St Petersburg tours
River tours
Many operators run boat tours along the river and canals of St Petersburg, visiting famous sights like the Church on Spilled Blood, but most are in Russian. The best English-language operator is Anglotourismo, which runs several tours daily (May to September) from its jetty on naberezhnaya Reki Fontanki. Other boat tours leave from the Griboedova canal, the Moyka River, the Fontanka River and the channel that runs around Zayachy island.
Tel: +7 921 989 4722.Website: http://www.anglotourismo.com
Walking tours
From April to September, Anglotourismo offers free, daily English-language walking tours of the city, leaving from Diner (27 naberezhnaya Reki Fontanki) at 1030. However, you can see most of the famous sites by strolling along the 5km (3 miles) of Nevsky prospekt, from the Admiralty to Anichkov Bridge, and making small detours along the way.
Tel: +7 921 989 4722.Website: http://www.anglotourismo.com
St Petersburg excursions
Kirovsky Islands
Located north of St Petersburg's city centre, the Kirovsky Islands (Kamenny, Yelagin and Krestovsky) are popular outdoor escapes for city dwellers. Many wealthy St Petersburg residents have fabulous homes here, but ordinary folk come to picnic in the parks, walk along the leafy avenues and boat on the lakes. It's particularly popular during the White Nights of midsummer. Kamenny is across the bridge from the Chyornaya Rechka metro, while Krestovsky and Yelagin are accessible from Krestovsky Ostrov station.
Petergof (Peterhof)
Situated 32km (20 miles) west of St Petersburg, the Grand Palace of Peterhof was constructed by Peter the Great and extensively remodelled by Bartolomeo Rastrelli. This stunning Versailles-style palace is one of the grandest relics from the time of the Tsars and a splendid example of the Russian baroque style. Other palaces are dotted around the 600-hectare (1500-acre) estate, including Monplaisir, Peter's original seaside residence at Peterhof. Trains go from Baltisky vokzal to Novy Peterodvets, from where buses 350, 351, 352, 353, 354 and 356 go to the palace. Closed Mondays.
Tel: +7 812 450 5652.Website: http://peterhofmuseum.ru
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