Must see attractions in St Petersburg

Late 18th-century sculpture purchased by Alexander I and given as a present to his mother Maria Fyodorovna.

A crowdpleaser with the under-12 crowd, the planetarium has shows that explore the wonders of outer space.

On an island in the middle of a large pond, this concert hall is used for various musical performances.

Down on the lake, the Venus Pavilion juts out into the water and has an elaborately painted interior.

Training centre for Russia's future spiritual leaders. It's generally closed to the public.

This cast-iron bridge crossing the Moika River is painted red, hence its name in Russian.

A small gallery inside Vyborg's arts school that has regularly changing exhibitions.

The Hermitage's excursion office is the place to contact to arrange a guided tour.

This red-brick building with bright blue domes is an important Gatchina church.

This is a small museum of local history inside the Vyborg castle complex.

A striking bridge made of Ural marbles that was built in 1774.

An elegant red-brick church built in the 18th century.

A leafy green park full of sports fields.

Catherine the Great built the big, classical Kamennoostrovsky Palace for her son. Today it's a government building that remains closed to the public.

Not to be confused with the Yusupov Palace on the Moyka River, this place is closed to the public and is used mainly for official receptions. It makes a…

The Mariinsky Ballet’s training school, where Pavlova, Nijinsky, Nureyev and others learned their art. It's not open to the public.

The main entrance to the botanical gardens.