The West of Petrogradskaya side is a unique example of harmonious co-existence of the refined architecture of “Northern Art Nouveau” and stark, energetic Soviet modernism.

Its dense and diverse urban tissue includes residential and industrial districts, as well as several remarkable university campuses and research institutes that neighbor calm, green parks and gardens. An attentive eye can see through the built environment and notice traces of all three centuries of urban history – and capture the elusive beauty of this multi-layered urban landscape.
Another important side of this walk is its focus on the history of Russian science and technology, but also of arts and architecture. This district was home to many prominent scientists and engineers, such as Ivan Pavlov, the first Russian Nobel prize in physiology and medicine, Alexander Popov, inventor of the radio, and Henrich Graftio, founder of Russian school of hydroelectric engineering. The most famous names of the artistic scene include Mikhail Matyushin, one of the leaders of Russian Avant-Garde movement, Feodor Shalyapin, a prominent opera singer, and Mikhail Anikushin, the world-famous Soviet sculptor. Erich Mendelsohn’s Powerhouse of Red Flag textile factory.is one of the world’s marvels of Modernist architecture. This journey will combine the aesthetic intensity with a complex and fascinating historical narrative.

Starting at: Chkalovskaya subway station
Finishing at: Petrogradskaya subway station
Duration: 3.5 hours

The largest island of Saint Petersburg, delineated by the grid of former canals transformed into streets, combines the disciplined and orderly ranks of its quarters with carelessness of its student inhabitants – Vasilievsky island is the city’s largest campus with numerous faculties and research facilities of Saint Petersburg University, Academy of Arts, Mining Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences and many more.

From the scenic ensemble of Spit of Vasilievsky Island in the east to the distant waterfront in the west, the whole story of Petersburg’s architecture and urban planning can be traced. Here we can play the favorite game of local inhabitants – finding shortcuts through labyrinth-like courtyards in rectangular quarters, stroll along the splendid embankments and make stops in vibrant contemporary culture centers like Erarta museum or Port Sevkabel creative space in the premises of an old Siemens cable factory. Some of the hidden marvels of Modernist architecture, such as the only industrial building of the world-famous visionary architect Yakov Chernikhov, or an impressive ensemble of the estuary of Smolenka river, will turn up unexpectedly on our way meandering through the districts of different ages of urban history. This itinerary can be done on foot, but it is also perfectly suitable for a biking tour.

Starting at: Spit of Vasilievsky island
Finishing at: Primorskaya subway station
Duration: 3.5 hours

This spacetime journey will take us to the stark, dusty and solemn districts along Obvodny canal that once marked the boundary of the old city and later became its industrial artery.

Our main destination will be half-abandoned Red Triangle factory – once the largest producer of rubber goods in Russian Empire, and nowadays the largest spot of industrial decay in Saint Petersburg. Its enormous complex, haunted by the ghosts of a glorious and tragic past, has a very peculiar life today – and a walk through its dark and dusty ruins can add a lot to one’s understanding of Russia’s past and present. Our walk ends in one of the first districts of Soviet Leningrad that also has a story of its own – story of the troubled years of Russian Revolution and Civil War, high hopes and futuristic visions of the 1920s, and a long fall of Soviet utopia.

Starting at: Frunzenskaya subway station
Finishing at: Narvskaya subway station
Duration: 3 hours

Kronstadt, the main military outpost of Russian Empire in the Baltic sea founded by Peter the Great himself, and the cradle of Russian Navy, has a clearly distinguishable character of a naval town-fortress proud of its history and traditions. Its system of two dozen forts scattered throughout Kotlin island and several smaller islands in the Gulf of Finland makes of it the largest naval fortress in the world.

