Saint Petersburg, Russia, displays a show of blues, greens, and golds within elegant and fun shapes, among the snow and cold wind. Its diverse architectural styles hint at the history the city has been through. You can imagine the old Russian royal family coming to the Winter Palace looking for entertainment during the long winter months. For as long as your stay lasts, you’ll be looking at the same landscape Catherine the Great once observed.
Saint Petersburg is Russia’s cultural capital and second largest city after Moscow. It also holds Russia’s biggest and most important port on the Baltic Sea. The Historic Centre of St Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments are considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Besides from it multiple museum and theaters, including the worldwide known Hermitage Museum, you can find many international businesses and foreign consulates too.
Activity/Place Highlights
The Winter Palace
The Winter Palace, in particular, is one of the places that have persevered through Saint Petersburg’s history. It is a large regal building, covering about 200 meters along the riverfront. This palace holds different buildings, such as the Hermitage Museum and Theater.
No matter if you stand in front or step inside the Winter Palace, you will perceive an undeniable sense of history. As you look around, you can easily picture the Russian royal family enjoying their luxurious lifestyle.
Saint Petersburg’s Museums
The Hermitage is a destination you can’t miss. This lavish museum stores one of the best and biggest art collections in the world. If you arrive early enough, you could have works by Monet or Picasso all to yourself. To enumerate, the Hermitage displays around 2.8 million art pieces.
However, this is not the only museum you’ll find in the city. St Petersburg holds a rich collection of diverse museums. On one hand, you will find world-famous places such as the Russian Museum. On the other hand, less renowned museums are totally worth your time. Visit the Museum of Musical Instruments, the Museum of professional orientation, the Museum of Puppets or the Dostoevsky museum.
Cultural richness
As mentioned above, St Petersburg is Russia’s cultural capital, and once you visit the city you won’t be disappointed. It has over 200 museums, 80 theaters, 2000 libraries, 62 cinemas, 45 galleries and 100 concert organizations, among many other cultural institutions. In addition, the city hosts about 100 various cultural competitions and festivals, half of which are international.
Ballet performances
The Petersburg School of Ballet is considered one of the best, and its traditions and prominent dancers are admired worldwide. Watching at least one ballet performance is an experience you cannot miss.
Breathtaking Architecture
Lastly, if you’re interested in architecture, St Petersburg gathers three centuries of different European architectural styles. Of course, all of this is thanks to the loss of capital city status. All the major modern projects were built in Moscow. For this reason, the historic city center maintained pre-revolutionary buildings and its original architectural appearance.
How to get there
Many European airlines travel to St Petersburg, but you could also take the train through Europe if you want to. Because of how large the city is, the best idea is to book a central hotel. Therefore you will have more time to tour since you won’t take too long going back to your lodge. On the other hand, the subway is a great mean of transport. However, remember to be very careful since the station signs are hard to read. Don’t miss your stop!
When to go
Visit St Petersburg during winter, in order to get the full experience and enjoy the feeling of imperial Russia. It may sound counterintuitive, given how cold Russia gets during the winter, but it is the best season to visit St Petersburg. At any rate, you can protect yourself from the cold within the glowy and beautiful walls of the Winter Palace, in true tsar style.
Although the communist period is long gone, the process to get a visa hasn’t changed much and it’s still considerable tedious, especially due to the all the paperwork needed. However, a visa agency can help you throughout the procedure.
History
Saint Petersburg was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great, and the magnificent Winter Palace was finished in 1762. Since the city was built in a European style on the western outskirts of the country, the establishment of St Petersburg was considered the Europeanization of Russia. Besides, the city also replaced the “Asian” Moscow in the east as the new capital. The Winter Palace is the most remarkable creation within the city.
This city has witnessed and been a big part of the history of both Russia and Europe. This was the place where revolution developed, leading to 70 long years of Communism in Russia. It also changed names – St Petersburg became Leningrad by the new administration. It was an important defense that held up against the expanse of Nazism during World War II, also experiencing the end of the old Soviet Union and Russia’s re-development.
If you loved this article or found it useful, don’t forget to share it with your adventurous and travel-hacking friends! If you want more posts like this, follow us on Youtube, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or Facebook and subscribe to our newsletter!