Discover St. Petersburg

Enchanting St. Petersburg, the one time capital of Russia, is elegant and hedonistic. One minute you can be clapping along to Russian Folk Music in a baroque hall, the next smelling incense inside a mosaic covered Orthodox Church and the next grooving away on a dance floor at an underground club.

Putting all the above aside the city of St Petersburg is visually delightful. The Neva River and the nearby canals echo unbroken facades of striking 18th and 19th century buildings, housing a mesmerizing collection of cultural storehouses.

St Petersburg itself is spread out across lots of different islands, some of which are real and others that have been created through the building of canals.

Not To Be Missed

The Hermitage and Dvortsovaya Ploshchad

The State Hermitage is mainly set in the glorious Winter Palace and is just stacked with treasures that range from Egyptian mummies and Scythian gold to early 20th century European art by Picasso and Matisse. To avoid long queues for tickets book on-line at hermitagemuseum.org. The tickets cost $17.95.

The main entrance to the museum is from Dvortsovaya Ploshchad. This is one of St Petersburg's most historic and impressive spaces. Take some time here to stand back and admire the palace and the central 47.5m Alexander Column. Named for Alexander I it commemorates the 1812 victory over Napoleon.

The General Staff Building encloses the squares south side. Here in the east wing there is to be found a much less crowded but just as commendable part of the Hermitage.

Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood

This church was partially modeled on St Basil's on Moscow and was built between 1883 and 1907 at the place where Alexander II was assassinated in 1881. Hence the gory name. The entrance fee is R300 but is fully justified by the interior's 7000 sq meters of mosaics.

Russian Museum (rusmuseum.ru)

This is housed in what used to be the Mikhailovsky Palace and is home to one of the country's finest collections of Russian art. Well worth a visit.

St Isaac's Cathedral

The golden dome of St Isaac's Cathedral dominates the skyline of St Petersburg. The interior of the cathedral is lavish but for most the real attraction is the unbelievable view from the colonnade around the dome's drum. Be warned to reach the colonnade you have to climb 262 steps.

Nevsky Prospekt

Nevsky Prospekt is Russia's most famous street and you cannot leave St Petersburg without having walked at least some of it. Some of the highlights to be found on this street are the Kazan Cathedral, the Singer Building and the Bolsoy Gostiny Dvor (an historic department store).

The Summer Garden

The loveliest park in St Petersburg and a great place to sit and relax.

Peter and Paul Fortress (spbmuseum.ru)

Although founded in 1703 as the original military fortress for the new city the Peter and Paul Fortress was used mainly as a prison up until 1917. Everyday a cannon is fired from the Naryshkin Bastion and it is fun to walk the battlements here.

Each attraction at the Peter and Paul Fortress requires an individual ticket. The best deal is to buy a combined entry ticket, which allows entrance to all the attractions (with the exception of the Bell Tower) for ten days.

Getting Around St. Petersburg

The easiest way to get around this beautiful city is by the metro with a flat fare of R17. There are four lines that cross over the city and go out to the suburbs.

Or to get around the center use a marshrutka (shared minibus). The fares for these differ but the average is R20 and will be shown prominently inside the van. To stop a marshrutka simply hold out your hand and it will stop. Once on sit down and hand your cash to the driver. Should you not be seated near to the driver a human chain will operate to get your money to the appropriate hand. To stop the marshrutka shout out "ostanovityes pozhalusta! and the driver will stop.

Should you wish to use a taxi and want to book one in advance then try www.taxi068.spb.ru

A quick hint where accommodation is concerned room prices are at a premium between May and September. The rest of the year rates can drop by up to 30%.

Source: Europe on a Shoestring - The lonely planet