Walking Nevsky Prospekt: the avenue Peter the Great planned as the road to Moscow

To understand St Petersburg on foot, start with Nevsky Prospekt. It is the main street of the federal city, and its name comes from the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, the monastery at its eastern end that commemorates the medieval Russian prince Saint Alexander Nevsky.

The avenue is as old as the ambitions of the city itself. Following his founding of St Petersburg in 1703, Tsar Peter I planned the course of the street as the beginning of the road to Novgorod and Moscow. That origin explains its scale and its role as a spine connecting the historic centre rather than a mere shopping street.

Its route is easy to follow. Nevsky Prospekt runs from the Admiralty in the west to the Moscow Railway Station, then, after veering slightly southwards at Vosstaniya Square, continues to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Along the way it passes many of the landmarks visitors already have on their lists, including Kazan Cathedral and the approaches to the Russian Museum and the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood.

For residents, the avenue is simply where the city gathers. Cafes, bookshops, department stores and theatres line the street, and prices vary widely, from inexpensive bakeries to formal restaurants. The stretch nearest the Admiralty is the grandest, while the eastern end toward the Lavra is quieter and more residential.

The avenue also functions as an orientation tool. Because so many of the city's landmarks either sit on Nevsky Prospekt or lie a short distance off it, learning the line of the street is the quickest way to build a mental map of central St Petersburg. Cross streets lead down to the canals and embankments, while the metro stations along its length make it easy to shorten the walk when needed.

A slow walk from one end to the other is one of the best free introductions to the city, taking in bridges over the Moika, the Griboyedov Canal and the Fontanka, each of which opens a different view of the historic centre.