Advantages: A wonderful, beautiful city with a rich history Disadvantages: None
Introduction
Stepping off the train from Moscow (and not without some relief in having finally arrived) into StPetersburg the change in atmosphere hit us as quickly as the icy Baltic breeze. Visited in succession it is hard to believe that these cities, the two largest in Russia, are even in the same country, let alone only 5 hours apart by train.
StPetersburg, dubbed the Venice of the North thanks to its network of canals, has experienced a turbulent history. Foundered by Peter the Great in 1703 to provide access to the Baltic, StPetersburg was raised from the inhospitable Neva marshland. The strongest legacy of the city's 300 year history is the magnificence bequeathed to the city by the Russian Tsars. In the 20th century StPetersburg has endured more mixed fortunes. Renamed Petrograd in 1914 it was the scene of the 1917 ...
Advantages: CHEAP!! - really good value for money - brilliant public transport Disadvantages: a fair bit of red tape in repect of sorting ones own trip there!!
of the romanovs. My first day was very hard, it was almost like your first day at school. In fact it was my first day at school - The Benedict International School Russia. The weather was cold to say the least. the cold air was biting at my nose but nothing could dampen the splendour of this fantastic city. geographically StPetersburg is situated at the extreme east of the gulf of finland and is a series of islands not unlike Venice - in fact many tourists refer to it as the venice of the north. The majority of buildings in the city centre are very grand and each and every one has its own secrets.
the river was frozen solid all it appeared good for was the odd ice hole fisher or as was being demonstrated by a bunch of soilders close to a bridge by the wonderful peters and pauls fortress, a game of football. I hope they dont fall in i though then ...
. Of course, being such a tiny place you can probably walk anywhere you want ? remember that the bridges close in the winter at about 3am (ish ? check local timetables) ? so don?t be stuck clubbing on one of the islands? The flea-markets are also worth a visit or two.
SIGHTS
Ultimately the must-sees are as follows: the Hermitage (state museum), Pushkin (Catherine's Palace and the Lycee), Peter and Paul Fortress, St. Isaac's Cathedral, Church of the Spilt Blood, Nevsky Prospect (worth walking down and checking out some of the shops ? slowly being taken over by Western big names? and Macdonald?s). There are hundreds of museums, as well as theatres and lovely little cafes, especially away from the tourist centres - buy yourself a city guide, and try some of the little restaurants (e.g. "U tyoscha na blinah" on Zagorodni Prospect), or stick to ...
