Nevsky Prospekt
Nevsky Prospekt is St. Petersburg's main avenue and one of the best-known streets in Russia. Cutting through the historical center of the city, it runs from the Admiralty to the Moscow Railway Station and then, after a slight kink, to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery. In the very first days of St. Petersburg it was simply the beginning of the road to the ancient city of Novgorod, but it quickly became adorned with beautiful buildings, squares and bridges and became the very center of the bustling, rapidly growing city.
Nevsky gradually widens as you travel along its length towards the river and is lined with some of St. Petersburg's most impressive buildings; note Kazan Cathedral on one side and the Dom Knigi book store (the former Singer sewing machine company headquarters) on the other and the wonderful view down Kanal Griboedova to the picturesque Russian-style Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood.
In addition to the many different denomination churches that line Nevsky, which prompted the French writer Alexander Dumas to call it "the street of religious tolerance", there are numerous other attractions. Just a stone's throw from Nevsky, next door to the Grand Hotel Europe, stand Arts Square and the Russian Museum. Further down the road, you'll find the largest department store in the city - "Gostiny Dvor", the Russian National Library (the second largest branch in the country), an impressive monument to Catherine the Great and the Anichkov Bridge, adorned with 4 striking equestrian statues.
Nevsky Prospekt is also the city's central shopping street and the hub of the city's entertainment and nightlife.
