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| TRAVEL IN COMFORT |
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| Address: 27, 12th Line Vasilevskiy Island, St. Petersburg, 199178 |  |
| Nearest metro: Vasileostrovskaya |
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Vasilevskiy Island, the site of the Marco Polo Hotel, was originally envisaged as the center of St. Petersburg by Peter the Great, and there are numerous historic buildings along the island's embankments, including the University, the Anthropological Museum and the Old Stock Exchange. The island has its own life and character, and is a little more laid-back than the downtown, with numerous street cafes and pedestrian precincts. The Marco Polo is still within walking distance of the city's most famous attractions, most of which are situated just across Palace Bridge from the island, including the Winter Palace and St. Isaac's Cathedral.
Vasileostrovskaya Metro Station is a mere five minutes' walk from the Marco Polo, and from there it's one stop to the very center of the downtown. St. Petersburg's mainline stations are all about 30 minutes' drive from the Marco Polo, and the city's two airports can be reached in about 50 minutes by car.
If Peter the Great's original plans for St. Petersburg had been followed, Vasilevskiy Island would be the center of the city. For this reason, many of the original administrative and financial institutions of the city were housed on the island. The embankments on Vasilevskiy Island are covered with historical buildings, monuments and sculptures decorating the granite parapets, such as the sphinxes opposite the Academy of the Arts.
On the famous Strelka, the eastern tip of the island, stands the old Stock Exchange, which now houses the Naval Museum. The Strelka was originally laid out at the beginning of the 19th Century by the French-born architect Thomas de Thomon. Either side of the Stock Exchange stand the two Rostral Columns, former navigational beacons, and nearby stand the Zoological Museum and the turreted building of the Kunstkammer.
The Kunstkammer - the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography - was the first scientific and historical museum in Russia. Peter the Great, the museum's founder, began collecting "curiosities" in his youth - stuffed animals, model ships, machines, tools and astronomical instruments. In 1718, the Tsar ordered the founding of the Kunstkammer to house his collection, and added to it on every overseas journey he made.
The Menshikov Palace was the first stone building in St. Petersburg, and is the only private house from the early 18th century that has survived to this day. Built for Peter's favorite, Alexander Menshikov, who oversaw the building of St. Petersburg, the palace now contains a number of rare art works and other artifacts from the period, drawn from the archives of Hermitage.
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