Underground City has brought into reality a popular science fiction scenario. This network of tunnels under the streets of Montreal houses one of the most unusual shopping areas in the world. Still growing over 40 years later, it provides a haven for tourists and locals against the weather extremes common to Montreal, while giving them […]

The Insectarium de Montréal is one of the foremost collections of insects in the world. Possibly the largest in North America, there may be some larger, such as that in New York. But there are none finer. Opened in February 1990 over 400,000 visitors per year come to be amazed at the collections. There are […]

Le Centre des Sciences de Montréal, as it’s formally known, is one of the premier attractions in a city already filled with so many. Located along the length of King Edward Pier in Old Montreal, it’s also one of the newer sights. Chock full of the latest computer and video technology, along with hundreds of […]

Using waterways to move goods, aid industry, or simply for transportation has been done for centuries. But the excellent canals and ports used today didn’t always exist, and sometimes creating them took generations. So it is with the Lachine Canal in Montreal. One area of this complex of islands in Quebec contains a natural feature […]

Nevsky Prospekt may sound like a great title for a spy movie but translated it really just means Neva Avenue. Sounds ordinary, doesn’t it? But, like the Champs Elysées in Paris or Broadway in New York, this road in St. Petersburg is anything but common. One of the oldest roads in a relatively new city […]

Italy is famous for its outdoor fountains and sculpture. Paris, too, has its Arc de Triomphe and dozens more. But St. Petersburg, Russia is no slouch when it comes to monuments. Tourists flock to this ‘Venice of the North’ in part because it has dozens of noteworthy sights for those who love to stroll around […]

First completed in 1865, the Leningrad Zoo has had its ups and downs over the past nearly century and a half. It isn’t equal to the world-class zoos such as those in San Diego and the Bronx. Still, it is a great sight to see in St. Petersburg. In 1873 it was taken over by […]

Erected during the Great Northern War against Sweden, Peter and Paul fortress form the cornerstone for the city of St. Petersburg, Russia. Though built as a bar against its then-enemy, the battles quickly moved north and it was never used to stall invaders. Instead, it evolved into one of the most notorious political prisons under […]

St. Petersburg is sometimes called the ‘Venice of the North’ for all its canals. But canals would be a great inconvenience without bridges to walk across them. Luckily this city of 101 islands has over 500, and many are stunning. The first bridge ever built there was erected in 1703, the year of St. Petersburg’s […]

St. Petersburg lies at the shore of the Gulf of Finland that separates it from that Scandinavian country. A coastal city, it offers a number of cruises both short and long. Whichever choice a visitor makes can hardly be bad, since there are so many fine sights to see on any of them. The River […]