomplished his exploits. Alexander Nevsky is thus Alexander of the Neva. His relics were transferred from Vladimir (near Moscow) to the monastery in 1724. The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity (Sviato-Troitsky), built in 1790, with the sacred mission of collecting the silver shrine containing the relics, is the most grandiose of the ensemble.

In order to make this new capital a spiritual beacon of Holy Russia, Peter the Great made the monastic complex a "Lavra", in the same way as those of Moscow and Kiev. Alexander Nevsky Lavra is a kind of open-air pantheon: two cemeteries, where personalities dear to the hearts of the people of St. Petersburg are buried, extend over its territory. The Russians spend five minutes there to meditate or a whole day to pray, creating a permanent movement around the churches and the monastery park.

Saint Lazarus Cemetery (Lazarevskoye): the path leading to the monastery is bordered on the left by the oldest cemetery in Saint Petersburg; since 1710, it has been the burial place of architects from the former capital, both Russian and foreign: the Italians Quarenghi and Rossi, the Frenchman Thomas de Thomon and the Russian Stassov rest there next to the great 18th-century Russian scholar Lomonossov.

Our Lady of Tikhvin Cemetery (Tikhvinskoye): dating from 1823, also known as the "artists' cemetery", it ensures the eternal rest of Dostoyevsky, Karamzin, Zhukovsky, the composers Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky, Borodin or Glinka, and the French choreographer Marius Petitpas.

Finally, the Lavra remains a centre for the spread of Orthodox faith and theology, since it houses behind its walls the Spiritual Academy, the Patriarchate's higher education establishment.

If there's one place that sums up the beauty of Olkhon Island, it's here. You will marvel at the view of Lake Baikal from the top of the sharp cliffs. In summer it is a refuge for butterflies. In the sea you may see seals playing leapfrog. At the end of the peak, a shamanistic totem pole is erected like a lighthouse. Don't forget to leave an offering there otherwise the revenge of the shamanic gods can be terrible: breakdown, flat tire... And given the state of the road, a 4x4 is indispensable.

This small pink house that exudes romanticism was the home of the great novelist, playwright and doctor Anton Chekhov (1860-1904). At the time, he only published short stories. It was here that he wrote his novel The Steppe. The consulting room and his bedroom are on display: autograph manuscripts, books, portraits and personal objects. The museum is part of the chain of 7 state literary museums and they share the same price and the same opening hours! It is possible to ask for a guided tour in French.

The first square built on the edge of the Hermitage in 1700, it has been the preferred venue for parades and events of all kinds since that time. The staff building opposite the palace is a masterpiece by Rossi built between 1819 and 1829. The triumphal arch, with its chariot of Glory celebrating the victory over Napoleon's troops, cuts the building in its centre. In the centre, the Alexander Column, erected in 1830, is the largest of its kind in the world.

Opened in 2005, this ethnographic complex located outside the city is built in homage to the explorers of the Yakutia. Surrounded by forests, meadows, mountains and small lakes, this natural site offers reconstructions of ancient wooden houses with a variety of small museums, a hotel and a yakoute kitchen restaurant. Also on the complex is a centre for the rearing of huskies, which offers sorties dog dogs in winter, a panoramic terrace offering views over the entire town of Yakutsk and the "Permafrost Kingdom" museum inside a hill where everything is made of ice.

Mount Chersky is a natural panoramic terrace that offers a breathtaking view of the source of the Angara River, the Baikal port and, on a clear day, you can even see the Khamar-Daban mountain range, whose peaks can reach over 2,000 meters in altitude. The mountain is named after the famous explorer of Lake Baikal, geologist Ivan Chersky. It would be a real shame to miss out on this splendid view.

3 km south-west of Krasnoyarsk, on the right bank of the Yenisey River, in the north-western spurs of the Saan Mountains, lies the State Nature Reserve, Stolby, founded in 1925. One of the favourite activities of the people of Krasnoyarsk is walking to the columns, or stone pillars. You can go there with friends or family to relax, snorkel, picnic in the open air, toboggan, and do some selfies. An exceptional creation of nature hidden in the thick taiga, the reserve is 24 km wide and covers an area of 47,200 ha. It runs along the Ienisseï for 34 km. There are 550 species of plants, 85 mammals (including many bears), 150 birds and 22 fish specimens. For millions of years, the winds and rains have sculpted gigantic granito-sienite figures, named after their bizarre shapes, Feathers, Lion's Bow, Devil's Finger, Totem, Great Eagle, Grandfather, Mittens, etc., in this area. The height of these rocks, which form 80 groups, can reach up to 1,000 meters. Stolby, the most picturesque and most visited corner, extends over 1,400 ha to the north of the reserve. It is a Mecca for green enthusiasts and mountaineers. It is home to a completely different kind of fauna, that of bare-handed climbers (stolbists), who come from all over the world, at any time of the day, to compete with the giants! The first Stolbe (first pole), 568 m high, is the most popular. The highest of them is the second Stolbe, 592 m high and 800 m in circumference. At the summits (some of which can be climbed without too much difficulty), an unforgettable view of the taiga opens up, a breathtaking postcard that gives an idea of the immensity and power of the biome (come in autumn, when the larch trees are blazing). Climbing enthusiasts will find in Stolby something to practice their skills. But beware, the practice is reserved for experienced sportsmen and women! The reserve is also home to a handful of scientists, established here all year round.

