St. Petersburg

Climb the 250 steps to the colonnade surrounding the gilt dome for 360-degree views of the city. — Travel + Leisure

The Winter Palace would be a museum itself even if it didn't hold the Hermitage Museum, one of the world's largest and most valuable collections of fine art. — Frommer's

This museum should be on every visitor's itinerary, even those who know or care little about Russian art, despite its hefty admission fee. — Frommer's

The Church of Our Saviour on Spilled Blood thrusts skyward its polychrome cabled onion domes on the very spot where Tsar Alexander II, to whom it is dedicated, was assassinated in 1881. — Michelin Guide

Other exhibits include an extremely odd – and controversial – statue of Peter the Great, a working mint and the cells where Tsarist-era revolutionaries were held. — The Telegraph

The word lavra in Russian is reserved for a monastery of the highest order, of which there are just four in all of Russia and Ukraine. — Fodor's

Viewing anything in this theater makes you feel regal, even if the performance is limp and you're in sneakers. — Frommer's

The cathedral was named after the icon of Our Lady of Kazan, whose intriguing tale is the first item in church brochures. — Frommer's

The lush greenery (at least for a few months of the year) almost makes you forget that these gardens were entirely planned, designed for Peter's pleasure walks. — Frommer's

The Winter Palace, seat of the Hermitage Museum since the October Revolution, is very impressive with its long pistachio green facade dotted with 400 immaculate white columns. — Michelin Guide

Houses the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography but still includes a room with Peter's original collection, a truly bizarre assortment. — Fodor's

This bit of land...affords a dazzling view of the Winter Palace and the Peter and Paul Fortress, and reveals the city's triumphant rise from a watery outpost to an elegant metropolis. — Fodor's

St. Petersburg's most famous street, the Russian Champs-Élysées, was laid out in 1710, beginning and ending at different bends of the Neva River and just short of 5 km (3 miles) long. — Fodor's

You will learn about the techniques for making this 40° plus grain alcohol, the history of its consumption, its thousands of brands, and there's even a reconstructed tavern. — Michelin Guide

The Dostoevsky Literary Memorial Museum, in the heart of the quarter that so inspired him, is a must for connoisseurs of the master. — Michelin Guide

The General Staff Building occupies the entire southern side of the square, its curved façade stretching out for 580m. — Michelin Guide

This curious collection of artifacts brought back from polar expeditions is not for everyone, but if you're fascinated by snow, northern cultures, or geology, stop in. — Frommer's

One of the world's most magnificent plazas is a stunning ensemble of buildings and open space, a combination of several seemingly incongruous architectural styles in perfect harmony. — Fodor's

This ostentatiously lavish home is on a par with its illustrious owner, Menshikov, a friend of the tsar, top army general and first governor of St. Petersburg, who received foreign ambassadors here. — Michelin Guide

The column was cut from a single piece of granite and, together with its pedestal, weighs more than 650 tons. — Fodor's