Start at the Anichkov Bridge and head west on the north side of the street. Cross Fontanka and go two blocks to Yeliiseev's lavish food hall and delicatessen at #56. Go two blocks more to the nineteenth-century Passazh shopping arcade at #48. Further up the same block is the seventeenth-century Armenian Church. When you come up to Mikhaylovskaya Ulitsa, you can turn right and go to the Russian Museum in the Mikhaylovsky Palace, but since this deals only with Nevsky Prospekt, keep going east.
Cross the street and pass the luxurious Grand Hotel Europe. Next up you'll find a plaza that leads to St. Catherine's Catholic Church and beyond that on this block, the Gostinyy Dvor shopping arcade. Cross Kanal Griboedova by way of the Kazansky Bridge and on the right at #28 you'll see a building with a tower: Dom Knigi--the House of Books, a large bookstore. Go up to the next block and you'll see another plaza which leads to the nineteenth-century Lutheran Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, which was used as a public swimming pool in the Soviet era. Dominating the next block is the Dutch Church building, which now contains shops.
Pass over the Kanal Moyka by means of the Politseysky Bridge and on the corner at #18 is the Literaturnaya Café, which was patronized by Russia's beloved Alexander Pushkin. Continue on two blocks toward the Admiralty Building and cross to the south side of Nevsky right where it runs into Admiralteysky Prospekt.
Turn east, pass the Italian Renaissance Aeroflot & Baron Building, go three blocks, cross Kanal Moyka again and take note of the Stroganov Palace at #17. It's open to the public and has a wax museum and art shows. Dominating the next block is the neo-classical Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan, home to the much-venerated Our Lady of Kazan icon. Desecrated during the Soviet era and turned into the Museum of Atheism, it's now a church again. Go back over Kazansky Bridge, pass the old St. Petersberg Duma building with its fire tower, then past the Doric-columned Portik Rusca on to the Gostinyy Dvor, a huge shopping arcade that takes up the whole block and is directly across the street from the Armenian Church and the Passazh Arcade.
Go up to the corner of the next block and at #37 you'll see the Saltykov-Shchedrin State Public Library, much beloved by Lenin. Even if you can't read Russian, go in to look at the collection of rare books. Next up is Ostrovsky Square, which is dominated by a statue of Catherine the Great (minus her infamous horse). If you go to the back of the square, you'll get to the Alexandrinsky or Pushkin Theatre. Continue going east down Nevsky past the Anichkov Palace at #39. Once home to the Tsarevich, it's now a youth center. Go back across Fontanka and you'll lastly come to the Belosselsky-Belozersky Palace at #41.