Stolby includes several hiking routes, more or less difficult, some of them spread over more than a day's walk. Nature lovers will also be able to sleep here: a comfortable but rudimentary hotel (no running water, no Internet) welcomes you all year round, if the temperature does not go above -20°C. It is also possible to camp, either in the open air or in designated areas. There are a few snack bars at the entrance to the park, which are not always open.

This temple was the largest in the city until the inauguration of the "golden hut of the Buddha Sakyamuni". It is located 7 km from the centre, but can be reached by minibus. A little deserted since the construction of the new temple, it is nevertheless very pleasant by its situation in the steppe. It is not uncommon to find it alone, which some Kalmouks enjoy to focus on their prayers and thoughts.

The park offers a spectacular view of the Amur River and a vast promenade. It is one of the city's assets that the municipality has endeavoured to restore very well. From Komsomolskaya Square, a very large staircase leads to the banks of the Amur River, which have also been turned into a promenade, and to Khabarovsk beach, which is very popular in fine weather. The river station can be reached via this promenade. Cruise ships sailing along or across the Amur River leave from here.

This commemorative site extends into a large park near the city centre on a huge esplanade. We come here to a family and this is an opportunity to put in front of a collection of Red Army tanks, vehicles and planes. The soldiers are of course glorified and the monument to the dead is still flowery. At the same time as a renewal of religion is observed, Russians remain very respectful of the sacrifice of the generations of World war II, the so-called patriotic war.

The first mayor of St. Petersburg had his residence in this beautiful house in the baroque petrovian style, whose facade on the University quay overlooks the Great Neva. It was built according to plans by the Italian architect Francesco Fontana, then the German architect Gotfried Schädel, also assisted by illustrious colleagues such as Domenico Trezzini, Carlo Bartolomeo Rastrelli, Jean-Baptiste Leblond and Georg Johann Mattarnovi. Its construction took place between 1710 and 1725. It was the very first stone building and one of the very first palaces in the city.

Peter the Great's Necker. Alexander Menchikov (1673-1729), of more than modest origin (he was a pirojki seller in his youth!), was appointed governor of the city by Peter the Great. He directed the construction of the Peter and Paul Fortress and Kronstadt, and practically ruled Russia during the reign of Catherine I. The Menchikov Palace was erected from 1710 to 1727 on a large estate donated by the founding czar to him, who was also one of his closest advisers. This sumptuous setting will be the setting for the very first receptions and celebrations of the new capital, and will contribute to forging its reputation for luxury and hedonism. With too much ostentation perhaps. So Menchikov did not have much time to enjoy the splendours of his palace, which overshadowed the Summer Palace, the first and too modest imperial residence: nourishing an ambition that would prove to be excessive, his intrigues after the death of his protector would indeed bring him a severe disgrace. From 1730, he had to exchange his luxurious salons for a Siberian exile that was to have nothing golden about it. At the same time, the socialites deserted the noble residence, giving way to the Spartan austerity of the guards, who now owned the premises.

The interior of the museum in Menchikov's apartments, on the first floor, the walls and ceilings are lined with remarkable Dutch earthenware tiles, which were very fashionable at the time. You will also notice the marquetry floors, the personal objects of Menchikov and Peter the Great (navigation tools, costumes, clocks, etc.), and the very refined oriental-style decorations adorning the apartments of Menchikov's wife (Chinese hangings, porcelain, etc.). The furniture and various objects of daily life are exceptional testimonies of the Russian culture of the early 18th century.

