The main thoroughfare of St. Petersburg, Nevsky Avenue is also a have-to-visit for all tourists. A walk on Nevsky Avenue may be as interesting as a ride in a pleasure boat on the canals of Petersburg.
It is quite possible to go all along Nevsky Avenue from Moscow railway station to the Palace Square (4 km), but it would be tiring, and besides, interesting sights are closer to the Gostinyi Dvor. So, it will be easier to begin your walk on Nevsky Avenue from the Gostinyi Dvor metro station.
At first, you should come back to Moscow railway station to see the Catherine Public Garden. It was there that a beautiful monument of Catherine II was set up in 1873. The empress is on a high pedestal with the figures of her favorites and great people of that period at her feet. For decades the Catherine Public Garden on Nevsky Avenue or, as it is often called the Kate`s Garden, has been a hangout of gays in Petersburg.
Behind the monument of the empress Catherine II is the building of the Alexander Drama Theatre and beyond it – the famous Rossi Street. This street was planned in accordance with antique canons: the width of the street is 22 meter, the height of houses on both sides of the street – also 22 meter, and the length of the street is 220 meter. There are 5 houses on each side of the street, but they are connected by a single façade so they look like a single building of 220 meters long.
If you go on Nevsky Avenue as far as the Fontanka, you can see the famous Anichkov Bridge. On 4 corners of the bridge there were set up the monument of ar sculptor Clodt «Horse Tamers». The first sculptures were fancied by the king of Prussia and the emperor Nicholas gave them to him. Clodt made new sculptures, but in 1846 they were again given away, this time to the king of Naples, and now you can see them at the Palace of Caserta in Naples. Today horse tamers were made by Clodt in 1850.
The most interesting section of Nevsky Avenue begins at the Griboyedov Canal. On the side of the Neva you can see the magnificent Savior on the Blood Church, and on the other side - the main church of St. Petersburg - the Kazan Cathedral. Having a walk around the cathedral you should go to the Bank Bridge on the Griboyedov Canal. It is one of the most romantic places in the city.
On Nevsky Avenue, closer to the Palace Square, there are several churches of different confessions. On the left at the river Moika you can enjoy the view of the beautiful Stroganov Palace, and on the right – you can already see the building of the General Staff. Beyond the Moika you should turn right to the Arch of the General Staff, through which you can go to the Palace Square.
