Moscow. Sadovnichesky Island

Many people know the island near the Kremlin's walls – but very few know that it has a name, “Gardener's Island”. It's because this was once the location of the Royal Gardens. These days there are plans to convert the island into a cultural centre. The old Chocolate Factory building is now used for fashion shows and concerts – even though the smell of cocoa and caramel could be sniffed there very recently. On the nearby marshes there's a statue by Mikhail Shemyakin = the only one of its kind in Moscow! The crossing to the island was recently spanned by Patriarch's Bridge, offering an outstanding view across the River Embankment and the Vodootvodny Canal – all serving to frame the huge statue of Peter the Great on Gardener's Island.

Recommended route: Balchug St – Sadovnicheskaya Embankment – Bolotnaya ulitsa – Bolotnaya ploschad – Luzhkov Bridge – Bolotnaya ploschad – Bolshaya Polyanka ulitsa – Maly Kamenny most – Serefimovicha ulitsa – Bersenevskaya Embankment – Peter the Great statue.