Churches, cathedrals, palaces, fortresses... and vodka: the best things to see, do, and drink in St. Petersburg. Amazing architecture of all sorts abounds in stately St. Petersburg, both above ground and under. BienvenidoSPB takes a look at the top 10 things to do in Russia's second city.
1. Visit the Hermitage Museum
Continuing the ‘grand and old’ theme, the Hermitage Museum is one of the largest and oldest in the world, having been founded in 1764. It is a museum of art and culture situated among several buildings, including the Winter Palace, that are themselves of historic note, and are often just as, if not more impressive than the items they showcase inside.
2. Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood
This Russian Orthodox church goes by many names and, depending on who you talk to, you’re almost certainly going to get a different name each time. It is festooned with crazy blue and gold domes on the outside, and inside is covered with exquisite mosaics.
3. Visit Grand Peterhof Palace and Grand Cascade
The Peterhof Palace is, as palaces go, fairly small, although beautiful. However, the real beauty is its grounds. Based on French styles, from the Grand Cascade fountains to the tranquil lower gardens, it is known as the ‘Russian Versailles’.
4. Take a trip on the metro
The journey is almost definitely more important than the destination when travelling via the metro in St Petersburg. Each station's decoration is palatial, with exquisite artwork and decorations, making it easily one of the most beautiful subways in the world. B because St Petersburg has a largely one-way driving system, it's much easier to get around underground. It also happens to be the deepest subway in the world, so prepare yourself for some long escalator journeys.
5. Nevsky Prospekt
With its souvenir shops, palaces and cathedrals, Nevsky Prospekt will probably be on your list, but being at the hub of metro lines, you'll probably end up there without even trying.
6. Catherine Palace in Pushkin
The Catherine (until 1910 Great Tsarskoye Selo) Palace is a historical and compositional center of the palace-and-park ensemble. It is a remarkable edifice in the Russian Baroque style, with richly decorated interiors including the world-famous Amber Room, which was restored by the Tercentenary of St. Petersburg in 2003.
7. Take a romantic night trip along the river watching drawbridges
The opening of the grand bascule bridges across the Neva River is a nightly cause for celebration in the summer in St. Petersburg, with hundreds of visitors and locals gathering after midnight every evening along the central embankments to watch the bridges rising.
8. Visit the Admiralty
The Admiralty is one St. Petersburg's oldest and most important buildings, opposite the Winter Palace and the focal point for three of the city's main central streets - Nevsky Prospekt, Gorokhovaya Ulitsa, and Voznesenskiy Prospekt.
9. Visit the theatre
Unarguably theatres in St Petersburg are an unmissable attraction in their own right, as they are very interesting from an historic point of view, and their magnificent neoclassical buildings along with their remarkable theatrical and musical performances are really worth seeing.
10. Drink Russian vodka
In short, we drink vodka wrong. Really wrong. A trip to Russia will make you realise that sipping it pre-frozen shot glass is how it should be done, not mixing it with cola or orange juice. The Vodka Room is particularly worth visiting to indulge your newfound passion, as it serves a selection of over 200 vodkas. The Vodka Museum is also worth a look, but bear in mind that there is no English translation for the bulk of the museum – so unless you have a translator it can be a bit of a struggle.