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" Illustration: Lena Corwin     ESSENTIAL ST. PETERSBURG  The country code is 7    Stroll Nevsky Prospekt. The city&amp;#039;s elegant main thoroughfare inspired writers such as realist Nikolai Gogol. But beware of pickpockets. Get a bird&amp;#039;s-eye view. The dome of St. Isaac&amp;#039;s Cathedral (1 Ploshchad Isaakievskaya, 812-315-9732; cathedral.ru) offers the best panorama.   Pay homage to the Romanovs. Murdered in 1918, Nicholas II and his family were interred 80 years later in Peter and Paul Cathedral (Zaichy Ostrov) and named saints soon after. Play czar for a day. Rococo Peterhof, chinoiserie Oranienbaum, and neoclassical Pavlovsk are among the must-see palaces. But don&amp;#039;t miss Konstantinovsky in suburban Strelna: Ruined in World War II, it was restored in 2003 for nearly $300 million (3 Beryozovaya Alleya, 812-438-5360).       WHAT TO SEE    Academy of Fine Arts Museum, 17 Universitetskaya Naberezhnaya, 812-213-6496: Absolutely enormous, with copies of ancient sculptures and intriguing reproductions of local landmarks as originally envisioned. Alexander Pushkin Museum and Memorial Apartment, 12 Naberezhnaya Reki Moika, 812-311-3531; museumpushkin.ru: Literary museums are a Russian obsession\u2014and as anyone will tell you, Pushkin is God.   The Anna Akhmatova Museum at the Fountain House, 53 Liteyny Prospekt, 812-579-7239; akhmatova.spb.ru: The cult poet&amp;#039;s home, a modest communal apartment in a palace.  Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood, 2B Naberezhnaya Kanala Griboedova, 812-315-1636; cathedral.ru: Flamboyant onion domes and shimmering mosaics. Utterly breathtaking.   Memorial Museum of the Leningrad Blockade, 9 Solyanoy Pereulok, 812-279-3021; blokadamus.spb.ru: A solemn and moving remembrance of the 1941 Nazi invasion and the 600,000-plus local deaths that resulted. Museum of Decorative and Applied Arts, 13/15 Solyanoy Pereulok, 812-273-3258: Don&amp;#039;t miss the room filled with antique tile stoves.   The State Hermitage Museum, 34 Naberezhnaya Dvortsovaya, 812-710-9079; hermitage.ru: The ultimate museum\u2014you could spend days here. Yusupov Palace, 94 Naberezhnaya Reki Moika, 812-332-1991; yusupov-palace.ru: Splendor beyond measure in the former home of one of imperial Russia&amp;#039;s wealthiest families\u2014it&amp;#039;s also where Rasputin spent his last hours.       WHERE TO STAY    Casa Leto, 34 Bolshaya Morskaya Ulitsa, 812-600-1096; casaleto.com: Boutique hotel featuring antiques and Molton Brown toiletries.  Grand Hotel Europe, 1/7 Mikhailovskaya Ulitsa, 812-329-6000; grandhoteleurope.com: A history-laden spot in an 1820s building (Tchaikovsky spent his famously disastrous honeymoon here) updated by Orient-Express.    Holiday Club St. Petersburg, 2-4 Birzhevoy Pereulok, 812-335-2205; holidayclubhotels.ru: Finnish-style spa hotel on an island in the Neva.  Hotel Astoria, 39 Bolshaya Morskaya Ulitsa, 812-494-5757; roccofortehotels.com: The deluxe suites look onto St. Isaac&amp;#039;s Cathedral.    Ibis St. Petersburg Moskovsky Vokzal, 54 Ligovsky Prospekt, 812-622-0100; accorhotels.com: Recently opened three-star hotel located opposite the terminal for Moscow-bound trains.  Nas Hotel, 50 11-ya Liniya, 812-323-2231; nashotel.ru: Quirky high-tech good looks are offset by masses of floral motifs. Great service too.   Taleon Imperial Hotel, 59 Naberezhnaya Reki Moika, 812-324-9911; taleonimperialhotel.com: The gawdy grandeur of this 1858 palace might not suit all tastes, but the luxury casino and Finnish, Russian, and Turkish sauna treatments are major draws.       WHERE TO EAT    Backstage, 18/10 Teatralnaya Ploshchad, 812-327-0521; elbagroup.ru: The Mariinsky Theater&amp;#039;s gourmet restaurant\u2014tables can be booked through mariinsky.ru\u2014is a production of celebrated interior designer Andrei Dmitriev and star conductor Valery Gergiev. Bellevue Brasserie, Kempinski Hotel Moika 22, 22 Naberezhnaya Reki Moika, 812-335-9111; kempinski-st-petersburg.com. French fare.   Bellini, 13 Universitetskaya Naberezhnaya, 812-331-1001; elbagroup.ru: Designer Dmitriev&amp;#039;s postmodern riverside take on Baroque ruins. Starters include caviar and carpaccio.  Bukharin, 45 Naberezhnaya Kanala Griboedova, 812-571-2245: The name of this new restaurant and vodka shrine refers not so much to the ill-fated Bolshevik leader as to a Russian word for getting tanked. The rich menu helps stem the damage.   Chainaya Lozhka, 44 Nevsky Prospekt, 812-117-4657: The flagship of a budget cafeteria chain\u2014fortunately in Russia, budget includes caviar. Blini with a dollop of red caviar is about $4.  Il Palazzo, 34 Naberezhnaya Reki Fontanki, 812-595-6338: Romantic Italian meals amid Dmitriev decor.   Probka, 5 Belinskovo, 812-273-4904: Exceptionally well stocked wine bar popular with bureaucrats. Receptoria, 10 Admiralteysky Prospekt, 812-312-7967: French-rustic gourmet store and restaurant.   Seven Sky Bar, 15 Italianskaya Ulitsa, 812-449-9432; sevenskybar.ru. Asian and Italian cuisine with a view of the Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood. Stolle Cafe, 1/6 Konyshenniy Pereulok, 812-312-1862; stolle.ru: Mouthwatering pies, a.k.a. pierogi, based on classic prerevolutionary recipes. The salmon and red-whortleberry versions are divine.   Stroganoff Steak House, 4 Konnogvardeysky Bulvar, 812-314-5514. Beef, pure and simple. Terrassa, 3 Kazanskaya, 812-337-6836; terrassa.ru. Deluxe dim sum.   Vox, 16 Solyanoy Pereulok, 812-273-1469: Luscious risotto with white mushrooms; flawless cappuccino.       WHERE TO SHOP    Ananov, 9/11 Michurinskaya Ulitsa, 812-235-4251; ananov.com: Jeweler Andrei Ananov is billed as the heir to court gem-meister Peter Carl Faberg\u00E9. And his semiprecious flowers and emerald necklaces prove it.  Day&amp;amp;amp;Night, 6 Ulitsa Malaya Posadskaya, 812-234-2300; day-night.ru: Chic clothes by stars such as Alena Akhmadullina and Denis Simachev.   Globe Gallery, 74 Ligovsky Prospekt, 5th fl., 812-334-9836; globegallery.ru: This contemporary art gallery/wine bar also offers fashions by Leonid Alexeev and Anthony Errington.  Imperial Porcelain Factory, 151 Obukhovskoy Oborony Prospekt, 812-326-1744; ipm.ru. Hand-painted-china shrine with great prices.   Marata 10, 10 Marata Ulitsa, 812-712-3777: Antiques and vintage from Venetian mirrors to Soviet memorabilia. John Galliano has shopped here.    "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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