Yet, Kronstadt is much more than that: over more than 300 years of history, it has also been an important spiritual center, a prosperous, multinational merchant city and a hotspot of technical innovation. Today, the town also profits from its easy connection to the mainland and island’s lush nature (almost 80% of Kotlin’s surface remains covered with vegetation, including 102 hectares of West Kotlin natural park). All these attractions are best explored during an unhurried walking or biking tour. We propose to explore the calm historical center with several major landmarks (such as the Naval Cathedral of Kronstadt and the ensemble of Yakornaya square, an old system of dock basins and local historical museum), some of the forts and the natural part of the island (an optional extension for a day-long tour). If booked in advance, a private boat tour for smaller groups (up to 8 participants) and a seaside picnic can be organized.

Duration: 6 to 10 hours including commuting (depending on the program)
Starting at: Kronstadt city centre
Ending at: Chernaya Rechka subway station

Saint Petersburg is home not only to its 5 million human inhabitants, but also to countless other forms of life: trees, annual plants, birds, amphibians and insects.

These creatures invade spaces either untouched or abandoned by humans, and create peculiar eco-systems on top of concrete, rust and gravel: nature abhors a vacuum. We will search for diversity of life in places that look barren, study different strategies that organisms use to thrive in their “unnatural” environment, and talk about evolution and “ecology” in a broad sense: not only the science of interaction between live organisms, but a way of perceiving at the urban landscape as a complex system where everything is interconnected. On our way across the scenic landscape in the middle of Saint Petersburg’s industrial belt, we’ll have a fresh look on common urban species, but will also encounter very peculiar ones. Among them, a rare Red data book orchid that feels at home on the wetlands contaminated with rust from the nearby railway tracks, and an ancient species of moss that remained unchanged for last 10 million years.
Notice: sturdy shoes and plain, resistant clothes are recommended for this walk.

Starting at: Moskovskie Vorota subway station
Finishing at: Kirovsky Zavod subway station
Duration: 3 hours

This walk is dedicated to exploration of the surroundings of Obukhov Defense prospect – one of the oldest routes of Saint Petersburg and an important axis of its industrial belt.

Although not as pompous and glossy as Nevsky prospect, this proletarian Broadway has a lot of landmarks that rhyme with those on Nevsky: a book market that is even more popular among local citizens than “House of Books” in the Singer House, churches of all three Christian confessions, an Admiralty and even a Hermitage of its own! Moreover, the surroundings of Obukhov Defense prospect have a lot of things that Nevsky doesn’t have – such as calm, green residential complexes of different Soviet epochs, the oldest monument of Lenin in the city, a hidden embankment of the Neva and a vast industrial heritage that bears memories of the revolutionary movement of early XX century. This long (7 km on foot and a 2 km stretch on public transport) walk requires some endurance, but is very rewarding in terms of spectacular views and immersion into a rich and diverse urban landscape.

Starting at: Nevsky Palace of culture (Obukhov Defence prospect, 32)
Finishing at: Proletarskaya subway station
Duration: 4 hours

Of all items used in daily life, mirrors are undoubtedly the most mysterious and magical ones. Their ability to duplicate reality and show us our own image is an infinite source of superstitions, legends and works of art. What if we take these magical items outside and see the invisible parts of “the most abstract and premeditated city on Earth” through the looking glass and a camera lens?

This unique format of urban walks is an exercise in creative photography that aims at revealing contrasts and visual “rhymes” that can coexist within a single frame. Mirrors here serve as a window to another dimension, and with good skills and a bit of luck, these photographic experiments can also yield remarkable portraits and urban scenery.
This format of exploration of the city requires good teamwork, and therefore it can be interesting both for small and large groups that can set different creative tasks, depending on their fantasy and skills. As many participants of this artistic experiment noticed, this simple combination of mirrors and cameras reintroduced them to the most common experience – and at the same time an exquisite art – of seeing the city as an ever-changing but always harmonious caleidoscope of facades, volumes, perspectives and patterns.
This format of photo walk can be used for any of our classical and offbeat itineraries and tailored to your interests. It is advised to have proper devices to obtain good results (at the very least, newer versions of smartphones with enhanced photo/video functions; semi professional or professional cameras are preferable) If necessary, participants can be assisted both by an urban guide and a professional photographer.

Starting/finishing at: depends on the chosen itinerary
Duration: 3-4 hours, depending on the chosen itinerary.