This palace, which had many owners before it became the property of the great Yusupov family, brings together all the architectural styles that blew over the city. In their time, its salons brought together members of the imperial family, European crowned heads, poets, philosophers and musicians. This oversized residence, marked by history, is a string of princess' rooms, music and reading rooms, ballrooms and reception rooms, and ceremonial lounges. The Moorish baths and the small private theatre are real jewels. But the interest of this palace is to make you enter the universe of one of the greatest Russian families by giving access to rooms less luxurious, but in which you still feel the presence of their former owners: the prince's bachelor flat, the library, the family dining room... Russian visitors flock to the room where Rasputin was murdered. Don't miss the palace theatre, a real gem! In 2015, a new multifunctional building was opened on the palace site: the Stables Wing, which hosts temporary exhibitions and events of all kinds, and the Palace Park, restored in 2016, as well as the adjoining Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Finally, on the left side of the main palace building, the newlyweds' wing reopened in 2019 after restoration work.

A masterpiece of Russian Baroque, the Cathedral of the Resurrection is the centrepiece of the monastic ensemble of the Virgin and Resurrection (Voskressenski Novodievitchi, commonly known as Smolny because of its proximity to the court of the same name), an ensemble invested by the apparatchiks during the Soviet period. Restored to the Orthodox clergy in 2009, this superb blue, white and gold baroque monument bears in its baroque elegance the signature of Rastrelli, who worked there from 1748 to 1769. The cathedral was erected at the request of the future Empress Elisabeth Petrovna, daughter of Peter the Great, on the site of the palace where she had spent her childhood. Initially prevented from acceding to the throne and sent to a convent, she did not forget her vows after her accession to power in 1741. You can visit one of its four bell towers, from which there is a superb view of St. Petersburg. The Cathedral of the Resurrection houses an exhibition and concert hall, but the Orthodox liturgy has regained its rights there for the main religious ceremonies. The magnificent church is surrounded by monastery buildings which housed Russia's first female educational institution, reserved for the aristocracy. It is hard to imagine that this string of pastel walls also housed the hierarchs of the Communist Party. Yet it was in the monastery's monastery buildings that Lenin set up his staff before moving to Moscow.

If there is only one cathedral to visit, this is it. Of all the monuments of the Orthodox faith in Russia, the Dormition Cathedral is the most majestic, the most beautiful, and also the most inviting to meditation. This church has always been an important sanctuary where princes were crowned and metropolitans were buried, but it was Ivan the Great who undertook to make it a symbol of the power of the nascent Moscow nation by calling on the Italian architect Fioravanti to transform the building. The latter worked on what became the masterpiece of his career. He used the rules of the Italian Renaissance, playing with space and light, which he combined with the Slavic style, which played with colours, wood carvings and shapes. The result is awe-inspiring: the interior of the cathedral, decorated with gold, commands respect, and the shimmering reds and blues that paint it make it seem larger. Today you can also see the throne of Ivan the Terrible, a relic of the past with wood decorated with scenes of everyday life of his time (1550).

The iconostasis of the cathedral dates from 1652 and its famous icon of Our Lady of Vladimir is to the left of the central entrance (a 15th-century copy of the 12th-century Byzantine original is in the Tretyakov Gallery). All in all, take at least an hour to soak up the almost mystical atmosphere of a plunge into the heart of the Russian Orthodox faith and the power of the Tsars.

The entire Russian campaign and the following years of the reconquest of Europe created in Tsar Alexander I a strong religious feeling with messianic overtones that led him to carry out a pharaonic project of a cathedral dedicated to the Holy Saviour to thank heaven for helping him defeat Napoleon. The work was initially planned on Sparrow Hill since 1817 on the site of the French field camp, but it was interrupted when Alexander died. The architect then experienced the reversal of fate of a court life and was condemned to exile in Siberia... compromising the entire project. It was not until 1839 that the new Tsar, Nicholas I, approved a new cathedral plan, this time in its present location on the banks of the Moskva River. Gargantuan, the construction took more than 20 years, the cathedral could be consecrated only in 1860 and became the preferred place of Orthodox worship of the power. Ironically, it served for only 70 years and was blown up under Stalin's orders in 1931 to erect a monument to the glory of communism... a project which, after his death, was converted into a huge Olympic swimming pool. In the mid-1990s, the Moscow City Council decided to rebuild the building. Today, the huge cathedral and seat of the patriarchate represents the renewed Russian faith, but it is not popular among Muscovites, who find it expensive and ugly.

