Nevsky Prospekt

Nevsky Prospekt is Saint Petersburg's grand main avenue, running about 4.5 kilometres from the Admiralty at its western end to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra monastery at its eastern end, and it has served as the traditional spine of city life since the avenue was laid out in the early 18th century. Along its length, the street passes Kazan Cathedral's curved colonnade, the ornate Art Nouveau facade of the Singer House bookshop, the ornamental Gostiny Dvor department store, and crosses the Griboyedov, Moika and Fontanka canals over bridges that each offer their own view down the waterways. Because the avenue is a functioning street rather than a single attraction, there is no fixed route or entry point; a leisurely walk covering the most historic central stretch, roughly from the Admiralty to Ploshchad Vosstaniya, takes about two to four hours if stops are made at churches, shops and canal bridges along the way. The street is at its liveliest in the late afternoon and evening, when shops, cafes and the avenue's characteristic bustle are in full swing, while mornings offer a calmer, less crowded walk better suited to photographing the facades without heavy pedestrian traffic. Several of the bridges crossing the canals, particularly the Anichkov Bridge over the Fontanka with its bronze horse-taming statues, are worth pausing at for views up and down the water. Because the avenue runs through the historic center, it connects naturally to nearby sights including the Hermitage, Kazan Cathedral and the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, making it as much a route between attractions as a destination itself.