Saint Petersburg Travel Guide

Decembrists' Square (formerly Senate Square) is one of St. Petersburg's most important historic squares. With the Bronze Horseman (Peter the Great), St. Isaac's Cathedral and the 1825 Decembrist Uprising history — St. Petersburg's most significant landmark. Renamed 1925 for Decembrist Uprising centenary. Bronze Horseman — St. Petersburg's most famous statue. St. Isaac's Cathedral. 1825 Decembrist Uprising site.

The Catherine Palace lies in the town of Pushkin, south of St Petersburg, and is a masterpiece of Russian Baroque. It was first built in the early eighteenth century as the summer residence of Catherine I and was later greatly rebuilt under Empress Elizabeth, giving it the long blue-and-white facade, over a hundred metres wide, seen today. Inside, the gilded halls are dazzling; the most famous is the Amber Room, decorated with amber panels, gold and mirrors and often called the eighth wonder of the world, where photography is usually not allowed. Around the palace are formal French-style gardens to wander. As a popular sight, queues are long in high season, so check and book tickets and entry times in advance.

Palace Square is St. Petersburg's grandest square. With the Alexander Column, the Hermitage Museum (Winter Palace) and General Staff Building — Russia's former imperial power center. Alexander Column — ~47.5 m; single granite block; commemorates victory over Napoleon. Hermitage Museum / Winter Palace. General Staff Building. Historical events site.

Saviour on the Spilled Blood is St. Petersburg's most colorful church. Built 1883-1907, it features ornate onion domes, 7,500+ m² of mosaic interiors and commemorates Tsar Alexander II's assassination — St. Petersburg's most visually striking landmark. Built 1883-1907 for Alexander II's assassination site. Colorful onion domes. 7,500+ m² of mosaics — world's largest mosaic church. On Griboyedov Canal.