As the space within the historic walls of the Tretyakov Gallery was insufficient, a new gallery bearing the patron's name was opened in the huge Soviet building of the Central House of Artists. The gallery chose to exhibit its most contemporary works among other exhibitors. All the major trends of the 20th and 21st centuries are represented: the avant-garde (neoprivitivism, fauvism, cubism, futurism, etc.), socialist realism and sots-art, the underground, photorealism and conceptualism. You will find world-famous artists such as Vasily Kandinsky, Marc Chagall and Kasimir Malevich, as well as more alternative artists such as Alexander Deineka, Alexander Kosolapov, Dmitri Vrubel, or Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid. The museum's surface is so huge that in the middle of the exhibition there is an art library where you can sit and meditate, as well as read more about the artistic trends represented in the gallery. In the middle of the permanent exhibition there are often temporary exhibitions, invariably dedicated to famous unknowns of Russian painting.

Visit. To better orient yourself in the gallery, use the audio guide in foreign languages (500 RUB) or a guide in French, which can be booked in advance for the price of 8,000 RUB. The combined ticket with the historical building Tretyakov Gallery costs 700 RUB.

This museum brings together one of the largest private collections of the Soviet automobile industry, as well as international brands. It has an ever-expanding collection (today more than 260 pieces): cars, motorcycles, bicycles, tractors, as well as retro accessories. The richness of the collection ranks the place among the best in the world, despite some renovations considered risky. It is therefore a real paradise for children or enthusiasts!

The largest railway museum in Europe and one of the largest museums in the city. A collection of steam, electric locomotives and other rare and legendary railway objects are displayed on 55,000 sqm (more than 5 football stadiums). Opened in 2017, it is one of the latest big additions to the Petersburg cultural landscape. Among its 118 exhibits, many are equipped with multimedia installations that will entertain young and old. Audioguide in English.

Welcome to a paradise for big kids, geeks, gamers andhipsters, but also for those who are passionate about cultural history. This playful museum is an Ali Baba's cave, dedicated to Soviet arcade games created between 1974 and 1991 and for many emulating games created at the time in Japan and the United States. For the founders Alexander and Maxim, it all began with the acquisition for their pleasure of the arcade game Morskoy boy (it can be played for free on the Museum's website). What started out as a hobby became a quest throughout the post-Soviet space: the two friends searched through classified ads, flea markets, garage sales, searching and acquiring vintage relics of these hobbies all over the country. After exhibiting them in their garage and then in a large warehouse in the city, their success led them to move to the centre of the capital in June 2015 and set up a branch in Saint Petersburg. Today in Moscow, some 50 different games and 70 pieces are collected and made available to visitors-players, the idea being that the visitor is transformed into a player and moves from one machine to another as if in a large game room. The idea is that the visitor is transformed into a player and moves from one machine to another as if in a large game room. To recover from his emotions, one can quench one's thirst at the old dispensers of sparkling water, kvas and lemonade. There are also some great posters in the bar-shop that your friends will be jealous of, delicious homemade milkshakes and lollipops in the shape of Star Wars characters.

This Art Center is part of the set of alternative places called "Pushkinskaya 10". This giant squat opened its doors in 1989. Invested by the artists of the city while the USSR was counting its days, it was first registered as an NGO, free culture, which still exists. Workshops, photo exhibitions, multimedia... The program is always very busy, but the occupants have managed to find a balance between creative work and opening to the public. Let's be frank: this place is unique. Comparing it to a Parisian artistic squat would only give an approximate picture. It's a veritable hotbed of culture and life. A sharp electro record store has been set up there as well as a bookstore and a café.

Museum of the Beatles of Kolya Vasin. Another good reason to come to Pushkinskaya-10 is in the 1st courtyard, renamed John Lennon Street, Abbey Road and Temple of Love, Peace and Music. All of them were created by the most famous Beatles fan of all Russia, Kolya Vasin. It all began when Kolya sent a letter to John Lennon on his birthday in the 1970s. A few months later he received an unexpected reply in his mailbox: a vinyl signed and sent by John Lennon himself. This was the first stone in the building of the Temple of Love, Peace and Music, which brings together an impressive collection of objects of all kinds related to the Liverpool Quartet, carefully assembled over 60 years. After Nikolai's departure from this world to join his friends John and George, Vasin's heirs decided to open the collection to the general public. A moving story of great passion and love.

The Boulevard ring does not have parks as such, but rather wide landscaped green spaces that would definitely make the small Parisian parks pale in envy. The section at the Chistye Prudy metro station is particularly popular for Muscovite strolls, especially in spring and autumn when the trees are in bloom or undressing. The recommended route is to follow the "park" south towards the Moskva River until you reach the clean (or clear) pond that gives the district its name.

This museum suffers from the comparison with the Hermitage in St. Petersburg: like the latter, it is a museum of fine arts whose purpose is mainly academic, but unlike it, it did not inherit the imperial collections. That is why one of its three establishments, its historic building, exhibits mainly copies of works from antiquity and the Middle Ages. If you've already been to the Louvre, go directly to the other two museum buildings.

