1. Palace Square – a unique architectural ensemble crowned by the Winter Palace, a lavish Baroque masterpiece. At the center of the vast square stands the Alexander Column.

2. Nevsky Prospekt, St Petersburg’s main street, is one of the city’s favorite promenades. Nearly every one of the 240 buildings lining the avenue has its own story and distinctive charm.

3. Peter and Paul Fortress is where the whole city began. The complex on Hare Island includes Peter and Paul Cathedral, bastions and curtain walls, the burial vault, the crownwork, and a number of other historic buildings.

4. The Hermitage occupies five buildings along the Neva embankment, including the famous Winter Palace. The country’s largest museum holds around three million works of art spanning the Stone Age to the present day.

5. Kazan Cathedral (the Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God) – a majestic Empire-style church and a monument to Russian military glory. Trophies from the Patriotic War of 1812 are kept here, and Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov is buried inside.

6. Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood was built in 1907 on the site where Emperor Alexander II was fatally wounded. The entire interior, from the dome to the base, is covered in magnificent mosaics.

7. The Bronze Horseman, standing on Senate Square, is one of St Petersburg’s most recognizable symbols. The proud silhouette of Peter the Great looks equally striking by day and by night.

8. The Spit of Vasilyevsky Island is famous for its Rostral Columns and the monumental Stock Exchange building. The city panorama from here is unforgettable!

9. Peterhof lies on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, 30 km from the city. Its grand ensemble includes several palaces and nine parks, but it is above all famed for its dazzlingly beautiful and inventive fountains.

10. Tsarskoye Selo. Travelers come to this palace-and-park ensemble in the town of Pushkin to see the sumptuous Catherine Palace, the famous Amber Room, and the modest room where Alexander Pushkin once lived.