St. Petersburg is a city that is opening up gradually, step by step, street by street. And to truly feel its spirit, you should at least once abandon the metro and buses in favor of walking.
In this article, we invite you to go for a walk from the Express Sadovaya Hotel to the Obvodny Canal embankment. This route will allow you not only to enjoy the beauty of the historical center, but also to get acquainted with lesser-known, but no less interesting corners of the city.
After leaving the hotel doors, turn right and move along Sadovaya Street until it intersects with Moskovsky Prospekt. Along the way you will meet Nikolsky and Yusupov Gardens, the Museum of Railway Transport, buildings of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Be sure to check out the Yusupov Garden. In summer, you can hide from the heat here and take a walk by the picturesque pond.
Next, cross the road at the first entrance to the Sadovaya metro station, and you are there!
Sennaya Square is a special place for St. Petersburg. Today it is a busy transport hub, but until the mid-18th century there was a dense, beautiful forest that local residents avoided. Despite the abundance of berries and mushrooms, there were a lot of snakes in this forest and, according to popular legend, a portal to another world. If a random traveler went into the thicket, no one saw him again.
After walking around to your heart’s content, cross Sennaya Square and look for “Bush” and “Tasty – period” on Efimova Street.
Continue straight ahead, without turning anywhere, to the Fontanka River. On your right and left there will be beautiful pre-revolutionary buildings, where today there are modern shops and cafes.
Soon you will see the Gorstkin Bridge - this is your goal, the Obvodny Canal embankment is already very close!
All that remains is to make the last push - cross the bridge and walk along the embankment of the Fontanka River towards the Obukhovskaya hospital. Stop at the corner of the building and turn towards the Vvedensky Canal. At the beginning of the 19th century there was a real canal here, from the Fontanka to Obvodny, which was used for water intake and shipping needs. However, it was later filled in and turned into a street, leaving only the old name.
Cross Zagorodny Avenue and along Vereyskaya Street you get to your destination.
Construction of St. Petersburg's largest canal began at the end of the 18th century, and by the next century the Obvodny became the natural southern border of the city.
The canal was originally created for shipping, but today it has become very shallow, so large ships can no longer pass through it.
You can stroll along the canal, admiring the views of ancient buildings and bridges. You can relax on one of the benches in the Deminsky Garden, where the Obvodny flows into the Neva. Here you can enjoy the peace and quiet that is so lacking in the city center.
Near the embankment there is the Holy Cross Cathedral, the art space “Tkachi” on the site of a former factory, and Planetarium 1.
Important! Travel times are approximate and may vary depending on your walking pace and the number of stops along the way.
Don’t be afraid to deviate from the route, look into interesting courtyards and alleys - this is how you can discover real, non-tourist St. Petersburg.
After exploring the Obvodny Canal embankment area, return to the Express Sadovaya Hotel to gain strength for new adventures.
We wish you a pleasant walk!