Inscribed on the UNESCO list of cultural heritage, the Kremlin is the jewel of Kazan. Built on a hill overlooking the Kazanka River, it was built to defend the Bulgarian state of Volga. It is at ^{XIIe siècle} that the first stone walls were built, before being destroyed 50 years later by the assault of the Golden Horde. When Ivan the Terrible took Kazan in 1552, the Kremlin underwent a complete metamorphosis, abandoning its oriental face with its mosques and minarets for a typically Russian architecture with its procession of cathedrals and domes. The last works were undertaken on the occasion of millénaire : the Church of the Annunciation was restored and a mosque was rebuilt. Today, it is the symbol of the model success story of Tatarstan, which has preserved its identity while integrating perfectly into the Russian Federation, even though the beginnings were chaotic (or at least, this is the official discourse).

The red brick tower of Suyumbike is among the most symbolically charged buildings of the place. With its 58 m, and its 7 floors, it is the highest tower in the Kremlin, but also the most emblematic. Legend has it that Ivan IV sent its emissaries to the Tatar Princess Syuyumbike to offer her the opportunity to become Tsarina of Moscow. She refused because of Moscow's numerous military raids on Kazan. Then, when the troops laid siege to the city, Syuyumbike accepted the marriage, provided that the Tsar was able to build a seven-storey tower higher than all the minarets in Kazan in seven days. The prince rose to the challenge and had the 58-meter high tower built. In the middle of the wedding feast, the bride expressed the desire to see her city one last time before leaving for Moscou : she climbed to the top of the tower and threw herself into the void. Less well known than the Tower of Pisa, the Syuyumbike tower is also 1.8 m high.

When Russia conquered Kazan at ^{XVIe siècle}, many mosques, including that of the Kremlin, were razed to the ground. The Qol Sharif Mosque, rebuilt in 2005, tried to follow the plan of the original mosque by erecting many minarets. Tulips, a motif inherited from Bulgarian traditions, symbolize rebirth and prosperity. This mosque is not strictly speaking reserved for worship. It is above all a research centre and a centre culturel : it houses a museum of the Islamic Culture of the Volga, a library and a museum of ancient manuscripts.

During the summer months, the countless water jets of the Peterhof fountains, which operate without a pump and only with the speed gained from the slope, are in operation all day long. The water symphony is accompanied on the opening day of the season by classical music concerts, ballets, fireworks... The illuminated fountains offer a truly magical spectacle. St. Petersburg tourist agencies organize guided tours of Peterhof on the first Sundays in June and October (beginning and end of the season). If you are lucky enough to be able to join them, you will have unforgettable memories. Peterhof is so densely populated that we advise you to visit it with a guide to get the most out of it, and to spend at least half a full day there!

The Great Waterfall is a fabulous ensemble of tiered fountains and marble and bronze statues, designed by Peter the Great himself. The  vasque of the Grande Cascade bears in its center the sculpted group of Samson tearing the lion's mouth

, a work symbolizing Poltava's victory. La colonne of water gushing from the lion's mouth reaches a height of about twenty metres. Surrounding the basin, statues of maritime deities celebrate the access Peter the Great has gained to the Baltic Sea. La  Grande Cascade is linked to the Gulf of Finland by the Maritime Canal. On its shores, a truly magical spectacle is offered by the water games in the double alley of the Fountains.

The Palais de Marly, designed by the architect Braustein (1723 par), hides behind its apparent modesty rich decorations with an abundance of bronzes, lacquers and crystals. Ce palais miniature one-storey high is a unique building from the petrovian era, and one of the rare examples of early Petersburg country houses. Vous y will see collections of paintings as well as personal objects of the greatest of the czars, whose statue, by the sculptor Antokolski (1883), adorns Marly's driveway. To the south of the Grand Palais are the formal gardens of the Verkhni Park, designed according to the plans of^Pierre Ier, whose large central pond is adorned with a beautiful bronze Neptune from^{XVIIe siècle}

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Superior Park.

Free entrance. Stretching between Prospekt St. Peterburgski and the Peterhof Palace, il est bounded on the west by Razvodnaya Street and on the east by Pravlenskaya Street. From a surface of 15 ha, il a was created in 1724. Between 1733 et 1739 fountains, statues and pergolas were installed there. The Chessboard cascade gathers statues and fountains staggered on three terraces paved with black and white marble checkerboard. The complex is flanked by two imposing fountains - Rimskié Fontani - of Roman influence. The Fountain of the Pyramid consists of a pyramidal assembly of 500 tubes from which jets of water gush forth.

