Saint Petersburg is Russia’s second-largest city with 5+ million inhabitants and lies on the Neva River, where it flows out into the Gulf of Finland.
Known throughout history under different names (Sankt-Pieter-Burch, Petrograd, Leningrad), St Petersburg was founded in 1703 by Tsar Peter the Great and for more than 200 years, between 1713 and 1918, it was the capital of the Russian Tsardom and thereafter of the Russian Empire.
This is one of Europe’s largest cities – the historical center alone covers several square kilometers. There’s so much to see and experience in St Petersburg that you would have to spend a month here just to get through the top entries of the to-do-list, especially since some of the most famous sights are far out in the suburbs, but regardless how long your stay is, there are a couple of “must-see” attraction:
The Winter Palace. Official residence of the Russian Emperors from 1732 to 1917. Today, the monumental palace and surrounding areas form the impressive Hemitage Museum. Built and altered continuously between the late 1730s and 1837, it also hosts a vast art collection and has been calculated to have 1,786 doors, 1,945 windows, 1,500 rooms and 117 staircases.
The Peterhof Palace is not just one, but a number of palaces and gardens. It’s not surprisingly nicknamed “The Russian Versailles” as it was originally a “country habitation” but expanded after Tsar Peter the Great had visited the French royal court 1717… Unmissable in the summer time when the park’s incredible collection of 176 fountains is in operation.
The Peter and Paul Fortress, the original citadel of St Petersburg founded in 1703. During its three-century long history it never actually saw military action, but has fulfilled a variety of functions, from burial place for nearly all of the Romanov Emperors and Empresses to infamous prison to development of Soviet rocket technology.
One of St. Petersburg’s most instantly recognizable landmarks is The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. The church was commissioned by emperor Alexander III in 1883 as a memorial to his father, “Alexander the Liberator” (Alexander II), who was assassinated in 1881. Construction took 26 years and is said to have costed 4,5 million rubels, funded by the royal family and extensive private donations.
Tsarskoye Selo, home to not one but two vast 18th century palaces, is a testament to the Romanov Imperial family’s massive wealth and lavishness. The Catherine Palace, a sister building to the Winter Palace is the most famous attraction, featuring e.g. the extraordinary Amber Room.
The Mariibsky Theatre (aka the Kirov Theatre, “back in the USSR”), home to the Mariinsky Ballet company and opera have nurtured world-famous ballet dancers, such as Anna Pavlova, Rudolph Nureyev, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Galina Ulanova.
Regulations forbid construction of tall buildings in the city center, so the low-rise skyline of St. Petersburg’s historic canter is dominated by the grand gold dome of St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the city’s largest and most spectacular religious building.
Some claim that Nevsky, where you find St. Petersburg’s most exclusive shopping, is “one of the world’s greatest streets”. Running 4.5 kilometers from the Admiralty in the west to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery in the east, Nevsky Prospekt dosn’t have a single building dated after 1917.
The climate of Saint Petersburg is similar to that of Helsinki, although a bit colder in the winter time and warmer during summer.
From May to October, there are a number of ways to explore the city by boat, from taking the hydrofoil to the suburban palace and park at Peterhof to enjoying dinner and live jazz on an evening cruise along the Neva.
St Petersburg’s nightlife consists mainly of smaller establishments, each more unique and creative than the other. The bars tend to have themes – sports, Irish, British-style pub, hip Soviet nostalgia – and most of them serve food, usually have DJs or live music and are open until 06.00 or later.
You can fly direct from e.g. Oslo to Pulkovo Airport, which is located 23 km (14 miles) south of the city center.
The currency used is the Russian ruble.
Enjoy your visit to St Petersburg – you will be spoilt for choice!