For many San Petersburgo is the only reason they visit or would visit Russia. Historic and extremely beautiful, this Venice of the North, as some call it, undoubtedly retains that tsarist and elegant charm that Moscow does not have.
It rests on the Baltic Sea and has that aristocratic stamp because for two centuries it was the capital of the russian empire. Founded by Peter the Great at the beginning of the XNUMXth century, let's see today what to know in Saint Petersburg to never forget the visit.
San Petersburgo
It is located at the mouth of the Neva River, on the Gulf of Finland, in the Baltic Sea. It is a very populated city, the second behind Moscow. As we said before It was founded by Tsar Peter the Great in 1703 with the idea, due to its location, that it would eventually be a door to the west. For more than two centuries it was the imperial capital, until after the Russian Revolution of 1917 the capital moved to Moscow.
During those unruly years it changed its name to Petrograd and then it was called Leningrad, in honor of Lenin. He had a very bad time in World War II and the fall of the Soviet Union meant, at last, he returned to his original name. Due to the beauty of its buildings and its historical relevance, since 1990, It is a World Heritage Site.
But it is not just a historical city, today Saint Petersburg it is a financial, commercial center, of many of the major Russian industries. Its two huge ports are very important and just as there are cargo ships there is also a constant coming and going of cruise ships.
Saint Petersburg Tourism
With little more than three centuries of existence the city has more than 200 museums And best of all, most of them work in historic buildings. So let's start with some of the best museums to visit.
The most famous is the Hermitage museum, the oldest museum in the world. That's right, you read that right. It is the oldest and undoubtedly one of the best. This inside the elegant Winter Palace of Empress Catherine the Great and has more than 15500 exhibition rooms with works by Monet, Da Vinci, Van Gogh, a Gold Treasure Room, Raphael's Lodges, the Golden Peacock Clock, the Throne Room, a Egyptian collection, other Roman, medial and Renaissance.
The building itself is a work of art, so sometimes you don't really know where to fix your eyes, whether on the paintings and sculptors or on the beauty of the walls, floors and ceilings. The museum ticket office is inside the building so you have to go past the three huge arches that look out onto the Palace Square, cross a courtyard and enter the building from one side of the main entrance.
This is if you did not buy the ticket before, online, which is the most recommended if you do not want to wait in line for a long time. There are a couple of machines self-service. If you go in winter, do not worry about the cold, everything is well heated and there are much less people than in summer.
Our list is followed by Peterhof Palace, built in the likeness of Versailles. The palace is not that big but the gardens are opulent and this is where you will stop for a long time to appreciate the huge waterfall, pear of the palace.
In the center there is a lion that spits water 20 meters high, the terraces with fountains, mosaics and golden statues are spread out and it is all quite spectacular. To get here, since it is not properly said in the city, you have to get on a hydrofoil.
The city has several churches, but it is advisable to start with the Church of Christ the Savior, the most iconic but not so old, barely 100 years old. However, Here Tsar Alexander II was assassinated in 1881. He had started the construction of the temple as a memorial to his father, but today it is a museum, it is no longer a sacred site, very beautiful. Its mosaics and decorations are spectacular.
Another church is the St. Isaac's Cathedral, the largest Orthodox basilica in the world and the fourth largest cathedral in the world. Actually, nowadays it is a museum and there is mass very few days in the year. The best thing about it is that if you get here you will be rewarded with a beautiful view of St. Petersburg. Another good clue of view of the city is provided by the Peter and Paul Fortress.
It marks the founding site of the city and it has a bell tower almost 123 meters high, still the tallest structure in the city. Here many Russian tsars rest and when you visit it you find out that the fortress was also a prison in times of the Russian Revolution.
The views of the Neva river and the walk along the ramparts, for which you pay some extra, they are worth it. One kilometer away, if you like military ships, you can visit the Aurora, a museum ship who played an important role in the Russian Revolution.
Another museum is the Fabergé Museum. It is not a very old museum, it opened in 2013, and it is private. Obviously, it is dedicated to eggs - Fabergé jewel and there are nine imperial Easter eggs on display, as well as another 4 thousand gold and gemstones among jewels, silverware, decorative objects and religious objects. It runs at the Shuvalov Palace, from 10 am to 9 pm, seven days a week.
You can also visit the Catherine Palace, close to the city, a short taxi or bus ride, since is in Pushkin, 25 kilometers. This was the retreat of the Empress and must be visited, be it winter or summer. Have you ever heard of the Amber hall? It was a hall completely covered in amber, 300 different shades, which was lost in the German occupation, but the Russian craftsmen rebuilt it and today, although it is not the original, you can see how beautiful it was.
The facade of the palace is 325 meters long, it is in the Baroque style and it also has extensive and beautiful gardens. In fact, if you have a long wait to buy the ticket, you can take a walk around the gardens first. Later, inside, everything is gold, crystals, fine woods, stucco, handicrafts. There are audio guides that take you through tea rooms, dining rooms, dressing rooms, portrait rooms, ballrooms and much more.
Kronstadt It is on a small island in the middle of the gulf and it is also a World Heritage Site. here is the Naval Cathedral, the historic district and the fortress and everything is quite entertaining for a half day walk. Then there is the Museum of Political History, in the Art-Noveau style, the Moika Palace, where Rasputin was assassinated in 1916, the Mikhailovsky Palace with the State Russian Museum, the House of Soviets with his communist imprint and the Smolny Convent, beautiful where you look at it.
Of course, if it's only about walking and shopping, you have to go yes or yes for the Prospect Nevsky, an elegant avenue of almost five kilometers with shops, palaces, churches and luxury hotels.