The Fountain of the Sun

is a rectangular basin with, in the centre, sixteen dolphins in gilded bronze from which as many jets of water gush forth.

Finally, some fountains equipped with ingenious joking mechanisms, unexpectedly water the unwary who comes too close près  !

Pavillon de Montplaisir. Designed by Pierre le Grand and located on the edge of the gulf, it consists of a central body flanked by lateral galleries. The Palais de Monplaisir exhibits collections of paintings gathered by^Pierre Ier during his travels in France and Holland.

The Summer "palace" appears very modest in size and volume in comparison with the gigantic silhouette of the Winter palace located just a few meters away. The building, designed by the Swiss-Italian architect Domenico Trezzini, is well worth a visit, especially for its pleasant garden bordered by the Neva River and three canals. With the Fontanka, the left branch of the Neva River, running along its main façade, this palace was built on the instructions of Peter the Great in 1710 and can be considered a remnant of what St Petersburg was before it became the capital. He was facing the Maisonnette de Pierre, where Pierre lived the rest of the year to monitor the progress of the work on the Pierre and Paul Fortress.

At the end of the 18th century, the garden became very fashionable. A certain Svinine wrote at the beginning of the 19th century: "Before ten o'clock, there are only sick people walking around there to follow the advice of their doctors. Between ten and twelve o'clock, the velvety lawns of the garden are filled with groups of children supervised by pretty nannies or governesses. At two o'clock in the afternoon, the scene changes: it's time for the St. Petersburg Beauty Walk. "Every year, a kind of "beauty contest" is organized in the Summer Garden for the daughters of rich merchants: young girls, accompanied by their mothers, stand along the alleys, while the young merchants, while walking, choose a bride. These festivities no longer take place today, but the garden remains a favourite walking spot for the St. Petersburgers, in this city surrounded by water and stingy with green spaces.

If you take the central alley you will soon see Italian statues. A veritable open-air museum of sculpture, the Summer Garden now boasts some 92 statues. The alleys are surprisingly quiet in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the centre. The appearance of these statues gives the Summer Garden the surrealist side of a miniature of Versailles. Be careful, however, in the middle of winter, the statues are protected from frost in small wooden cabins or kept warm. The garden then loses much of its interest.

The palace, at the far end of the garden, attests to the simple tastes of the Tsar and his attraction to the Dutch style. In particular, some of the personal effects of Peter I and Catherine I are on display

Severely damaged during the Second World War, but superbly renovated, the Great Catherine Palace is the baroque jewel of the architect Rastrelli. It offers visitors the suite of stately rooms and private apartments, which have been perfectly restored. A Baroque staircase leads to the exhibition rooms on the first floor, dedicated to the history of the palace. Overlooking the main courtyard and the gardens, the Great Ballroom dazzles with a variety of rococo ornamental details, gilded wood carvings, inlaid parquet flooring and the Triumph of Russia on the ceiling. The reception lounges offer an abundance of Baroque mirrors, overmantels and gilded woodwork. The dining rooms are decorated with paintings with mythological themes.

The ceiling of the Portrait Room features a painting of Olympus by Tiepolo. Among the many portraits, you will notice those of the Empress Catherine I and Elizabeth; the former is the origin of the palace, the latter brought her magnificence to it.

Decorated by Rastrelli, the Painting Room brings together works from the 17th and 18th centuries, mainly from the Dutch, Flemish and Italian schools. The blue salon, with its Pompeian ceiling, crystal torches, carved armchairs, and walls decorated with portraits of Peter the Great and Catherine I, was the favourite room of the Great Catherine. Next came the private apartments of Empress Maria Fyodorovna, where blue and pastel green tones dominated.

The Blue Chinese salon, stretched with Chinese silk, has a marquetry parquet flooring that combines rare woods such as ebony, rosewood, sandalwood... The palace chapel, finally, is one of the most beautiful baroque flights of Rastrelli. Covering the walls of the narthex, the gilded tapestry with bird motifs was made in the 18th century by Russian serfs weavers.

Designed for Catherine II, the Ionic Gallery, located to the south-east, on the garden side, connects the empress's apartments, designed by the same architect in the antique style and decorated with jasper and agate.

The famous Amber Room is a 100 m² room, decorated with amber panels of all shades. A marvel, even if it is in fact only a reconstitution of the work offered in 1716 by Frederick I of Prussia to Peter the Great. The original panels were stolen by the Nazis during the Second World War and could never be recovered.

