If you are anywhere near Nevsky Prospekt, then chances are that you will visit Rubinstein Street. It is a hotspot for small bars, cafes, boutique shops and restaurants – over the last couple of years it has transformed itself into the unofficial centre of the city’s nightlife. Just walk along the street any weekend evening, or early morning, if you don’t believe me. It’s where the stylish and hip come to hang out, see and be seen. Whether that’s in an upscale restaurant or craft beer bar – there’s something to suit most appetites.

St Petersburg is a city that worships its writers. About halfway along the street you will encounter the large, imposing statue of Sergei Dovlatov – a giant of Soviet journalism literature. He lived on the street, which takes its name from the founder of the St Petersburg Conservatory Anton Rubinstein who once lived here, until his exile to the US in 1976. Dovlatov was a rebel, sometimes referred to as the Soviet Hemingway, and it is perhaps this spirit, and that of other city rebels, that lives on in the street to this very day.