Contemporary of the one in Smolny, to which it resembles a twin sister, the cathedral of Saint Nicholas of the Epiphany is dedicated to the patron saint of sailors. A fine tribute to him by this bright blue façade, criss-crossed by the white foam of the bas-reliefs and colonnades that give the building its baroque exuberance! Built between 1753 and 1762 by the architect Savva Tchevakinski, a pupil of Bartolomeo Rastrelli and builder of the Imperial Russian Navy. The maritime vocation of this sanctuary, so intimately linked to St Petersburg, perhaps explains why the cult was celebrated there without interruption, sparing it the anticlerical rigours of Soviet power. The cathedral, with its five golden domes, is one of the most beautiful specimens of Russian Baroque. With its elegant façade preceded by a three-storey blue campanile, also topped with gold, at the crossing of the Griboedov and Kriukov canals in the former maritime business district, St. Nicholas' Cathedral is currently the largest working church in St. Petersburg, and the saints depicted on its beautiful icons attract many worshippers. Built in the Greco-Byzantine style in the 17th century, the icon of St. Nicholas the Miraculous, displayed in the crypt, is the most precious relic of this particularly elegant religious complex, where the people of St. Petersburg used to celebrate their weddings.

Well, okay, there's a discouraging line outside the Armory Palace housing the funds. But it is the Imperial collection of gemstones you are about to contemplate. The private collection of the imperial family includes the Orlov diamond (189.62 carats) cut in approximately 180 facets, the Shah diamond (88.7 carats) and the world's largest cut sapphire (258.8 carats), not to mention a 36 kg gold ingot called the Great Triangle.

Located opposite the Hermitage on the other side of the Neva. One of the most beautiful views of the city! Discover two rostrales columns of red colour, symbolizing the glory of the Russian navy, and statues representing the four Russian rivers: La, Neva, Volga and Dnieper. The columns, conçes by Thomas de Thomon to serve as a lighthouse for vessels entering the port and haites of 32 metres, are decorated with proues of metal vessels (called "rostra" in the Romans).

The Savior's Tower (Spasskaya), the highest tower in the compound and directly overlooking Red Square, is the main tower of the Kremlin. It enjoys a sacred aura and the rule imposed to uncover the head to be able to cross this entrance of apparat used by the tsars and the dignitaries. During the 70 years of communism, the tower's carillon played the Internationale and the Funeral March twice a day. Today, the tower is famous for its clock: the gag is to ask the time on the Red Square when you just have to raise your head.

A local substitute for the Bridge of Sighs in Venice, the Hermitage Bridge, built in 1766 on the Winter Canal, is one of the most romantic: this elegant arch leading to the Hermitage Theatre is linked to the heroine of Pushkin's Lady of Spades. This is where Lisa, spurned by her lover, threw herself into the water. The bridge is one of the sets in Tchaikovsky's opera inspired by Pushkin's work. A succession of quays border the Neva, along the entire length of its St. Petersburg course.

These two sphinxes of Thebes, 3,500 years old, no longer contemplate the Nile but the Neva. Studied by Champollion and acquired by the Tsar in 1830, they now watch over the Academy of Fine Arts. For the anecdote, they had to decorate the banks of the Seine because Charles X had acquired them a few weeks before being deposed during the revolution of July 1830. So it was Nicolas I who pulled the chestnuts out of the fire and took advantage of the political unrest to buy the two chimeras from France.

The Tsar of Bells, located next to the tower of Ivan the Great, is a bronze master bell and also happens to be the largest bell in the world. It was cast for two years between 1733 and 1735 and weighs 202 tons, is 6.14 m high and has a diameter of 6.60 m! It was then installed in honour of Tsarina Anne Ioannovna, who could not help but appreciate such a unique honour. During the fire of 1737, a piece weighing 11.5 t broke off and fell at the foot of the gigantic bell, which remains in a similar state today.

Opened in 1808, the Palace of Armor includes not only a military collection, but also all the treasures accumulated by tsars from the 12th century until the revolution of 1917. Among them are the famous Vladmir Monomaque's hat worn by the Tsars, the wedding dress of Empress Catherine II and rare (and fabulous) examples of Fabergé Eggs. The rest of the collection includes gifts from foreign ambassadors, icons, jewelry and even furniture.

The St Petersburg Mosque, which has stood unashamedly since 1720 on the edge of the vast park of the Peter and Paul Fortress, bears witness to a certain tradition of religious tolerance in Russia. Its reconstruction in 1910 was financed by the Muslims of Russia with the support of Stolypin and the Emir of Bukhara. It was then the largest mosque in Europe, in the capital of an empire where Muslims represent a large part of the population. Its dome, designed by the architect Nicolas Vassiliev, reproduces the dome of Gour-Emir's mausoleum in Samarkand (Uzbekistan). Skilled workers from all over Central Asia took part in the project. With a capacity of up to 5,000 worshippers, the mosque hall, decorated in oriental style with a profusion of prayer carpets from the Central Asian republics or Azerbaijan, seems a little too large today for the limited attendance of Tatars and other nationals of the Muslim republics of the former USSR, who are less numerous in St. Petersburg than in Moscow.

Access for visits is not possible during the prayers and they are usually done with a guide accredited by the mosque (in Russian or Central Asian languages). However, do not hesitate to make a detour on your way to the Museum of Political History, the Pierre-et-Paul fortress or the Aurore cruiser nearby, the architecture of the place of worship is very appreciable even from the outside.

The museum has been fully restored for the centenary of the poet's birth. Moscow and St. Petersburg are snatching up the legacy of the great Pushkin. Although the present Russian capital was his birthplace, St. Petersburg, to which his work is intimately linked, did not really bring him luck: it was in this mansion on the quay of the Moika Canal that the great Russian writer spent the last four months of his life, from September 1836 onwards. An existence tragically interrupted by a duel with G. d'Anthès, who was assiduously courting his wife. In spite of this short stay, the museum housed in this building is rich in many souvenirs related to Pushkin, but also to the great names of Russian history: the former residence was indeed inhabited by Biron, a favourite of Empress Anne Ioannovna in the 18th century.

Pushkin, a true god living in Russia, where he is both the best writer and a kind of founding father of the nation, still moves the crowds who religiously crowd into this apartment museum. Another sign of the fervour, already evident during his lifetime, is the note from his doctor on the door of the staircase informing his admirers of his state of health. The museum is more interesting with a guide, who passionately narrates the last days of Aleksandr Sergeyevich's life: the insulting letter received from d'Anthes, the fateful duel on a January morning, the agony on the bedroom couch.

The entrance hall, dining room, living room, bedroom, study and children's room have been reconstructed with a remarkable concern for authenticity from the furniture and possessions that belonged to the Pushkin family. A few objects dear to the poet were preserved: portraits of his four children and a few friends, a copy of Charles Perrault's tales, his cane, his pipes, his pen... Riddled with debts, the poet was unaware of the luxury, if not that of a library with 3,000 books. You will stop with emotion in front of the desk where he wrote his last works, as attested by some of his manuscripts exhibited in the room, in front of the sofa where he breathed his last and in front of his death mask, kept in the museum next to a medallion containing a curl of his hair collected by Turgenev. Every year, on January 29, the museum pays tribute to the writer by organizing the "Pushkin Day".

The Annunciation Cathedral is one of the finest examples of Russian religious architecture, influenced by the Italian Renaissance. It served as the family church of the tsars, hence its more intimate character. The iconostasis is said to have been decorated by two of the greatest Slavic icon painters: Theophanes the Greek and Andrei Rublev. The door of the southern facade was added by Ivan the Terrible who, excommunicated, could only attend services behind this gate.

You may have seen a few statues of Lenin when you first came to Moscow? Well, you will have the opportunity to see that the man is smaller in life size. Especially since the famous intellectual, revolutionary and leader, already not tall in his lifetime (1.65 m), was shrunk during his mummification. The result is therefore not so impressive and it is often a vague impression of disappointment that we feel at the end of this agonizing journey constituting the visit of the mausoleum. Still, we recommend this pilgrimage, although it has not been de rigueur since the late 1980s, as it is captivating to have access to this piece of world history, preserved after a century of morbid fascination.

The mausoleum itself has a history : it dates back to 1929 and was built after nearly 500,000 Soviet citizens rushed to pay their respects to the remains of the (not-so-)great man, a week after his exposure to the general public in a temporary structure had begun. Lenin had to share his spot for eight years with an even smaller (1.62m) man, Stalin, before he was removed during de-Stalinization and relocated to the Kremlin walls. Since then, Lenin has been alone again as nostalgic, fanatical and mocking people pass by. Today, there is more and more talk about the possibility of paying him a last trip to St. Petersburg in the family vault: a solution that is requested by many, but never voted.

This museum (ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ ИСТОРИЧЕСКИЙ МУЗЕЙ) houses a rich collection of objects and documents from the history of the peoples of Russia from prehistoric times to the 20th century: there are coins, medals, jewellery, pagan idols and Christian crosses, manuscripts, works of art. Among the most interesting objects are the clothes of Ivan the Terrible, a coach of Peter the Great, a portrait of Emelian Pugachev, the leader of the peasant war of the 18th century, a sword and Napoleon's rolling kitchen.